Bluetooth Dongles

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Bluetooth Dongles: Add or Upgrade Bluetooth

Everything you need to know about USB Bluetooth adapters – what version to get, what you can connect, and how to get them working.

What does a Bluetooth dongle do?

A Bluetooth dongle is a USB adapter that adds Bluetooth wireless capability to a device. Plug it in and you can connect wireless headphones, speakers, keyboards, mice, game controllers, and other Bluetooth devices to equipment that either lacks Bluetooth entirely or has an older version.

Bluetooth versions explained

Bluetooth has evolved significantly. The version number matters for performance:

  • Bluetooth 4.0 – Introduced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Still common in older PCs. Adequate for basic peripherals but limited range and bandwidth.
  • Bluetooth 5.0 – Doubled range and quadrupled broadcast capacity over 4.2. Better for audio and multiple simultaneous connections.
  • Bluetooth 5.1 / 5.2 – Added direction finding and LE Audio with LC3 codec support. Required for hearing aids and some advanced audio use cases.
  • Bluetooth 5.3 – Current standard in 2026. Improved connection reliability and energy efficiency. What to buy if you are purchasing new.
Audio quality note: Bluetooth audio quality depends on the codec supported by both the dongle and your headphones. aptX HD and LDAC provide near-lossless audio – check codec support before buying if audio quality is your priority.

What can you connect?

A Bluetooth dongle can connect any Bluetooth device: headphones and earbuds, speakers, keyboards and mice, game controllers (Xbox, PS5, Nintendo Switch Pro), fitness trackers and smartwatches, and Bluetooth audio receivers for car stereos. Multiple devices can be paired simultaneously, though only one audio output can play at once on most systems.

Range

Class 1 Bluetooth dongles have a range of up to 100m in open space. Class 2 (the most common) have around 10m range. In practice, walls, furniture, and interference from 2.4GHz WiFi reduce this. Bluetooth 5.0 and above dongles generally achieve better real-world range than older versions at the same class.

Windows 11 setup

Most Bluetooth dongles are plug-and-play on Windows 10 and 11. Plug in, wait for Windows to install drivers, then go to Settings – Bluetooth and devices – Add device. Put your Bluetooth device in pairing mode and select it. If Windows does not install drivers automatically, check the manufacturer website for the chipset driver (commonly CSR, Realtek, or Broadcom).