How to get Bluetooth 5 on an older Galago Pro with BT 4.2?

[willy02752]

Hello all,

I've been trying a few Bluetooth headphones and headsets for work (for Sjype/Meet/Zoom conference calls) but my coworkers all say the quality is always worse than my cheap wired headset. I've tried a very high quality BT 5 True Wireless headphone (Jabra Active Elite 75t) and a boom mic headset (AfterShokz OpenComm). After lots of testing, I realize the problem might be due to the older Bluetooth 4.2 version on our 2017 Galago Pro laptop. The call quality is perfect on my Google Pixel 3 XL which has BT 5.

I checked around for a Bluetooth 5.0 USB dongle but it seems compatibility with Linux is very limited.

Would anyone have a suggestion on how I could possibly get Bluetooth 5 solidly working on my older Galago Pro? Thanks in advance for any tip(s).

[DuckHook]

Welcome to the forums, willy02752

A 2017 laptop is not that old but a lot of BT implementation a few years ago was designed with input devices in mind and not sound. Since you use System76 and they are known for their good HW support, contact their customer support and ask on their forums to see what external dongle they recommend.

If you are lucky, they may even have a replacement internal BT module for your laptop (likely somewhat expensive, but still the way to go if available).

[willy02752]

Welcome to the forums, willy02752

A 2017 laptop is not that old but a lot of BT implementation a few years ago was designed with input devices in mind and not sound. Since you use System76 and they are known for their good HW support, contact their customer support and ask on their forums to see what external dongle they recommend.

If you are lucky, they may even have a replacement internal BT module for your laptop (likely somewhat expensive, but still the way to go if available).

Thanks a million, I'll definitely contact their support directly. It's not easy to have up to date systems with all the new technologies. I just bought Sony XM4 headphones and it seems only Android can encode LDAC to get the best audio possible, yet another limitation.

[jlh68]

You can get a new Intel WiFi + BT 5.0 (or 5.1) card and replace the card in you device. I have done that for an Acer Aspire One 725 and a S76 Lemur5. Just be careful in disconnecting the two antennas and reconnecting them. Other that gain access to the main board, it is a piece of cake.