May 28, 2015

By Danny Hayasaka

I’m often asked, “What is the best Bluetooth headset?” The answer is always, “That depends”.

Let’s first understand Bluetooth. Bluetooth isn’t a mystical, magical power. It’s short-range wireless technology. There are currently three main wireless range categories for Bluetooth.

• Class 3 – up to 3ft range
• Class 2 – up to 33ft range – Most commonly found in mobile devices
• Class 1 – up to 300ft – certain commercial grade Bluetooth headsets offer this range

Additionally, there are various versions, profiles and protocol stacks. Perhaps in another blog, we can get into those. For now, let’s focus on Bluetooth headsets.

Like any other communications and collaboration device, the use case will determine which headset is most appropriate. Because our company focuses on B2B, I’ll narrow my options to commercial/professional grade products. There are a TON of consumer-grade Bluetooth headsets available. I focus on business communications devices.

We’ll need to understand the environment. Is user in private office, open office, car, airport, coffee shop, etc.? Additionally we’ll need to understand the application, is it FaceTime, Skype, Google + Hangouts or is it an enterprise-grade UC platform like Microsoft Skype for Business/Lync, Cisco Jabber, or other. In addition to a mobile device, will the user need to connect to a PC or laptop? What about a desk phone?

How, what, when and where to start to determine which Bluetooth headset will be the better fit. Additionally, personal wearing style preferences also help you to choose.

Here are some suggestions for Bluetooth headsets based on use case:

• Commercial Drivers or users in very noisy areas will require strong noise canceling mics and extremely long talk times. There are no better than VXi when it comes to noise canceling mics and 20+Hrs of talk time:
  • VXi BlueParrott Bluetooth Headsets (single connectivity however you can order VXi BT2 USB Adapter for connectivity to PC/Laptop)
    • VXi B350-XT+ (24hrs talk time)
    • B250-XT+ (20+ hrs talk time)
  • Microsoft Skype for Business/Lync Mobile Users – Laptop and Mobile connectivity
    • Plantronics Voyager Edge UC-M (B255-M)
    • Plantronics Voyager Legend UC M (B235-M)
    • Jabra Stealth UC-MS
    • Jabra Motion UC-MS
    • Jabra Motion UC+ MS
    • Sennheiser Presence UC ML
  • Unified Communications (Cisco, Avaya, etc.) Mobile Users – Laptop and Mobile
    • Plantronics Voyager Edge UC (B255)
    • Plantronics Voyager Legend UC M (B235)
    • Jabra Stealth UC
    • Jabra Motion UC
    • Jabra Motion UC+
    • Sennheiser Presence UC
    • VXi VoxStar UC