Confused about status of Bluetooth support

[pwabrahams]

I'm running Kubuntu 18.04 and I'm trying to get my Bluetooth headphones to work in that environment. I've been able to get them to pair (mostly), but I haven't been able to get them to connect. There are numerous posts in several forums about this and related problems. What makes the task so devilishly difficult is that the posts refer to a wide range of versions of the supporting software, so I can't tell which ones are at all relevant to me. Some of the posts are five or six years old. To add to the confusion, there have been a number of bugs reported and fixes to those bugs. There are also complex interactions with pavucontrol. and some sharing of code with Windows versions of the software. Some of the remedies require modifying configuration files, which can cause thrm to interact badly with other changes. Some fixes work for some people but not for others,

This isn't the first time I've encountered this sort of problem. I also ran into it years ago when I was trying to configure a wireless router. Fortunately I eventually found a stable solution to that one, but that was probably about ten years ago. This is one of those few areas where Linux does not shine.

Can anyone point me to a sraightforward path through this thicket?

[claydoh]

Step one would be to collect info about your bluetooth adapter, as well as any devices you are having problems connecting to. . Assuming it is a built in unit, which is usually part of the wifi card, you can get info about it via the lspci command. You will look for a line for your wifi adapter. It will look somewhat similar to this:

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000]00:14.3 Network controller: Intel Corporation Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (201NGW) (rev [/COLOR]30)
[/FONT]

or

[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000]02:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8821CE 802.11ac PCIe Wireless Network Adapter[/COLOR]
[/FONT]

If it is a USB dongle, then the output of lsusb will reveal info.

The next step I'd suggest is firing up a live usb of something with a much newer kernel to see if there are improved drivers. 20.04 and 20.10 would be worth checking out. 18.04 is becoming End of Life at the end of next month anyway.......

It might be worth checking the Driver Manager to see if it offers anything.

There are a huge amount of different bluetooth chips, and many of those have multiple revisions that can make things harder to deal with. Usually Bluetooth has been strong and well supported for a long time, with only a few makers being problematic.
So hardware info is key to filter out the useless info.


I myself have not had problems connecting to and using Bt devices for many years now, but the above Realtek device used to require my compiling a driver until 20.04 and its newer kernel/firmwares. No issues connecting or pairing, however, once there was a driver. The last time I had issues connecting to a headset or anything was a very long time back, and that one was problematic on different android phones as well, so do not rule out it being a finicky headset.


But giving us hardware info is key here.

[dequire]

Just an aside, but Bluetooth support in Linux is a real shame. We've come so far in so many ways. But Bluetooth ease-of-use and compatibility in comparison with anything else out there in the world of electronics is just...bad. It's not even just the drivers though, it's the whole stack. I can buy a $20 Bluetooth speaker and pair it in mere seconds to my phone. Pairing to the desktop though? Good luck. It's 'seen', but never connects. And if it does, it's a one-off and most likely won't pair again. My chipset is supposed to be one of the better ones, as I did some research before purchase - Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 8260 (rev 3a).

Wireless works like a champ.

It's supposed to be fully supported in Linux according to Intel (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us.../wireless.html).

Linux, I love you, but man...fix that Bluetooth stack, will ya?

[pwabrahams]

Here's my hardware info, if it's of any use:

02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 15)
03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168NGW [Stone Peak] (rev 10)

I managed to invoke the Driver Manager, which I hadn't known about. It seems to have done its thing, and I clicked OK. But what do I do now to get some useful information?

[claydoh]

What do you mean by 'do its thing"? Did it present you with the option to install any drivers?

Anyway, the info on your wifi card (which also provides bluetooth though, using different drivers) is good, and a place to start investigating. As an Intel device, there probably won't be any external, closed source drivers to install

[pwabrahams]

By "do its thing" I meant that it stopped and did not display any more messages.

[claydoh]

I am going to guess that being on 18.04 (which becomes end-of-life in about a month) has older kernels that do not play nice with this device.
What kernel are you on? (KInfoCenter will show stuff)
At best, if you have a 'newer' install of Bionic, you may have the 5.4, and from what I see it may work better on newer kernels like the 5.8 in 20.04.2, or newer.

Is this just the headset, or all bluetooth devices in general? You have not specified which headset you have.

I personally have not had pairing/connecting issues with Linux for many years, possibly as long as I have been living here in Georgia (2012), including many headsets from ~$15 no-names to ~$90 LG and Logitech units. Currently using a bt mouse and keyboard to type this, and have a speaker and soundbar available and working as expected, as well various phones. No headsets, though. mainly as I keep breaking them, but also due to my poor-ish hearing, I prefer the sound quality of decent earbuds and headphones.


I am thinking of getting a headset, maybe if you tell us which ones, I might avoid that one but sometimes I do like a challenge. I make it a point of NOT checking any hardware for Linux compatibility when purchasing

[pwabrahams]

Indeed I have the 5.4 kernel, which mught well aaccount for at least some of my problems.

[pwabrahams]

Indeed I have the 5.4 kernel, which might well account for at least some of my problems. The reason I chose to install Kubuntu 18.04 rather than Kubuntu 18.10 was that 18.04 is a long-term release. At that time Kubuntu 20.x wasn't yet out. Loooks like I will just have to grit my teeth and do,a clean install of 20;04, since the Bluetooth stuff at level 18.x is just too chaotic. I hope level 20 is better. It looks that way, anyway.

Picking Kubuntu releases is like picking vintages of French wines. Newer isn't always better. Thanks for your sage advice, Claydoh.

[pwabrahams]

Indeed I have the 5.4 kernel, which might well account for at least some of my problems. The reason I chose to install Kubuntu 18.04 rather than Kubuntu 18.10 was that 18.04 is a long-term release. At that time Kubuntu 20.x wasn't yet out. Loooks like I will just have to grit my teeth and do,a clean install of 20;04, since the Bluetooth stuff at level 18.x is just too chaotic. I hope level 20 is better. It looks that way, anyway.

Picking Kubuntu releases is like picking vintages of French wines. Newer isn't always better. Thanks for your sage advice, Claydoh.

[jglen490]

In December, I installed 20.10 on my new HP laptop. I really wanted an LTS, however 20.04.1 had some issues with the HP, 20.10 was it - and it worked fine. When 20.04.2 came out, I downloaded and clean installed it on the HP. It works beautifully, it is an LTS, and it is good until the next one. I have very limited Bluetooth usage, but the btusb driver is present for my Bluetooth mouse. I might just get a BT headphone and see what happens

[claydoh]

Indeed I have the 5.4 kernel, which might well account for at least some of my problems. The reason I chose to install Kubuntu 18.04 rather than Kubuntu 18.10 was that 18.04 is a long-term release. At that time Kubuntu 20.x wasn't yet out. Loooks like I will just have to grit my teeth and do,a clean install of 20;04, since the Bluetooth stuff at level 18.x is just too chaotic. I hope level 20 is better. It looks that way, anyway.

Picking Kubuntu releases is like picking vintages of French wines. Newer isn't always better. Thanks for your sage advice, Claydoh.

...
Pop in a live usb of 20.04 and see how bluetooth is working for you

[Beerislife]

My network is:

[FONT=monospace]02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI 
Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 0c)
03:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8821CE 802.11ac PCIe
Wireless Network Adapter[/FONT]

I'm running two BT devices with no problems:

Logitec Pebble Mouse M350
Audio Technica ATH-AR3BT headphones