Help Setting up my Bluetooth Headset

  • Thread starter Danoff
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Danoff

Danoff

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34,338
United States
Mile High City
OS: WinXP
Headset: Plantronics 510 Voyager
Bluetooth Hub: Logitech Bluetooth 2.0 EDR

When I installed the bluetooth hub, windows put a little blue bluetooth icon in the system tray. Double clicking this icon brings up the bluetooth device manager (not the general windows device manager). I am able to get my headset recognized in the bluetooth device manager, but it doesn't show up in the general device manager. As a result, it isn't available as an audio input or output source. Plantronics does not make any drivers available for this headset since windows is supposed to have them already.

Any advice is appreciated

helpph0.jpg
 
You've probably already tried this, but it's worth a shot. I found this on Plantronics' site.

Other than that, according to them, it looks like there are indeed no drivers needed, but that was with their BT adapter. I'm not sure if the same rule applies for the Logitech.
 
Thanks for the response TB. I'd follow those instructions if there were a "My Bluetooth Places" on my desktop. But I cannot seem to find that menu. There is no "pair with device" option in the Bluetooth devices menu under the control panel. It clearly recognizes the headset as an audio device. But I'm still unable to get any farther than that.
 
I called Logitech support. They directed me to an older version of their software that installs the "My Bluetooth Places" icon on the desktop. Interestingly enough this did not solve the problem. I think one of the drivers may have gone in crooked because at this point the whole thing is pretty flaky and the logitech software hangs on me when it scans for devices. (I've verified that the hardware works perfectly on another computer though).

I plan to reinstall the later version of the software and just try to get the keyboard and mouse (that the bluetooth hub came with) to work on that machine. If I can get those functioning, maybe then I can get my headset working.

This has been a major pain in the ass.
 
Problem solved.

The driver that was auto-detected and installed for the bluetooth dongle was incorrect - though there was little indication that this was the case, since I was able to get the keyboard and mouse to work but not the headset. I was poking around in the menus trying to find driver updates and I discovered that there were two drivers detected for my dongle:

Bluetooth wireless hub
and
Bluetooth wireless hub with trace filter

I knew that the one with the trace filter had been installed before, so I tried the regular version. Suddenly "my bluetooth places" lights up and the headset is listed. All I needed to do was right click, connect, enter the passkey, and voila! The headset works perfectly.

I'm telling you this took me like 10 hours to track down, and I only discovered it on a whim. 👎

But hey, it works: 👍
 
And that's after talking to Logitech support. Like you said, at least it works now.

Call me a giggly little school girl, but I find the word dongle amusing. :lol:

Edit: This ended up being our own private little thread. I wonder who will come along and wreck it...
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
Sometimes you just have to play with it a little
Click to expand...

Well it's in right now, and it's wonderful. I've been using it with several different receptors. I'll take it from one port to another and back again and it works great!
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
With my equipment, I have found that the rear port works better than the front.
Click to expand...


I've found that the usb ports on the front get used more often, and can get a little loose. The rear port often provides a tighter fit. That being said, it's more of a hassle to access. It can get a little dirty around the back of the computer, so the rear port is often not the cleanest place to be. Plus it can be a hassle negotiating with the computer to be able to access it at all.

But what I was talking about was having multiple computers. I've been using the front port on both computers and switching back and forth seamlessly. It works really well. I've got 4 computers that I've considered interfacing my dongle with at home, and I've been thinking about getting the other two involved as well. I think my dongle could probably handle all 4.
 
Do you find that when your dongle is in a port that the other ports are jealous? I hate it when that happens.

And don't even try to put the dongle in upside down...
 
TB
Do you find that when your dongle is in a port that the other ports are jealous? I hate it when that happens.
Click to expand...


Yea, sometimes the computer refuses to access your dongle when the other computer has been using it. I think this is more of a timing issue than anything else. If you play your cards right, you can get them both going just about simultaneously.

Actually this issue of portable dongles brings up another issue. You could be sticking your dongle in a lot of foreign unknown computers. You have no idea where these computers have been or what sorts of devices they've been interfacing with. It's important to keep your dongle safe from unclean ports. I try to only interface with computers that I'm familiar with. Otherwise, it's better to just keep your dongle in your pocket.
 
Danoff
I think this is more of a timing issue than anything else. If you play your cards right, you can get them both going just about simultaneously.
Click to expand...
Dongle timing blows.

I'm also not a fan of having to keep downloading a driver just to get your dongle to operate. A dongle was created for a purpose. You shouldn't need anything extra to make it work.

One last thing - a dongle in a UBS 1.1 port is better than a dongle in the hand.

Did I just say that?
 
Danoff
I've found that the usb ports on the front get used more often, and can get a little loose. The rear port often provides a tighter fit. That being said, it's more of a hassle to access. It can get a little dirty around the back of the computer, so the rear port is often not the cleanest place to be. Plus it can be a hassle negotiating with the computer to be able to access it at all.

But what I was talking about was having multiple computers. I've been using the front port on both computers and switching back and forth seamlessly. It works really well. I've got 4 computers that I've considered interfacing my dongle with at home, and I've been thinking about getting the other two involved as well. I think my dongle could probably handle all 4.
Click to expand...

Oops, I thought you talking about going from front to rear and then back to the front one again. But I suppose that the same issue may arrive when using your dongle with multiple computers.

Danoff
Yea, sometimes the computer refuses to access your dongle when the other computer has been using it. I think this is more of a timing issue than anything else. If you play your cards right, you can get them both going just about simultaneously.
Click to expand...

As mentioned above, maybe it was because you tried taking the dongle from the rear port and inserting it to one of the front ones.
 
I know this thread is a bit old now, but I just wanted to chime in by reaffirming how important it is to not be so rough and careless with the usb interface and your respective dongles. If something goes wrong, you may be stuck with FireWire.

Of course, not all computers support FireWire, so you may end up having to use another external device, or, worse, a 3.5" floppy.
 
Omnis
or, worse, a 3.5" floppy.
Click to expand...

Yea, nobody likes, or interfaces with, a 3.5" floppy. Most people's floppy drives never get any use at all. And it's no surprise - they're too small, they don't have much throughput, and floppys are usually old and dusty. A big shiny new dongle is going to win out every time.

My buddy has a usb dongle that's really massive, black, and actually quite heavy to hold. Sometimes I think that thing is made out of steel. He really likes it, I think he interfaces a ton. But like I said earlier, sooner or later you're going to get a virus that way if you don't have protection.

By the way, do you guys wait until the interface is properly completed or do you just pull out? I know some people like to just pull out, but somehow to me that just doesn't feel right.
 
Pulling the dongle out early just isn't right. You have to wait until the up (or down) load is completed before removal. The last thing you need is to have the USB or dongle drivers getting corrupted. I usually wait a few minutes before I remove the dongle, but even then you have to follow the right procedures.
 

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