MP 1,1-5,1 Connect Mac Pro 5,1 to bluetooth speaker?

[n8mac]

I have a 5,1 running Sierra and a bluetooth 4.2 portable speaker. Im looking to put a music library on the Mac Pro and make playlists for me and the wife. I connected the speaker and it worked fine but only while in the same room. I need it to work in the next room over.

After some research i found the bluetooth 2.1 in the Mac Pro does not have the range to make this work. Bluetooth 4 seems like it would reach while BT 5 is even better. Is there a fairly cheap option to get BT 4.2/5 without paying for a whole new network card that works with this setup?

 

[Ludacrisvp]

bluetooth range is limited regardless of what devices are involved.
the 30 feet claim they have is highly optimistic.
I've had many BT headsets that have a hard time retaining signal from my phone in my pocket to my ear, to the point where turning my head is enough to drop signal. (iphone 7 in this case)

But feel free to use a BT USB adapter and see what you get.
Perhaps get one and plug it in via a long usb extension cable to get better location for reception.

 

[kohlson]

Earlier BT standards seemed to be pretty wimpy on range. cMPs are notorious for not working will with Magic Mouse's that are within 3 feet. Compare that to my AirPods, which are often 30 feet (or more) away from my phone.

You can get third-party BT adapters that connect to USB, or I think elsewhere on MR there is a discussion of updating the WiFi-BT card.

 

[hwojtek]

I have a 5,1 running Sierra and a bluetooth 4.2 portable speaker. Im looking to put a music library on the Mac Pro and make playlists for me and the wife. I connected the speaker and it worked fine but only while in the same room. I need it to work in the next room over.
After some research i found the bluetooth 2.1 in the Mac Pro does not have the range to make this work. Bluetooth 4 seems like it would reach while BT 5 is even better. Is there a fairly cheap option to get BT 4.2/5 without paying for a whole new network card that works with this setup?

Bluetooth is not designed to stream a satisfactory quality through a wall, no matter what generation number you use.
You are in an Airplay-compatible speaker situation, BT will not do in this case. Spend your money on a used AirportExpress and use it as an Airplay output to your speaker (if it has a line-in input). They're like 30 bucks now.

 

[n8mac]

Bluetooth is not designed to stream a satisfactory quality through a wall, no matter what generation number you use.
You are in an Airplay-compatible speaker situation, BT will not do in this case. Spend your money on a used AirportExpress and use it as an Airplay output to your speaker (if it has a line-in input). They're like 30 bucks now.

I suspected it might not reach that far considering what it was originally designed for. I just wasnt sure how well the newer versions worked. Seems its been hyped. Looks like i will take the airport route. Thanks for your help.

So far i successfully streamed music from my ipad to the BT speaker from another room, but there was an open door and it was only about 15 feet away. I would like to go farther.