Anyone any good with USB Bluetooth devices?

[Fizl]

Basically I have bought myself a USB bluetooth dongle so I can attach my Bluetooth headset for using Skype.

Now I have finally got the software to install properly after stopping Windows from thinking it new best, I have paired the device with my headset and pin numbered it, I have checked the in the control panel that it is set to bluetooth audio in and out (when the headset is connected).

Why can\'t I hear anything or make the mic recognise I\'m talking!

If no one can help I\'ll cry

Shaz

 

[leopardpixie]

Wack it a few good times on the table and walk away and find someone else to figure out how to work it.

Had a bluetooth headset for my phone, before i lost it somewhere. I couldnt get it to work for the life of me. James always had to reset is for me when it got out of sync with the phone

 

[Fizl]

It works wonderfully on the phone, and I have paired it successfully with the PC, its just there is a distinct lack of sound! (And yes the volume is up)

Shaz

 

[DragonPaint]

double click on your volume icon in the tray bar, it will open the mixer windows.
Here you can check if there\'s some volume slider down or disabled.
Check also in the Option menu\' (upper left corner) if all the devices are enabled (under advanced settings)

For the mic, try to luc under advanced settings --> recording (or something similar) if the microphone is enabled and the vulume is up.

Hope it helps...

Paolo

 

[Evil Dave]

I don\'t know the solution but I\'m bumping this up because I\'m interested in getting a bluetooth headset meself.

 

[Fizl]

All of the sliders are set to sensible settings.

Does anyone know if there are problems with sony ericcson headsets and pcs? The pairing seems to be fine (altohugh it pairs as an audio gateway rather than a headset?)

Shaz

 

[War Griffon]

Have you clicked on the advanced button in the window to control your volume etc. Make sure none of the check boxes under the sliders are checked otherwise you might be muted

Also check the sounds and audio devices in the control panel and any other devices that might have enstalled an audio control on the machine such as audio HQ for creative labs I sometimes get a problem with it that just needs resetting.

Martyn

 

[Fizl]

I\'ve already done the control panel thing.

I seem to get sound for about 15 seconds and then it jsut cuts out

Shaz

 

[Naukhel]

Are you using Windows with the SPII update? If so, check your firewall settings. Also, if you\'re using a router, it may be blocking the signal on you, with its own, internal firewall.

Lastly, if you have Norton Security.. turn that thing off, because it blocks anything that sends a signal to or from your computer if you\'ve got it set up wrong.

I hate Norton Security. Can you tell?
I took the stupid program right off my computer, because I couldn\'t even browse through Google with it installed and running. Bloody secure computer, is right. Couldn\'t do ANYthing while it was installed.

Anyway, that\'s my bit of input.

 

[Fizl]

I dont have Norton - I have Sophos anti virus

I do have a router, but as I am not going out anywhere I don\'t see how this could be blocking my bluetooth connection? I am only pairing headset to pc - i can listen to mp3\'s for 10-15 seconds then I lose all sound.

I have tried 2 makes of headsets so I know it isn\'t just a Sony Ericsson quirk

SP2 - I found out it has a problem with headsets and bluetooth - but I followed the instructions to get an updated driver for the bluetooth ( this improved the status in that I could actually see the available services on the headset, before that nothing)

Any other ideas anyone?

Shaz

 

[DragonPaint]

Take a look here:
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/07/05/bluetooth.html

This is a step by step article that explain how to connect a bluetooth headset to windows Xp

Paolo

 

[Fizl]

Thanks Dragon Paint!

Unfortunately I have already done the stuff on here (before that I couldn\'t get any services to show). I found that site in one of my desperate moments!

Shaz

 

[DragonPaint]

Have you tryed to disable the firewall?
I know you are using bluetooth for connecting the headset but Bluetooth is seen as a network connection by Windows so... try to disable for some time the firewall just to see if it works.

Another thing.. looking around in internet I have seen that some brand of bluetooth device let you download for free only a DEMO version of drivers that works only for a limited time oramount of data.
Check if you have a readme file that come with the drivers you have downloaded just to be sure you dont have one of those demo drivers. (it\'a strange that you can connect only for 10/15 seconds and then stops... let me think a sort of timeout)

Another thing... open your START menu and then open the RUN (or \"execute\", I have the Italian version of WINXP and I\'m not sure of the correct menu translation) window then launch:

eventvwr.msc /s

In the Event viewer check if you have some error related to the bluetooth headset under the \"System\" or \"Application\" sections.
This can give you some hint about the problem or just post here the error so I can analyze it

Paolo

 

[TAB Studio]

OK off the cuff I am flailing for an answer for it took me forever to set up a mic and it was the drivers but it sounds as though you set that already.
If you hear the sound for a limited time.. could it be a buffer or memory setting not large enough to handle the data in order to stream music ??? You know filling the cache so fast you can not get far???
Does this make any sense at all I am not good with the technical terms but seems like it may have potential.
Again off the cuff hope it may lead to an answer.

 

[Fizl]

OK - I had a look in the event viewer after starting it up (as I plugged it into a different USB port it detected it as new hardware and I had to update the drivers first)

The only thing that cam e up was a warning in System -

Windows cannot store Bluetooth link keys on the local transceiver because it cannot determine whether proper security is enabled for the device.

There is nothing on the link to check the help centre

I have tried disabling the firewall as well and that made no difference.

As for cache settings - I am able to my music with no problems through the laptop speakers so unless there is a local cache setting for the bluetooth device I don\'t think its that.

The drivers - the drivers came with the USB dongle - but I have checked the updated ones I downloaded and they are not demo or beta

Shaz

 

[Fizl]

Update - I have tried the bluetooth dongle on my work laptop and it works absolutely fine - so there must be some issue with my personal laptop. It is an ACER with an AMD 64 processor. My work laptop is a Dell with a Pentium Centrino processor.

Anyone able to shed any light on this?

Shaz

 

[DragonPaint]

Originally posted by Fizl
OK - I had a look in the event viewer after starting it up (as I plugged it into a different USB port it detected it as new hardware and I had to update the drivers first)

The only thing that cam e up was a warning in System -

Windows cannot store Bluetooth link keys on the local transceiver because it cannot determine whether proper security is enabled for the device.

There is nothing on the link to check the help centre

Here\'s the link to the microsoft Knowledgebase for this error:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;886928

\"Link keys\" are an additional security code to prevent the use of the Bluetooth device, probably your headset dont need/support the link keys.
Maybe this is not the problem...
Looking around I have found this link:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=840635

Try to disable the bluetooth dongle and the headset, uninstall the drivers, reboot XP and then rename the file bth.inf as describe in this article.
When you plug in again the usb dongle and pair the headset you have to reload the drivers but this time you are sure that XP take all the drivers that comes with your devices.

If you still have some problems I\'m ready to take a plane with my 2Kg hammer

Paolo

 

[DragonPaint]

Probably some driver issue... or something related to the USB ports, I know that some laptops have problems connecting printers or usb disks because theyr USB ports cannot give enugh power (Some Toshiba laptop)

If you can find an external USB hub with a separate power supply you can try using it, the hub can offer an adequate current to the usb device and solve the problem (but dont buy it, if you can test it before)

 

[Fizl]

Don\'t have an external USB hub so can\'t test that one - tried the fix on the microsoft site, (had tried method 2 already, so gave method 1 a go), and that did nothing new!

You got that flight booked with a seat for your hammer?

Shaz