HOWTO: Apple Wireless Keyboard (Bluetooth)

[jrsoft]

Why do I get the following response from search

jack@jack-desktop:~$ sudo hidd --search
Searching ...
Connecting to device 00:0A:95:3B:56:75
HID create error 14 (Bad address)

With bluez-utills installed I get this type of response from both my Apple Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse. If I de-install it the keyboard is visable from boot. I want both mouse and keyboard. I have not been able tomake that work. All I can get is keyboard but only without using bluez-utils. This is with the 6.10 DVD installed.

Any ideas of what I can try? I have been reading posts for weeks and found nothing that works. My system is a Dual 2Gz G5 Power Mac.

[naag]

Finally I got time to comment on your replies:

1. Some people had trouble getting automatic reconnect to work. In my first version of this howto, I forgot to tell you to enable HID-support by default. I edited my howto in this regard. Check the updated version! Hopefully this solves these tedious reconnect problems.
   
2. Someone suggested removing the package "bluez-utils". Since this package provides the very basic linux bluetooth support, it didn't make any sense to me at first. Without bluez-utils, nothing should work at all!
   
   I just realized that anyone who had success removing "bluez-utils" might not actually be using a standard bluetooth dongle, but some kind of HID-proxy bluetooth device (don't know how you call it actually). I also used to have such a device as it came with my Logitech MX900 mouse. This device connects to the PC via USB and acts as a standard USB mouse. In this case, the mouse is not paired directly with the PC, but with this proxy base station.
   
   Try running "hcitool dev" (from "bluez-utils") to determine if you have a real bluetooth dongle or just some kind of proxy device. This command should output something like the following if you have a real bluetooth dongle:
   
   

   user@ubuntu:~$ hcitool dev
   Devices:
           hci0    BD_ADDR
   user@ubuntu:~$

   The device list will be empty if you use a proxy device.
   
   Maybe someone who had success removing "bluez-utils" can comment on this?
   
3. Someone had a problem getting "permission denied" errors. You might try resetting your bluetooth subsystem by removing /var/lib/bluetooth/*.
   
   Warning: this will remove all bluetooth pairings!
   
   

   user@ubuntu:~$ sudo rm -rf /var/lib/bluetooth/*

   You should now follow the howto from the beginning to see if you're lucky this time...
   

Have some luck!

[Bealer]

Hmmm, I tried what you said (resetting the bluetooth subsystem) but it didn't work.

I've actually just freshly installed Feisty, and it doesn't work. I still get the "Can't get device information: Permission denied" message when trying to connect to the device (the final step).

Any ideas what it could be? Is it the keyboard, maybe my dongle (it's a D-Link DBT-120). It all worked before in Edgy, then for some reason has stopped working and won't let me access the device.

[Bealer]

Ok weird. It's working now.

I moved the dongle about and rebooted a few times. It's currently back in the usb port it was in before. Now though, the Bluetooth Manager is showing along the task bar. When I connected and entered a pin, a popup message appeared from it, and I was able to pair the keyboard.

Any idea why the Bluetooth Manager wasn't properly showing? Ah well, not exactly a solution but it seems to have worked.

[oswaldkelso]

Is anyone here dual booting? If so are you choosing your os via the alt/option key or via X L C. I would like to use the latter as it auto boots linux but beggers cant be choosers.

[rdn2fst]

i am having a slightly similar problem that may fall under the category of this post. I am attempting to pair my motorola v3xx RAZR to my Fiesty Fawn in high hopes of using it as an internet connection.

i know that i can use the phone as an internet connection because i have zero problems doing that now with a USB cable. while the USB cable has its perks, it's still a cable and i like to be free and unbounded at times, which is why i am so set on getting this Bluetooth connection (pairing) to work.

• i can scan for devices and receive the 'bdaddr' or what looks to be a MAC address and the name of my phone.

  hachenbeak@Warsteiner:~$ hcitool scan
  Scanning ...
          00:1B:52:CF:D8:5E       Aaron's Phone

• when i enter

  hachenbeak@Warsteiner:~$ hidd --connect 00:1B:52:CF:D8:5E

  the blue light flashes on my phone for a moment and then i receive

  Can't get device information: Success

• My /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf looks like:
  

  root@Warsteiner:/home/hachenbeak# more /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf 
  #
  # HCI daemon configuration file.
  #
  
  # HCId options
  options {
          # Automatically initialize new devices
          autoinit yes;
  
          # Security Manager mode
          #   none - Security manager disabled
          #   auto - Use local PIN for incoming connections
          #   user - Always ask user for a PIN
          #
          security auto;
  
          # Pairing mode
          #   none  - Pairing disabled
          #   multi - Allow pairing with already paired devices
          #   once  - Pair once and deny successive attempts
          pairing multi;
  
          # Default PIN code for incoming connections
          passkey "1234";
  }
  
  # Default settings for HCI devices
  device {
          # Local device name
          #   %d - device id
          #   %h - host name
          name "%h-%d";
  
          # Local device class
          class 0x3e0100;
  
          # Default packet type
          #pkt_type DH1,DM1,HV1;
  
          # Inquiry and Page scan
          iscan enable; pscan enable;
          discovto 0;
  
          # Default link mode
          #   none   - no specific policy 
          #   accept - always accept incoming connections
          #   master - become master on incoming connections,
          #            deny role switch on outgoing connections
          lm accept;
  
          # Default link policy
          #   none    - no specific policy
          #   rswitch - allow role switch
          #   hold    - allow hold mode
          #   sniff   - allow sniff mode
          #   park    - allow park mode
          lp rswitch,hold,sniff,park;
  }
  device 00:1B:52:CF:D8:5E {
      name "Aaron's Phone";
      auth enable;
      encrypt enable;
  }
  root@Warsteiner:/home/hachenbeak#

help!

[calinb]

Some people had trouble getting automatic reconnect to work. In my first version of this howto, I forgot to tell you to enable HID-support by default. I edited my howto in this regard. Check the updated version! Hopefully this solves these tedious reconnect problems..

Okay, but I think you got it backwards.

Change "HIDD_ENABLED=1" to "HIDD_ENABLED=0". Take care that using this how-to you do not need any "--connect BD_ADDR" parameters to hidd. So you can remove them from HIDD_OPTIONS. "HIDD_OPTIONS='--master --server'" is just fine.

My Bluetooth connections were not sticky after reboot until I set

HIDD_ENABLED=1

Still couldn't have made it work without ya', naag!

Thanks,

-Cal

[.bashrc]

Hey, thanks for the great guide. It worked pretty much "as advertised," however I was never asked for a pin ... strange. Does that mean whatever I'm typing someone else might be viewing?

So ... is there any safeguard for the security of this?

Oh, and one other thing. I noticed that the number pad of my Apple Keyboard doesn't seem to be working. Any hints?

Thanks,
bash

[twocargar]

Thanks for the info. I used this to pair my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse!

[Doctor J.]

Thanks morphet!
Removing the bluez utils mad both the keyboard and mouse pair instantaneously
What an easy fix!

zman

Same here [mouse anyway, i don't have a bluetooth keyboard]. I makes me wonder why it was even part of the installation when the system works better without it.