| Everything You Need to Know About Bluetooth Drivers |
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Bluetooth technology is a type of wireless technology that allows devices to communicate across short distances using radio waves. While you may be familiar with Bluetooth used in small, wireless earpieces for cell phones, Bluetooth technology is also used with computers and peripheral devices. For example, you’ll find Bluetooth printers, Bluetooth PDAs, Bluetooth GPS devices, and Bluetooth digital cameras.
In order for these devices to communicate with your computer, you’ll need to properly set up your computer for Bluetooth reception. First, you’ll need a Bluetooth adapter installed in your computer. Some computers now come with built-in support for Bluetooth. If yours does not have a Bluetooth adapter, the easiest way to set up your PC for use with Bluetooth devices is with a USB Bluetooth “dongle.” A dongle is a small piece of hardware that connects to your USB port. You can also install a Bluetooth card if your computer has a free expansion slot.
Once you have the Bluetooth hardware installed on your computer, you will need to install the Bluetooth device drivers for that hardware. The Bluetooth card or dongle should have an installation CD that came with it. Install the device drivers from the CD.
You’re not done with Bluetooth device drivers just yet. You’ll also need to install Bluetooth device drivers for each of the Bluetooth devices that you will be using with your computer. For example, if you’ll be using a Bluetooth PDA and want to be able to synchronize your data with your PC, you will need to install the PDA and required Bluetooth device drivers for that device. Likewise, your Bluetooth printer will also need to be installed along with related Bluetooth device drivers.
Bluetooth device drivers come with the equipment on CDs. They are also available for download from the various device manufacturers’ websites. For example, if you have a Bluetooth printer manufactured by Canon, you’ll need to go to the Canon website to download device drivers.
If your Bluetooth device suddenly stops working, your device drivers could have become corrupt or may even be missing. This can happen to any type of device, including Bluetooth devices. Files can go missing after uninstalling other software or devices, installing new hardware or software, and when spyware or computer viruses have deleted files. File corruption can occur as the result of computer crashes, failing hard drives, and unexpected shutdowns.
If you suspect that your device drivers need replaced or if you want to update your device drivers because the new ones have improved features, you can do so by going into the Device Manager and selecting the appropriate device. (For Bluetooth printers, you’ll need to go through the Printer icon in Control Panel.) You can access Device Manager from the Control Panel. Choose System, then Device Manager.
Once you find your Bluetooth device in the list, double-click it and click the Driver tab. Click Update Driver and perform an automatic search. Follow the onscreen prompts to install any found device drivers.
Top pick for the best Driver Update Software:
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