What is the Difference Between Bluetooth and Streaming Music

During a meeting with a client this week, a client wanted to stream music to his Bluetooth speakers. It quickly became apparent the client was using the terms “Bluetooth” and “Streaming Music” interchangeably. The difference between the 2 terms is significant. Bluetooth is the ability to transfer data such as music, photos, and documents from Bluetooth enabled devices such as your phone, I-Pad, or I-Phone to another Bluetooth enabled device. Streaming Music is the ability to listen to music from online music streaming such as Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc., without downloading the music. To stream music, the speaker or amplifier must be Wi-Fi enabled and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the music service app. The confusion is often created by the fact that Bluetooth speakers ARE NOT Wi-Fi enabled whereas many Wi-Fi streaming music devices are Bluetooth enabled. Bluetooth enabled means you can stream music that is already playing on your smart phone to a Bluetooth enabled device such as a Bluetooth speaker or amplifier. There are 2 important points to remember, Bluetooth technology is a single point to point technology which allows you to Bluetooth to only one speaker at a time and you can’t stream any music service directly to a Bluetooth speaker. For help in upgrading your older audio-video system, schedule a FREE consultation by calling 888-775-2673. Please visit our website @ www.wbsouth.com.