Trending
Today's hearing aids have some amazing features. They can connect wirelessly to a cell phone, stream audio from any internet or fixed source and even have built-in GPS sensors to help you find them if they are lost. The high-tech wave is out there even in hearing aids if you want that.
Most of my patients could care less about the wireless interaction of their hearing aids with other electronic devices. They just want to hear better. If you are like them, keep reading, as it is good to learn about this technology because your friends and other family members may use this feature. For everyone else, here are the basics about Bluetooth:
Hearing aids with Bluetooth technology help you stay connected to cell phones, televisions, tablets and other favorite audio devices. Hearing aids of the past often limited the wearer's access to many personal audio devices such as mobile phones and music players.
For younger patients who are still able to exercise, for example, to use a music player while jogging, you would have had to remove your hearing aids to accommodate a pair of wireless earbuds. However, today's sophisticated wireless hearing aids use Bluetooth technology to make it possible to connect with personal electronic devices and stream sound directly to hearing aids.
Bluetooth is a wireless communication platform, or electronic function, that allows for the transfer of data between two or more electronic devices. This technology uses radio waves set to a high frequency to transmit data without interference or security risks.
A wide variety of products incorporating Bluetooth connectivity have been developed, including mobile phones, music players, computers, tablets and televisions. This is also available in hearing aids, but not all models have it.
Bluetooth is an electronics industry standard protocol. It's not unique to a particular hearing aid or hearing aid manufacturer, so there is uniformity in the way that it works across all devices. The platform has been tested and refined, as it's been in use for many years in the mobile phone industry.
As stated above, the Bluetooth connection is secure and there's rarely interference. It is also a copyright protected technology. If an inventor wanted to create an electronic device and install Bluetooth ability there would be a charge to use the technology. Bluetooth technology is royalty-free to special interest group members. The only way to become a licensee of Bluetooth technology is to be a SIG member. This is a tightly controlled, small number of electronics companies (Agere, Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo (originally IBM), Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba).
Bluetooth is today's cutting-edge electronics communication technology. Bluetooth technology in hearing aids has greatly elevated the hearing aid wearing experience and enables hearing aids to double as highly-personalized, custom audio devices. It's an example of using today's wireless hearing aid technology in a smart way that truly provides convenience for hearing aid wearers.
To use your hearing aids to stay connected to your network of friends and family and all of your latest audio devices, talk to your hearing care professional about wireless hearing aids.
If Bluetooth technology seems like an unnecessary feature for your hearing needs, still talk with a professional. The technological wave that happened with the Bluetooth generation has swept electronics including hearing aids into a level of quality never seen before.
-- -- -- --
Jeff Bayliff is owner of Hear the Birds Hearing Aid Center in Lock Haven.