Hi,

How do I actually know if I am using the Widcomm stack? I want to get RSSI values which the MS Stack does not give me. So I downloaded the Widcomm drivers from Broadcom and installed them and it all seemed to go okay. But the driver files in Windows 7 appear unchanged...

 So I am very unsure about whether I am currently using the Widcomm stack or the MS stack. Is there a function call in the 32feet.net library that will tell me, either because it is so incompatible with one of the stacks that it fails and throws an exception, or tells me in some other way?

 Thanks!

 

I did try to use the Test32FeetWidcommWin32.exe file that comes with the assemblies, but it hangs on BtIf_Create... I guess this means that I am not actually using the Widcomm stack. But I didrun SetupBtwDownloadSE.exe which I downloaded from the official Broadcom site and it finished successfully and my Bluetooth dongle has a Broadcom chip.

 It looks like the Widcomm stuff just adds extra functionality over the MS Stack, but does not replace the MS Stack. And when I plug the dongle into the computer, it automatically installs the MS Stack... This seems like it should be a simple problem, but I cannot figure it out.

 My code still executes well using the 32feet.net assembly, but the rssi value returned is always the minimum possible integer value, which seems consistent with it still talking to the MS Stack.

 Are there any instructions which anyone can point me to which could help? Thanks!

 

 

 Hi again,

I am now sure that there is something fishy about the newest Widcomm software for Windows 7. It does not seem to install the stack at all. Only support for BT profiles etc. that Windows 7 does not natively support. Is it therefore not possible for me to use 32feet.net with Widcomm on a Windows 7 machine? Do I need XP?

I have found the following tutorial for installing Widcomm, but it is from 2006 and it does not seem to work for Windows 7:

http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/archive/index.php/t-342643.html

I get all the way to the end and then my machine never detects the dongle, even though I have the original drivers. Can somebody please let me know if it is possible to get Widcomm running on Windows Vista or Windows 7? Do I need an XP machine?

Thanks again.

 

Okay, just for the edification of anyone else who may run into the problems I was having. I was unable to get the Widcomm stack to install on a Windows 7 machine. But I was able to get it working on a Vista machine. Follow the instructions in the link from the previous post, and keep in mind that the Microsoft Bluetooth drivers are associated separately with each USB port. So when you uninstall the MS driver from one, it may still be installed on another. I now have both stacks working on my machine, I use the MS stack when the dongle is plugged into my first USB port and hte Widcomm stack when it is plugged into the second.

 Also, if you have the drivers which came with your dongle, do not use the Vista one. Like Windows 7, the Widcomm support for Vista simply extends the MS stack's functionality but does not replace it. Instead, follow the instructions in the link above and use the XP drivers that came with your dongle. These will work with Vista and successfully replace the MS stack.

 If anyone ever does get the Widcomm stack working on Windows 7, please post here!

 

Interesting stuff.  I never knew that one could install the Widcomm XP drivers on Vista. Otherwise, what you found is my understanding too:  Widcomm on Vista/Windows 7 is only profiles/apps/services and not their stack, they just wrap/use the MSFT stack.  So no support for RSSI for instance.  I need to go through all the documentation and add this explanation there.

One other possibility is for 32feet.NET to support BlueSoleil...  I've checked, and it does install 'fully' on Windows 7 and it supports reading RSSI.  We have no support for it yet but it could be added.  Previously I've done all the work on the library including the large job that was adding Widcomm support in my free time.  However I'm now out of work and thus need to be doing commercial work.  Is it something you'd be willing to pay for?

Hello,

I need to use two dongle simultaneously, one for listening &receiving and another for sending. Is it possible?? I think I need to use two stacks. I guess I´m using Microsft stack and I´m trying to install Widcomm one but I can´t. Any advice? Im using windows Xp.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 I have never done it, but I think you can use multiple dongles at once. There is an array of Radios in the API. If you iterate through it, I think you can see the various dongles and use them.

 It seems more complicated than it should be to get the Widcomm stack to work. I have never tried on XP, but I got it working on Vista. I followed the instructions that I posted a link to in one of the posts in this thread. I would check that out. But if you Google it, chances are that someone else has tackeld the problem before.

 

 

One (maybe) stupid question: As I said, I wish to use two dongles at the same time. I have read that I must try to install widcomm stack and try to use joint with microsoft. I´m using Ezurio´s dongles. Should I use broadcom or another specific trade for using Widcomm stack or it should workswith any trade??

 

Thankss

Hi all, hi p1000.

I'm using 32feet.NET v.2.5 on a Windows 7 64 bit OS.

I need to use two real Bluetooth radios, the one embedded on my Sony VAIO VGN-SR21M and another one I plug in an USB port (but the question should apply to two external USB Bluetooth dongles).

I understood that to do this I need to load two different stacks: the original MS one for the embedded radio and the Widcomm/Broadcom one for the USB dongle. I also read from your post that it's possible to associate one stack to one USB port.

I tried several times, following several tutorials, but I never reached the goal. The result is always the same: only one stack at a time is loaded by my OS, and in the "devices manager" list only one BT radio works. The other one always has the exclamation mark within a yellow triangle, reporting the "Device not started. Error code 10" message.

Can you please provide a short guide on how to do this?

Is this a necessary step before to load the .dll modules as reported in the User's Guide - Multi-stack support section?

Sorry for my bad English and thank you in advance for any support.

 

Do you have the Widcomm stack install and it is using one of the dongles?  If not then one of the dongles will indeed be ignored. (From the user guide: "For instance on the Microsoft XP stack when I have two dongles attached I see an event log warning from BTHUSB with message “Only one active Bluetooth radio is supported at a time.”")

I managed to get this sort of set up to work, but not with Windows 7. I found that the Widcomm stack did not fully install on Windows 7. It only installs some supplemental stuff but uses the MS stack for the basic Bluetooth functionality. It worked with Windows Vista and Windows XP...

 

 

Thank you alanjmcf and p1000.

alanjmcf, I installed the Widcomm stack (and, as p1000 said, it did not fully install). The detailed situation after the installation is as follows:

- MS stack seems to be overridden by the Widcomm stack, since the internal Bluetooth radio listed in the "Devices manager" changes its name, from "Generic Bluetooth Device" to "ALPS-[bla-bla-bla]"

- details about this radio show that the driver actually used is the Broadcom one, but no "My Bluetooth Places" icon appears in any place (so I think that the Widcomm stack doesn't fully install).

- the internal radio works correctly

- if I plug in a USB dongle, it doesn't work and it is listed with the yellow exclamation mark. Details of this second radio show that the used drivers are the MS ones, but the "Device can not be started (error 10).

- if I deactivate the internal radio, the USB one starts to work, and the used drivers are still the MS ones.

I reported  verbosely the situation should it be useful for someone, since p1000 proved that the Widcomm stack doesn't work on Windows 7.