Smart Hacks

Today i tried to sync my data with Activesync over Bluetooth. It did not work! Although the Bluetooth software found the Activesync and created a service for it, for some reason I was unable to see the Activesync Bluetooth Service on the PDA.

After uninstalling Toshiba Bluetooth Stack and trying the good old Widcomm stack from IBM (Lenovo) i was still stuck with the same problem. The Toshiba stack did not work at all, the Lenovo (Widcomm based) at least provided the service. But with no luck on the PDA. After trying few more other Bluetooth drivers i realised that this won’t be the problem. Did some Google research and ended up with a solution i wouldn’t expect at all.

Some Windows Mobile 5 devices (Including HTC P3600 Trinity) are only able to see first seven (7) Bluetooth services your PC can offer. The Widcomm drivers are more than generous and the Activesync service is always listed as last service on the list.

So i had to disable some of them - like Fax or Printer. You can do it very easily. Just fire up the Bluetooth Control Panel by right clicking the Widcomm Bluetooth icon in the tray and selecting “Bluetooth Configuration”. Select the “Local Services” tab, doubleclick on the unecessary services like Fax, Printer and untick the “Startup automaticaly” box.

After disabling enough services and pairing the PC again (this time i initiated the pairing from the PDA) i found the Activesync service in the list and i’ve been able to use the Activesync over Bluetooth. To start the connection just launch the Activesync app on the PDA and from the Menu (right context key) pick “Connect via Bluetooth”.

Also don’t try to estabilish the connection via standard Bluetooth Serial ports, that won’t work. While troubleshooting this issue, disable all services except the ActiveSync and don’t use any other BT devices. Just to find out if you are able to make it work.

Good luck!

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 1st, 2007 at 9:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.