[TriLUG] Long-range Bluetooth adapter for Linux

[David Burton via TriLUG]

If that was a bluetooth 5 / 5.1 headset, the obvious answer would be a
Bluetooth 5 dongle. That's supposed to be one of the selling points for
Bluetooth 5: longer range. Unfortunately, the Sony 1000XM2 is a Bluetooth
4.1 headset, so the answer isn't as clear.

Still, getting a 5.x dongle might be your best bet, because it at least
ensures you're getting recent technology.

In my house, I plug my USB dongle into the end of a long USB active
extension cable, and hang the dongle near the ceiling, near the doorway of
my office, to get sufficient coverage. You can get a 16' one for about $9
on eBay, or a 25' for about $12: (I wouldn't go much longer than that.)
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=USB%20active%20extension%20cable&ssPageName=GSTL
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=USB+active+extension+cable&ssPageName=GSTL&rt=nc&Cable%2520Length=31%252D35%2520ft%7C15%2520%252D%252019%2520ft%7C20%2520%252D%252025%2520ft%7C10%252D14%2520m%7C5%252D9%2520m&_dcat=44932

On Windows, the best choice for a bluetooth 5 dongle is apparently any of
several based on the RTL8761BUV chip, like the Orico BT-508 or Asus BT500.
Unfortunately, this page says that your Linux kernel needs to be at least
5.8 to support that chip on Linux:
https://linuxreviews.org/Realtek_RTL8761B

However, this one, which I strongly suspect is based on that same chip,
claims to support earlier Linux kernels:
https://www.edimax.com/edimax/download/download/data/edimax/global/download/for_home/wireless_adapters/bluetooth/bt-8500
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M1VJHVD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=techsphinx02-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B08M1VJHVD&linkId=7ea633a84be08c62430c15a3af646579

Dave



On Thu, Feb 24, 2022 at 7:06 PM Wes Garrison via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org>
wrote:

> Kind of off topic, but Amazon has their own URL shortener:
> amzn.com/B09JRWJDM6
>
> That's just amzn.com (no https or www) and the Amazon product ID (aka.
> ASIN) after the "dp" in the regular URL.
>
> It's useful because you know the link belongs to Amazon, filters out all
> the referral crap, and you don't have to go through the trouble of creating
> a link to get there.
>
> -Wes
>
> On Thu, Feb 24, 2022 at 6:31 PM shay walters via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org
> >
> wrote:
>
> > I ran into a problem one time with an older Bluetooth headset that
> wouldn't
> > pair with my new Android phone.  It turns out that there are different
> > versions of Bluetooth and I had to use an older phone to get it to
> > connect.  Fortunately that was a solution I was able to make work.
> >
> > -Shay
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 24, 2022 at 3:40 PM Nathan Yinger via TriLUG <
> > trilug at trilug.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I tried this one (
> > > https://www.newegg.com/p/1GK-01U5-00049?Item=9SIASSAG3M9268) because
> it
> > > has
> > > an antenna, but it can't see or pair to any Bluetooth device (there are
> > > several dozen in my building that are visible with my old Bluetooth
> > adapter
> > > but none show up with the new one).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > --
> > This message was sent to: Wes <wes at xitechusa.com>
> > To unsubscribe, send a blank message to trilug-leave at trilug.org from
> that
> > address.
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> > Welcome to TriLUG: https://trilug.org/welcome
> --
> This message was sent to: Dave Burton <ncdave4life at gmail.com>
> To unsubscribe, send a blank message to trilug-leave at trilug.org from that
> address.
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