Bluetooth and Apple

[WK154]

My recent design and installation of an audio system for a chorus left me with one additional missing feature I didn't think about before. They can handle all the traditional media you can throw at it but were missing wireless playback. As it turns out quite a useful feature since the director has an iPad that she uses for playback, keyboard and recording. Holding her lapel mic to the iPad speaker! Well needless to say I thought that's a simple solution get an Airport Express and your done. Well I thought about it some more and finally realized I was there about 6 years ago with a Zoom Telecom Bluetooth device that worked just fine thru a couple of walls and about 40 ft. I had two of these collecting dust. I tried it with the iPad and no go. As it happens Apple doesn't like Bluetooth and would like it to go away, unfortunately after a couple of billion devices out in the world it's not going to be. Turns out that Apple insists on encrypted devices only not a requirement for most Bluetooth devices especially older ones. Hence my device won't pair. No problem the unit has it's own transmitter that can be plugged into any 3.5mm stereo output. I used it with an early iPod that had no wireless connection. After 6 plus years Bluetooth has not stood still and you can get Apple friendly versions for a mere $28 that are more reliable than Airplay. Why is that? In the 2.4Gig arena a fixed frequency  WiFi connection with a whopping 3 clear channels or a total of 11 with overlap can't compete with a 79 channel Spread Spectrum Technology. It came from the military's desire to prevent radio message interception from the enemy. There are several versions I won't go into here but suffice it to say that dropouts are few and far between compared to WiFi. Net results more reliable. The new version drops the channels to 40 but doubles the bandwidth still far from WiFi's 11 on the 2.4Gig frequency. Throw in the 5 Gig and your still not there. If you want a current Apple friendly receiver: http://www.amazon.com/HomeSpot-NFC-Enabled-Bluetooth-Receiver-System/dp/B009OBCAW2/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1408832253&sr=1-4&keywords=rca+bluetooth+receiver 
For the latest Bluetooth technology check out CSR, one of the mayor players in this field.
http://www.csr.com/milestones
Yes your going to point out that Airplay is free with an Airport Express access point that you need anyways but for those that value reliability or don't have a Airport Express this is a better solution. Most current phones have Bluetooth so you don't need to buy into Apples ecosystem.

[Wynnd]

I don't find Apple hating Bluetooth.  I use it with my iphone, both ipads and my MacBook Pro.  Bluetooth hasn't stopped marching and I'm hoping that my next helmet Bluetooth communication device will have Siri giving me corner to corner directions straight to my helmet.  (Something missing with my Scala Q2 and iphone 4S.)  I can dictate text messages and have Siri dial up anyone in my phone book.  (As well as have Siri read any NEW messages to me.)

[WK154]

Apple would much rather see Airplay as your choice. About a year ago Apple updated the Bluetooth driver and suddenly a large number of devices stopped working especially in high end Autos. Apples answer get yourself a newer Beamer and it'll work. Needless to say most got a new phone instead.

[Wynnd]

My Wife uses my iphone all the time and I avoid her Android like the plague.  We both think the iphone is easier to use and much more logical about shutting off any timers and alarms than Android is.  (Androids you need to know the sub menus to shut things off.  Iphones always have whatever noisemaker's shutoff on the top.  ALWAYS!)  Just to let you know that this is a geek household.  We met studying Computer Science in 1979.  We're both comfortable with Windows, Macs, Linux machines.  Android has a stupid learning curve.  The iphone has nearly none at all.  (Not familiar with the windows phones today.) 

[WK154]

It's about a communications technology not about phones and 70% of the World would rather deal with Android.

[Ampli]

Dont think 70% rather deal with android, same as with windows, both are not very user frendly
Most people use the because you can get it cheaper and with lots of free apps, that why 70% will rather deal with them

[Wynnd]

My Son's company provided iphone 5 has shown them that the apps that his Wife get free sometimes cost more from Apple's walled garden.  (His term.)  I personally don't understand why this is a big thing for them.  (They can easily afford it.)  I've gotten to the point where I'm more likely to pull an app off my ios device.  (16 gig.)  Might go for a larger memory one next time.  I was using a Palm phone before I moved to the iphone.  There is so much similarity between the functionality of both phones.  He is one who would move away from the iphone just for the cheaper apps.  (And probably to the Android platform.)  I just don't get it.  He has no problem paying $50+ for a computer game, but balks at paying $3 for an app that is only $1 on the android platform.  (He's 35)  Maybe he's got remodeling plans for the $20 saved.  (Recently redid their kitchen.  Think it cost them about $25K.)

[WK154]

Once again this is about BLUETOOTH and APPLE, if you want to talk about phones start a phone topic.

[Wynnd]

Thought I made myself very clear about Bluetooth and Apple.  That all works for me and my Apple products.  I don't see the issues the OP made affecting my life.  I do wish that Siri would give corner to corner directions through my bluetooth helmet communication device.  It doesn't.  Everything else works on that and I suspect it's the version of bluetooth supported by the Scala Q2 headset that is the limiting factor. 

[Ampli]

Well my bleutooth carradio doesnt work with my old phone (running android)
With my apple phone without problems, and yes is an old carradio

[WK154]

Thought I made myself very clear about Bluetooth and Apple.  That all works for me and my Apple products.  I don't see the issues the OP made affecting my life.  I do wish that Siri would give corner to corner directions through my bluetooth helmet communication device.  It doesn't.  Everything else works on that and I suspect it's the version of bluetooth supported by the Scala Q2 headset that is the limiting factor.

That's good your not affected, a G9 would answer your other wishes I believe. As to Apple's requirement for Bluetooth with the current iOS, here is their statement:
Note: iOS requires that the remote Bluetooth device support an encrypted connection. When you establish a pairing record between your iOS device and a Bluetooth device, you are setting up encryption between the two devices.
That means Bluetooth V2.1 or later where encryption was mandatory. No backward compatibility.
Ampli, some old radio and some old phone are real specific.

[WK154]

If you want WiFi and Bluetooth running on you iPad or other device it's best to run WiFi on solely the 5 Gig band and Bluetooth will be happy on 2.4 Gig. This may be a problem with the Airport Express but not with most other access points such as Airport Extreme. I could not find a way to limit Airport Express to 5 Gigs only. I don't own one and never will. If someone found a way speak up. This means that it could use 2.4 and both WiFi and Bluetooth would suffer from speed loss. Remember airwaves are a half duplex media, only one device per frequency.

[Wynnd]

You need different names on 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz anyway.  Make the passwords different and don't let your ios devices have the one for 2.4Ghz.  It's a work around, but it does work.  (Pretty much what I have going on with my Airport Express.  My iphone only does 2.4Ghz and I don't have any bluetooth devices on my mixer or network.)(

[WK154]

You need different names on 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz anyway.  Make the passwords different and don't let your ios devices have the one for 2.4Ghz.  It's a work around, but it does work.  (Pretty much what I have going on with my Airport Express.  My iphone only does 2.4Ghz and I don't have any bluetooth devices on my mixer or network.)(

Got it, multiple new networks but still no choice on frequency band, so how will that be determined? Pot luck?

[Wynnd]

Look for both WiFi Networks.  Select the 5Ghz one.  (Mine is named NoInternetHere 5Gz)  apply the correct password and never select the other network.  It should always connect up to the correct WiFi because it's already got the password for it and has been connected in the past.  Then you can also stop it from asking to connect to new networks, because its been connected up previously to the only one you want to use.  That should make it work the way you want it to work.  (Without regard to what kind of WiFi router you're using.  Should work with any of them.) I went with an Airport Express because of familiarity with the product.  I was a PC/Network tech and even though it's been more than 10 years since I was doing that, I'm pretty sure I could handle it without regard to manufacturer or OS.  (Linux and Windows included.)  And in desperation, I could always get my Son to help.  (Neither of us has been able to help the other much in the last 10 years.  He works for Digital Globe.)