Is there a DAB Bluetooth radio?
– Robert
Many DAB digital radios now come with Bluetooth. This means you can wirelessly stream music, podcasts or other audio from your phone or tablet to the radio. For those occasions when you want to listen to something on-demand Bluetooth lets you take advantage of the DAB radio’s speakers.
Bluetooth tends to be included on premium digital radios. The Ruark R1 Mk3, Pure Evoke H4 and Roberts Revival RD70 all come with Bluetooth. However, the Sony range of portable DAB radios doesn’t include a model with Bluetooth.
More modestly priced radios are starting to include Bluetooth too. The Panasonic RF-D20BT has Bluetooth connectivity as well as receiving DAB, DAB+ and FM radio stations.
When shopping for a DAB radio you should always ensure it carries the digital radio tick mark. This indicates that the radio receives DAB, DAB+ and FM radio stations. If Bluetooth is also included this will be indicated separately.
Some DAB car adapters, like the Pure Highway and Majority A10, also come with Bluetooth. When used in-car you can benefit from handsfree calls as well as music streaming. Several DAB car radios also come with Bluetooth, but some only have a USB socket. It’s definitely worth checking when buying a car radio that it has the features you need in addition to DAB reception.
Connecting to the radio with Bluetooth
You will need to enable Bluetooth on your smartphone or tablet before you can stream music to the radio. Pairing the source (such as a smartphone) and the radio allows the devices to communicate.
The radio will come with instructions for setting up the Bluetooth connection, but this would be a typical process:
- Enable Bluetooth on the smartphone, tablet or laptop
- Switch to the Bluetooth source or input on the radio
- In the Bluetooth settings on the smartphone, search for other devices
- Once the smartphone finds the radio, tap the name of the radio
- You might be asked to enter a number or passcode, which could be 0000
- The connection should be successful and ‘Paired’ or ‘Connected’ should be shown on the radio
You won’t hear anything to begin with. Go to your music, podcast or radio app and start playing some audio – it should be streamed to the radio. To disconnect you can go back into Bluetooth settings and disconnect from the device or switch Bluetooth off.