What is Bluetooth audio receiver?

The Bluetooth audio receiver is designed to enable Bluetooth capability for car / home audio systems.

While video and music streaming through mobile devices has already became a phenomenon, most existing audio system doe not provide the wireless audio streaming capability, and requires a physical connection via audio cord. This not only limits the entertainment experience, but also increase potentional safety risk, ie. tripping, driving safety.

With Bluetooth audio receiver, you can upgrade your existing audio system at  minimum cost. You will be able to playback audio on your mobile device wirelessly to audio system through Bluetooth.

Should I choose Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for the wireless audio receiver?

The mainstream techonology used for wireless audio streaming are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, each have its pros and cons.

The biggest advantage for using Wi-Fi technolgoy is the bandwidth, allowing the audio streaming without compression. Yet, the disadvantages are 1) more expensive, 2)bigger size, 3)higher power consumption and 4)less convenient. 

Regardsing to the conveniency,

1)Incompatible between Android and Apple systems. Apple have its Airplay and streaming and Android have Miracast. Two system are not compatible.

2)Complexity and stability. Rather than the stable performance and intuititive operation, Miracast is much more complicate and unstable to use. The stability and complexity of Miracast comes mainly from huge variety of Android device from different brands. Each brand has done certain level of customization resulting the increase of operation complexity and suffering the stability.

3)Usuage limitations. Both Airplay and Miracast requires mobile device and audio receiver to sit in the same network domain, restricting the usuage to a fix enviroment. Some audio receiver intend to improve the mobility by adding the access point (AP) feature to allow direct connection for mobile devices. Yet, the audio receiver itself is not connected to internet. Mobile device will unlikely to access internet while streaming audio to Wi-Fi audio receiver. This issue has been solve after iOS 8.1, but still remain an issue with Android 4.x. 

Compared to Wi-Fi, the adantages of Bluetooth audio receiver are 1)lower cost, 2)small size, 3)low power consumption and 4)less usuage limitation. The disadvantages are 1)limited bandwidth, audio requires to be compressed before transmission, 2)more complicated when switching between different mobile devices for playback.

Let's focus on the disadvantages,

1)Limited bandwidth, audio requires compression before transmission. Therefore, the compression technogy used will have impact on the audio quality. Most Bluetooth in the market support the most standard SBC (Sub Band Coding) compression, resulting general public to have an impression of poor audio quality with Bluetooth. Some of the Bluetooth audio receiver supoorts high quality audio compression technology to preserve audio quality. It is important to know that both mobile device and the Bluetooth audio receiver requires to support the same compression technology (compress and de-compress) to have preserve audio quality. Most people will not be able to tell the difference between Wi-Fi and the audio quality with using high quality compression technology.

2)More complicated when switching between mobile devices for playback. Most Bluetooth audio receiver only allow one device paired at a time. To switch between mobile devices, it is required to unpair the current device and for the new device to be paired, and playback. Some Bluetooth audio receiver support up to two device connection at the same time to make switch devices easier without going through the unpairing and pairing process.

What's the difference between Firefly and other Bluetooth audio receiver in the market?

Major difference between Firefly and other Bluetooth audio receiver in the market are, 

1)Smallest Bluetooth audio receiver in the world. The small form factor makes it easier to install in the car enviroment.

2)Filters the noise generated by the car generator. Most Bluetooth audio receiver in the market are not designed for car use and not able to filter out the power noise generated by the car. Therefore, when Bluetooth audio receiver is connected to the car audio system, you will be able to hear the current noise (Buzz sound). Firefly have optimized this issue to ensure the power noise to be removed, and you hear what you only should hear. 

3)Excellent audio quality and surrounding experience. Unlike most Bluetooth audio receiver in the market only supports stadard SBC compression, Firefly is the only Bluetooth audio receiver that supports AAC (used by Apple), and MP3 (widely used for most devices). This ensures no matter which device you use, you can still enjoy the high quality audio.

Some of the Bluetooth audio receiver in the market supports another high quality audio compression introduced by CSR, the aPTX. However, most mobile devices in the market does not support aPTX technology. Unless the mobile device you use also supports aPTX, otherwise SBC compression is still used.

Other than compression technology, material is another key factor which impact the audio quality and also where Firefly focused on. Unlike most Bluetooth audio receiver in the market use mixed copper with nickle plating, or even iron with nickle plating, Firefly uses pure copper with gold plating to ensure the audio high fidelity. In addition, we have used our years of experience in audio when designing the circuit to improvide the surrounding experience.

4)Party mode that support two devices connection at the same time. Firefly have overcome the past limitation where only one device can be connected and allowing two device connection simutaneously. Thus, switching between devices for playback only requires the previous device to be paused, and the other device will be able to playback.

5)Intuitive pairing. Many Bluetooth audio receiver comes with a button, and requires you to press button for certain time to enter the pairing mode. Firefly use button-less design to bring you Wi-Fi like connection experience. Simply turn on the Bluetooth on your mobile device, device will start to search for Bluetooth device around. Click on Tunai Firefly when it's found, and you are good to go.

6)Securing privacy of in-car calls. Many people dislike their phone calls being broadcasted from the speaker when driving, especially when other passengers are around. The design concept of Firefly is to secure your privacy while maintaining phone call capability. When incoming call, you can choose to answer by phone, or through your Bluetooth earphone. When call ends, the audio streams back through Firefly to your car audio system.

7)High-low storage temperature test. Firefly has passed in-house high-low storage temperature to ensure the functionality even when you parked your car under sunlight or in the snow. 

Does my car needs a aux input to install Firefly?

Yes. Firefly streams the audio into your car audio system through 3.5mm AUX jack. If your car does not have AUX jack, you can ask your repair shop to install a externsion cord from your audio system for the AUX jack.

Do my car needs to have USB jack? How can I install Firefly to my car audio system?

No necessary. Firefly's USB plug is designed for power supply usuage.

If your car already have an USB, and its next to AUX, you can simply plug Firefly into USB and AUX.

If your car have an USB but not beside AUX, you can use the car extension cord included in the Firefly premium pack to extend the cord length. Connect Firefly to the car extension cord, and plug Firefly into USB and AUX.

If your car only have AUX, but no USB jack, you can use USB car adapter and the cigarette lighter jack. Plug the USB car adapter into the cigarette jack, and connect Firefly with the car extension cord. Plug Firefly USB side into the USB car adapter and AUX into the AUX jack.

For detail installation instructions, please see How to or manual.

詳細的安裝說明請參閱如何使用，或使使用說明書。

How do I install to home audio system.

Generally, home audio system supports RCA (red, yellow and white) jack. You can use the home extension cord included in the Firefly premium pack to convert AUX into RCA. Connect Firefly to home extension cord, and plug the RCA connector to RCA jack on your home audio system. Use any USB adapter (any USB adapter from your old phone or pad will word).

For detail installation, please refer to How to or manual.

How do I connect to PC speaker?

Usually, PC speaker comes with a 3.5mm male AUX cable. You will need to purchase an additional 3.5mm AUX male to female convertor to install Firefly on PC speaker.

Plug Firefly and PC speaker's 3.5mm AUX connector to both sides of the convertor. Plug Firefly USB plug into any USB adapter (old ones from your phone or tablet will work too), you are good to go.

Sometimes my android device will not reconnect automatically.

The design for Firefly is when you supply power to Firefly, Firefly will try to reconnect with paired devices. While each device manufacture will have certain customization to the Andoroid, resulting the reconnection mechanism to vary.

If Firefly failed to reconnect after certain period of time, Firefly will stop reconnecting to the paired mobile device. Go to Bluetooth menu and click on Tunai Firefly to ask the device to connect actively. 

Firefly LED is not flashing, but my device is not showing connected.

While each device manufacture will have certain customization to the Andoroid, resulting the connection stability of Bluetooth to be different between each Android device. Thus, you may sometime encounter mobile device showing not connected to Bluetooth, but Firefly LED light not flashing.

Please unplug and plug Firefly USB connector to reset Firefly.

My Android device disconnected automatically after success connection.

The design for Firefly is when you supply power to Firefly, Firefly will try to reconnect with paired devices. While each device manufacture will have certain customization to the Andoroid, resulting the reconnection mechanism to vary.

If Firefly disconnect after success connection, it means the connection protocal has not complete. Go to Bluetooth menu and click on Tunai Firefly to ask the device to connect actively. 

How can I connect my second device?

When your first device is connected to Firefly, Firefly LED light will stop flashing. If you want to pair second device to Firefly when LED is not flashing, your device requires to be paired with the Firefly before. Firefly can memorize up to 8 paired devices.

If your second device has been paired with the Firefly before, turn on Bluetooth no your second device, and it will start searching for Firefly. When Tunai Firefly is found, click on Tunai Firefly and you will see the device showing connected in few seconds.

If your second device has not yet paired with the Firefly before, first you will need to disconnect your current device with Firefly. Once disconnected, Firefly LED will start flashing again. Now, turn on the Bluetooth of second device, search and connect. When Firefly LED stop flashing again, turn on the Bluetooth of first device, search and connect.

How many paired device can Firefly memorize?

Firefly can memorize up to eight paired devices. When all eight paired devices are memorized and a new device is pairing with Firefly, Firefly will forgot the least used device.

How do I switch between devices for playback?

When you have two different devices connected with Firefly, you can simply switch between devices for playback. Simply pause the playback on current device, and second device can start playback.

If your device is Android, you will start to hear the playback audio stream from second device after 5 seconds. Is your device is iOS, the playback audio stream will be availabe after 10 seconds. 

I am using iPhone or IPad, but can't use party mode.

If your playback device is using iOS version 8 or 8.1, when you pause playback, the second device may be still unable to playback the audio stream to audio system. This is mainly cause by the setup of iOS8 or 8.1 will not release the Bluetooth playback channel even when you have paused the playback. 

Upgrade your iPhone or iPad to iOS 8.1.1 or above, and the problem is fixed.

What does the warranty coverage?

Firefly offers one year limited warranry. For none misuse damage, contact your purchase distributor along with the receipt or serial number.

Where can I find the serial number?

The serial number is lcoated at the last page of user manual or bottom part of box.