Re: how do you know if laptop has bluetooth

On 2/12/2022 2:17 AM, micky wrote:
> How do you know if laptop has bluetooth?
> 
> 
> And if I have it, how to connect one of those horse-collar ear-bud
> receivers that have no keypad, no screen?
> 
> 
> Different webpage say different things:
> 
> https://icecat.biz/p/vendorName/mpn/desc-30113018.html  No
> 
> https://specspro.net/laptops/2693-acer-aspire-e-15-e5-573-35aq/  Yes
> 
> Device manager shows 6 lines but at least one I put in myself and I
> don't know if maybe I could do that even if there were no bluetooth
> transmitter, but just because there is bluetooth software in Windows
>   Bluetooth Device RFCOMM protocol TDI
>             LE Generic Attribute Service
>             Bose	--  this is the one I put in by trying to pair my Bose
> hearphones.
>   Generic Bluetooth Adapter
>   MS Bluetooth enumeator
>   MS Bluetooth LE Enumerator
> 

Both my PCs have Bluetooth. As a nano-USB master (transmitter).

In the Up-Arrow thingy in the lower-right-hand corner, is a non-distinct
blue icon with white squiggle in the center. That's part of your Bluetooth
operation panel ("Send a File"). In Windows 7, I'm not even sure it has that.

In Device Manager, the second item down says Bluetooth.

If it wasn't recognized, there might be some other entry in DM with
a Code 10 or whatever. Since mine is USB bus, if mine broke, it would
be in the USB items at the bottom of Device Manager.

On laptops, the Wifi module can be a combo Wifi/Bluetooth. A
typical brand might be Broadcom silicon. It's possible Intel does
this on some of theirs, but the recollection there is missing -
I only seem to remember the Broadcom cases for some reason.

In Settings, in the Search box, type "Devices" without the double-quotes.
Usually something related to "Devices" will scan for BT peripherals.

Earphones can have a PIN of 0000. Some devices have little in the
way of positive authentication (they're promiscuous).

If I want to "Send a file", then when connecting the two PCs to
one another, a six digit number appears on the screen of the two
computers. And then I "confirm" that the numbers match.

If you own a USB bluetooth adapter, once you plug it into a PC,
that PC "owns it". If you insist on moving it around (as I have),
the PCs keep track, and every time they do a scan, they associate
the device with the first PC it was plugged into. And not the
PC it's plugged into at the moment. Naturally, this is hell on earth
if you're trying to "Send a File", because the PCs cannot associate
properly. For example, right now, this PC is calling the other PC
the wrong name. Maybe the other PC is Bob, and this PC is calling
it Carol. Because the BT dongle on the other machine right now,
used to be plugged into Carol.

Anyway, Bluetooth is complicated, in the bad way. And a budding rocket
scientist has to have a long grocery list of stupid stuff that
can happen. Some peripherals can associate with multiple devices,
and when they run out of "slots" they misbehave.

Since no two operative models seem to be the same, you're all
the time scratching your head at this stuff.

For some reason, phones are better at this. I cannot confirm
this, as I don't own a phone.

Windows 10 gradually got better as far as rewriting a Bluetooth
stack from scratch. It sorta works now. I still don't
think it supports PicoNet (LAN extension over BT). You
don't want that any way, and that would be a "tick box" for
some person recording the features they wrote. "Send a file"
is enough "networking" for BT. My BT runs a speaker, which
is just a headphone in disguise. The speaker is lithium
battery powered. The stupid speaker is mono.

And there are limits on BT. I have two identical speakers,
and I don't think they will run at the same time. It's
not like HID, where you can have three mice and three
keyboards and it all "just works". BT has a more casual
attitude towards life. "No soup for you!" , BT invented
that expression.

    Paul