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Old September 27th 18, 09:24 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Paul[_28_]
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Posts: 1,467
Default Bluetooth Receiver/Transmitter

tb wrote:
I'm technologically challenged, so...

I have a Bluetooth headset but my PC does not have Bluetooth
capability. So I would like to purchase some sort of Bluetooth
receiver/transmitter that plugs into the PC analog ports and that pairs
up with the headset.

What I don't understand is whether such Bluetooth receive/transmitter
devices are capable of both receiving and transmitting voice signals at
the same time as I would like to, for instance, listen to and talk with
somebody on Skype using my Bluetooth headset.

I've seen something like this advertized:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/aluratek-bluetooth-audio-receiver-and-transmitter/5715709.p?skuId=5715709
but it has a TX and RX switch which makes me think that I can only
listen or talk using it, but not do both at the same time!

Does anybody have a suggestion as to what I need to purchase?


A Vanguard says, you need a Bluetooth radio, many of which
are USB based. They can plug into a USB2 hole.

A2DP is a very common profile for Bluetooth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...tooth_profiles

The skeletal info here makes it seem "easy".

https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA1...ice-with-skype

Windows can have a generic stack with profiles.

Some dongles have their own software installer, with
a stack of their own. Sometimes this has more profiles
than the Windows one.

Generally speaking, Bluetooth is a pain in the ass.
This is why I can recommend reading the customer reviews
for the USB Bluetooth dongle/transmitter you're shopping
for right now. When an item is "cheap", maybe it doesn't
have its own installer and relies on a Windows stack. Perhaps
for your headphones, this isn't a big deal. But you should
put the effort into the research - or like me, you'll end up
with a couple $20 pieces of "electronic junk" for the junk
room :-(

Bluetooth comes in several "power classes". A high power one,
might reach 100 meters, but the dongle itself could run warm.
The higher the power, the more likely it is the device will
flake out three months from now. Bluetooth runs at 2.4GHz, which
is relatively easy to do with a single CMOS chip, but doing
radios in such things, means the power output level even varies
between units when they're brand new. Bipolar radios with
a CMOS MAC would work better, but nobody builds $20 items
that way. They all want a single chip solution, with the
flaky pastry built-in.

This is a Class2 (33 feet). So it's middle of the pack.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1B4-00M5-00031

This is a Class 1. One reviewer says it only works at 10 feet.
The Class 1 devices seem to get three star ratings.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16833114099

Paul