Bluetooth headsets

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Holding a mobile while driving is illegal, so it's advisable to use a Bluetooth headset. Which? has tested the latest headsets for the most important features: sound quality, voice dialling and ease of use.

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a way for electronic devices to connect wirelessly.

As well as mobile phone headsets, you can use it to transfer photos, music and files from one Bluetooth phone to another.

Bluetooth printers let you print wirelessly from a phone or a Bluetooth-enabled computer. Most desktop PCs don't have Bluetooth as standard, but you can buy an adaptor (or dongle) to give them the capability. Laptop PCs often include Bluetooth technology, so you might not need to buy anything extra.

Bluetooth headsets allow you to talk on your mobile phone without actually holding it against your ear.

They can be very useful in the car, for example, because holding a phone in your hand while driving is illegal.

Using a Bluetooth headset is safer than holding a phone in your hand, but if you're chatting there's still an element of distraction from concentrating on the road.

You can find out our Best Buy recommendations by taking out a £1 30-day trial to www.which.co.uk. Below, we explain more about the features of Bluetooth headsets.

How they work

The Bluetooth headset rests on one of your ears and has a microphone for your voice and an earpiece for listening.

Setting up

Your phone has to have Bluetooth - most do these days. It also has to be within range of the headset for it to work well: within five or six metres is ideal.

Also, try to keep the phone on the same side as your headset for best results, with as few physical barriers as possible.

Making and receiving calls

When someone calls you, the headset will 'ring' in your ear and you answer the call by pressing the headset's answer button. You then speak normally.

Your voice will be picked up by the microphone that sits near your mouth, and your caller's voice will come through the earpiece.

To make a call, you use your handset to dial normally, or if your phone and headset support voice dialling (all our headsets do), press the appropriate button on the headset, speak the name in the headset and the mobile will try to call, assuming you've set up voice dialling for that person on your phone.

Extra features

Volume

All Bluetooth headsets have a volume control on the body. Some have a microphone mute function – when this is activated, you can temporarily block your microphone so your caller can't hear what you're saying.

Hold button

Some headsets also have a call hold button - press this and you put your caller on hold while you take another call.

So what's the best Bluetooth headset for you? By taking out a £1 30-day trial to www.which.co.uk you can discover all you need to know about Bluetooth headsets and find out our Best Buy recommendations.

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