TP-Link UB500: nano Bluetooth adapter for Windows PCs and laptops

Many desktop PCs and older notebooks have no Bluetooth or only an outdated version. The TP-Link UB500 adds it through a free USB-A port. At roughly 15 × 19 millimetres it barely protrudes, so you can leave it plugged into a laptop permanently.

Once it is in, you can pair headphones, speakers, game controllers, mice, keyboards or your phone for file transfers. According to TP-Link, the UB500 handles up to seven Bluetooth devices at once and is backward compatible with older Bluetooth standards. On Windows 11, 10 and 8.1 it is plug and play; for Windows 7 you download a driver from TP-Link's website.

TP-Link now lists the UB500 with Bluetooth 5.4; older hardware revisions that may still be on sale use Bluetooth 5.0. For everyday use such as a headset or mouse the difference is small, but the newer version has the edge on range and power efficiency.

Worth knowing: TP-Link does not list macOS or Linux as supported, so this adapter is clearly aimed at Windows. If your PC already has internal Bluetooth, disable it in Device Manager so the two do not conflict. Plugged into the back of a PC behind a metal case, range can drop noticeably – a short USB extension cable helps. The hardware version printed on the box tells you which Bluetooth version you are getting.