It’s hard to gauge what aspects of any environment may interfere with a Bluetooth signal. If you’re hosting a patio party and duck inside, it’s wise to have the source device remain close by just in case. I ran into this issue across several devices regardless of their listed Bluetooth connectivity range. I’ve seen signal drop issues when crouching down, with my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, and barely 30 feet away from a speaker inside my apartment. That’s likely underselling the speaker's potential, but unpredictable environments can affect range and there’s little point in promising the moon only to get complaints. Other companies stick with a 30-foot range on the spec sheet and leave it at that, even though they may be running Bluetooth 4.x or 5.x. Some companies list their product’s longest possible range, usually outdoors and in an unobstructed line-of-sight test environment. If you're out and about, you'll want to remember to turn these speakers off manually when not in use to maximize battery life. Unlike normal Bluetooth speakers that go to sleep after a short period without use, these will usually stay awake (to listen for your commands) and slowly run down the battery. Luckily, some manufacturers also list the expected hours of battery life when used at full volume and that transparency is appreciated.Īdditionally, if your Bluetooth speaker also happens to have WiFi connectivity, they're usually designed for always-on functionality. If you like your tunes loud, it can often end up cutting the expected usage time in half or more. This usually means they tested at a low to mid volume. That said, be careful when looking at battery specs, as they frequently list a maximum runtime (“up to” x amount of hours). These days, around 12 hours of runtime seems to be the baseline but obviously, the more battery life you can get out of a speaker, the better. The focus of this guide is on portable Bluetooth speakers, and while “portable” can be a relative term, these devices are generally for people who are likely to find themselves far from a power outlet. It may be worth splurging on a better sounding model with a lower IP rating if you’ll mostly be using it indoors, for instance. If you plan on using the ports, that may limit the product's rated ability to fend off the elements.Ĭonsider the IP rating and also how you plan to use your Bluetooth speaker when making your decision. They’re also good options for the beach, playground and other rough environs.Īdditionally, speakers with ports and a high rating will often include a tight-fitting cover over the charging or auxiliary ports. These are safe for quick dunks in the pool or tub and should be more than OK in the rain or in the shower. IP67 is a common rating these days indicating highly resistant and potentially rugged speakers. If it’s waterproof, it may have some innate resistance to solids, but there’s no guarantee. When an X is used instead of a number, that means the product wasn’t tested for resistance. The waterproof rating goes from 0 (no protection) to 9 (protected against immersion and high pressure jets). The former goes from 0 (no protection) to 6 (dust tight). It’s usually a combo of two numbers with the first indicating solid object ingress and the second being water. IP ratings (Ingress Protection) are the alphanumeric indicators you often see in a product’s spec sheet that define the tested resistance of a product to both solid objects (dirt, dust, fingers?) and water. See 5 more What to consider Weather-proofing
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