Help can i upgrade my OS?

[turnAwrench73]

hi new to the forum and fairly new to when it comes to doing beyond the normal ops on droid devices.
but hope someone can help me here. i have a simple tablet among my other toys, its a "insignia NS-P16AT08" according to the unit info under "about this tablet" it says its kernel version, android 5.0.1. i have tried to check for updates but i keep getting a "check your network" message....i know there is nothing wrong with my network cause a second later i am surfing the net on the same tablet. but here is my issue i guess i was wondering is there anyway i can update whatever version of bluetooth the device has. reason why i ask is cause i tried to connect to a bluetooth dongle and the tablet sees it but wont pair with it even after i input the code, but when i use my phone galaxy S7 edge to pair and bind with the same bluetooth dongle it does it with no problem. i was wondering maybe the OS could be a issue....? so pretty much what i wanted to know is there a way to change the version of android i am running on my tablet or upgrade the bluetooth hardware....? i got the tablet for my hobby i dont rely on this tablet for super fast performance i wanted to connect to my flying machine axis gyro via bluetooth and i also use it for watching movies on kodi. any help would be appreciated.
PS please when ya try to explain please remember my level of tech so feel free to talk to me like i am some dummy, wont take offense thanks again.

 

[Bg260]

Short answer: No
Reason: Tablet cost $59.99.
Result: With Android you really do get what you pay for.

That said, even if it wasn't a cheap fly-by-night Chinese tablet. Bluetooth has always been a bit of a struggle, especially a dongle. Does this tablet not have an inbuilt Bluetooth radio?

 

[Hadron]

Bluetooth version (i.e. BT 2/3/4) isn't something that can be changed with a firmware update, though in principle a BT software fix may improve performance. But @Bg260 is 100% correct that a cheap device like this is very, very unlikely to ever get a software update. The reason is that the update has to be built for the specific device, which means it's the manufacturer who does this, and as that costs money a device that was sold for $60, including the costs of distribution and manufacturer's & retailer's profits, doesn't have the sort of margins that would allow for any sort of support beyond the minimum legal obligations (if that). And this is a case where the "custom software" solution doesn't work either: not only is there unlikely to be a custom ROM for this device, but the problem here isn't in the ROM, and nobody does custom baseband firmware for any device.

There's no way to upgrade the BT hardware either: that's all integrated on the motherboard. So I'm sorry, but I don't think there's much you can do.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Nope. I just checked through some of the CommunityInsignia threads and this is an issue a lot of people are having. They want an update but Insignia is not providing any. There's a "Problem updating tablet" thread in there that was started in July 2015 and continues up to ast week but no one seems happy with Insignia's responses. Although Insignia's people are polite and helpful they just aren't providing updates for those tablets. Until and if Insignia creates an update you have to abide with what you have.

 

[Bg260]

insignia NS-P16AT08

the tablet sees it but won't pair

$59.99

galaxy S7

pair and bind with the same bluetooth dongle with no problem

$599.99

 

[turnAwrench73]

cool i appreciate the info folks! like i said i only got the tablet so i could watch kodi on it when i have appointments and i fly RC helicopters, and some of our flight controls parameters can be adjusted using a bluetooth dongle instead of lugging a laptop to the flying field. wasnt trying to shell out a crap load of money just to have for my hobby, thats why i went the cheap route. but oh well i guess back to the drawing board thanks again folks! most helpful indeed.

 

[Bg260]

cool i appreciate the info folks! like i said i only got the tablet so i could watch kodi on it when i have appointments and i fly RC helicopters, and some of our flight controls parameters can be adjusted using a bluetooth dongle instead of lugging a laptop to the flying field. wasnt trying to shell out a crap load of money just to have for my hobby, thats why i went the cheap route. but oh well i guess back to the drawing board thanks again folks! most helpful indeed.

For close to the same price you could get a Kindle Fire. Might not be as big, but it is a highly supported Android device.

 

[mikedt]

hi new to the forum and fairly new to when it comes to doing beyond the normal ops on droid devices.
but hope someone can help me here. i have a simple tablet among my other toys, its a "insignia NS-P16AT08" according to the unit info under "about this tablet" it says its kernel version, android 5.0.1. i have tried to check for updates but i keep getting a "check your network" message....i know there is nothing wrong with my network cause a second later i am surfing the net on the same tablet.

Probably because the update servers it's looking for are just not there.

I think Insignia is a just a house brand of Best Buy, for whatever imported budget products they sell, likely all from unknown manufacturers. Which means no chance for any updates.