IOGEAR Bluetooth 4.0 USB Multi-Language Version Micro Adapter, GBU521W6

I have a 2018 Mac Mini with a wireless Apple keyboard and mouse. My computer start having connectivity issues with my keyboard and mouse if I use more than 3 of the 6 built in USB ports. I was hoping this dongle would solve the problem, but it's apparently a known issue with this model of Mac Mini. I recently moved to a room that is essential a studio. The mini fridge and mini freezer being in such close proximity to my computer are causing a lot of electrical interference and now I can't get my keyboard and mouse to connect at all if I don't have this dongle plugged in. It has truly been a lifesaver, since I can't use a wired keyboard and mouse with this computer if I want to use my external hard drives.

Bluetooth 4.0 is a low energy version, which this dongle uses. You may have noticed, bluetooth draws down battery life pretty quickly, so this is a good choice for a laptop. This is the fastest Bluetooth dongle you can get, and well worth the price. It comes with software that gives you a lot of extra features, including using your cell phone as a modem via bluetooth from your PC, and streaming music from any device with bluetooth connectivity. Once you install the broadcom drivers, some builds of windows may not play together unless you have the Broadcom drivers that come with this on all of them. But if you're using XP, these drivers will let you connect a bluetooth stereo headset to your PC whereas the old XP drivers won't. Bluetooth is finicky, be patient and read the instructions. This is a very good little dongle. It might even work with a tablet running Android 4.0, but that would depend on the hardware.

If your desktop or laptop doesn't have built-in Bluetooth, these will do the trick. Just a caution that I have found they have a tendency to stop working eventually. So if you need one, it's best to buy several, because eventually you will need to replace it.

(1) This device would not work in my laptop. When I contacted IOGEAR customer support, they asked whether I had any other Bluetooth drivers installed. I said that I had other Bluetooth devices installed in the past but none installed concurrently. IOGEAR told me that having other Bluetooth devices installed in the past can interfere with the function of this device. I indicated that the device description said it was "plug and play" and that there should not be such software conflicts. The support staff was no longer helpful at that point. Additionally, after I tried to use it in my laptop again, my laptop's motherboard died (confirmed by Microcenter service center). So I have no Bluetooth connectivity and a new motherboard on order for my laptop. (2) Additionally, the device has protruding edges making it larger than other Bluetooth adapters potentially interfering with other USB devices. (3) Finally, the device has a relatively bright blinking light making it very distracting -- especially in a laptop.

I bought a few of these from Micro Center a long time ago when I was still running Linux Mint 19, and over the years I've given them away to people who needed them or were switching over to Linux when I would refurb their old laptops. Currently have 2 GBU521 dongles. Both are plug-n-play with Linux Mint XFCE 20.3 (blueberry) and Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.3 (blueman) with 5.4 and 6.5 kernel versions.

This worked well, until it didn't. Delivered June 4, 2020, died on Sept 8, 2020, right as my daughter was trying to do her first day of online school.Really ticked off about the length of time I got out of it.

Usually the one to keep things up to date as far as my electronic gadgets, for some reason I was still using a BT 2.1 dongle on my PC. I bought this due to being 4.0. Installing was very simple on a WINDOWS 7 64 bit laptop. Simply plug it into your USB port and it immediately installed the drivers needed. I had problems with my old 2.1 dropping BT connections or having to reinstall it occasionally. So far this has found all my BT devices such as my phone, sound bar, BT headphones, etc. Connections are very quick and easy to upload as well as the software. I'm yet to transfer files to or from my phone, etc. but I'm sure they'll go much smoother than before. I would definitely recommend this little dongle for anyone with a PC that has no integrated BT. And the great part is that it was only about 11 bucks!

I bought this product because I've read somewhere it was Mac compatible. Got the package today, and plugged it to my cMP (Mid 2012 Mac Pro, with a 2 x 3.46 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon, running High Sierra, 10.13.6).. and nothing happened.The BT dongle won't lit up and won't be recognized by my Mac. So I went online, and got the Bluetooth Explorer, from Apple developers' website (free with your Apple ID). You can find it in (additional Tools for X code). From there, you go to Tools>HCI Controller Selector ( or command+K) and from the dropdown you choose the "Cambridge Silicon Radio". You will lose all your BT connections, so either have a wired keyboard or mouse to be able to navigate your Mac.From there I was able to pair again my trackpad and my seaboard block (midi over bluetooth).Hope this would be of any help