wireless headphones
The ever-tangled headphone wires will soon be a thing of the past – progressive people have long put on wireless models and enjoy them. It’s just business — once to synchronize them with the device and then charge the battery in time. But headphones differ over headphones: even the identical-looking wireless models can work on different principles. Let’s figure it out together: what are wireless headphones and how do they work?
IR Headphones: They’re Still Alive
If everything is clear with the connection to the phone, then what about a TV that does not have a Bluetooth module? For example, you want to watch your favourite series in the evening, but the child is already sleeping at this time. The solution is simple: you can connect IR headphones.
How do wireless tv headphones work? Yes, very simple, through the infrared channel. A transmitter is usually connected to the headphone output on a TV, and there is a receiver in the ears themselves. Of course, such gadgets are suitable, first of all, for watching TVs, because the receiver must be in the “visibility zone” of the transmitter. Go to another room – and the sound will disappear.
The advantages of IR models are low price, low power consumption and the ability to use with any device that has a headphone output (not only a TV, but also a desktop computer). The assortment is small, so there’s practically nothing to choose from.
Headphones with a radio channel: the most long-range
This is another branch in the development of wireless headphones. Devices with a radio channel use the range from 800 to 2.4 GHz, while they consume quite a lot of energy compared to analogues of the Bluetooth standard. How are such wireless headphones arranged? The principle of operation here is the same as that of infrared headphones: a radio transmitter is connected to the sound source, which transmits the signal to the “ears”. The communication radius is quite large (up to 150 m, that is, larger than that of Bluetooth 5.0), but interference may occur in urban environments. Radio models cannot boast great autonomy, but they don’t need it: as a rule, the headphones are stored on a stand, which is also a charger.
The cheaper the model, the higher the likelihood that the sound will be imperfect. You can try to correct the situation by experimenting with different ranges, but not the fact that this will succeed. Therefore, if you already decided to buy headphones with a radio channel, choose products of famous brands: for example, Sennheiser RS 165:
Bluetooth Headphones: a classic of the genre
The Bluetooth protocol was invented for the wireless connection of nearby devices. During its existence, many versions have appeared, from the initial 1.0 to the most modern for today 5.0, already on the way and 5.1. The main direction of progress is to increase the range, data transfer speed and reduce energy consumption.
For comparison: Bluetooth 5.0 is twice as fast as the previous version 4.2, the range increased by 4 times (theoretically up to 100 m). But for listening to music in MP3 from the phone, Bluetooth 4 is quite enough: the sound source is always nearby, and the channel bandwidth does not play a big role. If you need compact headphones (“earplugs” or in-ear), no infrared radio model will suit you. But with bluetooth there are enough of them, and they are inexpensive: for example, the good JBL T205BT for only 1,500 rubles.
How to connect Bluetooth wireless headphones?
The technique is very similar for any device with a Bluetooth module.
We enter the pairing mode of devices: usually for this you need to press and hold one of the buttons. If the headphones have an indicator, most likely it will start flashing.
We open the list of Bluetooth devices in the phone and look for our model.
Click on it and try to connect. The system may ask for a password: try entering a simple 0000 or 1111. If it does not work out, you will have to go into the instructions.
Devices with android and iOS remember the connection, it will not need to be carried out every time you want to listen to music or talk. The connection will occur automatically.
Can I connect Bluetooth headphones to my computer?
Sure you may. How to do it? Using an adapter to a standard 3.5 mm jack or USB port. Such adapters act as a transmitter – a universal option can be bought at many electronics stores or ordered in China. Connecting is not much harder than with an android phone.
We connect the adapter, we find the line “Bluetooth” in the “Control Panel” .
We activate the pairing mode in the headphones (they wrote about it a little higher).
We are waiting for the system to detect our headphones.
Actually, we select the device in the list (although, most likely, it will be one).
On Windows 10, no additional drivers are usually needed. In earlier OSs, they may be required. In this case, the device will be defined not as a brand / model, but as an “unknown device”. Click on it with the right mouse button and click “Update Drivers” – this should help.
What problems can arise with earphones?
The most popular problem is the inability to connect. The most popular reason is that users simply forget to activate the pairing mode and unsuccessfully try to find the make / model in the smartphone.
Please note: pairing mode only works for a short time. If no connections are made to other devices, it may turn off. Always look at the indicator light, it will definitely help to understand what condition the headphones are in now.