Can I install bluetooth on my computer

How to install Bluetooth on your computer if you don’t have it?

A popular and somewhat odd question that is often asked of search engines and me in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев of other articles on this topic. How to make Bluetooth work on your computer? I think that many people think that Bluetooth support can be added by changing some settings or by installing some software. This is partially true, but not always. In this article, I will try to explain what is needed to make Bluetooth work. How to add Bluetooth connectivity to your computer and how it works.

• Whether your notebook/PC already has a Bluetooth module (transmitter). In laptops it is built-in, but in desktop computers it is usually not.
• Software (drivers). The driver “tells” the operating system how to work with the device (a Bluetooth adapter in our case).

Since I do not know what kind of computer you have (I mean desktop (system unit), or laptop). Then let’s divide this article into two parts. That way it is easier for me to explain and for you to understand what you need to do to make Bluetooth support available.

What Bluetooth can be useful for

Bluetooth is the most common wireless transmission system after Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi is used more for local wireless Internet access, Bluetooth technology has proven to be the most effective way to share information over short distances.

The range of receivers and transmitters working with this protocol is gradually increasing, but at the moment does not exceed 60 meters. The technology can be used for file transfer, receiving and transmitting audio signal, sending and receiving different kinds of commands. When connecting a computer and another device using this protocol, you can, for example, easily manage the internal memory of smartphones, pick up ready-made pictures from your camera, control your TV, connect a wireless speaker or headphones to your PC, and so on.

Selection and purchase of adapter

So, if you can not find on your computer adapter, you need to buy one and plug it into a USB port of your system unit. When buying, the question immediately arises: how to choose a good module??

It is quite easy to do. Fortunately, the modules do not have many important parameters. The first thing to look for is “Bluetooth Standard”. Here everything is simple. The higher it is, the better. The value of this parameter directly affects both the speed and the range of the module. At the moment, the maximum standard is 5. But usually you can find on sale modules of standard 3 and 4.

Advice! We recommend buying adapters with a standard of at least 4, for more comfortable work. And the huge difference in price you are unlikely to see.

There are also external and internal modules. That is, the first are inserted into an external USB port, while the latter are installed inside the system unit. common are external adapters that look like a flash drive. They are a little easier to install, for their installation is not necessary to open the lid of the system unit and look for a place to install. At the same time such modules most often have greater power and coverage area. Therefore:

Installing and setting up Bluetooth

Unless you are using a gadget with iOS, Android, or Windows Phone/Mobile operating systems where the Bluetooth device is built-in. you may want to use an external Bluetooth module. Make sure that it is connected.

Configure the Bluetooth PC in Windows

Before starting to set up bluetooth, check that the system recognizes your unit.

Verifying that your bluetooth module is working

Press “WinR” on your keyboard and enter and confirm the command “mmc devmgmt.msc”.

The first step for configuring Bluetooth is to get information about it

The Device Manager will show even unsigned Bluetooth devices

Windows allows you to turn on and off devices without removing them

The Bluetooth module will be turned on. It will appear as a separate icon in the Windows display.

The Windows dashboard says that it is on (white icon)

A red icon means that the Bluetooth Module is plugged in, but not active.

Inactive Bluetooth module is highlighted in red

Repeat the familiar “Activate Device” command. But while a laptop’s built-in Bluetooth adapter is signed off as a Bluetooth module thanks to Windows’ default auto-installation of drivers for it, an external Bluetooth module often falls into the general category of completely unknown devices.

Unknown device, requires 100% manual driver installation

If after repeatedly reconnecting and disconnecting Bluetooth you are sure that the device unknown to Windows is it, it’s time to install a driver for it.

Installing Bluetooth driver on PC

If there is no Bluetooth adapter installed since last reinstallation of Windows. when connected the system will try to recognize it as a new device.

The Bluetooth device will tell you its serial number

Windows will auto-find drivers for it.

Not all Bluetooth logical devices can be recognized by Windows

Windows versions starting with 7 already have a limited set of most needed drivers to check Bluetooth dongles.

But the installation does not stop there. If the Bluetooth module is from a reputable company like Asus, there must be a driver for your model (or for the line of models your model belongs to) on the manufacturer’s website. In all other cases you need the installation package of drivers. Broadcom/Widcomm Bluetooth Drivers. This is the most effective if no driver CD was delivered with the module.

The default logic devices, Generic Bluetooth Adapter and Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator, will not allow you to work with most Bluetooth profiles and services. Even file transfer from PC to device is difficult. many advanced settings of the module itself are missing. “Bluetooth support” in Windows 7 only determines whether the Bluetooth adapter will work in general. but you still need a third-party driver for exhaustive Bluetooth capabilities.

Unzip the contents of the Broadcom Bluetoooth Drivers archive into a separate folder and do the following.

Run the installation package Setup.exe and initiate the installation of the drivers.

Choose to install the Bluetooth drivers

During installation Windows will detect and add the missing Bluetooth services

Windows has found and installed new logical devices

The list of Windows devices has been updated

The previously little-known module named Generic Bluetooth Adapter is listed as the definitive Broadcom device of the series it belongs to. Network and Bluetooth audio devices will also appear in the list. Restart Windows.

How to install Bluetooth on a laptop or tablet with Windows 7/8/10

If there is no built-in Bluetooth adapter on the laptop or tablet, the external adapters are installed in the same way as on a normal computer. If your internal Bluetooth adapter fails, proceed as follows. As an example, an Acer laptop.

Hardware Installation

Open the computer and physically install the module in place

• If this step scares you a bit, there is a paid alternative. Most major computer box retailers (like Best Buy or MicroCenter) will let you bring your machine and the part to be installed, and they’ll do it for you for a fee.

Make sure that the part is registered as installed

• For Windows, this means going to Device Manager (Start Control Panel Hardware and Sound Device Manager, administrator access required). Find (hopefully) a new entry labeled Bluetooth or disallow this new unidentified device with a yellow triangle.
• For Mac users why are you here? Every Mac since the late 2000s came with Bluetooth pre-installed. If you’re replacing a dead Bluetooth module, the new one should appear in the Bluetooth menu under System Settings; if you’re building a Hackintosh, you’re officially beyond the scope of this article.

Bluetooth adapter and network

The BT adapter. is usually a USB device that connects one PC to other PCs and other devices like a LAN with the ability to transfer data between them. Such data may be, for example, video and photos from your mobile, ringtones, documents, e-books, etc. Also BT-connection is suitable for connecting to the Internet, for example, via 3G or GPRS, using the modem capabilities of the cell phone. Bluetooth networks operate in the unlicensed radio frequency range of 2.4 to 2.485 GHz, where Wi-Fi, radio phones function and emit associated radiation from microwave ovens, scientific and medical equipment. In the latest specification Wireless personal area network, WPAN range of Bluetooth networks is increased to 100 meters, and data are transmitted at speeds of 3 Mbit / s. AIRcable’s most powerful Host XR hits up to 30 km. Scope of application has no limitations: from familiar to everyone smartphones, headsets, GPS-navigators to auto OBD2 ELM327 Bluetooth diagnostic scanner and sensors used in science, sports, medicine.

Before installing make sure that the hardware is working: connect a working USB adapter or activate the Bluetooth module in the laptop BIOS. Once the user has been able to download the free Bluetooth drivers from this page of https://programmywindows.com in Russian and started the installation, you do not have to configure anything. Installation takes some time, sometimes you have to wait depending on the hardware. When you start Bluetooth program automatically makes a diagnosis of equipment and analyzes the possibility of organizing a wireless connection, determines the parameters of the peripheral. Bluetooth hardware on a PC does not always work perfectly, so we recommend looking for a computer with a proven tablet or smartphone in the BT environment.

How to connect a Bluetooth device to PC

So first we need a Bluetooth adapter. The most common models nowadays are in the form of a “USB flash drive”. t.е. you simply plug such a module into any USB port on the PC, configure the driver and you can get to work. Conveniently?!

You can buy such modules at a Chinese store AliExpress. I have, by the way, instructions on how to buy discounted items on AliExpress. https://ocomp.info/kak-zakazat-tovar-na-aliekspres.html

By the way, I can’t help but notice that Bluetooth adapters can support different versions of the protocol. Currently the most popular are: 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 и 5.0. Of course if your adapter supports version 5.If it is set to 0, then it will pair with headphones that only support 4.0 (but if you have the opposite situation. there can be “mishaps”. ).

Actually if you bought a USB version of the adapter, then the connection is all reduced to putting the module into the port (note that many devices have a LED, which should light up when working).

Note : It is desirable to connect the adapter to the USB ports located on the back of the PC.

The adapter is connected to the USB system unit

info

It happens that no manipulation helps to turn on Bluetooth and it still does not work, in this scenario, the following points may be useful:

• If everything was working fine before, maybe you should try to roll back the Bluetooth driver (you can do it on the “Driver” tab in the device properties in Device Manager, provided that the button is active).
• Sometimes it happens that the official driver installer reports that the driver is not suitable for this system. You can try to unpack the installer with the program Universal Extractor and after that install the driver manually (Device Manager. Right-click on the adapter. Update driver. Search for drivers on this computer. Specify the folder with driver files (usually contains inf, sys, dll).
• If no Bluetooth modules are displayed, but there is a disabled or hidden device in “USB Controllers” list in manager (enable hiding devices in “View” menu) with “Device handle request failed” error, then try actions from corresponding instruction. Device handle request failed (code 43), it’s possible that it is your Bluetooth module that can’t be initialized.
• Some laptops require not only the original drivers for the wireless module, but also the drivers for the chipset and the power management for Bluetooth to work. Install them from the manufacturer’s official website for your model.

That is all I can suggest on the subject of restoring Bluetooth on a laptop. If none of these did not help, I do not know if I can add something, but in any case. write your Комментарии и мнения владельцев, but try to describe the problem in detail, indicating the exact model of the laptop and your operating system.