Plugable’s USB dongle is yet another cheap way to add Bluetooth 5.0 to your PC

Ars Technica 2022-12-13

Enlarge / Plugable's Bluetooth 5.0 USB adapter in a desktop PC. (credit: Plugable)

Bluetooth adapters may seem like a dime a dozen with minimal differentiating qualities, but they certainly can come in handy. Whether you want to add wireless capabilities to a prized PC build or have a system running an older version of Bluetooth with less bandwidth or distance coverage, a little dongle goes a long way. If you’re looking for a slightly cheaper option that supports Windows 11 and 10, Plugable today announced yet another Bluetooth 5.0 adapter, the USB-BT5 USB-A.

Bernie Thompson, founder and CTO at the Redmond, Washington-based company told us that the adapter supports link rates of up to 3Mbps. You also get connectivity with up to seven devices and a max distance claim of 131 feet (40 m). Like with any Bluetooth product, max supported distance will vary depending on environmental factors, such as walls and appliances in the area.

Plugable's adapter works like a Bluetooth radio for the computer's OS, and the only OSes the dongle supports are Windows 11 and Windows 10. With Microsoft ending support for Windows 7 and 8 next month, the lack of older Windows OSes may not be too surprising.

Still, earlier released rivals have differing compatibility. TP-Link's UB500 (on sale for $13 as of writing) supports Windows 8.1 and 7 in addition to Windows 11 and 10. Asus' USB-BT500 ($20 MSRP) doesn't claim to support Windows 11 but lists Windows 10 and 8.1, plus Linux.

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