Connecting a Bluetooth Headset to PC / Laptop

In this section I’ll explain how to 'pair' your headset with your newly 'Bluetooth-enabled' computer. This step is critical as it establishes the 'link' between your Headset and Bluetooth Adapter so that they can communicate with one another. In order to 'pair' any Bluetooth device with your PC, your device needs to be set in 'Discovery mode' in order for the Bluetooth Host to be able to find it. It's like your device saying 'Hey look, here I am - pick me!!!!'

Step 1: Set your Bluetooth Headset to 'Discovery mode'. This should be covered in the documentation that came with your Bluetooth Headset. To set discovery mode on my Bluetooth Headset (A WNI H1010), I needed to ensure that the Headset was turned off, and then hold down the power button for 10 seconds until the small onboard LED light flashed alternating red-green. Once the LED was flashing alternating Red-Green, I then 'double-clicked' the small Bluetooth icon in the Windows taskbar which prompted the following screen to appear (Note: you could also click the 'My Bluetooth Places' icon which now resides on your desktop.

Next, double-click the icon 'Find Nearby Bluetooth Devices'. Again, it's imperative that your Bluetooth Headset is already in discovery mode before 'double-clicking' the 'Find Nearby Bluetooth Devices' icon. This will prompt a screen in which a small flashlight is scanning the window that just opened to represent your Bluetooth Adapter searching for nearby Bluetooth Devices.

Provided that all goes smoothly at this point, a small Bluetooth Headset icon should magically appear in the same window where the flashlight resided. Place your mouse pointed over the Headset icon, 'right-click' the icon and select 'pair device' from the context menu that appears.

This should prompt the following window to pop-up.

Enter the Bluetooth PIN code (or passcode) that is mentioned in the instructions that came with your Bluetooth Headset. For my Headset, the default code was '0000'. Once you've entered the passcode, the small Bluetooth Headset icon should now have a checkmark next to it which signifies that the Headset has been successfully 'paired'.

Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back. Now that we've successfully 'paired' our Headset with our Bluetooth Host, we shouldn't need to do this step again unless you deliberately 'un-pair' your Headset for any reason, uninstall your Bluetooth adapter or re-format your computer. All that you need to do from here on in is 'connect' your Headset whenever you want to use it.

Technorati Tags: Bluetooth Connectivity,Bluetooth,Bluetooth connectivity with laptop,Bluetooth Headset,Bluetooth audio device