Bluetooth Headphones Stop Working Randomly While Playing Ready or Not

Understanding and Resolving Random Bluetooth Headphone Disconnections During Gaming Sessions

Many gamers encounter connectivity issues with Bluetooth headphones, especially when engaged in demanding applications like first-person shooters. Recently, some users have reported random and intermittent disconnections of Bluetooth headsets while playing games such as “Ready or Not.” If you’re experiencing similar issues, this article aims to provide insights into potential causes and practical troubleshooting steps to enhance your gaming experience.

Identifying the Problem

In scenarios where Bluetooth headphones suddenly disconnect for a brief period—often around one minute—and then reconnect, pinpointing the root cause can be challenging. Typical symptoms include:

Occasional audio dropouts during gameplay.
The headset temporarily disappearing from the system’s playback devices.
Automatic switching of audio output to speakers when disconnection occurs.
Absence of disconnect beeps from the headset or dongle, despite notifications.
Disconnections happening sporadically once per session, resetting after a system restart.

Hardware and Setup Overview

Configurations often involve:

Bluetooth Headphones: For instance, an Xbox-compatible version of the SteelSeries Arctis 1.
Bluetooth Dongle: Usually connected via USB, providing the Bluetooth interface.
Wireless Modules: A recent addition might be a WiFi card with integrated Bluetooth capability, such as the Intel WiFi 6 AX200 160MHz.

Potential Causes and Considerations

Interference from WiFi and Other Wireless Devices
The 2.4 GHz band used by WiFi and Bluetooth overlaps, leading to potential interference. Even with the WiFi operating solely on the 5 GHz band, residual interference might persist due to the shared spectrum or other nearby devices.
Driver and Firmware Compatibility
Outdated or incompatible Bluetooth drivers can cause instability. Ensuring all drivers, especially for the Bluetooth module and WiFi card, are up-to-date is crucial.
Power Management Settings
Windows sometimes disables power to USB devices to conserve energy, which can disrupt Bluetooth connections. Adjusting power management settings can mitigate this.
USB Port Selection and Hardware Connections
Connecting the Bluetooth dongle to a USB 2.0 port (preferably blue-colored) reduces the chance of bandwidth issues. Also, verifying that the dongle functions correctly without physical or connection issues is essential.