Peripherals forum: Can i use my Bluetooth headset on my laptop

I have been trying the same experiment to get my BT Jabra200 headset to operate as headphones on my PC. The PC recognises the bluetooth device (WindowsXP Pro SR2) but I can not get any communication established to use it on my VoIP program 'SKYPE' it will only communicate with my mobile phone. If you, or anyone knows how to get this to work it would be a great breakthrough.
Regards, Bob.

I too have been struggling in the dark with Bluetooth. The general idea about Bluetooth is that it is just a wireless wire, a connection just like a simple cable. If two devices have bluetooth ''plugs'' then the magic bluetooth cable will connect them. Not so it seems.

I have a Plantronics M3000 bluetooth handsfree which I bought for use with my mobile. It works fine with the phone. Like others I got a bluetooth USB adapter (A-link) for the laptop and it didn't work with the handsfree. I tried a D-Link product and didn't work either much to the confusion of the in-store technical department guru.

After digging it appears that there are two protocols for these things: one is called Handsfree Protocol (HFP)the other Headset Protocol (HSP). Some USB adapters only support HSP. Hence the problem?

The Belkin F8T012/013 USB adapter ''should work with all headsets which support either or both the HSP (Headset) or HFP (Handsfree) bluetooth services'' according to their technical support staff. Bluetooth versions are backwards compatible as you probably know so v.2.0 will work with v.1.1 and v.1.0.

Having said that, I have yet to get hold of the Belkin adapter. They do not have a supplier in Nordic countries I am told by stores here in Finland, even though the Belkin web site says they do! To make matters worse, hardly anyone seems to know of this protocol issue so it's very hard to find out what protocols are supported by any particular USB adapter. The wondrous world of consumer electronics!

Does anyone else know anything about this?

Yes, I've paired it with my laptop using Widcomm Bluetooth driver. Use it to listen to MP3 from my laptop. However, note that headset battery will drain pretty fast if use continuously.

Quote

"I was wondering if it was indeed possible to use a bluetooth headset with a bluetooth enabled PC so that you can communicate."

I think you may have to replace the bluetooth driver by one from Widcomm to handle this. Read here:-

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=8&TopicId=2200

If you installed the Bluetooth support properly and ensured that the headset connects to the laptop, to make this work you need to tell the software (Skype, for example) to use "Bluetooth Audio" as the Audio In and Audio Out devices.

I use my Sony Ericsson Blueetoh headset with Skype: go to Options, then to Sound Devices; for Audio In I select "Bluetooth Audio", and the same for Audio Out. For Ringing I selected the laptop's sound card.

Thanks everyone for all your tips and suggestions but I have tried them all and had no luck so far. I have a Jabra BT200 which has been paired with my Desktop PC and recognised. However, I can not get any Audio in or out. The Bluetooth Radio Device setting does not recognise the Jabra BT200 - is this device not compatable with PAN (Personal Area Network) ? My Skype audio settings only show my soundcard (SoundBlaster) and the Windows Default as the two only choices of i/o. I have also tried to find that driver "WidComm" (or something) as a replacement driver for the Windows Bluetooth driver but I can only find discussion forums for it - Not the actual driver. To conclude I am using WindowsXP Pro SP2, Skype and a Jabra BT200 headset but no way can I get these to talk to one another never mind to me and my contacts. In the age of Blootooth technology, why is this proving to be such a problem. there must be thousands of of users trying to get this VoIP link to work wirelessly. All ideas welcome, please continue to research and help on this issue.
Hutchy.

the description on
http://www.bluetoothpcheadsets.com/ worked perfectly when I installed a Sabre 250v headset

thanks

I own a different Jabra headset but am looking for how to get it recognized by XP Pro SP2 as a telephony headset to use with Skype. Now it's almost a year later and still no solution! Help!

if your laptop doesnt have bluetooth bulid-in then you need to get a Bluetooth USB adaptor to make your laptop Bluetooth enable. the software will come with the USB adapter.
if your laptop has Bluetooth bulid-in, then the software should be already in your laptop.

i have a Bluetake stereo headphone and USB adapter.
i can listen to the music and also chat on my MSN.
it also work with my cell phone. it will auto switch to pick up the phone calls if you are listen to the music.

I got a Bluetake BT400GL headset for my girlfriend.
it's very small and specially in PINK color. =)
it has 15 hours talking time, and a recharging dock.
also, it has vibration alert. it's around $70 bucks
their website is www.bluetakeusa.com

i have tried to change the driver as you suggested, but there is no option for bluetooth audio in my drivers. i have searched the net for one to download including microsofts site with no success. where do i get this animal?

pat

I have a Motorola H300 headset, made specifically for phones. I was having the same problems as you guys.

After having my headset identified by my laptop. I went to quick connect and disabled the connection while my headset was still on. Then I enable the connection through the quick connect and I got a sound from my headset like I was getting a call. I answered through my headset and then the headset worked as both speaker and microphone.

Hope this helps =)

I did the same thing. I clicked on quick connect then disabled then enabled the bluetooth then my i heard my headset ringing so i pressed the answer button. Then after that I just setup my yahoo messenger to use bluetooth instead of the system default. Then it worked !

where is quick connect in Windows vista?

If your system doesn't have a bluetooth antenna built in, no but the good news is, get a bluetooth adapter, USB input and you are in business. Shop around, they are not that expensive.

Just to let you know that all bluetooths were not designed the same. The bluetooth headset that you use to talk on your phone isn't the same as a bluetooth stereo headset in which you can, listen music thru it. From reading the previous posts no one mentions this fact. So for example, if you were trying to use a non stereo headset for let's say gaming purposes, unless it is a stereo bluetooth you won't hear any audio on it. To test this try listening to music from your phone with a non bluetooth stero headset, it won't work. It can't stream the audio from it. My suggestion would be to invest in a bluetooth headset that offers stereo on it. You should then be able to use it on your computer(as long as it has bluetooth or bluetooth adapter)

Just to let you know that all bluetooths were not designed the same. The bluetooth headset that you use to talk on your phone isn't the same as a bluetooth stereo headset in which you can, listen music thru it. From reading the previous posts no one mentions this fact. So for example, if you were trying to use a non stereo headset for let's say gaming purposes, unless it is a stereo bluetooth you won't hear any audio on it. To test this try listening to music from your phone with a non bluetooth stero headset, it won't work. It can't stream the audio from it. My suggestion would be to invest in a bluetooth headset that offers stereo on it. You should then be able to use it on your computer(as long as it has bluetooth or bluetooth adapter)