Bluetooth connections
The steps for connecting the controller to another device using Bluetooth wireless technology are outlined below.
As long as your device supports Bluetooth, you can connect the controller to any:
- Trimble GNSS receiver
- Trimble conventional instrument
- Trimble Data Link Radio (TDL) 2.4 GHz radio
- Trimble active target
- auxiliary GPS receiver
- laser rangefinder
- echo sounder
- another controller
- external radio
You can also connect the controller to a mobile phone or external modem and use the connected device to connect to the Internet. To create those connections, see Internet connection setup.
To enable the controller to find the device when it scans for nearby Bluetooth devices, make sure Bluetooth is enabled on the device and the discoverable setting is enabled. For more information, refer to the documentation provided with your device.
When using a:
- Trimble active target, Bluetooth is always enabled when the active target is on.
- Trimble Data Link Radio (TDL) 2.4 GHz radio, press the Radio button for 2 seconds to make it discoverable. The blue and red LEDs will blink, indicating the radio is ready to be paired with. If you press and hold the radio button for longer than 10 seconds then all stored Bluetooth pairings in the TDL2.4 are cleared. You will need to recreate any Bluetooth pairings between the TDL2.4 and your controller(s).
To allow the software to turn on Bluetooth should Bluetooth become disabled by actions outside of Trimble Access:
- Tap and select Settings / Connections / Bluetooth.
- Select Automatically enable Bluetooth.
To manually enable Bluetooth, tap the arrow in the system tray. If the Bluetooth icon is grayed out, tap the Bluetooth icon and then select the option to enable Bluetooth.
If you are connecting a controller to another controller, you must enable Bluetooth on both controllers.
If you are connecting a controller to another controller, complete these steps on one controller.
- To make it easier to identify the correct controller when scanning, give the controller a unique name. To do this, rename the controller using the Computer Name or Device Name setting of your operating system.
- Tap and select Settings / Connections / Bluetooth..
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Tap Config. The Bluetooth devices screen appears and the controller automatically scans for devices within range.
If the device you want to connect to does not automatically appear or the scan does not start automatically, select the option to add a device.
A device cannot respond to a scan if the Bluetooth radio is already in use.
If you are pairing a controller with a Trimble GNSS receiver that has an Internal modem, you do not need to scan for the modem separately from the receiver. The Trimble GNSS receiver and the internal modem are recognized by a Bluetooth scan as being the same device but with serial port and dial‑up networking capabilities.
- Once the scan is complete, select the Bluetooth device to connect to and follow the on‑screen instructions.
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Enter the PIN or passkey. The default passkey for a:
- Trimble GNSS receiver is 0000, although this can be changed in the receiver web interface used to configure the receiver settings.
- Trimble LaserAce 1000 or MDL LaserAce laser rangefinder is 1234.
- Ohmex SonarMite echo sounder is 1111.
For passkeys for other devices, refer to the documentation provided with the device.
- If prompted, enter the same passkey on the other device.
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Tap OK.
The device now appears in the list of trusted devices on the controller. If you paired with a cellular modem, the controller now appears as a paired device on the cellular modem
For any other paired device:
- Tap and select Settings / Connections / Bluetooth.
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Select the device to connect to from the appropriate field and then tap Accept.
If Auto‑connect is enabled, the Trimble Access software connects to the device within a few seconds. Otherwise, start a survey to connect to the device.
To connect the TDL2.4 to a Trimble VX spatial station or Trimble S Series total station, you must configure the TDL2.4 to use the same radio settings as the instrument.
- Tap Accept.
Unless you change the setting in the device field in the Bluetooth screen, the controller automatically connects to the selected device the next time you turn on both devices.
If you attempt to reconnect to a Trimble GNSS receiver and the software shows Bluetooth error 10051, then the GNSS firmware on the receiver has been updated and the settings have been restored to the default settings. You must delete the pairing from the Trimble Access software and then recreate the pair.