Compelling audio is a big part of AtmosFX Digital Decorations. Consider the atmospheric ambience of Paranormal Passage breaking the borders of reality, or the happy hi-jinx of Santa’s elves in Santa's Workshop. Lots of our decorations look great without any sound, but high-quality audio adds a new dimension of magic to your decorating display. There’s also decorations like Night Before Christmas and Boo Crew that feature songs and stories for your holiday guests. Having a great speaker set-up for those decorations is crucial!
These days, lots of decorators rely on wireless speakers to provide their displays with great sound; that’s why our AtmosKit Plus features built-in Bluetooth audio. Bluetooth is an easy and popular way to use wireless audio, but no technology is without its limits.
Sometimes Bluetooth devices have difficulty connecting to each other, or maintaining a good connection. This may cause your sound to be delayed, you may hear interference, or you may hear no sound at all. If your devices aren’t connecting properly, the AtmosFX team has five easy steps that might help.
Step 1: Check Your Pairing
Connecting two Bluetooth devices is usually called “pairing.” For example, if you connect your smartphone to a set of Bluetooth earphones, they create a new “pair.” Bluetooth devices will usually remember pairs they have created previously and automatically attempt to find them again.
If your speaker is near another device that it is usually paired with, the speaker might be attempting to automatically pair with that device rather than your projector. These other devices can include smartphones, TVs, or computers that you have previously used with your Bluetooth speaker. If you think this may be happening, disable Bluetooth on other devices you aren’t using while you create your new pair.
Step 2: Reset Your Devices
We hear it all the time: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Similar to a computer that’s been running too long, sometimes Bluetooth simply needs to be restarted. If you reset one or both devices, they should pair again with a better connection.
Step 3: Check Your Power Supply
Some Bluetooth speakers are powered by a cable, but many also feature rechargeable batteries for a completely wireless experience. A speaker with a low battery, even if it’s not completely drained, may not have enough power to correctly pair. If your battery is low, try charging your battery completely before attempting to pair it again.
Step 4: Adjust Your Starting Distance
You’re probably going to place your speaker some distance from your projector, but the distance between devices can sometimes make it difficult for them to initially pair. For best results, try pairing the devices while they are less than a foot away from each other. After your speaker is paired you can move it to its final position.
Step 5: Check for Interference
WiFi devices such as routers or network extenders can cause interference with Bluetooth connections. When you pair your devices, make sure that you're not too close to any wireless networking device. If your devices will pair but the sound is poor, you may want to turn off nearby networking devices.
What if the Devices Still Won’t Connect?
Unfortunately, not all Bluetooth devices work together. New, upgraded versions of Bluetooth technology are released every few years. Even though this technology is supposed to be backwards-compatible (meaning that any new device should work with any old device), you still may need to consider using a newer speaker. With the hundreds of manufacturers around the world and literally thousands of Bluetooth devices, some devices just don’t pair well.
Check with the Manufacturer
If you’re using a Bluetooth enabled device from a manufacturer other than AtmosFX, you may need to visit their website for more information. The front page of their website should have a link to their customer service team as well as links to their user manuals.
Contacting the manufacturer of your device directly is the best way to fix any technical problem. Also, our support team is here to help if you have any additional questions about using any AtmosFX products. Visit us on AtmosFX.com/support
