FEASYCOMBluetooth Adapter More than100m USB Antenna dongle transceiver for Windows 10/8/7/ Vista/WinXP

General Information:The FeasyAdapter Bluetooth USB dongle, model FSC-BP119, is powered by the CSR8510 A10 chipset, which was developed by Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) Limited. It employs Bluetooth 4.0 with a max transmission rate of 3 Mbps. As a Class 1 device, it should transmit up to a range of 100 meters/~328 feet in open air. This range is obtainable due to the attachable RP dipole antenna, which provides 2 dBi gain.The dongle is packaged with a user manual and antenna, which screws on via SMA connection. No driver software is included. However, the Amazon product description contains a direct download link. It can also be found on the official FeasyBeacon website. The driver software is compatible with Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP (x86 and x64) and installs as a component of the CSR Harmony Wireless Stack. This Bluetooth stack provides convenient device management options via the system tray/notification area and its own Windows File Explorer control panel. It also includes support for wide-band mono audio and the apt-X lossless stereo codec, which can deliver high-quality audio with very low to no latency.My Experience:I have my PC[1] connected to my living-room TV via HDMI, and I sit on a couch no more than 10 feet away from both devices. I have a Sony PlayStation DualShock 4 (DS4) controller mapped to control the keyboard and mouse[2]. In the past, I had tried a few Bluetooth dongles to pair with DS4 controllers. These dongles suffered from weak signal strength and high latency introduced at increased ranges. Some would even periodically lose connection. I needed a dongle capable of maintaining a strong, stable connection at a convenient distance. The FeasyAdapter Bluetooth USB dongle was able to satisfy my need, exceeding my expectations—though, initially this was not the case. Before I could enjoy the benefits this device offers, I would have to spend several hours browsing the internet in search of solutions to issues I would come to encounter.By default, the FeasyAdapter did not operate as I had hoped. When plugged in to my system, it was being recognized as a keyboard and mouse. I would soon find that this behavior is intended by design. This allows Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) keyboards and mice to connect and operate independent of a Bluetooth stack, thus allowing usage prior to the loading of the operating system (useful for accessing the BIOS). Per Windows' Device Manager, it "was not migrated due to partial or ambiguous match[3]." This meant that Windows was unable to determine what type of device the dongle is. This was due to the device driver not being installed.Installation of the CSR Harmony Wireless Stack[4] driver software was simple [This step may not be necessary if the user does not want or need to install this software. See Updates: 10/26/2019]. The installation wizard has three options to configure: Discovery Mode, SCMS-T and Device Type; I left them at their default values: Off, Disabled and Laptop, respectively. The software installed successfully and the dongle was then recognized as a CSR Bluetooth Radio device. However, all Bluetooth pairing would have to be handled through the Bluetooth stack's interface, which is incompatible with DS4 controllers.Per the CSR8510 A10 chipset documentation[4], dongles can operate in three boot modes: Standard Host Controller Interface (HCI) (Boot Mode 0), Radio Frequency (RF) Kill (Boot Mode 1) and Human Interface Device (HID) Proxy (Boot Mode 2). In Standard HCI mode, the device performs as a standard Bluetooth USB device. In RF Kill mode, the Bluetooth radio is disabled completely, thus rendering any Bluetooth capabilities inoperable. In HID Proxy mode, the device enumerates 2 separate HID protocols: keyboard and mouse—this is what I had witnessed earlier, and now recognized it to be the dongle’s default mode. I realized that to pair with DS4 controllers, it would most likely need to operate in Standard HCI mode.The FeasyBeacon website contains a program called hid2hci[5] that can switch the boot mode from HID Proxy mode to Standard HCI mode. Upon running the program executable, I was met with an error, "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect." This error was being experienced because a specific version (an older version) of the Visual C++ Runtime is required to be installed. Needless to say, I was not comfortable with downgrading.Fortunately, the hid2hci program directory contains its source code, which includes a batch file[6] that can install another program, hid2hcix, to the user startup folder[7]. Further instruction is detailed in the "README.md" file[8]. Instead of executing the file, I examined its few lines of code, which contain a link to a PowerShell script file[9]. The script file code contains a direct link to "hid2hcix.exe.” Upon execution, no error messages were thrown, signifying that there were no compatibility issues. However, nothing happened—nothing at all.At this time, I had given up. I had planned to delete everything related to the dongle from my PC. I started by uninstalling the CSR Harmony Wireless Stack via the "Apps and features" settings panel[10]. Next, I was prepared to delete all hid2hci(x)-related files. Before proceeding, I had remembered the FeasyAdapter documentation mentioning that uninstalling the Bluetooth stack software may be required for hid2hci to function properly. So, I ran hid2hcix once more and a device removal notification sound was played, and shortly after, a device insertion notification sound.Upon scanning for hardware changes[11] in Device Manager, the dongle appeared as an Unknown USB Device under the Universal Serial Bus controllers section. I have a history of encountering this issue with other USB devices and knew exactly how to resolve it. I right-clicked the device entry and selected “Update driver.” From there, I clicked "Browse my computer for driver software,” and then "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.” I selected “Generic Bluetooth Radio” from manufacturer Cambridge Silicon Radio Ltd. The Bluetooth device section in Device Manager immediately populated with entries: Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocol TDI), Generic Bluetooth Radio, Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator and Microsoft Bluetooth LE Enumerator.The FeasyAdapter was finally being recognized as a Bluetooth radio device, independent of any software stack, in its Standard HCI boot mode. At last, I was able to pair my DS4 controller[12]. Though, there was one caveat; after rebooting the PC or unplugging the dongle, it would revert back to its HID Proxy boot mode, thus requiring hid2hcix to be run after each time. At that time, I felt that I could live with this behavior, but it didn't take long for it to become a hassle. Having hid2hcix automatically run at startup was not feasible because I had to first uninstall the dongle in Device Manager, scan for hardware changes and then manually run hid2hcix.I just couldn't settle with these circumstances. I wanted my FeasyAdapter to permanently remain in HCI boot mode. So again, I scoured the internet for solutions and found that there exists a toolkit of programs called BlueSuite[13]. This toolkit contains several CSR device programs for hardware testing, firmware modification and driver installation. As with the CSR Harmony Wireless Stack installer, I left all options at their default values when running the BlueSuite installer. It installs its own device driver to communicate with and configure CSR device chipsets.There is one BlueSuite tool that was of particular use for what I wanted to achieve, PSTool[14]. As explained in the CSR8510 A10 chipset documentation, dongles can be configured using Key values contained within the chip’s Persistent Store (PS). PSTool allows read and write access to this PS. After running the program, a “Choose Transport” window appeared. I selected the “USB” radio button and the “Port” field automatically populated with my device, “\\.\csr0.” I clicked “OK” and was presented with an exhaustive list of configurable PS Key values.The value I needed to configure was the “Initial device bootmode.” Typing this in the “Filter” field will narrow the list down to this option. Upon selection, there is a single field where the last four digits of a hexadecimal value can be entered. These digits represent the previously-mentioned boot modes: Standard HCI (Boot Mode 0, hex value: 0000), RF Kill (Boot Mode 1, hex value: 0001) and HID Proxy (Boot Mode 2, hex value: 0002). By default, the field will contain “0002.” I changed this value to “0000” (without the quotation marks) and clicked the “Set” button, then the “Close” button.I hurried over to the dongle, unplugged and replugged it in. After some observations, my FeasyAdapter appeared to be permanently set at the Standard HCI boot mode. I confirmed this by successfully pairing my DS4 controller. Just to be sure this was not a temporary fluke, I unplugged, replugged, then tested again, again, again… and again. Curious of what this device could handle, I tried simultaneously pairing another DS4 controller, then additionally, a Nintendo Wii Remote (with built-in Motion Plus). I tried sitting across the room at a distance a little under 25 feet with the DS4 controller under a blanket. Surprisingly, it handled everything very well—dare I say perfectly? No noticeable input latency beyond what one would normally experience under wireless connectivity, no disconnects, nor drops in performance.Shortly after, I experienced my final issue. The FeasyAdapter I was using at this time may have been defective. While simply removing the device from my PC’s USB port, the metal shield (the insertable part of a USB device) became lodged in the port. It detached from the dongle as I pulled out, exposing its power connection pins. I had to use a set of pliers to remove it from the port. I attempted to reattach it by sliding it back onto the dongle, much like a sleeve, but it would not adhere. I applied a bit of pressure with it between my thumb and index finger, and it seemed to set into place, albeit a bit loosely.I plugged the dongle back in and a device insertion notification sound played. The device was listed in Device Manager, but it was inoperable. During my second attempt at reattaching the metal shield, I used the pliers to apply even more pressure, ensuring that its two bottom protrusions were set into their slots. It still did not work. So, I just threw it away and purchased another FeasyAdapter without a second thought—it was worth it. It didn’t take any time at all to successfully apply the above-mentioned process to set the dongle into a permanent Standard HCI boot mode.It has been one week since I received my second FeasyAdapter, and thus far, all is well. I cannot comment on how well this device operates at distances nearing its advertised maximum range, nor can I comment on the maximum amount of device connections it can maintain before experiencing degraded performance—I simply do not have the resources. For my purposes, this dongle works astonishingly well. As I acquire more Bluetooth-capable devices, I will likely update this review with my compatibility and performance findings.At this time, I cannot think of any cons to using this device. I give the FeasyAdapter Bluetooth USB dongle 5 out of 5 stars.Troubleshooting:Ensure that the dongle is plugged into a powered USB port. My PC contains two front-panel USB ports that are not powered directly by the motherboard. Thus, they cannot provide enough power for the dongle to operate properly.This dongle’s bluetooth radio may interfere with the performance of other Bluetooth devices (and vice-versa) within close proximity. Relocating to a slightly distant USB port may remedy this issue. My wireless keyboard’s touchpad was experiencing input lag when its unifying receiver was plugged into the port immediate to the dongle. Moving the receiver to a front-panel USB port prevented interference.If this dongle cannot pair with any devices, the PC's internal Bluetooth module may need to be disabled. This can be achieved via the Device Manager. Just expand the Bluetooth device section, right-click the respective device entry and select “Disable device.”The dongle must be in HCI boot mode in order for PSTool to read the device. Just run hid2hcix if it is not. Ensure it is listed as “CSR BlueCore Device” under the Universal Serial Bus controllers section in Device Manager. If this is not the case, manually install the BlueCore driver by right-clicking the device entry (in the Bluetooth device section) and selecting “Update driver.” From there, select "Browse my computer for driver software,” and then "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.” Click the “Have Disk…” button, then the “Browse…” button and navigate to the BlueSuite directory[14]. Open the “drivers” folder, select "CSRBlueCoreUSB” and install.Notes:[1] At the time of writing this review, I use Windows 10 Professional x64 (version 1903, build 18362.356). My PC's onboard Bluetooth module was defective and transmitted a weak signal. I used Bluetooth dongles to compensate. I have since then replaced my motherboard, and Bluetooth works fine. Despite this, I have disabled onboard Bluetooth and use my FeasyAdapter instead.[2] Software program reWASD, by Disc Soft Ltd, is used for mapping controllers to the keyboard and mouse. Software program DS4Windows, from developer Ryochan7, is used for DS4 touchpad/gyroscope control and lightbar color customization. Both programs provide controller mapping options and can be used to emulate an XInput controller (i.e. the Xbox 360 controller) for increased compatibility with games. DS4Windows is free, open-source software and reWASD is commercial software (though, relatively cheap).[3] Windows' Device Manger can be accessed via Start Menu search. The event details were found by expanding the Human Interface Devices list, right-clicking the respective USB Input Device and navigating to Properties. The Events tab displays a timestamped history of events for the specified device.[4] Driver software, as well as related documentation, can be found on the official FeasyBeacon website—just navigate to Products > Other Bluetooth Products > Bluetooth Adapter and click "FSC-BP119 Qualcomm CSR Chip 100M Cover Range Bluetooth Adapter For Windows." Here, you can find all the relevant download links.[5] hid2hci is downloaded as a Roshal Archive (RAR) file. RAR files can be extracted with popular archival utilities, such as 7-Zip, WinRAR and peaZip.[6] The batch file "install-win.bat" can be observed with a text editing program, such as Notepad.[7] The user startup folder is located at the %APDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup directory. This location can be pasted into the Windows File Explorer address bar for immediate access. It can also be accessed by opening the Run dialog prompt from the Start Menu and typing "shell:startup" (without the quotation marks). If placed in this directory, programs will automatically be executed when Windows starts up. In this case, hid2hcix would be run at startup to conveniently have the FeasyAdapter switched to HCI mode.[8] The "README.md" file can be opened with a text editing program.[9] The PowerShell script file "install-win.ps1" can be observed with a text editing program.[10] The "Apps and features" panel can be accessed via the Windows 10 Settings menu. Just navigate to Settings > Apps. All programs are sorted alphabetically by default. Use the search field to easily find the CSR Harmony Wireless Stack program. Click its entry and select "Uninstall."[11] This can be performed by clicking the Scan for hardware changes icon in Device Manager, or by clicking any device entry and navigating to Action > Scan for hardware changes.[12] To bring a DS4 controller into pairing mode, hold the Share button and then PS button until the LED begins to rapidly blink.[13] BlueSuite is no longer available from its original source. A Google search should yield several sources for download. I used version 2.6.11.1937 for this purpose, but theoretically, any 2.x version should work.[14] Depending on what version of BlueSuite is installed, PSTool will either be located in directory C:\Program Files (x86)\QTIL\BlueSuite or C:\Program Files (x86)\CSR\BlueSuite. ”PSTool.exe" needs to be run as administrator, which can be done by right-clicking the file and selecting “Run as administrator.”Updates:10/26/2019After 45 days, my FeasyAdapter Bluetooth dongle is still performing as it was the first day of setup. I have found that it may be unnecessary to install the CSR Harmony Wireless Stack. Simply running hid2hcix as administrator should switch to the desired boot mode. From there, BlueSuite can be installed and PSTools can be used to change the default boot mode. I will continue to update if I run into any noteworthy findings or issues.

RANGE IS NO FURTHER THAN ANY OTHER DONGLE. At first site it is easy to believe that this dongle would easily achieve at least half the stated range. IT WILL NOT ! The only way to get any type of extended range is with bluetooth low energy and then 100 feet is not achievable consistently. My testing achieved a 100 ft connection 2-3 times and then it was in open air as stated with bluetooth low energy device but not stable. If you are purchacing this dongle for extended range i would look elsewhere i achieved better connection stability and distance with my plugable brand dongle for less money and plug and play install no drivers to download. The product works fine but i say again HAS NO BETTER RANGE THAN ANY OTHER CHEAP BLUETOOTH DONGLE WITHOUT AN ANTENNA STICKING OUT TO BREAK. IT ALSO DOES NOT WORK WITH LINUX UBUNTU . THIS IS NOT STATED BY THE SELLER BUT NOT DENIED LIKE OTHER ADAPTERS.

After a night of troubleshooting, I was ready to return this.The drivers would never install correctly. I eventually located a source for the drivers that detected the device as the csr8510 A10 correctly. It was nowhere to be found in the device manager. But, multiple new HID entries were showing up. The csr8510 showed up listed as a mouse and keyboard the "Devices and Printers" menu.I scoured the well-sourced essay review posted here. I eventually had to use the hdi2hcix source files to get the powershell script to install the hdi2hcix.exe startup program. The generic bluetooth device finally showed up and tried to install the CSR driver. Code 10. Didn't work. After disabling all the other bluetooth devices in control panel, it worked after being disabled and enabled agin.The range has been good. I was able to maintain a bluetooth audio stream all from one end of the house to the other (through 3 closed doors) with no drops.The build quality is not great. Be careful with the metal cover over the USB. It feels very loose.

I liked that it recognized my devices and has good range.I disliked that the driver came on a CD, and otherwise the CSR harmony driver wasn't available on the manufacturer's website. CD? Am I George Washington? It may as well been written in ox blood on lambskin microfische in calligraphy-style hexadecimal. Or maybe next time include a treasure map, except it just leads to the nethers of an old abandoned cave, and when you get to the room with the driver in it, it's finger-painted in 1's and 0's all over the ancient stone walls, for easy copying. A working driver link would probably do the trick, though.

I've tried other Bluetooth adapters that just didn't live up to expectations. For the best long distance transmission possible you will want to choose a Class 1 Bluetooth device. The Feasycom is a Class 1 Bluetooth Transceiver. It can connect to a variety of different device types other than audio. I bought it to use with my T 550 wireless headphones and a desktop computer. There's a lot of hype out there regarding transmission distance. The bottom line is, all Class 1 Bluetooth devices will all perform about the same. The promoted distance hype is just that, hype. Actual results depends on the physical material (such as walls) between the Bluetooth device and the device it connects to. The most I could get with this inside my home is about 45'. Your results could be more or less. The benefit of a USB Connected Bluetooth adapter for a computer is that your computer will manage the connection for you because it knows when you turn of or off your device. If you choose a Bluetooth device that is only powered through USB, it doesn't communicate with your device. You'll need to manually pair it each time you turn your device on even though the Bluetooth device is powered all the time.