Do I need to use a USB Bluetooth Dongle with my PC to use a headset or speakerphone?

(place holder for Video #2)

Video Transcript:

Hello, and welcome to another session of answer the community. We're answering your questions regarding tech gadgets, headsets, headphones, and other office technology. And today we're going to answer questions regarding Bluetooth and connectivity problems. We've got another question from Tim. Tim says

I have a wireless connection on my Plantronics Voyager focus.

That is terrible.

It just says terrible.

I have this headset connected via Bluetooth. To a brand new Mac book pro.

Okay.

I connect straight to the Mac book and do not use the supplied USB dongle. Although I have tried that set up and it does not help.

And he goes on to say, regular breakup of audio signals on calls has forced me to stop using the headset entirely.

Well, let me help you out, Tim. The issue, like some of the other complaints that other folks have mentioned may not be the dongle or the. What we're finding when we talk to folks that call us every single day about this type of issue, the biggest issue is the range and the signal drop because of what we were talking about earlier line of sight, and although Mac book pro and in behind me, I've got a Lenovo.

I also use a Mac book pro and I've been using in this case right here. This is the Voyager Focus 2, which is very similar to the focus that you have. I've used them. And I find the exact same problem. In my setup. As you could see, I've got a laptop here and one you can't see underneath where my Mac book PRO is and where that Mac book PRO is.

I can't go more than 10 feet. If I just take this dongle and plug it in to the Mac book one, the MacBook is down there and the signal can not get through this table, but let's say you don't have your Macbook PRO under the table. Maybe you have it like, kind of off to the side there. You're going to find that the antenna on this look at this thing, it's a very small dongle.

So although it's got a built in antenna, it doesn't have a lot of surface area for this antenna to work with a signal. Again, Bluetooth is a very weak signal. It is not designed to go through a lot of monitors and concrete metal objects, books, walls, even your own body. It does a very poor job of that. If you want to use it with your computer, and that's what you suggest by using it with a Macbook PRO like I do, I would recommend using the Blue Beacon range extender so that when you want that better range, that improved range, this will essentially give you line of sight.

No matter if you're standing up moving around or you want to move further, your main issue is going to be connectivity. When you have Bluetooth and you have monitors, you have walls. Uh, and other objects, unless you're on a soccer field or you've got a line of sight, you have nothing around you, you will find that your Bluetooth connection will suffer when it does not have line of sight.

And again, line of sight is simply, does this headphone have a clear line over from the Bluetooth dongle to here? And what we're saying is take this, let it act as a virtual tower and just about everywhere. You're going to go around. Here or on the other side of those monitors, you can see the higher that I put it the better.

Right. So if I were to put it on my monitor here or on the side and taped it there, when I get up, this is still going to have line of sight.

But if I were to drop this and just let's say, assume my computer's down here and I get up and I walk over here, over here. What you're going to have is the likelihood as you could see right on my. I've got a keyboard and a few other items. And because this dongle is quite small in its profile and very small antenna, these objects are going to interfere with the signal. So it may not be your headset and it may not be dongle and it may not be your macbook pro.

It is just simply physics that you're working with. And that we're trying to let you know, it's hard to overcome physics, especially with Bluetooth because it's a very low power signal. Thank you Tim, for that question. And if you have a question regarding Bluetooth or anything related to headsets, telephones, speaker, phones, or other hands-free devices, send us a comment.

We may feature it on a future episode of Answer The Community. In the meantime, look through our YouTube channel. Multiple videos that are helpful and that can guide you on your journey. And don't forget to hit like, and subscribe and hit that bell notification. So, you know, when we released a new episode, as well as nuggets that we release throughout the week, thanks again for joining us and I'll see you the next time on Answer The Community.