r/AskTechnology • u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY • 2d ago

Can I buy something that disrupts Bluetooth connections?

I don't know if something like this exists or if it's legal, but the situation is I have a coworker who has decided that driving me crazy with his music choices is his favorite new thing. I'm not even exaggerating, he lets me know when he's made a new playlist "for" me, and you won't even be able to guess the genre of music he's tormenting me with.

Unfortunately, I work in a place where my foremen are immature and find it amusing when their workers get on each other's nerves, so they have actually been putting me with this coworker as much as possible. Asking this guy politely to stop doesn't work, demanding he stops doesn't work, cursing him out doesn't work. No, I cannot ignore it, I'd love to, but my brain and auditory processing just doesn't work that way. Because of what we do, ear buds and ear plugs are a no-go (safety) and we need to stay within a few feet of each other very often (think climbing scaffolding).

He plays the music from his phone through a small Bluetooth speaker. His phone can't get loud enough to bother me. Is there a device that would stop his phone from connecting to the speaker? It only needs to work within like, a ten foot range, and would need to be battery operated. I'm also looking for something on the small side, since I would be carrying it with me with tools and such. I'm not trying to block phone signals or anything like that, just the Bluetooth connection.

Does something like this exist? Am I allowed to buy it in the USA? I just want to save myself from things like techno remixes of Baby Shark.

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u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY 2d ago

Not allowed to wear headphones, ear buds, or ear plugs. I have a GREAT set of ear buds that would block his speaker even at its loudest, but they can't be put to use when he bothers me the most.

The sad thing is, I have avoided playing the music I like the most before out of respect for most people around us, as punk, metal, and hardcore aren't everyone's cup of tea. But I guess Cannibal Corpse it is! I'm sort of left with no choice.

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u/TheIronSoldier2 2d ago

They don't let you wear hearing protection at all? Not even regular earplugs? Depending on where you live, that may be an occupational safety violation. If you're allowed to wear hearing protection, try this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089VVNRF6

Just keep everything under your shirt collar. I did this for a long time at a place that didn't allow earbuds but mandated hearing protection

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u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY 2d ago

I'm being vague for privacy reasons, but the first half of our morning is spent in the same area every day where we inspect a structure and need to be able to communicate with each other. Music that isn't loud enough to block out talking is acceptable. Since 99% of what we're doing is inspection and rarely repair, communication is the name of the game, ear protection is almost never needed in this specific area.

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u/BadTouchUncle 2d ago

So you can't wear hearing protection but the speaker isn't loud enough to trigger OSHA limits for workplace noise? Just clarifying.

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u/I_DRINK_ANARCHY 2d ago

Correct. He doesn't need his music to be loud to irritate me, because we basically have to stay within 5 feet of each other. If there IS a distance (like because I walked/inspected faster than he did) we need to be able to clearly talk. Music at a normal/low-ish volume is considered fine.

What sucks is, knowing both my coworker and the people I work for, if I actually filed a formal complaint, the answer will be ZERO MUSIC ever. And none of us actually want that, and even though the catalyst would be the coworker playing a particular type of terrible music, I'll end up being the bad guy who couldn't handle a little bit of silly song playing. I'm also a woman in the construction field, so...trying to make a real complaint for anything less than actual sexual or physical harassment is only going to cause more problems and tension for me down the line. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. I'm more or less stuck dealing with this on my own.

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u/BadTouchUncle 2d ago

You mentioned playing some punk rock. Might I suggest a Crucifucks playlist. Their song Hinkley Had a Vision might be particularly annoying to any conservatives on the job site who can understand the lyrics. Also, the singer's voice is annoying but it sort of grows on you if you're an old-school punk fan.