TP-Link USB Bluetooth Adapter for PC, 5.0 Bluetooth Dongle Receiver (UB500) Supports Windows 11/10/8.1/7 for Desktop, Laptop, Mouse, Keyboard,…

Nu kan ik vanaf mijn computer ook mijn Cricut Joy aansturen.

TP link products usually work well…while longevity with continuous use may vary, but these devices are not intended for prolonged or continuous use..

I have had multiple to link devices ranging from wifi adapters, routers, range extenders, etc..
Now I have tried this Bluetooth adapter..

Pros:-
Minuscule size, you can keep attached to the device, not noticeable

But not recommended to do so..as it’s usually set to discoverable during setup and it has decent range..so if one is too skeptical, might lead to security issues.. although the hacker will have to be in the same house probably!

Range is decent..works good in the same room..this kind of device is usually meant for local connectivity, usually without barriers…

I use it to connect headphones to the PC and it works nicely for that..
I earlier had a Bluetooth 2.0 adapter from enter and that worked well too, except for the range and bandwidth required nowadays has increased..so some choppy audio did occur with today’s high quality audios and that got managed with this Bluetooth 4.0 adapter..nice clean audio..

Lastly, it works nicely with Linux..i use debian based Ubuntu..and its almost plug and play..
I did have blueman Bluetooth manager installed from the previous adapter I had.. And when I plugged it in..i didn’t have to do anything else..
So unlike what the site says, about only windows, it definitely works with Linux..
I can’t say if the 5.0 version UB500 will work though…

While installing the driver in windows, I noticed it was installing CSR stack
And CSR original chip ( there are many fake ones) is known to work with Linux..so maybe that’s why it worked well..

Coming to windows, i have win7.
I had bluesoleil pre-installed, and it worked with it.
Didn’t have to install any driver separately..
But there is a driver available in their site for xp/7..
In win8 and above, it’s supposed to be plug and play..

So no issues there..

Now the cons:-

A bit high price than rest of the companies.. probably can improve on that….i bought it for 400

Audio quality is good, but somehow, compared to my enter Bluetooth 2.0 stack..
The audio was a bit muted..had to increase the volume higher to reach the same level of loudness..but even then, i feel, a slight reduction in the dynamic range of the audio.. no idea if that’s a software or hardware issue..encoding/decoding issue..
It’s not very noticeable.. specially of someone doesn’t have anything to compare with..

Lastly, the windows driver is 400 MB!

granted it has both 32 and 64 versions..but each one is almost 200 MB!
Thats way to big for a driver of these devices..
Neither bluesoleil/blueman cross 30MB..
So I don’t know what is being packaged in those drivers..
Also, somehow the driver didn’t have a clean install in my system, something to do with incorrect loading of c++ library…
It didn’t matter as I already had another driver installed..

Overall a nifty little device.

I have no need for 5.0 Bluetooth as i don’t have any device that requires it..
I just needed a 4.0 adapter to solve the bandwidth problem..and that purpose is nicely served and that it works both in win and linux is very helpful..

Does the job well, few cons

Hence one star less..

Thank you, this product is amazing, long range support, and multiple devices support. This product is value of money
.

***This is the Update MARCH**.
I want to make a huge point to anyone who doesn’t get good distance, may I suggest purchasing either of the extension cables because they are what I use and they work great,
FEDUS USB 3.0/2.0 Male A to Female A Extension Cable or
Storite 2 Pack USB 3.0 Male A To Female A Extension Cable.
I have my extension cable from the laptop USB port hanging from the tubelight and this increased my BT range to 25-50 feet radius. Only my kitchen work area which has 3 walls and 30 feet distance the connection intermittant.

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Bass Edition (Reverb Red), Sony WI-XB400 Wireless, Anker SoundBuds Curves, Jabra Elite Active 65t, Tribit QuietPlus 72 Over-ears Headphones.
Only the Anker has aptX connection.
I purchased Anker SoundBuds AK-A3263011 Curves and this set has aptX, when connecting this headset the CSR Software recognized aptX. Is there a difference in SBC/aptX? I cant really tell in audio quality but the connection IS more stable. Also, I have not discovered a way to switch between SBC/aptX like Smartphones. It automatically connects as aptX.
*******SOME HEADSETS may not work properly—>
*******My Brandnew Tribit QuietPlus 72 Headphones DID NOT work well at all. It kept running in Handsfree (mono) mode.
For comparison it sounds like listening to AM Radio Station. If you experience the same effect
THERE MAY BE A WAY TO FIX THIS*******
—Before connecting your BT device—-
Right click the BT icon–> Click on Bluetooth Settings–>Click Audio/Video Tab–> you will see SCMS-T content protection etc.. In the dialogue box Click the box to enable Connect to content protection enabled headset only
Now hit Apply then Ok. Right Click BT Icon in Taskbar–>Add Bluetooth Device–.Audio/Video Device then Search for the BT Device…Now when you connect give it about 10 seconds–> then once connected it should provide the Stereo mode under Speaker icon in Taskbar. Once you disconnect, depending on any other Headset you will have to go back to these settings and Disable Content Protected device. For My ONEPLUS Bullets Wireless Z I have to disable or else they only connect in Mono mode.

A very short walkthrough for connecting headset….
Make sure the BT Icon is turned on – Blue color=On – White=Off in Windows Taskbar
Right Click and will bring up table with headings
The 1st is to turn on/off the BT Radio which is the TPlink BT dongle itself. (BT signal is radio transmission)
The 2nd heading is for turning on/off Discovery (Transmit/Receive on/off)
The 3rd heading is Add Bluetooth Device. when you highlight this it will bring up the table which shows
Phone, Computer, Audio/Video device, Printer/Imaging Device, and Keyboard/Mouse, ALL.
The 4th heading is Show Bluetooth Devices (devices that are Already Connected)
The 5th heading is Bluetooth Settings (only for TPlink Bluetooth Dongle,not onboard bluetooth)
The 6th and last heading that mine shows is About (this brings up the software provider and vers., there is no Update option here, we have to physically check the TPlink website for UB400)

I only use Audio Devices, I don’t have any other BT products so I am unable to test other than headsets.
under Add heading go to Audio/Video Device left click –> brings up dialogue box to Select a device to connect with this Computer. at the bottom right corner click Search (make sure your headset is on and not connected to any other system/home theater/smartphone.
Once the Device shows up you can sigle click on it then Next on bottom of page or you can double click. Either will connect to the device. Once it is “Connected”, give about 10 to 15 seconds for Windows to recognize the Connection. You will see what the options are in next description –>
In the taskbar click the audio profile (speaker icon) Here there are 4 options that pop up for me —>
(**Note-if you only see 2 or 3 then read the section above that says SOME HEADSETS may not work properly)
TV sound, Laptop speakers, Bluetooth Audio Renderer (Stereo) and Bluetooth Hands Free Audio (Mono).
Click on Bluetooth Audio Renderer (Stereo) wait a few seconds for it to comply.
Now your headset should be connected.
In watching Youtube I do get some lag but with different headsets the lag increases or decreases.
The same with me using VLC or Windows Media Player. Sometimes if I stop the video app and restart then it will be no lag.
I don’t use ZOOM,Teams,Skype, so I cannot test how the mic setup would function.
Any one that has any input for this please use any or all of my post and add to it. This would be helpful to alot of people.

*FIRST post* So for a few months I was using it strictly thru Win10 utilizing Win10 drivers and bluetooth connection page thru Settings/System. But a few times i tried to use with music streaming to Sony XB400 or Oneplus Buds Wireless Bass edition and there would be intermittant drops. Also when it came to pairing and connecting it would consistanly slow down my HP AMD A6 chipset laptop. Also anytime I took the dongle out it would also affect disconnect my thumbdrive. So I assumed it was a throttling going on with my USB ports. I have Sandisk Dual Drive, WD Passport, DVi to HDMI and Logitech dongle. So one by one i disconnected everything and left the BT dongle and it was a little better.

So I checked the TP Link India site for any FAQ related. When I searched in the Downloads->Drivers section there was software driver present. So I downloaded, installed it and Win10 taskbar shows BT icon to use the
BT Dongle. The Driver software is by CSR Harmony Wireless Software Stack Version 2.1.63.0.
Once installed there are more options that can be accessed thru the BT icon in taskbar. The BT icon sits in the system tray as before. Audio transmission can be switched between stereo and mono. Also if your playing a video or audio file and you start the pairing process once connected there will be slight pause then it connects to the output in stereo. It works really well, I purchased a long usb male to female cable and now i have a little bit more increase in connection distance. I have not tried this for transfer of files. If and when I find a need to do so I will update.
for now, at this price point it gives me freedom to connect my BT audio gear instead of purchasing a more expensive unit to give my laptop BT capabilites. and this is as small if not smaller than some thumbdrives. Oh and I also purchased a seperate QZ Powered USB hub for my drives. So the only USB devices connected are the Dongle, and the hub. Now when I disconnect the BT dongle my drives stay connected.
I hope this information is helpful, I tried not to make it too long but it happened. If any questions arise please drop me a line and I will respond with whatever help I can give.

Mycket bra