is it the bluetooth hardware? or the driver?

[high_revs]

i got a new laptop. when i connect and use my bluetooth plantronics voyager for hands-free, the party either cannot understand me or it's a lot of static most of the time i've used it. in my previous machine, there was a bluetooth but not hands free headset driver. so i used asus bluetooth driver and got the bluetooth headset to work.

but with this new machine, not sure which is the issue. i guess i can install the asus and if it doesn't make a difference, uninstall it and put back the oem driver.

[stilly]

Drivers allow the computer to talk to the device. I would think that it might be a DEVICE issue here. Take it back and get another and see if it is any different. Standard troubleshooting. I do not see too many problems with drivers but that does not mean anything.

[bigbearbear]

You should uninstall the Asus driver if possible, then download the install the latest driver from Plantronics web site. Sometimes, manufacturers use similar chips in their products and installing the driver for one might make the device recognizable for the other but it will not function correctly due to differences in design.

[high_revs]

i didn't install asus yet on this new laptop. i'm still on the oem bluetooth driver that came with the new laptop. last i remember, plantronics doesn't give drivers for their bluetooth headset. granted, my headset is for cel but since it's bluetooth, it should work on the laptop too (which it did on the last laptop i was using where i used asus, since the oem bluetooth didn't have that driver for headset). but i'll check with plantronics what they recommend since i know who makes the driver and hardware for this new laptop's bluetooth.

i'll try another bluetooth i have (older ones). i can't return this plantronics voyager. i've had it for a long while and it was working fine/crisp/clear with my old laptop.

the chipset in my new laptop is made by broadcomm. if any, broadcomm driver didn't work on the old laptop's bluetooth hardware to recognize the headset. bluetooth soleil did work, but i prefered the asus driver in the old laptop.

p.s. i know it's not my network because i also have a jabra gn9120 wireless headset (usually made for work phones or even home phones. I connect it to the laptop via zoomswitch so i can use it for the laptop too. Using that, the communication is clear. hence my guess is drivers won't work with the plantronics, or the bluetooth hardware or driver just sucks on the new laptop.

[sholling]

Try using it in other locations and see if the static goes away. I like Plantronics but the newer Voyagers (especially the HD) are very susceptible to interference and the static can be maddening. If that doesn't work then I'd try an inexpensive (~$12) name brand USB BT dongle and see if that works better. The BT built into my Lenovo was so unreliable (for mousing) that I stopped using it until they replaced the motherboard.

[high_revs]

thanks sholling. you reminded me i actually bought an asus dongle too (hence the driver, since the s/w worked on the oem bluetooth built in h/w on my old laptop). i didn't know of the interference but frankly, the range of the headset to the laptop (new and old) sucks. more than 10 ft away, cracking/static really gets worse.

[sholling]

thanks sholling. you reminded me i actually bought an asus dongle too (hence the driver, since the s/w worked on the oem bluetooth built in h/w on my old laptop). i didn't know of the interference but frankly, the range of the headset to the laptop (new and old) sucks. more than 10 ft away, cracking/static really gets worse.

The interference idea is counter intuitive with a digital signal but a google search shows it's not uncommon. There is one spot in my house where my the BT headset for my phone was practically unusable even with the phone one foot from the headset. Walk into the next room and the snap-crackle-pop goes away. Changing to a different model headset helped a lot as well. I've been troubleshooting the problem but haven't found the source of the interference yet.