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The Range of the Plugable Bluetooth Adapter Seems Poor and/or Audio Is Skipping or Lagging

Last Update: September 25th, 2026
Article ID: 387082

Why Is My Plugable Bluetooth Adapter Range Limited or Audio Cutting Out?

Applicable To

  • USB-BT4LE
  • USB-BT5

If you are finding that you can't be as far from the Bluetooth adapter as you expected, or if you're having issues with audio skipping or lagging, this is likely due to radio interference.

Below are some common causes of interference to avoid and steps that can help improve Bluetooth range and connection stability.

Instructions or Troubleshooting Steps

USB 3.0 Interference

The most common cause of audio cutting out or having limited range between a device and the Bluetooth adapter is radio interference.

The most common source of radio interference are USB 3.0 ports. USB 3.0 unfortunately emits broad-spectrum radio interference in the 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz range, which is the same frequency range used by Bluetooth, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi bands, and many other consumer wireless devices.

More information on this USB 3.0 issue can be found in this white paper by Intel   .

USB 3.0 Port

USB 3.0 Type-A blue
  1. Plug the Bluetooth adapter into a USB 2.0 port on the computer, an attached USB 2.0 hub, or a USB 2.0 extension cable.

Physical Objects Breaking Line-of-Sight

  1. Make sure there is a clear line-of-sight between the Bluetooth adapter and the device you're using.

Physical objects between the Bluetooth adapter and your Bluetooth device can interfere with the wireless signal and reduce the usable range.

Rear Input/Output Panel of a PC

  1. Move the Bluetooth adapter from the rear input/output panel of a desktop PC to a front or side USB port.

If a front or side USB port is not available, use a USB 2.0 hub or USB 2.0 extension cable to move the Bluetooth adapter away from the PC tower.

Other Issues

Windows 10 Driver Incompatibility — USB-BT4LE Only

This section applies only to the Plugable USB-BT4LE adapter.

Some driver packages that were released during the first year or two of Windows 10's availability are not compatible with current versions of Windows 10. In particular, the 12.0.1.940 driver package with the WIDCOMM Bluetooth Software can result in these types of issues.

  1. Check your list of installed applications for software containing the name "WIDCOMM".

If you find WIDCOMM software installed, the drivers will need to be removed. Please contact us for assistance with this. Be sure to include your Amazon or other retailer order ID and a PlugDebug log with your message so that we can provide steps to resolve this issue.

Expected Result

After reducing sources of radio interference and improving the Bluetooth adapter's placement, Bluetooth devices should maintain a more stable connection with improved usable range and less audio skipping or lagging.

If the Issue Persists

If you continue to experience limited Bluetooth range, audio skipping, lagging, or connection problems after following the steps above, please contact us so that we can help!