How to automatically switch audio devices?

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rknotes · #1 Post by **rknotes** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:08 pm

I recently installed internal Buetooth to my Z60t. It works fine. But..

When I connect my Bluetooth Headset to use say Skype via my headset, the audio does NOT automatically switch to Bluetooth Headset!

(here is my way to switch the audio source)
Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio and Video tabs and manually change the Default devices to Bluetooth Hands-free Audio

When I disconnect Bluetooth Headset, the audio does NOT automatically switch back to laptop speakers and have to be done manually!

What I'm looking for is automatic switching to BT audio when its connected and back to Laptop when its disconnected!

Or if that is not possible (which I will be surprised), atleast a 1 or 2 click option to switch the audio sources between Laptop and Bluetooth!

Thanks in advance!

rknotes · #2 Post by **rknotes** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:16 pm

hey guys..ones with bluetooth..is this not an issue?...pls help!

#3 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:55 am

You can make a macro of all the mouse/keyboard actions you need, using e.g. AutoHotKey http://www.autohotkey.com/
Then one click does it all for you.

rknotes · #4 Post by **rknotes** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:18 pm

Thanks realblackstuff!.. for informing me about autohotkey.. awesome tool (and I cant believe I was not aware of this amazingly simple yet so powerful tool until now

)

However, for autohotkey, there is a little learning that is required to get what I want to do..

I found this amazing tool QuickSoundSwitch which is exactly what I needed

WPWoodJr · #5 Post by **WPWoodJr** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:38 pm

Weird, my settings automatically switch between Bluetooth and the Soundmax when I enable/disable the headset.

#6 Post by **GomJabbar** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:25 pm

I recently tried to use a Plantronics 640 bluetooth headset (for cell phones) with the bluetooth transceiver on a ThinkPad. I was able to make a connection, but I can hear no sound, and I do not believe the ThinkPad is receiving sound from the headset's mike.

Do I need other software to be able to use the headset with the ThinkPad other than the bluetooth drivers which are already installed? This is my first venture to use bluetooth with a computer and I really don't know what works and what doesn't.

FWIW, I was able to connect a Nokia bluetooth phone successfully to the ThinkPad using the Nokia PC Suite. With this software I can transfer files and contact info stored in the phone's memory. I just wish I could transfer the contact info stored on the SIM card as well.

rknotes · #7 Post by **rknotes** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:34 pm

WPWoodJr wrote:Weird, my settings automatically switch between Bluetooth and the Soundmax when I enable/disable the headset.

That's exactly what I hoped would happen! I don't know if this is based on some setting!!!

rknotes · #8 Post by **rknotes** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:39 pm

GomJabbar wrote:I recently tried to use a Plantronics 640 bluetooth headset (for cell phones) with the bluetooth transceiver on a ThinkPad. I was able to make a connection, but I can hear no sound, and I do not believe the ThinkPad is receiving sound from the headset's mike.

Do I need other software to be able to use the headset with the ThinkPad other than the bluetooth drivers which are already installed? This is my first venture to use bluetooth with a computer and I really don't know what works and what doesn't.

FWIW, I was able to connect a Nokia bluetooth phone successfully to the ThinkPad using the Nokia PC Suite. With this software I can transfer files and contact info stored in the phone's memory. I just wish I could transfer the contact info stored on the SIM card as well.

Mine worked with out any new software! But as I mentioned earlier had to switch the Soundcard option manually, did you try this

Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio and Video tabs and manually change the Default devices to Bluetooth Hands-free Audio >
Then,
Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Voice > Test hardware option!

#9 Post by **GomJabbar** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:51 pm

rknotes wrote:Mine worked with out any new software! But as I mentioned earlier had to switch the Soundcard option manually, did you try this

Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio and Video tabs and manually change the Default devices to Bluetooth Hands-free Audio >
Then,
Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Voice > Test hardware option!

The only option available under Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio and Voice tabs for the Default device is: SoundMAX Digital Audio. No bluetooth devices are listed.

Paranoid_TP_User · #10 Post by **Paranoid_TP_User** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:16 pm

How about the options inside skype for changing the audio device used by that app, this might be better than changing default since I assume you don't want your media playing through your headset?

WPWoodJr · #11 Post by **WPWoodJr** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:13 am

GomJabbar, do you have the ThinkPad BT drivers "Thinkpad Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate" installed? If so double-click the Bluetooth icon in the system tray and configure it from there.

WPWoodJr · #12 Post by **WPWoodJr** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:24 am

rknotes wrote:
WPWoodJr wrote:Weird, my settings automatically switch between Bluetooth and the Soundmax when I enable/disable the headset.
That's exactly what I hoped would happen! I don't know if this is based on some setting!!!

I take it back, I cannot get it to automatically switch between Bluetooth and Soundmax. I am able to get it to switch automatically between the SoundMax and the Telex USB microphone which I use for voice dictation, that is when I remove the Telex the default goes back to SoundMax and when I put the Telex back in, the default goes back to Telex.

I'm pretty sure you can configure Skype to use the Bluetooth by default, independent of the default system settings. Also, the IBM Bluetooth software configures Skype whenever I start Skype up - I get a warning from Skype asking if I want to allow it.

#13 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:32 am

WPWoodJr wrote:GomJabbar, do you have the ThinkPad BT drivers "Thinkpad Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate" installed? If so double-click the Bluetooth icon in the system tray and configure it from there.

I received this computer with the bluetooth drivers installed. According to the bluetooth icon in the system tray, the Hardware tab shows the following: Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator and IBM Integrated Bluetooth III. The Devices tab shows my Nokia phone under Phones and Modems, and my Plantronics headset under Audio Devices. On the Options tab, Discovery is not currently checked, and both boxes under Connections are checked. On the COM ports tab, nothing is showing up in the box.

I really don't see any additional configuring I can do from there.

WPWoodJr · #14 Post by **WPWoodJr** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:56 am

Under Bluetooth Devices in Device Manager, I have "Bluetooth Bus Enumerator" (has a Broadcom driver) and "Thinkpad Bluetooth with Enhanced Data Rate". Sounds like you have an older IBM bluetooth setup than me - I have a T60p.

Under Device Manager, under "Sound, video and game controllers", I see "Bluetooth Hands-free Audio" - this is the Audio device that appears in the Sound control panel. Perhaps your PC doesn't support the hands-free BT profile?

#15 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 4:06 pm

I found the answer to my problem in the following, quite old thread.
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=478

What a convoluted mess. I searched Lenovo's site and found some information, but not the solution. I could not get the software to install properly. I was getting some bluetooth function with the existing driver, but I could tell that all the software was not installed. For instance, with the original drivers installed I did not have the icon that said "Bluetooth Places" that was referred to in the .pdf file of the software download. When I searched Add or Remove Programs, no bluetooth software was listed. I tried uninstalling the existing drivers from Device Manager then installing the new drivers, but that did not work either.

What did work is the following.

1. I made sure the bluetooth radio was off using Fn + F5.

2. I downloaded and installed the latest bluetooth III software and drivers that was listed for the T42 on Lenovo's site.

3. I rebooted.

4. I turned on the Bluetooth Radio with Fn + F5.

5. I let all the found hardware wizards complete except for the Standard bluetooth modem, which I cancelled out of.

6. I followed the information from the above link to update the driver in Device Manager for IBM Bluetooth III.

7. I turned the bluetooth radio off.

8. I turned the bluetooth radio back on. More found hardware wizards appeared and I let them complete.

9. Now everything was working properly except that I had a stray "Bluetooth Devices" icon in Windows Control Panel (there were two- the old one and the new one "Bluetooth Configuration").

10. I deleted the registry keys that referenced btprops.cpl.

11. I booted up into Safe Mode and deleted the following (4) leftover Microsoft bluetooth files from C:\Windows\System32\ (I could not do it in Normal Mode as they kept recreating themselves).
l. bthprops.cpl
ll. bthci.dll
lll. bthserv.dll
llll. btpanui.dll

Whew...

Now I have way more functionality that previously. I can hear sound through my headset, and I see many bluetooth services listed that were not there before.

It should not be this hard. I spent some hours figuring this all out. I should have searched the forum sooner.

WPWoodJr · #16 Post by **WPWoodJr** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:42 am

Congrats!

How to automatically switch audio devices?

How to automatically switch audio devices?

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