How to Connect Your Bluetooth Headset and Phone

By Craig Burgess,

So now we know where it came from and what it is, now let's talk about how you can use it. There are a huge number of Bluetooth products available, so let's take a common example of a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone and a Bluetooth headset or earpiece.

How to Pair (Connect) Your Phone and Headset
In Bluetooth language, when you connect two devices you Pair them together. It's only done once, the first time the connection happens. After that the two devices will recognize each other's "handshake" and agree to connect.

First, turn on your Bluetooth-enabled phone. Navigate on your phone's menu to Tools (varies with phone) and then the Bluetooth section. You will find a menu item that says Add New Device – select it. This puts the phone into what's called Discovery Mode. In this mode, the phone searches the local area(within 1-30 ft) for any Bluetooth devices that are broadcasting a signal in pairing/discovery mode.

Next, put your headset into Pairing mode by holding down the Call button for 6-10 seconds. Earpieces usually have two or three buttons, depending on design. One (or sometimes two) for volume control and the Call button to do everything else, like turn on the device, initiate a call, end the call, and lastly, start pairing mode. (insert photo here).

When in pairing mode, the blue light will go solid blue. When your mobile phone (the master) senses your Bluetooth earpiece(the slave), it will ask for a 4-digit number, usually 0-0-0-0. Enter this number in your phone, and select "OK" or "Done";. Once the devices are paired successfully, your phone will display a message that says something like, "XYZ Bluetooth device connected". To test it, put the earpiece to your ear and push a button on your phone. You should hear the regular beeps coming out of the earpiece that you normally hear when you usually dial your phone But take note: some phones don't give out a tone over the headsets by default, so the best way is to hit the call button and see if the voice activated dialing kicks in. All phones operate differently(go figure), but this is the basic way you connect your Bluetooth earpiece or headset with your mobile phone.

Now for a couple of tips:

1. Be sure to always turn on your phone first, then turn on your headset or earpiece. That way the phone can find the already-paired device automatically.

2. If you separate the phone and headset for more than 90 seconds and/or 30 feet, you might need to reconnect them by turning off the headset and turning it back on.

3. Remember that when your headset is connected, your phone will ring normally, but nothing will come through the regular ear speaker because it is now rerouted through your headset. If you don't get this the first few times, don't worry...happens to everyone. Just pick up the headset and mumble something about new technology - works every time.

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