by Daxavier Josiah
If you are a multitasker like me, you will understand my dilemma. I like playing my Nintendo Switch on handheld, yet I also like to watch TV. I don't like to disturb my wife in the process (even though she is nine chances out of ten on her smartphone). I would use earphones, but I hate getting tangled up in wires or not able to walk away without taking off my earphones or disconnecting them from the Switch (first world problems at its best folks). I am a huge fan of wireless. Wireless equals freedom for me in terms of my ability to listen to music while on the go. When the Apple Air pods were created, I couldn't wait to buy them and rid myself of wires. With great quality comes great comfort and that is what I needed for the Nintendo Switch. Since I purchased my Switch back in 2017, I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't an option to use wireless earphones or headphones. However, I knew there would be a time when a third-party company would develop a device that would solve that problem. Turns out I was right and there are a few companies that have created Bluetooth devices that will connect your listening devices to the Switch. I came across one of them in the form of the HOMUSPOT BLUETOOTH ADAPTER which received fairly complimentary reviews on Amazon. The adapter allows you to use your wireless listening device while in handheld mode or in TV mode. The package content consist of the following:
Homuspot Adapter
USB Adapter
A pouch to place the two items in.
User Guide
Warranty Card
SIDE NOTE: Thank you once again to Amazon for getting this to me in less than 24 hours.
PRO & CONS PROS:
I found the Homuspot BT Adapter to be very user friend and easy to connect. I used my Airpod PRO set to test this out, but this device is also compatible with other wireless listening devices (be sure to check the details on which device is compatible). The adapter has a P1 button (blue) and P2 button (red) which allows you to connect two listening devices connecting to it. You press one of the adapter buttons to begin pairing it to your listening device. Make sure you have the AirPod PRO case closed while the adapter is trying to connect. Hold the button in the back of the AirPod PRO case to pair it to the adapter (the same goes for original Apple AirPods which I later used). The adapter will notice it in seconds, and it will officially connect. You will hear the sound in the AirPods notifying you that the pairing was successful.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound quality is as solid as you would expect from the Apple AirPods with no signal distortion or lag in signal.
I connected both the original AirPods and the AirPod PRO set to the adapter and they both still provide the clear HD quality sound that you would expect from the popular Apple device.
However, Apple AirPod PRO set has the much better sound quality with its Spatial Audio option and noise canceling ability.
BLUE TOOTH SIGNAL STRENGTH
As far as signal strength and distance goes, I was able to be away within a few feet from my apartment and still get a strong signal. I left my Nintendo Switch in the living room of my apartment and went into my office as well as my kitchen area without my signal breaking.
CONS:
The one negative I have for the device is that it connects to the USB-C port on your Nintendo Switch which is also the port you use to connect your adapter to charge your Switch. The problem here is that some games will drain the battery in about two hours of gameplay.
I tend to always have my Switch on charge but using the Homuspot Adapter forces you to not use the charge adapter to maintain energy needed for hours of play. For you to use the Homuspot Bluetooth Adapter it is best that you have your Switch fully charged before using it. Having to disconnect the Bluetooth Adapter to charge your Nintendo Switch creates a level of tedium in the process having to switch devices from the USB-C port. This means that you would have to do to things.
Put the game on mute until your game is fully charged to reconnect.
Connect the Bluetooth USB to the TV Mode and play it on the big screen which will defeat the purpose of multitasking unless you own a mobile tablet device (iPad, MS Surface, etc) with an app connected to your cable provider.
It would have been great if they would have added an open port on the Bluetooth adapter that would allow you to connect the plug adapter in the bottom of the Bluetooth adapter and hopefully that is something they can think about for future models.
OVERALL:
Despite the inability to keep the Switch charging while using the Bluetooth adapter to connect to your listening device wirelessly the Homuspot Bluetooth is a worthwhile investment for those like myself who prefer to hear your favorite games with quality and comfort. The pros in this case outweigh the cons and this is a device that will no doubt improve down the line when Homuspot creates better versions of this device. Hopefully one that will accommodate all that I have mentioned in this article.
For now, I give this....
GRADE: B+
NOTE: Since this review Nintendo has updated their operating system and firmware to allow Bluetooth connection to wireless listening devices which was a much-needed feature. Unfortunately for Homuspot they can no longer capitalize on this and have since stopped production or selling of this product.