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Author Topic: [EN] Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections  (Read 2720 times)

Offline WetGeek

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[EN] Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections
« on: 2023/01/27, 19:02:23 »
My media computer that streams to my TV is a DELL Optiplex 7050 that runs fully-updated Siduction.  It connects via Bluetooth to a Logitech K380 keyboard, a Logitech M720 mouse, and an ONN soundbar.  More often that I'd like, the computer disconnects from all three peripherals simultaneously.  When that happens, I cannot reconnect them using the Bluetooth settings, but a reboot will automatically reconnect them.

My daily-driver laptop is a DELL Latitude 5580, also running fully-updated Siduction.  It also connects to the above mouse and keyboard, which are 3-channel devices that can control up to three computers.  The laptop also drops its Bluetooth connections occasionally, although not as often as the media machine does.  

The media machine is 12 feet from the mouse and keyboard with clear line-of-sight.  The laptop is less than 2 feet away.  The mouse and keyboard each have fresh lithium batteries.  

Because of this issue, I must keep wireless mouses as backups, so I can reboot the computers when they drop Bluetooth.  I'd rather be able to depend on Bluetooth, of course.  Thanks for any help with this!

Offline hendrikL

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Re: Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections
« Reply #1 on: 2023/01/28, 10:12:56 »
well. i have a BT5 and a BT4 dongle, or how that device called.
At my laptop I had that randomly disconnection with the BT5 dongle. with the BT4 dongle not. Both are from Logitech.
At my workstation i use the BT 5 for to connect a speaker with no problems.

So maybe it is the protocol, BT 4 vs BT 5.
« Last Edit: 2023/01/28, 10:36:48 by hendrikL »

Offline eriefisher

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Re: Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections
« Reply #2 on: 2023/01/28, 12:45:06 »
The fact that it's all the devices and on two laptops would say possibly a firmware issue for the dongle. It may be worth looking into what's coming up for it or downgrading. Try an older kernel. 

Offline WetGeek

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Re: Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections
« Reply #3 on: 2023/01/28, 13:11:12 »
Thanks for your reply.  That might indeed be what I have here.  If I'm reading the inxi results correctly, I believe the Optiplex has BT 5.1 and the Latitude has BT 4.2.  So fewer instances of dropped Bluetooth with type 4.x versus 5.x is consistent with what you're seeing.  

I was hoping that there might be a way to install proprietary drivers on therse machines that would perform better, like the way a proprietary video driver can sometimes solve video problems that occur with a free driver.  I don't recall these symptoms occurring prior to installing Siduction on these machines, and I've used this mouse and keyboard for a long time.

While I was typing my reply, eriefisher wrote to suggest that changing to an earlier kernel might help.  I'll give that a try, because neither of these machines is "bleeding-edge" in any way.  They're both at least 3 years old.

Eriefisher, your nickname caught my attention.  I used to live just a few miles from Lake Erie in Ohio, and often fished for yellow perch in that lake.  

Offline eriefisher

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Re: Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections
« Reply #4 on: 2023/01/28, 13:26:54 »
Eriefisher, your nickname caught my attention.  I used to live just a few miles from Lake Erie in Ohio, and often fished for yellow perch in that lake. 
For many years I lived on the north shore of Lake Erie. About an hour west of Buffalo/Niagara. Now I live on Lake Huron on Ontario's west coast.
« Last Edit: 2023/01/28, 14:47:02 by eriefisher »

Offline WetGeek

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Re: Frequent unexpected Bluetooth disconnections
« Reply #5 on: 2023/01/28, 16:21:35 »
The fact that it's all the devices and on two laptops would say possibly a firmware issue for the dongle. It may be worth looking into what's coming up for it or downgrading. Try an older kernel.
These computers have internal Bluetooth radios, so they're more trouble to change than dongles.

I've rebooted both computers, and on startup selected the second (slightly older) kernel.  Despite having used Linux for many years, it's the first time I've ever needed anything other than a current kernel, so it's a new experience for me.  Will the one I've selected survive nala upgrades?  Is that kernel an LTS version, or just a slightly older one?

I should know by tomorrow whether this fixed the disconnecting problem.  Thanks again for your comment.