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Bluetooth 5 Now Available

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Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#71

Post by Theodores »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #49
brickmort wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, connecting a device with bluetooth has less than 50% chance of continued success. When it doesn't work it really doesn't work, and there's only so much you can do with most device interfaces. I avoid it whenever possible. Hopefully this new release will change that for future devices.

Yep, I wanted to love Bluetooth for keyboards, but my Logitech and Microsoft wireless keyboards (work and home, respectively) work great with their proprietary receivers (basically like a wireless wire), while the Logitech K810 has random key lag and connectivity issues (try typing your password when Bluetooth doesn't work and you can't log in to re-pair it). Windows 10 also seems monumentally bad at Bluetooth, and I…

The Logitech 810 is a fantastic keyboard however I pretend to ignore the connectivity shortcomings that you describe...

What I would like with the Logitech keyboards and mice is an option to plug in with micro USB or to go Bluetooth, i.e. wired but detachable if your Bluetooth happens to be reliable that day.

There already is a micro USB socket for power on the 810 keyboard, sadly they don't do a mouse that charges on microUSB and can also work on micro USB. Regardless, there is not a lot that really needs to be added on the hardware side to implement such a feature.

If such goodies existed then I would not need that normal keyboard/mouse that I have in my draw for the unpaired situation you describe. I could also do things such as BIOS UEFI settings without having to reach for the emergency input devices.

Despite deficiencies, I find the 810 to be the best keyboard going, I carry mine around instead of a laptop, it works great with work PC, my phone and my home PC.

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#72

Post by Sephr »

Still no audio profile that supports Opus. Why are we still using a 20 year old audio codec (SBC) for Bluetooth speakers?

Opus is low enough bitrate that it could even theoretically be used over BLE (ignoring latency problems), while still wiping the floor with SBC.

Regardless of whether BLE transport is possible, it depresses me that Opus support still hasn't been added to the A2DP.

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#73

Post by moron4hire »

WhitneyLand wrote: post #59
moron4hire wrote: post #17

I cannot think of a single way in which Bluetooth has changed my life. Of the Bluetooth devices I have, I do exactly the same things I've always done, just with slightly more annoyance. My smartphone let me answer emails and burning questions on the go, while also letting me give up my car. My VR headset is making me completely rethink what User Experience means to the point of making the current usage of the term UX…

Car integration has been a killer app. The ability to talk handsfree, stream music without wires, etc. Even if you swear by a headset in your car BT still allows call control via steering wheel buttons so you don't have take yours hands off.

Sure, if I can get the damn things to pair. But if my phone has paired to something else, or my wife has paired her phone to the car again, then it's ALL BETS OFF!!!

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#74

Post by lucb1e »

bjt2n3904 wrote: post #37
lucb1e wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was not aware of this[1], thanks for linking. Do you know whether the same is true for non-LE connections? I always thought those were secure, provided there are no bugs in the implementations. [1] The paper's conclusion summarizes very nicely, though they write it formally and a little confusingly: the thing is utterly broken. They can read contents, even if they key exchange was not observed/captured, and they ca…

The non-LE protocol has been pretty difficult to breach from the hacker-hobbyist level. The communication protocol is incredibly complex, and the hardware simply doesn't exist to interface well with it. A lot of BT2.0 (ie: non LE) "security" comes from the fact it's just darn hard to interface with it.

That sounds weird, given that it's in so many devices. It runs on a normal frequency and is implemented in billions of devices, how is it hard to interface with?

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#75

Post by BinaryIdiot »

Considering every phone I've tested (iPhone 5S, iPhone 6+, Samsung Note, Moto X, Nexus 6P) with 7 different bluetooth headphones (ranging from cheap Amazon ones to expensive LG) I have NEVER found a phone, paired with headphones, that stayed connected especially when the phone is in my side pocket and I'm walking in an open space which seems to make connectivity significantly worse.

For instance getting on the BART being an enclosed space? I never have an issue. All of the headphones I've tested stay connected the entire time without issue. The SECOND I walk out of the station, even in the city, every pair of headphones I've tried work most of the time but typically cut out once every 30 seconds or so. But it's crazy inconsistent because I managed to walk to my office, once, the entire way without it disconnecting.

Seeing as bluetooth 5 helps with range I'm hope I can finally using it to keep my phone in my side pocket and actually listen to my headphones, uninterrupted.

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#76

Post by moron4hire »

oneplane wrote: post #67
moron4hire wrote: post #17

I cannot think of a single way in which Bluetooth has changed my life. Of the Bluetooth devices I have, I do exactly the same things I've always done, just with slightly more annoyance. My smartphone let me answer emails and burning questions on the go, while also letting me give up my car. My VR headset is making me completely rethink what User Experience means to the point of making the current usage of the term UX…

It's not really all bluetooth what you're describing there. Almost all of it is implementation-specific: many vendors do a sad job at implementing bluetooth, or if they buy a module as-is, they do a bad job at integrating that module.

Maybe it's still Bluetooth SIG's fault for not making a spec that is easier to adhere to.

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#77

Post by user5994461 »

Navarr wrote: post #36
inopinatus wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Bluetooth 5 improve the reliability, latency, or the UX? I didn't need more speed, range or capacity from Bluetooth. But I did want it to cease being synonymous in my household with lag, dropouts and pairing failures.

well I mean, 4x range bumps it to over 100 ft, where as it used to be 30 right? (Or am I just out of date?) But lag and dropouts is definitely my same concern with Bluetooth as well.. That said, it's still my preference if only because it's a standard - but it's getting damn hard to find decent Bluetooth mice now

"4x range" means the marketing guys could say anything they wanted. Just like how 4G LTE is multiple Gb per second, 10 times faster than the previous generation! :D

Bluetooth can already do 100 ft... in very good conditions and with the rights devices and drivers.

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#78

Post by wsetchell »

FrenchyJiby wrote: post #65

Anyone have a good introduction to Bluetooth ~4.0 + reasonable documentation ? I've always loved bluetooth, the concept of P2P file exchange got me through high school[1] to think about all the levels of tech involved in making your music shared with someone else's phone, but very let down by the documentation and implementation aspect. As a curious hacker who would like to decentralize his life, I've always wanted t…

https://people.csail.mit.edu/albert/bluez-intro/c54.html is a great intro.

Reading the code here is a good second step. https://github.com/sandeepmistry/noble

After you've gone through those, the bluetooth spec is useful for specific questions.

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#79

Post by amelius »

wyager wrote: post #10

Wow, this press release is horrible. Full of useless business jargon. Ctrl+F "IoT": 9 results. Why do they write these things? The only people who care about bluetooth press releases are tech-literate enough to understand at least mildly useful information about the new standard.

Yes. I'd love to hear what modulation scheme they use. Or what kind of network protocols they support. But also more basic things like: is it now possible to pair multiple headphones with a single player device?

Re: Bluetooth 5 Now Available

#80

Post by celticninja »

lasryaric wrote: post #9

Why is general bluetooth connectivity so "buggy"? Why am I always struggling connecting my iPhone 6s to my bose bluetooth speaker? I would love to understand that.

I have never found it to be an issue and I dont use high end stuff. For example I have a xiaomi redmi note which connetcs to my xiaomi bluetooth speaker or my car system (Nissan) with ease,i dont even think about it. If bluetooth is turned on on my phone it will connect to these without fault and i never get drop outs, same with a bluetooth headset that I sometimes use. I paired with all of them once and now i just turn on bluetooth on my phone and it connects to whatever device i am near.
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