Radio Via Bluetooth?

[Nukeban]

Hi all,

I'm trying to migrate from listening to broadcast radio (NPR) to internet radio (BBC). More specifically, I'm trying to listen to net radio in portable headphones.

It appears the BBC provides their programming via their website, so I've got the signal. Now I need to get the signal from my Mac in to portable headphones that I can wear while I walk around the house doing errands etc.

Do I need to buy bluetooth headphones and then send the sound from my Mac to those headphones via bluetooth?

If yes, does anybody know anything about this, such as the range of bluetooth, how I might boost the strength and range of signal if needed, and so on?

As you can see, I know basically nothing, so anything you can share will be helpful and appreciated.

 

[Nukeban]

Best I can tell, the range of Mac bluetooth is 30 feet. I'd like to extend that to reach our entire house, or ideally the yard too.

Should I be looking for Bluetooth signal boosters for my Mac, if such things exist?

Or should I be looking beyond the Mac to something like a dedicated Internet radio box?

 

[Josef Law]

Depends on the space/size of your home and the headset. Also depends on the Mac. I have a 2019 MacBook Pro and Sony wh-1000xm4 Bluetooth headset, I have no problem with the audio in most of the spots in my 1890 SQ FT house.

 

[Nukeban]

Thanks for your report Josef. That's encouraging.

Do you know if it's possible to compare your Mac to my Mac for bluetooth range?

So far I've been unable to determine the strength or range of my bluetooth. Google searches suggest an option key method that must be for newer macs. (mine is a 2011 27inch iMac) I'm finding reports of ranges from as little as 4 feet, to 30 feet, to your report.

However, I think I can stream BBC from my Mac to AppleTV, which is connected to our house speakers. If that works, that would get BBC throughout the house, just not via headphones.

I've been listening to broadcast NPR on radio headphones for years, but having access to just one station is pretty primitive these days, so I'm trying to swap broadcast radio for net radio.

 

[Josef Law]

You are very welcome. The Bluetooth on your iMac won't work. Only Bluetooth 5 and later supports longer distances and covers larger space. Don't waste your money on the USB Bluetooth adapter, they won't work. Trust me, I have tried for something else.

 

[Nukeban]

Ah, thank you again. Ok, my Mac won't work for this. That's all I really needed to know.

Hmm....

I can send BBC to Apple TV (and probably Roku). I wonder if there's a standalone Bluetooth device I could connect to my TV. Will look in to that...