Intermittant static when streaming Bluetooth

Want the thrill · 05-20-2015, 02:12 PM

Anybody else get intermittent static when streaming music via blue tooth? I have an I-phone 5 and have not had an issue in the past until the last couple months. It's never consistent, just here and there. I made sure my keys are no where near my phone (thinking that could cause the interference) but no dice. I had my software updated at my last service visit as well and it still happens. Any ideas?

mge92 · 05-20-2015, 02:17 PM

Sometimes it happens to my HTC ONE M9. I just swap to radio and back to bluetooth and it clears it up.

Want the thrill · 05-20-2015, 03:08 PM

I do the same thing and it clears it up but why is it happening in the first place?

mge92 · 05-20-2015, 05:22 PM

Not sure but I just accept it for what it is. Could be telephone or Wi-Fi interference?

Radioactive · 05-21-2015, 01:00 PM

When and where does it happen? All the time? Same location? Sorry "Never consistent".

From How Stuff Works

How Bluetooth Operates
Bluetooth networking transmits data via low-power radio waves. It communicates on a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (actually between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz, to be exact). This frequency band has been set aside by international agreement for the use of industrial, scientific and medical devices (ISM).
A number of devices that you may already use take advantage of this same radio-frequency band. Baby monitors, garage-door openers and the newest generation of cordless phones all make use of frequencies in the ISM band. Making sure that Bluetooth and these other devices don't interfere with one another has been a crucial part of the design process.
One of the ways Bluetooth devices avoid interfering with other systems is by sending out very weak signals of about 1 milliwatt. By comparison, the most powerful cell phones can transmit a signal of 3 watts. The low power limits the range of a Bluetooth device to about 10 meters (32 feet), cutting the chances of interference between your computer system and your portable telephone or television. Even with the low power, Bluetooth doesn't require line of sight between communicating devices. The walls in your house won't stop a Bluetooth signal, making the standard useful for controlling several devices in different rooms.
Bluetooth can connect up to eight devices simultaneously. With all of those devices in the same 10-meter (32-foot) radius, you might think they'd interfere with one another, but it's unlikely. Bluetooth uses a technique called spread-spectrum frequency hopping that makes it rare for more than one device to be transmitting on the same frequency at the same time. In this technique, a device will use 79 individual, randomly chosen frequencies within a designated range, changing from one to another on a regular basis. In the case of Bluetooth, the transmitters change frequencies 1,600 times every second, meaning that more devices can make full use of a limited slice of the radio spectrum. Since every Bluetooth transmitter uses spread-spectrum transmitting automatically, it’s unlikely that two transmitters will be on the same frequency at the same time. This same technique minimizes the risk that portable phones or baby monitors will disrupt Bluetooth devices, since any interference on a particular frequency will last only a tiny fraction of a second.
When Bluetooth-capable devices come within range of one another, an electronic conversation takes place to determine whether they have data to share or whether one needs to control the other. The user doesn't have to press a button or give a command -- the electronic conversation happens automatically. Once the conversation has occurred, the devices -- whether they're part of a computer system or a stereo -- form a network. Bluetooth systems create a personal-area network (PAN), or piconet, that may fill a room or may encompass no more distance than that between the cell phone on a belt-clip and the headset on your head. Once a piconet is established, the members randomly hop frequencies in unison so they stay in touch with one another and avoid other piconets that may be operating in the same room. Let's check out an example of a Bluetooth-connected system.

Want the thrill · 05-21-2015, 02:55 PM

It happens here and there and once it starts it won't stop until I switch to radio then back to Bluetooth. No rhyme or reason. Sometimes it happens 2 times a week and sometimes I'll go through a week with no interference at all.

Radioactive · 05-21-2015, 04:13 PM

You might try isolating the problem if possible between either the phone or radio. If you have something like a bluetooth speaker; try that with the iPhone away from the car. Try another bluetooth devise with the radio. Trying to find noise on an electronic circuit can be very difficult at best. My dad was a electrical engineer at Lockheed Aircraft and they spend days if not weeks tracking down noise in the planes intercom system.

05-20-2015, 02:12 PM	#1
Want the thrill Lieutenant Colonel 330 Rep 1,560 Posts Drives: 2022 X4M40i, retired ‘11 X3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: MI iTrader: (2) Garage List 2022 X4M40i [10.00]	Intermittant static when streaming Bluetooth Anybody else get intermittent static when streaming music via blue tooth? I have an I-phone 5 and have not had an issue in the past until the last couple months. It's never consistent, just here and there. I made sure my keys are no where near my phone (thinking that could cause the interference) but no dice. I had my software updated at my last service visit as well and it still happens. Any ideas?
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05-20-2015, 02:17 PM	#2
mge92 SPEED RACER 375 Rep 740 Posts Drives: BMW X5 M50d BMW M2 CS Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: London iTrader: (2)	Sometimes it happens to my HTC ONE M9. I just swap to radio and back to bluetooth and it clears it up. __________________ 2019 BMW X5 M50d Artic Grey \| 2020 BMW M2 CS Misano Blue Incoming - Ginetta G56 GT Academy \| Incoming - BMW X5M Comp Oxford Green RIP - 2020 Mini JCW GP Racing Grey \| RIP - 2013 X3 xDrive28i Carbon Black
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05-20-2015, 03:08 PM	#3
Want the thrill Lieutenant Colonel 330 Rep 1,560 Posts Drives: 2022 X4M40i, retired ‘11 X3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: MI iTrader: (2) Garage List 2022 X4M40i [10.00]	I do the same thing and it clears it up but why is it happening in the first place?
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05-20-2015, 05:22 PM	#4
mge92 SPEED RACER 375 Rep 740 Posts Drives: BMW X5 M50d BMW M2 CS Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: London iTrader: (2)	Not sure but I just accept it for what it is. Could be telephone or Wi-Fi interference? __________________ 2019 BMW X5 M50d Artic Grey \| 2020 BMW M2 CS Misano Blue Incoming - Ginetta G56 GT Academy \| Incoming - BMW X5M Comp Oxford Green RIP - 2020 Mini JCW GP Racing Grey \| RIP - 2013 X3 xDrive28i Carbon Black
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05-21-2015, 01:00 PM	#5
Radioactive Captain 43 Rep 764 Posts Drives: '11 X3 28i '10 535i '04 325i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	When and where does it happen? All the time? Same location? Sorry "Never consistent". From How Stuff Works How Bluetooth Operates Bluetooth networking transmits data via low-power radio waves. It communicates on a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (actually between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz, to be exact). This frequency band has been set aside by international agreement for the use of industrial, scientific and medical devices (ISM). A number of devices that you may already use take advantage of this same radio-frequency band. Baby monitors, garage-door openers and the newest generation of cordless phones all make use of frequencies in the ISM band. Making sure that Bluetooth and these other devices don't interfere with one another has been a crucial part of the design process. One of the ways Bluetooth devices avoid interfering with other systems is by sending out very weak signals of about 1 milliwatt. By comparison, the most powerful cell phones can transmit a signal of 3 watts. The low power limits the range of a Bluetooth device to about 10 meters (32 feet), cutting the chances of interference between your computer system and your portable telephone or television. Even with the low power, Bluetooth doesn't require line of sight between communicating devices. The walls in your house won't stop a Bluetooth signal, making the standard useful for controlling several devices in different rooms. Bluetooth can connect up to eight devices simultaneously. With all of those devices in the same 10-meter (32-foot) radius, you might think they'd interfere with one another, but it's unlikely. Bluetooth uses a technique called spread-spectrum frequency hopping that makes it rare for more than one device to be transmitting on the same frequency at the same time. In this technique, a device will use 79 individual, randomly chosen frequencies within a designated range, changing from one to another on a regular basis. In the case of Bluetooth, the transmitters change frequencies 1,600 times every second, meaning that more devices can make full use of a limited slice of the radio spectrum. Since every Bluetooth transmitter uses spread-spectrum transmitting automatically, it’s unlikely that two transmitters will be on the same frequency at the same time. This same technique minimizes the risk that portable phones or baby monitors will disrupt Bluetooth devices, since any interference on a particular frequency will last only a tiny fraction of a second. When Bluetooth-capable devices come within range of one another, an electronic conversation takes place to determine whether they have data to share or whether one needs to control the other. The user doesn't have to press a button or give a command -- the electronic conversation happens automatically. Once the conversation has occurred, the devices -- whether they're part of a computer system or a stereo -- form a network. Bluetooth systems create a personal-area network (PAN), or piconet, that may fill a room or may encompass no more distance than that between the cell phone on a belt-clip and the headset on your head. Once a piconet is established, the members randomly hop frequencies in unison so they stay in touch with one another and avoid other piconets that may be operating in the same room. Let's check out an example of a Bluetooth-connected system. Last edited by Radioactive; 05-21-2015 at 01:06 PM..
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05-21-2015, 02:55 PM	#6
Want the thrill Lieutenant Colonel 330 Rep 1,560 Posts Drives: 2022 X4M40i, retired ‘11 X3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: MI iTrader: (2) Garage List 2022 X4M40i [10.00]	It happens here and there and once it starts it won't stop until I switch to radio then back to Bluetooth. No rhyme or reason. Sometimes it happens 2 times a week and sometimes I'll go through a week with no interference at all. Last edited by Want the thrill; 05-22-2015 at 06:21 AM..
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05-21-2015, 04:13 PM	#7
Radioactive Captain 43 Rep 764 Posts Drives: '11 X3 28i '10 535i '04 325i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	You might try isolating the problem if possible between either the phone or radio. If you have something like a bluetooth speaker; try that with the iPhone away from the car. Try another bluetooth devise with the radio. Trying to find noise on an electronic circuit can be very difficult at best. My dad was a electrical engineer at Lockheed Aircraft and they spend days if not weeks tracking down noise in the planes intercom system.
	Appreciate 0 Quote