Wireless Bluetooth is a great technology but unfortunately it usually keeps you tethered at a distance of less than 10 meters. This works great when the signal need only go from your pocket to your ear but what if you wanted to roam a little further with wireless headphones or a VoIP phone?

AIRcable has launched the Host XR long-range Bluetooth transmitter specifically for this issue, to extend your Bluetooth range to distances as far as 30km. Included in the standard $129 package is a small antenna with a range of 1km in any direction, and an optional 9 dBi omni-directional antenna will double that range. An 18 dBi directional antenna can bring your range up to 10km but only in one specific direction, and the industrial version of the Host XR can bring this to as much as 30km. The antenna connects via USB to your Mac, PC or Linux system and requires no additional external power.

Keep in mind however that even though this Bluetooth transmitter does extend the range a significant amount, there are some caveats. AIRcable states these directional ranges using two Host XR antenna’s pointing at each other. Also, they require a direct line of site, so if you are in a different building, in your car or have your body between the antennas it most likely will not work. Going from one Host XR antenna to a headset or a Bluetooth phone will significantly decrease the distance as well, but it will still be much better than the common 10 meters.

Product Page via UberGizmo