Pactor 3 modem: weak bluetooth signal

[Safc]

Hello All,

My pactor 3 modem is equipped with bluetooth. When I try to connect to my laptop however, it only works when the laptop is about 2 meters (6 feet) away from the pactor modem.

After some searching I found the bluetooth module insalled on the Pactor 3 is Class 2, meaning it should transmit up to 10 meters (33 feet).

My modem is installed clear of any obstructions , on the underside of the cealing of my SB aft cabin.

Does anybody know how to "power up" the bluetooth signal from the pactor 3 ? I wanted to buy a Class 1 (100m range - 333 feet) bluetooth dongle for my laptop, but apparantly this would not work...

(class 1 and class 2 devices mixed only give the range of the weakest class - being 2)

Any help will be greatly appreciated !

Brgds,
Safc

[Safc]

no suggestions here ?

[madsb]

Originally Posted by Safc

...

My modem is installed clear of any obstructions , on the underside of the cealing of my SB aft cabin.

What is the ceiling of the cabin made of, and how are you mounting it? If either involves metal or similar conductive materials that may be why.

[Safc]

Ceiling is polyester, as is the boat. I mounted it with double sided tape, so that shoulden't be the problem...

[Safc]

Still looking for an aswer here

[wholybee]

Bluetooth is in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band. It's range and ability to connect depends in part on the number of other 2.4GHz devices and their proximity to your Bluetooth devices.

There are sometimes issues between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wifi. On my laptop, if I connect to wifi with 2.4 GHz instead of 5 GHz, my Bluetooth mouse becomes erratic, and it becomes very difficult for my phone to connect to my Victron solar controller-even only 3 feet away.

So, I would start there, make sure your laptop isn't using 2.4GHz wifi. Maybe use a utility to scan the area for other wifi networks, and if it is busy(like in many marinas), you might be SOL.

You could also try a Bluetooth dongle on your computer. Power aside, the antenna in you computer is probably a compromise design. A dongle might work better.