Bluetooth hands free phone devices

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burger2227
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Bluetooth hands free phone devices

Post by burger2227 »

I purchased a hands free cell phone speaker for a friend of mine for about $20. His truck did not come with hands free BT installed.
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The Mute button has LED's behind it to tell the status: Blinking blue means the unit is paired and ready to receive calls.
When it is red it is off and charging or flashing red and blue when pairing. The device also tells the status verbally. "Connect me" means it is paired.

Pairing (first time for up to 2 cell phones):
1) Make sure speaker phone device is turned on and within 10 feet of the cell phone to pair.
2) Press the Answer button for 6 seconds until the red and blue LED's flash on and off and "Device is ready for matching" is heard.
3) Activate cell phone's Bluetooth menu and set it to search for a device. BT LD-168 will appear in the list of BT devices matched.
4) Enter the code "0000" and confirm the device in the phone. My phone never asked for a code, but some may.
5) After pairing, the speaker LED will flash blue every 3 seconds when paired. It should pair automatically after that!

The speaker has a metal bracket for holding it on a sun visor above the driver's head.
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When the speaker is paired, BT LD-168 will appear in the list of Bluetooth devices paired.

The box back shows the location of controls, speakers, and microphone. The on-off power slide switch is on the right side:
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The 5 foot USB charging cable has a Mini plug port on the opposite end of the device.

The unit comes with instructions(terrible spelling) and a 12 volt to 5 volt cigarette lighter plug with a full USB port:
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When a call comes in, the unit will allow the cell phone to ring up to 3 times if the Answer key is not pressed first. Then it will answer.
Once a call is received, press the Answer key once quickly to hang up or double click twice to reject an incoming call.
To REDIAL the last number called, press the Answer button twice when the phone is not in use.
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burger2227
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Re: Bluetooth devices

Post by burger2227 »

UPDATE:

List of Bluetooth devices paired with my phone include the hands free speaker, my car and may XP laptop for downloading phone pictures directly:
Image

Everything about this unit says KEEP ME CHARGED UP and make sure to SWITCH ME OFF! Thus this seems to me to be a temporary solution at best!

1) The unit can last up to 17 hours continuously monitoring a cell phone within 10 feet or less. Otherwise keep it charged up as it will turn off automatically.

2) The unit stays powered up as long as the cell phone is within distance, otherwise it shuts off even when switched on! Thus the user must constantly turn it on and off!
I tried taking the cell phone out of distance and the unit started beeping every 10 seconds, but did not shut off completely.
A previously paired phone will just need the unit's power restored by manually switching it off and on for it to be paired up again.

3) Sometimes several minutes after use, the unit may say "connect me" for no good reason! Could be annoying...

In summary, I would much prefer a unit that uses the CAR BATTERY as the source of power instead of relying on a battery that will only get worse over time.
I'd also like to just leave it on or be able to switch it on and off with the car accessories instead of constantly having to turn it off and on every time I need it.

As a PLUS, this unit can be used anywhere as a way to monitor your cell phone. Just set it on your desk after it is charged up. Just keep the phone within distance...

Here's a smaller unit for $15: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/free-shi ... 15230.html" target="_blank

Here's a $26 BT unit that hangs off the steering wheel with similar features. Note the speaker is on the back:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wireless ... 00155.html" target="_blank
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Re: Bluetooth devices

Post by burger2227 »

When the phone is turned off or distant from the speaker unit, it will stay blinking blue every 3 seconds but will also beep every 10 seconds without saying "connect me".

After about 10 minutes, the speaker starts flashing red every 3 seconds without any beeps until it shuts off.
Image

I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the USB charging power as if it were turned off and on by the automobile ignition switch, but the unit will
not connect to the phone until the slide switch is physically turned off and back on again. That's just plain stupid!

Heres refurbished one for $24: http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-motorol ... eakerphone" target="_blank
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burger2227
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Re: Bluetooth devices

Post by burger2227 »

The Bluetooth speaker device says 4 things:
1) "Power on" only when power slide switch is manually turned on.
2) "Pairing" when first started up device will attempt to pair with a phone. May need to connect in phone BT settings also.
3) "Connect me" when phone is first paired or may need to be paired later. Beeps may or may not also be present.
4) "Power off" when phone is not paired after beeping perhaps, battery power is low or the power switch is turned off.

Beeping may or may not be accompanied by "connect me" when pairing is established or lost. The LED will turn RED if pairing is lost.
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Eventually the beeping stopped but the LED stayed red until it finally said "Power off" and went dark.

The red LED may come on when the charging is established, but the power switch must be manually turned off and back on to attempt pairing.
If the phone leaves the device area it may shut off after a while. If the LED does not start flashing blue when the phone returns, it may need
to be paired up again too. That may require telling the phone to connect as well as switching the speaker device back on.

I recommend switching the speaker OFF when leaving the vehicle so that it may pair automatically only when the phone is nearby.
Otherwise you may have to pair the device and connect it to the phone once it loses the phone while left on.

Once the phone is out of range, it may never connect! I had to switch the speaker off and on and connect with the phone again:
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Once it fails to pair and connect the BT speaker will turn itself off eventually.

Pairing may require the phone to be connected if it doesn't pair automatically when the speaker is turned on:
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Go to Bluetooth device list, select BTLD-168 and hit OK to connect. Select Yes to connect or No if device is already connected.
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Re: Bluetooth hands free phone devices

Post by burger2227 »

Decided to try a different BT speaker setup by Aduro for about $15:
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The Aduro unit at top has buttons used to answer calls, turn volume up or down, redial or shut the unit off.

To pair the Aduro, make sure it is off and press the answer/power button for 6 seconds until the LED flashes red and blue:
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Pair the phone by looking for Aduro VSP35 in registered list after searching devices. Flashing blue means the unit is paired.

Flashing blue does not mean that the phone is connected to the Aduro model. Lack of that and any sound indicators kills it for me!

The red LED indicates charging or disconnection from phone. Power button requires 3 second hold to turn unit on or off.
When a call comes in, the user MUST press the answer/power button to take the call!

The phone with BT registered list:
Image
After the phone has left the area, the phone must be re-connected in the phone's menu, not with the unit.

The speaker does not seem as powerful as the other unit and does not have the volume range either.
It is advisable to turn off the unit when leaving the vehicle to also save battery life.
Both BT units are supposed to be able to last for days of moderate use without recharging. That will change over time!

Battery lasted about one day. After plugging it into a charger and holding the power button down 6 seconds it stayed connected to the
paired phone however. I even left the area with the phone before that.
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Re: Bluetooth hands free phone devices

Post by burger2227 »

EEKS! The Aduro SHUTS OFF the phone connection when connected back to the USB power supply! You have to re-connect and set it up in the phone again too!
A red indicator without the flashing blue indicates that it is only charging. If you don't re-connect it will shut off totally!

A plus is that either device can be hooked to bicycle handle bars as well as car sun visors. They both should be close to your head for best voice clarity. The Aduro speaker sound was somewhat muffled, but I was also able to use it as a speaker phone in my house while further away at times.
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