After unsuccessfully looking for the answer in 17 pages of Bluetooth topics, can someone tell me if it is possible to use both a Bluetooth enabled phone (a BMW approved model) and a Bluetooth wireless headphone, and still get the benefits of the car's screen, idrive, etc in using the phone? Asked another way, can Bluetooth support three devices (car, phone, headphone) working together?

Thanks very much.


BGM

 

Tell us your car build date and we'll figure out the rest.

 

My-

It will be a 550i, presumably to be built in Sep 05.

Thanks.


BGM

 

Well, if I understand you - the car doesn't need to know about the headset and actually can't really be made to know about it. The phone will "know" and store pairings for the car's BT radio as a "handsfree". The phone will also have a pairing for the headset's radio, presumably for when you're not in the car. On my Motorola phone, it logs both of these types of devices as "handsfree" devices. I'd imagine that it would only pair with one at a time, and I'd think you would want the car when in the car and the headset when you're outside the car. I don't have my headset anymore so I can't test to see how this works in practice. I'd imagine the behavior could be phone-specific. Ideally, it would be nice to be able to specify a pecking order in the phone so it would know to prefer the car if it's within range. I don't see such an option in my phone.


Am I misunderstanding your intentions?

 

UU-

My current car has a hands free phone capability, but it only works well when the car is not on a highway. When on the highway, there is too much noise for the person with whom I am talking to hear very well using the speaker in the car. In my new car, I would like to use the headphone (a Jabra or Motorola or something similar) when I choose not to use the car's hands free capability. I still would like to be able to use the other parts of the i-drive system, such as the address book, call waiting (not to start a whole new discussion!), etc.

Thanks.


BGM

 

Hrmm, that's an interesting mix of functionality - so you'd only want the screen output and controls to call up and dial numbers but have the audio go to and from the headset. I'm almost positive that it will not allow that. Since I don't see an E60 in your signature, I'll volunteer the following: The handsfree in the car is superb - I've had the people I call marvel at the clarity and I've never had an issue with hearing a caller. I would say 80% or more of my driving is highway driving at 70-85 mph.

 

The e60 is so fundamentally quiet that I have never had any problems using the onboard handsfree. In fact, it is much more readily understood (per the people I've talked to on the phone) than the HS 850 headset that I would otherwise use. This is true even when I am on a noisy roadway with lots of construction going on around me.

That being said, I think the I-drive will allow the car to not pair with the phone if you so choose.

 

I agree that the handsfree built into the E60 is superb- most people cannot even tell they are talking to me on speakerphone when I ask them. You just have to have the windows and sunroof closed if you are going fast.

I do not think that your phone could be paired with both the car (for the I drive screen) and a headset simultaneously.

 

I would agree with others who have had no difficulty whatsoever using the handsfree function of idrive and being heard perfectly.

 

MarinersRule, I think that the answer to your question is simply no. However, it's a bluetooth thing, not a BMW thing. BT phones will only synch with one device at a time.

Most BT phones have settings that enable you to determine the priority to synch with devices previously paired. So in my case, if I was in my 5er with my BT headset, the phone will synch with the car. As soon as I turn the car off, the phone would synch with my headset.

Hope this helps.