All PLUX devices use Bluetooth to transfer the recorded sensor data wirelessly to the computer. While Bluetooth is a reliable option for most acquisition setups, limitations can be experienced when the Bluetooth communication is overloaded or interfered by third-party products.
In these cases, you might occasionally experience error messages in OpenSignals alerting “Connection Unstable” and the loss of samples.
We recommend trying out the following steps to solve any Bluetooth-related issues:
- Check for the correct drivers & operating system updates:
- We recommend using our Bluetooth dongle as some PC internal Bluetooth modules can cause some unexpected incompatibilities with our systems
- Ensure that the correct drivers for our Bluetooth Dongle are installed to avoid any Bluetooth dongle related issues. You can find detailed instructions in this article.
- Check for & install Windows updates (see notes for macOS users below).
- Adjust your acquisition settings:
- Reduce the sampling rate: High sampling rates (e.g., 1kHz+) can put a strain on Bluetooth acquisitions, especially during multi-sensor or multi-device acquisitions, increasing the chance of communication failure. Most sensors work fine at lower sampling rates (e.g., 300Hz) which might be suitable for your setup without compromising on data quality.
- Install the latest version of OpenSignals. We continuously improve our software to solve bugs and other issues, which might solve the source of your Bluetooth communication issues.
- Check for third-party apps, devices, and networks:
- Reduce the number of Bluetooth devices connected to your acquisition computer.
- Close third-party Bluetooth applications. Using third-party Bluetooth applications can cause issues with Bluetooth communications as your operating system might prioritize the individual Bluetooth devices differently than you expect, thus increasing the chance of communication failure.
- Check for other wireless networks. Research labs often have multiple wireless systems (Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth) that can lead to interference with Bluetooth communication. While WiFi is generally not a cause for concern, non-standard radio emitters can cause unexpected Bluetooth interference.
- Test it on another computer. The steps above should cover most of the troubleshooting steps but you shouldn’t rule out any hardware failures. PLUX device-related Bluetooth issues can persist across acquisition PCs, while PC-specific issues should occur on the acquisition PC only.
Should none of the options be of help to solve your Bluetooth issues, please submit a support request through the “Get Support” button on the right of this article.
Note for macOS users: As the yearly major macOS updates are likely to experience changes to the fundamental behavior of macOS Bluetooth communications, which can cause incompatibilities with our devices, we advise to not update your acquisition computer to the latest version of macOS right away.
Check our OpenSignals article to see if any incompatibilities are known or if it is safe to update without losing any functionalities of your devices and OpenSignals software.
