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USB adaptor provides Bluetooth and WLAN comms

04 October, 2007

The Swedish wireless communications specialist connectBlue has developed a USB serial port adaptor with built-in Bluetooth and WLAN (wireless local area networking) capabilities. The adaptor is said to make it easier to configure and test industrial applications, as well as eliminating the need for cables and power supplies.

When the adaptor is plugged into a PC, it installs itself automatically as a virtual COM port. No extra software is needed because the Bluetooth and WLAN stacks are built into the module.

"Since the programmer does not need to licence a complex Bluetooth or WLAN host stack or driver, there are no additional configuration costs," explains connectBlue president, Rolf Nilsson. "Also, there is no longer a need for a traditional serial port, serial cable or power cable."

The USB adaptor can optionally be equipped with other types of firmware supporting, for example, Bluetooth file transfer (FTP) and object push profiles, Bluetooth I/O, repeater functions, or multi-point versions.