Bluetooth stereo headset awsome inside, sucks outside?

[JB turbo]

I recently purchased the Plantronics BackBeat 903 Bluetooth Headset and must say they work really well when inside a building or a car. As soon as I walk outside the are constantly cutting in and out. I do have the phone on my belt and at first thought it was the 3G reception causing it but it does it even when playing stored music. Anyone else have this problem? Or is there a better headset? Thanks for any help.

 

[TBolt]

I don't think anyone makes a really good bluetooth headset for outdoor use. hehehe But, I know for sure my Moto set works a heck of a lot better with my Android Inc than it ever did with my BlackBerry.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ource=vb_ac&utm_medium=content&token=UGQXigTs

 

[RayStinkle]

Every Bluetooth headset I've ever owned has done this. Inside it works good. Soon as you go outside in an open area it loses signal or cuts out. Obviously its because the signal bounces off the interior walls etc. It worked especially good in my car.

Over the years different headsets performed better in regard to this, but most still do it. Not much you can do really. Just keep your phone near your headset. Example if I wore headset on my left ear, phone is my left pocket, and no drop outs.

 

[JB turbo]

I find that strange. I have used numerous bluetooths made just for phone calls outside and the good ones worked great but not the same for stereo headsets. Guess I will have to get a set of wired ones for outside then. Thanks

 

[Argent]

My Moto HT820 BT Stereo headset works just fine outside - I wear it when I mow the lawn

 

[bigslam123]

My Moto HT820 BT Stereo headset works just fine outside - I wear it when I mow the lawn

Me too. They are the goofiest looking earphones but definitely the best I have ever owned, both for sound quality and signal strength.

 

[kjparfekt]

My motorola S9 HD headset breaks up when I'm walking in particular areas on my way to work. I'm able to get an uninterrupted commute if I put my phone in chest level jacket pocket or in the back pocket of my pants (the bluetooth portion of the headset sits behind my neck).

No problems at all when I'm inside like everyone else has said.

 

[JB turbo]

Argent and Bigslam thank you very much. I ordered the HT820 off ebay for $35 and this thing works great outside. Hasnt cut out once and sounds great, even on phone calls. Thanks again.

 

[pleeho]

Try the Sennheiser MM200 - outstanding call quality and great headphones for listening to Google Listen podcasts or youtube vids, so-so quality for music (but I'm coming from Shure SE530s, which you can't compare).

 

[bark8015]

Thank you

Thanks for this thread. I have the Moto S9 HD's that TBolt linked to, and I had no sound quality issues with my Storm (pairing is a different topic), but I get the same thing you're describing with the 903's. I was looking at getting the 903's until you posted this.

I will be looking into the HT820's now.

edit:

Found this in another thread:

I am not sure if its the same but I had problems with my bluetooth stereo headset cutting out and found that if you have gps location always on it would cause my headsets to cut out every 40 secs. Switched it over to location by wireless and turned by gps off and it stopped.

Yes, he posted already in this thread, but he didn't mention this workaround. I plan to try it and I thought it may be useful for others as well.

 

[JB turbo]

I did find to turn off gps go into menu>setting>location...put check mark in use wireless network, under location settings put 911 only and uncheck use gps satellites. Sorry if this is a no brainer to most, very limited knowledge on the smart phones.

 

[bark8015]

JB, your suggestion prompted me to test some settings on my drive home, and it seems to me the WiFi is the culprit. My guess is that it's finding and trying to connect to open WiFi's as I drive, and the BT takes a hit for the second or two WiFi is attempting to negotiate/authenticate.

I tried with GPS on and WiFi off, and also WiFi on and GPS off. Never had a single cutout with GPS only on.

I also noticed that with WiFi on, I don't have cutouts on more rural areas, occasional cutouts near the suburbs, and frequent cutouts in the city.

Hope this info helps somebody here.

 

[RayStinkle]

well that makes sense. my nokia n95 shared the same antenna for bluetooth and wifi, because both frequencies are up in the 2.4gHz range i believe. so when i turned both wifi and bluetooth on, and streamed stereo BT and used the wifi, the device couldnt handle it at all.

i imagine most cell phones are still doing the same thing, sharing the same antenna between BT and Wifi, including the incredible. so this is probably why you see BT issues with wifi on.

 

[JB turbo]

Bark, maybe my problem was different. Mine would cut out every 40 sec on the nose with GPS (location) turned on but have no effect from having Wifi on.

 

[bark8015]

Were you moving/driving? Were you in an urban area with tall buildings that might restrict or reduce the GPS signal?

Most of my commute is suburban, so maybe that is a difference. Although when I tested with GPS on and WiFi off, I pulled up the map application and had it follow me for a good 12 or 13 miles without a single cutout. With WiFi it was almost immediate, and then periodically depending on how close the highway was to the surrounding houses/buildings.

Strange stuff, certainly. At least people will have some steps to take to see what works in their situation. Thanks for the follow up (in your own thread, even).