How to Add Bluetooth Capability to Your TV, Normal Speaker or Other Audio Devices

by Arun Vishnu · May 10, 2020

Most of the users have a phone with Bluetooth capability and a normal speaker but may not have a Bluetooth speaker. So they always have to depend on wired connection to play music. Another scenario is – user has a Bluetooth headset or a speaker but his/her audio device such as TV audio does not have the option to stream to a bluetooth device. So how can we add Bluetooth capability to these type of devices?

Simple and quick option is to buy a Bluetooth Transmitter/Receiver. Costly solutions are available but if you ready to spend good amount to enable a BT, may be you can buy a better bluetooth speaker/headphone. So here I am talking about a very low cost solution.

Bluetooth transmitter: This is required if you want to transmit your audio to a bluetooth device. Best example is your TV. TVs with Bluetooth is not that very common and chances for having a bluetooth headset is more. So you can use a bluetooth transmitter to stream audio from TV to your Bluetooth enabled speaker or headset.

Bluetooth receiver: This is a highly used solution, especially these devices are available commonly as a car accessory. Many car Bluetooth receivers has only the option to connect to the 12v cigarette lighter socket so it will be difficult to use outside car. But if you have a normal USB powered Bluetooth receiver for your car, then you should be able to use it for other use also.

I was looking for a low cost Bluetooth receiver to enable bluetooth capability to my 2.1 speaker. Also a transmitter to connect to my TV. Finally I found one at AliExpress which is a 2 in1 Bluetooth 5.0 Audio Receiver Transmitter Wireless Adapter Mini 3.5mm AUX. Its 2 in 1 adapter, so based on our requirement, it can be configured as a transmitter or a receiver. I was not sure about its working but since the cost was less than Rs. 100(1.5$), including shipping, I decided to give a try.

It was my first purchase in AliExpress. I placed my order in December last week and if I am not wrong, I got the item by end of January. Overall, the purchase experience was good.

Its a USB power device so connecting to the power was not an issue. So like I mentioned, it has two modes.

Transmitter mode: It can stream audio from your non-bluetooth TV, speaker and CD player and you can use your bluetooth headset or speaker to connect with it. Main steps are
1. Connect the adapter to any USB power adapter
2. Enable transmitter mode in the Bluetooth adapter
3. Connect the audio output of your TV or the device you are trying to connect to the adapter – via 3.5mm jack. If your device output is via 3.5mm jack, then you just need a aux cable for this, which was already available in the package. If not, you might have to look for corresponding adapter cable.
4. Switch on your audio device and pair with adapter
5. Play
Receiver mode: In this mode, it can stream audio from your smartphone, tablet and etc. Light in the adapter will be blue for this mode. Steps are same as connecting to any other Bluetooth speaker – search, pair and play.

Switching between Receiver or Transmitter modes

Switching is done by removing and inserting in the USB power adapter. Try removing and inserting until the adapter shows the required light – if the light in the adapter is red, it means the adapter is in Transmitter mode and light will be blue in receiver mode.

Verdict

As a receiver – if you have a good speaker without BT and portability is not an issue, then go for this rather than spending Rs. 500(7$) or more for a basic Bluetooth speaker. Thats what I did. After all, cost is less than Rs. 100(1.5$), so if time is not critical, you can try this before buy a new speaker just to get Bluetooth capability. As a Transmitter – I am not using this much as I don’t have a BT headphone but I tried it with my Altec Lansing Mini H20 and its woking as expected. Its is very small, just like a USB driver, so you can use this in car also. Mic is not available so you need to use you phone mic for calls. Overall, If you are looking for a basic(or average) and low cost solution bluetooth audio receiver or transmitter, this one is a good choice.

Note: Looks like the one I bought is not available in India location now. Similar items with different price are available in AliExpress and even in Amazon. So if its not available when you look, search for similar items, around Rs. 100 or Rs. 150 range and importantly, items with 1000 or more reviews and 4.5(at-least 4) or above rating.