Bluetooth USB Adapter

Unfortunately I can find no active newsgroup more appropriate to post this question.

I bought a relative a stereo bluetooth headset (Jabra BT8010 for the curious) and want her to be able to listen to whatever (music, radio stream).

The desktop is a bit older and lacks bluetooth wireless so I want a USB adaptor. Desktop owner lives in a two-story house, the computer is on the

2nd floor in a loft-type corner midpoint to the house's square-footage.

I would like a good power output and range so that user can walk around the house anyway without any signal cutout (but then I suppose the headset would also need similar range and power requirements?).

I also want to avoid---despite the customary 1-year warranty (whoever buys a product that has poor reputation no matter how long the warranty?)---- buying a product where the reviews are not certain that it is a good or bad make...so much poorly tested crap out there.

Got any recommendations?

Machine: HP Pav a1640n (equipped with USB 2.0, I believe) OS: XP Media Center Ed 2005

Reply to
mavigozler
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Bluetooth is to short range to do what you want

Reply to
RBM

"RBM" wrote in alt.internet.wireless:

Really?

Claimed ranges on some devices is 100 meters (300 feet), although most seem to go only 10 m (30 ft).

Perhaps there are Bluetooth devices with special range-extending antenna configurations?

Reply to
mavigozler

Bluetooth is modern English for Harald Blaatand, medieval King of Denmark

Bluetooth is an old indian phrase for "poor range"

Reply to
DTC

I don't have much experience with Bluetooth, but since I don't see you mention DRIVER so I wonder *if* you have the driver or bluetooth util

*installed*?

Reply to
Joel

Are you using the default media center pc BT stuff (usually only a mono headset/mike profile, not stereo), or a usb BT dongle? (most support stereo) Beware that there are TWO types of "profiles" stereo headset and mono headset, some Bluetooth dongles/software sometimes only support one of the two profiles but not the other, leading to installing the wrong one, and/or selecting the wrong one...

While not exactly what group you are looking for, you may want to check alt.cellular.bluetooth (that's where I learned about profiles, stereo headsets/profiles/promiscuous mode to play music, and mono/paired mode for combo mike and a mono ear thing.....some good folks there with answers (and of course me, you decide if I'm a good folk or not :) ....

Reply to
Peter Pan

Oops! sorry the question is asking about the range.

Reply to
Joel

"Peter Pan" wrote in alt.internet.wireless:

This PC is not wired for Bluetooth:

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Which is why I am looking for the USB adapter (a/k/a dongle).

I am wondering which dongle I should be looking at.

I am not actually using the headset for a mobile phone.

I am using it as a wireless set of earphones for computer that plays or streams audio (music) and video (DVDs, internet DVDs).

Sometimes I am in the house with others who don't want to listen to my music and I don't own (or ever have owned) a Walkman or the like. The notebook is virtually everything in terms of a door to the outside world (TV: e.g., Hulu, Channelsurfing, others?; Radio: just about any station streaming nowadays; I am even experimenting with Phone: iCall...one day I hope to round-can the mobile phone, as I have done the landline and television and radio).

Reply to
mavigozler

Cellphone or not is immaterial (many can use both mono headset/mic combos, or stereo headsets for playing mp3's etc)...... Computers/dongles can do both also (depending on the profiles used/supported, like mono headset/mic for skype/vonage/rosetta stone/talk n type/etc) or stereo like for playing music/stereo audio mp3's/internet radio/cd's/dvd's/etc).... Note in your example/uses above you specify both profiles (listen to music/use icall one is the stereo profile, one is mono with mic).... now you can learn about type 1 (up to 10 meters) and type 2 (up to 100 meters), and paired mode and promiscuous mode...... There are several different usb dongles, again they support BT 1.0 1.1 2.0, different profiles, paired and or promiscuous mode etc...

from what you wrote above you want both mono headset AND stereo headset profiles......

Several people on that group use BT on a computer (myself included) to connect with both a mono headset/mic combo AND a stereo headset AND a cellphone for data (I also happen to also use the pan profile to connect my pda and tablet to the laptop, and the keyboard profile to connect my BT keyboards to the laptop)

From what you said in your previous post (i'm trying to remember details), didn't you say you had one specific stereo headset already, but wanted to go to the first floor? That's where it gets tricky.... some floors are sort of transparent to radio, while others block it real good (specially metal beams or concrete/rebar!) so the range you need 10 or 100 meters is gonna pretty much depend on the floors BT transparency (no way to answer that, you will have to try it)

Just out of curiosity, are you totally confused/innundated with info yet? Don't fret, I knew absolutely nothing myself a few months ago.... heres a link for a kensington one

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both profiles, BT 2.0, and costs under $30.... (widcomm makes a good one too, but I don't have a link handy)

Reply to
Peter Pan

Any way to connect a BT usb adapter to an mp3 player with usb connector to use wireless headphones? Mike

Reply to
amdx

USB connector, no, but there are standalone BT boxes that are BT "transmtters" and have either/both/depends what you need/want that have headset jacks, rca plugs or mini stereo jacks that will work perfectly well for what you want....

why not? technically a major speed mismatch usb 2.0 can run at 480MBS, while bt only 286KBS, so bt is way way way slower than usb

you can however get off the shelf stuff so you home/car stereo pts out a BT signal that can be received by speakers/headsets etc, and with the right profiles/settings (promiscuous/paired) you can even share the audio on say your BT stereo headset, with the mp3 player on your laptop, the ipod, your car stereo, and even have it set (mine is) to allow phone calls to interrupt the music, and continue after the call

lot you can do with output from various devices to a low power/low speed BT headset, but too slow and won't handle audio input to an amp....

for instance something like this, lets you use bt headphones or speakers with a home stereo... from

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Bluetooth Audio Dongle - beam me out snotty

Heres one that discusses audio IN

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however, note that an A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) must be supported, and most dongles for computers don't support them....

Reply to
Peter Pan

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