How To Add a Bluetooth Device In Windows

Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras and video game consoles via a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency.

When you add a Bluetooth device to your computer, address information is exchanged. Sometimes, access keys are also exchanged. This process is known as pairing or bonding the two devices. When you add a device, one of the devices must be discoverable. Some devices let you turn discovery on and off, and others are always discoverable. For example, some mouse devices are always discoverable. When you use Bluetooth to connect two computers, the computer that is added as a device must have discovery turned on. You can turn on discovery by using the Options tab in Bluetooth Devices.

Follow these steps on your computer

1. Click Start, click Run, type bthprops.cpl, and then click OK.
2. In Bluetooth Settings, click Add.
3. In the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard, click to select the My device is set up and ready to be found check box, and then click Next.

You cannot click Next until you click to select the My device is set up and ready to be found box. A device that has discovery turned off cannot be detected during a search. When you click Next, your computer searches for any discoverable devices that are in range. When the search is complete, the devices appear in the wizard.

4. Select a device to add, and then click Next. After you select the device to add, you can enter a passkey for the device. A passkey is a code that is used to control access to a device. Using a passkey may help improve the security of your connection. However, the device that you add may not require a passkey. When you enter the passkey, your computer tries to connect to the device to verify the passkey. When you connect to another computer, you receive a message that the computers are trying to connect.

Follow these stept on your device

Enter the passkey on the Bluetooth device. If the device is another computer, this computer displays a message that indicates that you are requesting a connection. Follow these steps on the computer that you are adding as a Bluetooth device:

1. Click in the message that indicates that you are requesting a connection. The Add Bluetooth Device Wizard starts and provides a field for entering the passkey.
2. Enter the passkey. You may also choose to have a passkey generated for you. When the passkey is verified, the connection is complete. The device is now visible on your computer. If the device is another computer, its computer name is visible on the first computer.

On the last page of the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard, you can turn discovery off on the computer that you add as a device. By default, the option to turn discovery off is selected so that the computer does not remain discoverable at all times. After a device is added, it appears in Bluetooth Devices.