Bluetooth and 700p

You shouldn't have to turn off the Prius, but you do have to stop to re-pair the phone.

As to why you have to do this at all, it could be a problem with the 700p.

Is it possible that the phone is "sleeping," and dropping the connection? This happens on the 650.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blue Rhino @ Jun 14 2006, 06:18 PM) [snapback]271391[/snapback]</div>

My Sony W600i had a similar problem at first. I tracked the problem down. There is an option called "Power Save" mode, which prevents the unit from trying to connect to any other Bluetooth device (another vehicle - Bluetooth-capable) in proximity once it is connected to some device (Prius, in this case). From factory, this Power Save mode was ON. I turned it OFF, and the dropped connection problem was solved.

Try to read the menual and try options under Bluetooth for anything similar. Good luck.

 

Hi All,

My company just bought me a 700p & like many others I could connect quite easily to my Prius Bluetooth but, after 20-40 minutes the connection would drop. I also have a Jabra BT800 headset for the phone that was acting quite erratically. In researching the problem, I noticed that there is a Bluetooth Keyboard patch for the 700p so, I downloaded and installed the update for the keyboard & now my Jabra BT800 works perfectly. I will go & test the 700p with the Prius over the weekend and will update you as soon as I know if this little keyboard patch fixes the Prius dropout also.

Best Regards,
Wayne Brown http://privatenrg.com

 

I recently purchased the 700P and am also having problems with it dropping, and even with it pairing at all. Sometimes it takes 2 tries to get it to pair. I have an '06 prius.

Why is there always some sort of problem with this high tech crap?! Any help on this matter would be much appreciated.

By the way, I got the Motorola Q before the Treo. Stay away! It's a beautiful little phone, but full of problems. The Windoze software is definitely not ready for prime time. It would freeze up constantly, and that was with no 3rd party apps loaded on. Plus, the signal was never that great, which really killed the battery. I tried 2 in one week... they both sucked. It's so thin, I really wanted it to work. I sure hope the 700P turns out better.

 

One more thing... I've noticed that my battery and signal strength do not seem to be coming up properly on my screen. This is probably a result of Verizon crippling the bluetooth profiles. Anyone else haing this problem? Anyone know a hack/workaround?

Thanks!

 

Well, I am sorry to report that the Prius still drops the 700p after around 20 minutes. The Bluetooth Keyboard update from Palm completely solved the Bluetooth Wireless headset problem I was having with the Jabra BT800... This (Verizon Palm 700p) being a company phone, I have little choice but to keep messing with it. Being me (who is well -- cheap) I will not be buying my own BT phone when I have this one for free so, I will surely be attempting to find a remedy for this Treo - Prius Bluetooth problem.

I'll keep researching & post back if I find any remedies.

Regards,
Wayne -- http://privatenrg.com

 

UPDATE!!! my Verizon 700p Bluetooth to Prius connection is working -- here is what I did.

First, I went to http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/u...s_keyboard.html , downloaded the Bluetooth Keyboard update & Hot-Synced it to the 700p. This allowed my Jabra BT800 to function perfectly which had been performing very poorly before.

Next, I went to http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/thbcarkit700p.html , downloaded this small Cark Kit program, did a hot-sync & ran the program from inside the palm which finishes up the install. I did not check off either of the two choices (Auto Answer: nor Auto Wireless Mode once the program was installed on the Treo.

Finally, I deleted my former Bluetooth - Prius connection setups from the phone & the Prius & then Setup them up again & have not had any connection dropouts since.

I am a very happy Prius driver now.

Best Regards,
Wayne -- http://privatenrg.com

 

Thanks for the update Wayne. I installed the keyboard patch a few days ago, and haven't had any more problems auto connecting (when i first start the car) since then. I probably haven't even driven for 20 minutes straight since i got the 700P, so I haven't noticed any drops yet. I'll follow your suggestion though and see how it works.

Also, on the MFD my signal strength appears to be working, but not my baterry meter. If you have an '06 Prius, is your battery meter working?

Thanks!

 

If you have an '06 Prius, is your battery meter working?
[/quote]

Sorry, my Prius is an 04 .. no battery meter

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mwbueno @ Jun 26 2006, 03:58 PM) [snapback]277029[/snapback]</div>

Is this still looking like a good fix for the dropped connection problem? Sorry to ask for confirmation, but since the dropped connection time seemed to vary for me, I wanted to double check with you before I go out & buy one again ... I upgraded from the 650 to 700p (verizon) but then couldn't live with the dropped bluetooth in the car so returned it. Now I miss it!

Let us know when you get another chance to post here & thanks a million for the info!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey @ Jul 3 2006, 02:43 AM) [snapback]280434[/snapback]</div>

Hi delrey,

Things continue to operate flawlessly; I have been on a couple of trips that have each exceeded 2 hours without a dropout. In fact, since I installed the BT Keyboard & Car Kit patches mentioned above, I have driven a little over 700 miles without a single connection problem.

Regards,
Wayne

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ceric @ Jun 18 2006, 03:43 AM) [snapback]272983[/snapback]</div>

I use the 600i was well and wanted to use my TX to dial while driving while the w600i is tethered (?) to the Prius, however, it wouldn't work? Have you tried this type of arrangement? I have power save off.

Do you have a bluetooth headset?

b

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mwbueno @ Jul 3 2006, 05:43 AM) [snapback]280462[/snapback]</div>

Well that is great news. I went out & repurchased the 700p and so far (30 minutes) so good here as well.

I'm going to go ahead & load the few add-on programs & do some more serious testing today if I can. I think last time I noticed that the drop often happened shortly after some type of alert (calendar appointment, SMS received, etc) so maybe I'll send myself an SMS ... fingers crossed!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ChiPri @ Jun 24 2006, 12:23 PM) [snapback]276339[/snapback]</div>

I haven't got a bluetooth phone yet, but I looked at the manual over the weekend since my son has a bluetooth. It specifically says the signal and battery strength indicators on the MFD may not agree with the ones on your phone.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey @ Jul 4 2006, 11:35 AM) [snapback]281072[/snapback]</div>

No luck! I sitll get the dropped connection problem. Sometimes after a few minutes, sometimes not for 20-30 minutes - but it's dropped every time I've taken a car trip over 30 minutes, and several times during shorter trips.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delrey @ Jul 5 2006, 03:35 AM) [snapback]281313[/snapback]</div>

Hi Delrey,

Sorry to hear about this. I will post exactly what I did; maybe there is something in the following steps that made my system work:

1) I uploaded both the BT Keyboard & Car-Kit patches or updates from Palm from the sites as posted in the early part of these messages.
2) After I 'HotSynced' the programs into the 700p; I opened the 'Keyboard' program, chose 'Settings' from the dropdown menu on the right & tapped the 'Status' button that says "ON" & then left that program alone. I have left the Keyboard 'Status' "ON" ever since.
3) I opened the THB Kit (Car-Kit) & chose to NOT have 'Auto Answer' nor 'Auto Wireless Mode' checked. I think, by the delays I observed, that some Bluetooth code was applied to the 700p the first time I tapped the THB Kit icon. (I program Palm OS's & I tend to watch for things like this)
4) I cleared or 'deleted' all connection pairings & etc from both the Prius & the 700p.
5) I took the battery cover off the 700p & used the stylus to reset the device. (this will not cause you to lose any programming; it only clears memory buffers; some of which are pretty hard to clear any other way)
6) I then paired the Prius & the 700p & have never lost a connection since.

I certainly hope this helps you enjoy what I am enjoying.

Best Regards,
Wayne

 

Next, I went to http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/thbcarkit700p.html , downloaded this small Cark Kit program

Could someone please attach the prc for the hands free car kit program mentioned above. When I try to download it, I get pages of gibberish.

Many thanks!

 

Thanks Wayne!

I still have been having *some* dropped connectins, but after doing exactly what you describe below, I had to do two other steps.

A - Turn off Verizon Wirelss Sync during time when I'm driving (I just changed the schedule so it only syncs M-F during hours when I'm already at work).

B - Turn off hourly chime on mobileclock

I still got one more disconnect that I can't figure out how to avoid. I was drving through a low/no-signal area, and while the connection lasted for a little while (nicely updating the reception bars from low to "Out of range" to low again) it eventually just dropped.

It seems that when the 700p gets very busy doing something else, then the bluetooth gets dropped. It's really a problem only because it requires actually restarting the car to get it to reconnect :-(

Tomorrow is the 15th day after my Verizon purchase, so I have to decide again whether to keep it or not. This is better than before, so maybe it is worth it - but then having the connection drop on a long drive is really a pain. I'm sure this will be patched properly at some point ... I wish Palm would do it soon!



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mwbueno @ Jul 5 2006, 05:46 AM) [snapback]281346[/snapback]</div>

 

Even though it's free, it's posted with a license agreement so I don't think we can post it here.

I've seen the problem you're talking about before - it is a pain. Give this a try and see if it fixes it:

1. Open windows explorer (click on my computer or however you bring up windows explorer to look at your local files and folders)
2. Choose Folder Options from the Tools menu
3. Go to file types tab
4. Scroll down to "PRC" in the alphabetical file extensions list
5. If it's there, see what program it's associated with. I have it set to the "Palm Quick Install" app. If you are downloading from a computer where you don't have Hotsync installed, then just delete the file association so it isn't associated with any applicaiton at all.
6. If it's not in the list, and you do have Hotsync installed, associate it with Palm Quick Install.

Hope that helps!


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ver523 @ Jul 10 2006, 04:31 AM) [snapback]283741[/snapback]</div>