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Plantronics Computer Headsets and Microsoft Windows Vista Compatibility Issues

Microsoft’s launch of the Windows Vista operating system was met with much anticipation and fanfare, but like most major new operating system launches Windows Vista has proven to have its share of problems for which Plantronics computer headset products are not immune.

The majority of Plantronics headsets are not impacted by the Windows Vista release, and for those that are, problems have been relatively minor. Below is a summary of Windows Vista issues and status to date.

Plantronics USB Headsets:

Issue: “Muted Microphone”

The microphone is muted in Vista the first time the headset is plugged in. People at the far-end will not be able to hear you until the microphone is un-muted in the Vista control panel.

Plantronics Computer Headsets Affected: DSP series (50, 100, 300, 400, 500), .Audio products bundled with the DSP50 adapter, Plantronics Audio 550, Plantronics GameCom Pro 1, Plantronics CS50-USB

Resolution Status: Workaround

Un-muting the microphone is only required once (when connecting the headset to the same port subsequently) as Vista stores the mute indices going forward. The one-time workaround is as follows:

• In the control panel open the Sounds control item
  
• Select the Recording tab
  
• Highlight the microphone for the Plantronics headset affected
  
• Click the Properties button
  
• Select the Levels tab
  
• Click on the mute icon to un-mute the microphone
  
• Close all windows

A more permanent fix for this issue which does not require the workaround above is under investigation and will be addressed in the next revision of this document.

Issue: “Bluetooth adapter”

Version 1p15 of the Plantronics BUA-100 Bluetooth adapter is not compatible with Vista.

Plantronics Headsets Affected: Voyager USB, Plantronics 910 USB

Resolution Status: Upgrade required. Check the end of the Bluetooth adapter to the right of the product label for the adapter version number. Version 1P15 is not compatible with Vista, while version 1P23 is compatible. Version 1P23 is required to operate with Vista.

Issue: “Missing Bluetooth Drivers”

A readily repeatable problem where, when any Bluetooth headset (including Plantronics) is paired with the native Vista Bluetooth software stack, Vista malfunctions and requests a disc to be installed from the “device manufacturer”.

Plantronics Headsets Affected: Potentially any Bluetooth headset from any manufacturer when paired with the native Vista Bluetooth stack - including Plantronics Bluetooth headsets.

Resolution Status: Alternative Bluetooth connectivity available

Alternative 1: Consider using a Vista compatible Plantronics .Audio 910 or Voyager USB Bluetooth headset that includes its own Bluetooth adapter and does not depend on Vista’s Bluetooth software.

Alternative 2: To configure your computer’s built-in Bluetooth hardware to properly support Bluetooth Audio devices you can contact the manufacturer of your computer to help you identify the specific Bluetooth hardware used in your computer, and to determine if software/driver updates are available to use as an alternative to the native Bluetooth software in Vista. Note: Currently there is no patch available from Microsoft available for this issue.

Issue: “Phantom Driver”

“New Hardware Found” wizard opens when the headset is connected, requesting a driver to be installed.

Products Affected: Plantronics DA50

Resolution Status: Workaround, A driver is not necessary for Plantronics DA50 to operate and the wizard should be cancelled. To avoid having the request appear every time the headset is connected, there is an option to tell Vista not to request the driver again which is recommended. No further resolution to this issue is being investigated at this time.

Software

Issue: “Mute Sync”

Manually muting a headset that interfaces to PerSonoCall software will not show “muted” status in the Vista audio mixer.

Plantronics Headsets Affected: PerSonoCall 2.11.4 (current release) and previous releases that ship with CS50-USB, CS60-USB, .Audio 910, Voyager - USB, and any Avaya branded versions of these products.

Resolution Status: Fix planned for version 2.11.5 to be released May, 2007. The headset “microphone mute” functionality is unaffected and works correctly but the status in Vista is not shown correctly. Upgrading to PerSonoCall version 2.11.5 will resolve this issue, when available.

Issue: “PerSono Support, Other”

PerSono and PerSonoPro software is currently not Vista compatible.

Plantronics Products Affected: All PerSono and PersonoPro software versions.

Resolution Status: None. No, Vista support is planned for these software versions. PerSonoCall is the only PerSono software that is Microsoft Vista compatible.

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