Plan requirement
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Headset firmware updates fix audio and connection problems. It runs from your own computer, not from the phone system.
When it is worth doing
Not routinely. Update when you have a specific problem that a newer version addresses:
- Audio dropping or crackling that is not explained by the network
- A Bluetooth headset that will not pair or keeps disconnecting
- The busy light not following call state
- Call control buttons doing nothing
- Volume too low on a wired MonoLED or DuoLED, which is what one of the wired updates exists to fix
A headset that works has nothing to gain from an update, and every update carries a small risk.
This only works from a Windows PC, with administrator rights on it. There is no Mac or Linux route. If the person with the headset works on a Mac, the update has to happen on somebody else's Windows machine, or it does not happen.
Before you start
- Charge it fully. A Bluetooth headset that dies mid-update can be left unusable.
- Connect by cable where the model allows it, rather than over Bluetooth.
- Close your calling software so it is not holding the device.
- Do not do this five minutes before a meeting.
Do not disconnect during an update. Unplugging or letting the battery die partway through is the one way to turn a working headset into a broken one.
Three different procedures
Which one applies depends on the headset, and they are not interchangeable.
- Wired MonoLED and DuoLED. Over the USB connector, holding the mute button while you plug in so the headset comes up in upgrade mode. Plugging it in normally does nothing.
- Bluetooth headsets from 2025 onwards. The headset itself plugs in. A driver is installed the first time, and after that every later upgrade has to use the same USB port, which is the sort of detail that turns a five-minute job into an afternoon.
- Bluetooth headsets from before 2025. The base station connects to the PC instead, and the upgrade runs through that.
Telling the two Bluetooth generations apart is not something you can do by looking at them. Tell us when you bought them and we will say which procedure yours needs.
If you are not sure
Describe the problem to us first. Firmware is often not the cause, and we would rather tell you that than have you update a headset that was never the problem.
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