Connecting the Wiimote to PC via Bluetooth

In order to have the Wiimote interact with a PC, a connection via Bluetooth is required. Some computers, primarily laptops, do have a Bluetooth receiver already built in, but Bluetooth dongles that act as receivers can also be purchased at varying prices online and at retail stores. People have had issues with different Bluetooth dongles, so doing a little bit of research is a good idea when deciding which model to purchase. Wiibrew has a lengthy list of working dongles as well what is necessary to connect each specific dongle to the Wiimote. I am currently using a Cirago Bluetooth dongle, which has not required a third-party driver (like BlueSoleil) to work properly. I have not had any issues connecting to this dongle, and I personally recommend it.

After following the instructions when installing the driver packaged with the dongle, connecting the Wiimote is pretty simple. Have the receiver search for available Bluetooth connections or new connections. Shortly after doing this, hit buttons 1 and 2 on the Wiimote, which will sync it with the receiver. Blinking LED lights on the Wiimote will indicate this process has started. Note that the Wiimote does not need to be turned on in anyway prior to syncing it.

If connected properly, the Bluetooth receiver should have the Wiimote as an available device that is titled "Nintendo RVL-CNT-01." The LED lights will continue to blink on the Wiimote. Although different Bluetooth receivers will have different settings displays, a screen similar to this should display accessible devices:

That's it! The following entries will describe some of the available programs for the Wiimote-PC interaction, what is required to run them, and how well they work.

Sources:
Wii Projects (using BlueSoleil)
Youtube video by jdavidharper