Have you ever felt limited by your old hearing aids? Have you ever missed a doorbell or a phone call because you had the TV volume too high? Do you hate switching from ear buds to hearing aids and back again? Bluetooth hearing aids can change everything for you.
That’s right: Bluetooth technology in your hearing aids can solve those little problems that get in your way. This is not some fantastical vision of the future. Bluetooth is already in many hearing aids made by many different brands and is reshaping the future of hearing aids.
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the next evolution in hearing aid technology, call North Shore Hearing today and we can give you the rundown on all your available options. If you don’t know how Bluetooth technology can possibly work in a hearing aid earpiece, read on. We’ll explain it all.
What Are Bluetooth Hearing Aids, Anyway?
What is Bluetooth, you ask? That’s a great question, and although the technology is relatively new and still quite futuristic, there’s a relatively simple answer. In a nutshell, Bluetooth is a wireless communication platform.
It’s what allows things like smartphones to talk with things like TVs and cars. High-frequency radio waves are sent out by one device and picked up by another device, and they use a standardized language so that devices made by different brands can still interact seamlessly.
How Does This Work with Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids designed with built-in Bluetooth connectivity have receivers; some also have transmitters. Those with only receivers will be able to accept and process incoming signals. Those with transmitters will be able to have two-way communication with other Bluetooth-enable devices.
This means that your hearing aids could work or communicate with a smartphone, or a tablet, or a computer, or anything else that also has Bluetooth technology. (We’ll get into the practical applications below.)
Doesn’t That Require More Battery Power for the Hearing Aids?
Yes, Bluetooth technology is electronic, meaning more electric battery power is used. But don’t worry about that – manufacturers have been creating some great advancements in both the hearing aids’ processors and the way they use Bluetooth and the batteries themselves, especially when it comes to rechargeable hearing aid batteries.
Why Would You Want Hearing Aids to Talk to Other Technological Devices?
Skeptics may jump right to the conclusion that they don’t need more technology, they just need better hearing. But to this end, Bluetooth technology solves many of the obstacles hearing aid manufacturers run into with hearing quality. For example, the new Oticon OPN utilizes Bluetooth technology as well as Brain Hearing technology to provide those with hearing loss the ability to understand speech better.
What Are the Practical Applications of Bluetooth Technology for Hearing Aids?
Audio signals can be sent to your hearing aids via Bluetooth. Your hearing aids can now become earbuds to listen to music, watch TV or movies, or anything else that you’d use earbuds or headphones for.
This solves several problems with hearing the entertainment people enjoy. For one thing, rather than picking up all the sounds in a room and amplifying them, the output into a patient’s ear canal is a direct stream of the digital signal for sounds and music. This means you don’t have to strain to hear, and your family doesn’t have to listen at an unreasonably high volume.
Won’t Streaming Audio Get in the Way of Other Sounds?
Not to worry – you can connect multiple devices, too, so you aren’t limited to listening to one thing and one thing only! You can set them to switch from watching a movie to accepting an incoming phone call. You can pause audio streams at will, and switch back to the standard mode. Soon you may even be able to get alerts directly to your hearing aids when your doorbell rings through the state-of-the-art “If This Then That” technology. The future is wide open!
What Else Can Bluetooth Do for Your Hearing Aids?
The Internet of Things evolves rapidly, and hearing aids are no exception. If you can think of why you’d want a signal to get to your earpiece, then chances are someone is already working on it right now.
Think about it. Safety alerts from your car could help prevent accidents. Message alerts from your email or texts could help streamline business. Text read-back already exists for smartphones and cars, why not hearing aids?
New innovations come rapidly, and the good news is that you don’t have to wait for a specific earpiece. Almost any Bluetooth-enabled hearing aid that’s designed for two-way communication will be able to keep up with the advancements.
Contact North Shore Hearing P.C. for Bluetooth Hearing Aids
So why wait? Call North Shore Hearing today and speak to an expert about how you can get out of your traditional hearing aids and into Bluetooth hearing aids!
