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Bluetooth communication conquered the hearts of technology enthusiasts many years ago and, what is not obvious in the IT industry, has not only maintained its original popularity but has expanded into almost all fields of consumer electronics. Today, Bluetooth is a basic form of communication, used in all mobile devices, wearable sports gadgets, and often even in measuring equipment or medical devices. It is also difficult to find a laptop which does not support at least older versions of the Bluetooth standard.
In case of desktop computers the situation is a little bit different – many models do not have built-in radio transceivers, so in order to take advantage of the benefits of short range communication you need to look for a proper Bluetooth adapter.
Bluetooth adapter – how does it work and what is it used for?
In simplest words, the majority of devices called “Bluetooth adapters” have a form of miniature “cubes” with a built-in USB A connector, plugged into any USB port of a computer. Inside of this “cube” (the size of which is usually a fraction of the size of the plug itself) it contains:
– integrated transceiver (a circuit which performs simultaneously roles of a radio waves transmitter and receiver),
– a compact antenna,
– an interface to connect to the data lines of the USB port.
In the operating system the Bluetooth adapter is seen as a native Bluetooth module – thanks to appropriate drivers there is usually no difference (from the functional point of view) between a built-in transceiver (often integrated with a WiFi module) and an adapter connected to the USB port. Every classic Bluetooth adapter allows to establish connection (pairing) with external devices, e.g. wireless headphones, receiver, Bluetooth speaker, etc.
Bluetooth adapter – which one to choose to connect to your devices?
The main differences between various models of USB adapters arise from the range of communication standards supported by the equipment – it is worth remembering that over the last decade the Bluetooth protocols have evolved, following (and often even shaping) the changing needs of consumers. Therefore, computer and mobile device users may have some doubts which Bluetooth adapter to choose in order to use their mobile devices, electronic gadgets and audio/video equipment without any problems. Most of modern adapters work at least in Bluetooth 4.0 + LE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard or higher – the latest models support Bluetooth 5.0 BLE with higher transfer rate and range often exceeding 100 meters.
Another important parameter is the class of the interface, which determines its range – the most common class 2 allows the transmission of data within a radius of up to 10m from the adapter, while class 1 covers devices capable of sending data over a distance of up to 10 times greater. Support for the EDR standard allows for instant pairing with mobile devices, thanks to the use of NFC short-range transmission.
Examples of Bluetooth adapters from Botland offer
A representative group of Bluetooth adapters, covering the needs of users of various mobile devices, gadgets or toys, can be found in the offer of Botland shop. For example, modern Edimax USB-BT8500 module works in Bluetooth 5.0 BLE standard. It offers high-speed data transfer within a range of up to 40 m inside a building and up to 300 m in the open space, and all this with full support for Bluetooth Low Energy protocol, used among others in sports bands or smartwatches.
The nano uGo LOA BR100 product, on the other hand, supports the slightly older Bluetooth 4.0 standard and operates in class 2, while the fact that it ensures seamless compatibility with Windows 8 and Windows 10 allows computer users to use the adapter without having to manually install drivers, as the device belongs to the group of Plug&Play solutions.
It is also worth paying attention to the dedicated adapters for specific types of devices – for example, electronic toys, such as the Photon educational robot or Lego WeDo kits, use dedicated adapters – these are (respectively) the Photon Magic Dongle and BLED112 models.
