There are a lot of cool features coming to and this fall. One of the most hotly anticipated is, which enables you to pick up where you left off in an email, a document and other work between iOS and OS X devices. Handoff is elegantly choreographed dance between devices, operating systems and protocols. It's partly dependent on Bluetooth 4.0, the most recent widespread deployment of the popular short-distance wireless communication protocol, which includes Bluetooth Low Energy (BT LE). So, how can you tell if your Mac is properly equipped to take advantage of it? Bluetooth 4.0 is included in most phones, iPod touches and iPads that will be capable of running iOS 8 when it comes out this fall.
(The iPad 2 supports Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, but all other iOS 8-capable devices are equipped with Bluetooth 4.0.) Unfortunately, it's not quite that clear cut on the Mac side of things. The cutoff starts somewhere in 2011:. The Mac mini and MacBook Air were both updated with Bluetooth 4.0 support in 2011. The MacBook Pro and iMac added it a year later in 2012. The Mac Pro languished without it until the new black model debuted in December 2013. You can check for yourself if you're not exactly sure which Mac model you have.
Instructions for turning bluetooth on/off for Windows keeps saying: Click Settings > Change PC Settings > Click Wireless > Under Wireless Devices, turn Bluetooth on or off. However, I don't see this for Windows 8.1, this was taken out for some reason. MacBook Pro (pictured), MacBook Air, iMac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini have multiple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. If your Mac has only one port like this, it's a MacBook with USB-C. That port supports all but the Thunderbolt solutions in this article.
It's a little convoluted, so bear with me and follow these instructions to find out. To determine your Mac's Bluetooth version.
Click the menu. Select About This Mac. Click on the More Info. Click on the System Report. Select Bluetooth from the sidebar on the left, underneath 'Hardware.'
. Scan down the list of information until you find 'LMP Version.' If your Mac is equipped with Bluetooth 4.0, LMP Version will say 0x6. Anything lower than that is an older version of Bluetooth. Does your Mac come with Bluetooth 4.0, or are you going to need a new system to take full advantage of Yosemite and iOS 8 when they're released this fall? Post your thoughts in the comments.
The first thing is to make sure that your Bluetooth Smart devices aren't currently paired to any other devices or applications. Bluetooth devices can only pair to one receiver at a time so if they're already paired somewhere else, they'll be invisible to TrainerRoad.
If you're able to connect your device, but experiencing drop-outs, these tips can help:. Check your router as high traffic can interfere with the connection.
Some routers perform automatic backups that can cause issues as well. Try turning Wi-Fi off altogether to improve connection. Turn off other Bluetooth connections such as keyboards, headsets, etc. Too many connections can cause drop-outs. Replace the batteries in the device.
Make sure the devices aren't too far away from the dongle. Make sure that you don't have more than one power meter or smart trainer paired. Bluetooth Smart is only able to pair to one power meter or smart trainer at a time.
PC Bluetooth Troubleshooting Make sure you have installed the necessary USB drivers. Also, you must have the USB dongle specifically (even with native BT 4.0 support). No other Bluetooth dongle will work on Windows. Note: the BLED112 will not work with Mac computers. Having trouble with the BLED112? If you're running into problems with the BLED 112, even after installing the drivers, try the following steps:.
Make sure the BLED is plugged into your computer's USB port. Open the Device Manager. Next click on 'Ports (COM & LPT)' You should now see your BLED under the name of 'Bluegiga Bluetooth Low Energy' with a COM number.
Right click on the BLED and click 'Update Driver Software'. Click 'Browse my computer for driver software', and locate the TrainerRoad USB Drivers you downloaded from the link above. This is typically located in 'C: Program Files TrainerRoad USBDrivers' or Program Files (x86) if you're on a 64bit operating system. Start TrainerRoad and click 'Search for Bluetooth 4.0' in the Devices tab. If that doesn't work, and you still don't see pairing options for Bluetooth, try plugging the BLED-112 into a different USB port and trying again. Mac/iOS Bluetooth Troubleshooting Bluetooth 4.0 comes native in most Mac desktops and laptops since 2011 including iPhones and iPads.
This means that you do not need a Bluetooth dongle to pair Bluetooth Smart devices to TrainerRoad! Here is a more specific list:. MacBook Air (mid 2011+). Mac Mini (late 2011+).
MacBook Pro (mid 2012+). iMac (early 2013+). iPhone 4s+. iPad Mini, Air, Air 2 Have an older Mac without native Bluetooth 4.0? The or dongles can work for Macs that don't come with native BT 4.0.
Unfortunately, those dongles don't seem to work consistently with older Macs - especially if the user is running Mavericks. This is not a recommended approach, but if you have the dongles you can give it a try. For OSX 10.7 and earlier, you may be able to get the dongle working by following this article:. For OSX 10.9 or newer, try following these steps:. If you have a bluetooth mouse, you need to have a wired mouse handy.
A wired keyboard is nice, but not strictly necessary. Get the 'Hardware IO Tools for Xcode' from here: (Apple login required) This includes the 'Bluetooth Explorer' utility. Launch Bluetooth Explorer.
A top menu will only appear. Go to Tools = HCI Controller Selector. This setting allows you to change what bluetooth controller the system will use as it's primary.
Before swapping it, plug in your wired mouse and un-pair all bluetooth devices on the system in the system preferences (100% necessary or you will not be able to re-pair them with the new controller!). Once that's done, change it to your new controller.
The utility says that this will not stick with a restart, but I've found that it actually does. It will ask for your password. If you are now keyboard-less, pull up the and enter it. The new controller is active and you can now repair your devices. This took me a few tries, for whatever reason they didn't pair right away, but they did within 5 minutes or so.
Go to TrainerRoad and search for the BT controller. Still having problems? Our support staff is here to help you out!
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