Vertical or Horizontal Configuration
Also included in the box is a small piece of plastic. This clips into the back portion of the XLink so that you can have it sit vertically on your desk or table. It’ll work just as well in a horizontal configuration, as far as I can tell, but going vertical seems to be all the rage these days. That’s how most people set up the Wii or Xbox 360, after all.
If you don’t want it sitting around, you can actually hang it on the wall as well, thanks to the mounting holes in the back.
Ports, Jacks, and Lights
The XLink BT doesn’t really look like most other cell phone accessories. Instead, I’d say that it looks more like a wireless router and it has a series of jacks and ports to match.
Along the back of the XLink BT are three ports. Starting from the top, there is a jack to take your telephone cord, one to accept the wall adapter, and a USB port for firmware updates. The XLink BTTN has an additional phone outlet that can be used to connect your telephone line service, either from a landline or VoIP adapter box.
The front of the XLink BT has a pair of indicator lights, showing you whether everything is working as it should. You want to see a solid green light here.
Getting It All Ready to Go
The connection process is relatively straightforward, especially if you are already familiar with Bluetooth pairing and connecting regular phone line items.
First, you’ll need to provide the XLink BT with AC power. Second, the regular telephone will need to connect to the XLink BT using a standard telephone cord. I’m using a very cheap and generic phone for testing purposes here but you can easily splurge on a set of Panasonic DECT 6.0 handsets. Third, you’ll need to pair the XLink BT with your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone.
For the pairing process, your cell phone needs to be discoverable and in searching mode. While it is searching, press and hold one of the three buttons on the top of the XLink. This will get it to blink and search for available Bluetooth devices. Complete the pairing process on your phone by entering the default passcode (1234). You’ll know you’re good to go when the light on top of the XLink is solid on.
Supports Up to Three Cellular Lines
Remember how I said that there are three buttons on top of the XLink BT? That’s because this Bluetooth Cellular Gateway can support up to three cell phones simultaneously. This is great for people who have multiple cell phone lines. You may have one for work and one for personal use, but both can be used with the same regular phone via the XLink BT. The flashing of the indicator (which is normally a solid blue) tell you which line is ringing. The XLink will also transmit a different tone per line so you can hear it if you aren’t within line of site.