Bluetooth two-way radios are one of the most requested communication upgrades from business radio users. The idea is easy to understand: remove the wires, add a discreet wireless earpiece, and make workplace communication more comfortable. For many teams, that sounds like a game changer.

At Twowayradiocenter.com, we work with businesses across healthcare, education, warehousing, restaurants, hospitality, and many other industries. We understand why Bluetooth is attractive, but we also see the real-world problems it can create. For most shared-radio environments, Bluetooth earpieces are not always worth the extra cost, setup time, and daily upkeep.

Why Businesses Want Bluetooth Two-Way Radios

The main benefit of a Bluetooth-equipped two-way radio is convenience. Wireless earpieces eliminate cords, reduce snagging, and allow users to move more freely while staying connected. For managers, supervisors, and employees who are assigned their own radio, Bluetooth can be a comfortable and professional option.

Manufacturers are also adding Bluetooth to more business-class radios, especially higher-end models. However, Bluetooth is still more common on premium radios than entry-level workplace models. Some low-cost imported radios advertise Bluetooth at aggressive prices, but lower upfront cost can come with tradeoffs in reliability, compatibility, support, and durability.

The Real-World Problems with Bluetooth Earpieces

Bluetooth works well in the right situation, but it adds several layers of responsibility. Both the radio and the earpiece must be charged. The headset must stay paired to the correct radio. Users need to know how to reconnect devices when the pairing drops. These are manageable tasks for one person with one assigned radio, but they become frustrating when a company shares a fleet of radios across shifts.

Sanitation is another important concern. Many Bluetooth earpieces sit inside the ear canal, which makes sharing them between employees a poor practice. If your team shares radios or accessories, each user may need a personal earpiece. That increases cost and creates another item to track, clean, charge, and replace.

When Bluetooth Makes Sense

Bluetooth is best for users who are assigned their own radio and are responsible for their own equipment. Managers, supervisors, security leads, and individual employees who keep the same radio each day are usually the best candidates. In that setup, one person manages the charging, pairing, storage, and care of the Bluetooth earpiece.

Bluetooth is less ideal for businesses with a common charging station, rotating users, or shared radios. In those environments, wired earpieces are often simpler, less expensive, easier to manage, and more dependable for daily operations.

Our Recommendation

Twowayradiocenter.com does not discourage Bluetooth earpieces. In fact, we sell and support them when they fit the customer’s use case. Our recommendation is simple: use Bluetooth for assigned radios and individual users, but avoid it for shared radio fleets unless you have a clear process for charging, pairing, cleaning, and tracking every accessory.

If your team wants wireless comfort without daily headaches, start by asking how the radios will be used. Will one person keep the same radio every day? Bluetooth may be a good fit. Will multiple employees share radios across shifts? A wired earpiece may be the better business decision.

Need Help Choosing Bluetooth Accessories?

Twowayradiocenter.com is a leading provider of two-way radios and accessories in the United States. With more than 80 years of experience helping customers improve workplace communications, our team can help you decide whether Bluetooth earpieces are the right choice for your business.

Call 855-770-7194 or visit Twowayradiocenter.com today for help choosing the right two-way radio accessories for your team.

This article was written by Billy Daubenmire.  Billy has over 25 years of experience selling commercial and professional series two way radios in industries from Medical to Warehousing and everywhere in between. 

Crosspoint Church had a dedicated Church Safety Team who were obvioulsy trained.  This incident started in the parking lot and remained in the parking lot because their trained Church Safety Team identified, approached, and engaged with the assailant outside.  Active Shooter incidents start in the parking lot.  Are you monitoring your parking lots?  Consider adding license plate readers to your campus entrance points.  At Crosspointe, the assailant came on campus erratically.  License Plate Readers can alert to speeding drivers, unknown persons, and those wanted by the Police.  

The Crosspointe Church Safety Team quickly locked the doors to the building keeping the assailant outside.  Protecting the doors is essential to minimizing the impact of an active shooter.  The use of two way radios allowed the Safety Team to alert others to lock the doors immediately, keeping the confrontation outside and keeping the congregation safe.  There are walkie talkies available for any budget and all churches, regardless of size need to use them.

Crosspointe Church had paid Security.  Your Safety Team should be a mix of volunteer and paid members.  If what happened to Crosspointe happens, you want a Sworn Law Enforcement Officer involved.  Law Enforcement has more training with firearms, handling stress, and they call in reinforcements faster.  Having a Law Enforcement Presence on Campus is money well spent. 

In the coming weeks and months, there will be stories about what Crosspointe Church could have done differently.  I imagine their response wasn't perfect, but it was effective.  Church Security Teams need not be perfect, but they need to be trained.   Knowing how to respond should the situation ever arise allows us to go into fight mode instead of flight mode.  

Twowayradiocenter.com is a Leading Provider of Two Way Radios, Body Cameras, and License Plate Readers for Churches across America.  We partner and interact with Security Consultants like the Church Safety Guys to help Churches create and operate Safety Teams.  Church Safety is a responsiblity and can be a vibrant Ministry for your Church.  Need help taking a step, don't hesitate to reach out.  

Church Security isn’t optional any longer with incidents happening in houses of worship almost weekly. Churches are having to redefine what facility safety looks like, how to respond, and which tools can be used to improve safety while not making the Church look unwelcoming. Motorola’s launched a new tool, the intuitive V200 Body Camera churches should seriously consider implementing. In this article, we’ll discuss why Body Cameras are important and real life examples where body cameras would provide independent confirmation of how an event transpired.

Body Cameras are nothing more than a safety tool which provides independent documentation in real time. Specifically, the Motorola V200 captures audio and video in real time while also connecting the User to other users allowing for a Team response when needed. Body Cameras are designed to deescalate situations and provides a valuable viewpoint for response and later follow up. Lets’ explore this in more detail.

John Leo Riley with Gentle Response shares a story about a homeless man sleeping in a closet at a local church. He talks about how the situation escalated and ended up with Law Enforcement involvement and suggests that both the Church Staff and the Man could have deescalated the situation. Body Cameras cause people to think twice because they know they’re being recorded. The Motorola V200 would allow the User to quickly press a button to bring a Leader into the situation who’s not emotionally charged. Simply talking through the camera to ask everyone to call down could have changed the dynamics of scenario. The video would be valuable for follow up training.

There was a recent incident in a church where a couple were enjoying some fully clothed physical intimacy in the balcony of a church. As the Church Safety Team responded, they realized there was a third party recording the situation. It is assumed the three people were looking to create a viral video. Had this Safety Team been using the Motorola V200, they would have an independent recording which could be used by the Judicial System for no trespass orders, the Safety Team for Follow Up Training, and may have kept the situation from occurring in the first place.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates around 200,000 children are abducted by a non-custodial parent each year. A percentage of these abductions happen at church and a higher percentage are prevented by Church Safety Teams. People behave better when cameras are in use.

Finally, people get upset. Maybe it’s over a parking spot, maybe it’ over counseling gone bad. The goal of the Safety Team is to deescalate any stressful scenario and body cameras are invaluable. There’s a reason why Law Enforcement Officers around the World use Body Cameras and the primary reason isn’t to control their behavior. Body cameras are used because they’re a great at reducing the temperature of an interaction while also providing an independent viewpoint.

The Motorola V200 is an excellent investment for your Church. These compact, simple to use body cameras are easily implemented, aren’t obtrusive, and are an affordable safety tool. There’s not a better training and de-escalation tool available. Twowayradiocenter.com is the leading supplier of two way radios and safety solutions for churches and schools in the United States. Give us a call at 855-770-7194 to learn more about the Motorola V200 and your church would benefit from these valuable cameras. 

Motorola DLR1060.  This radio comes from the same family but has more talk channels.  The Motorola DLR1060 is also discontinued but there is some remaining inventory.  

Motorola DLR110.  This is Motorola's preferred replacement for the DLR1020.  The Motorola DLR110 is a 1 watt 10 channel digital radio and talks to the Motorola DLR1020.  The DLR110 has 10 talk channels and is a part of the Motorola Curve Ecosystem.  The Motorola Curve Ecosystem includes call boxes, radio reporting capabilities, and advanced calling features.  Give us a call at 855-770-7194 for information about the Motorola Curve ecosystem.  

Motorola DTR700.  The Motorola DTR700 is the big brother of the Motorola DLR1020.  This model has a display and allows for one to one communication between devices.  It is a larger radio and uses different accessories but is easy to pair with your Motorola DLR1020.  

Twowayradiocenter.com offers expert advice on how to connect newer models with your existing DLR1020 walkie talkies.  Give us a call or start a Chat today!  We're happy help.  

Twowayradiocenter.com is pleased to offer the Motorola Evolve Smart Handheld Device for business and mission critical environments.  The Evolve connects to the Motorola Wave Ecosystem and can be used on any Cellular network.  Reach out to our Sales Team for special pricing and incentives on the Motorola Evolve Smart Handheld Device!

Motorola Evolve Radios meet the following Intrinsically Safe Standards.  

When using the intrinsically safe Evolve model and Motorola Solutions UL approved battery, Evolve is UL approved to the below standards for use in hazardous locations: • UL 913_5 and CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 157–92 Class I, Division 1, Group C, D; Class II Group E, F, G; Class III. • UL 121201-2019 and CAN/CSA C22.2 No.213-19 Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C, D. T3C. • Tamb = -4°F to +140° F (-20°C to +60°C).

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit lifted the 14 day injunction on Tuesday April 16th, 2024.  There are no longer any limitations on purchasing or selling Hytera equipment anywhere in the World.  We will add a link to the court documents as soon as they are published, typically 3-5 business days after the proceeding concludes.  Twowayradiocenter.com has independently confirmed via the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit's website that the injunction has been lifted.  

For more information about the original injunction, please follow this link. Hytera Injunction

Frequently Asked Questions about the Hytera Injunction

Is it legal to use Hytera two way radios?  Yes, there are no laws prohibiting the purchase or sell of Hytera two way radios.  

What if we need our existing Hytera two way radios serviced?  Our normal repair process for Hytera two way radios has not changed.  Reach out to us via text, chat, email, or give us a call for assistance with repairing your Hytera two way radios.  

Will you start selling Hytera two way radios again?  We are under a court injunction to not sell Hytera products. We have no plans other than honoring the injunction.

Why was the injunction in place? We are not Lawyers and aren't a party to the litigation so this is just an opinion.  Hytera and Motorola have been in litigation since 2017 over code used to develop digital two way radios.  Hytera upset the US Court by filing some additional litigation in China and the US Court ordered that case to be dropped.  The injunction was put in place push Hytera to move faster.  

Does twowayradiocenter.com still recommend Hytera two way radios?  We believe Hytera makes compelling products at excellent price points.  We have had great success with Hytera and expect to continue to do so for years to come. 

For more information about this injunction, please follow this link.   Hytera Injunction

Frequently Asked Questions about the Hytera Injunction

Can we place an order for Hytera products with twowayradiocenter.com so we're first in line when the injunction is lifted?  No, twowayradiocenter.com will not accept any orders for Hytera products while this injunction is in place.  

When do you expect the injunction to be lifted?  We are not participants in the litigation and have no idea when or if the injunction will be lifted.

What if we need our existing Hytera two way radios serviced?  We are not able to source any parts or accessories while the injunction is in place.  You may reach out to Hytera.US to see what they're able to do to assist.  

Will you start selling Hytera two way radios again?  We are under a court injunction to not sell Hytera products.  We have no plans other than honoring the injunction.  

Why is the injunction in place?  We are not Lawyers and aren't a party to the litigation.  Please refer to Hytera.us for more information.