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[SOLVED] Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

> This question was originally posted on the [UNIX and Linux StackExchange][se_post]

[se_post]: https://unix.stackexchange.com/posts/638019/edit

I have a Bluetooth USB adapter that I plug into my desktop PC to help me connect to Bluetooth stuff. It works perfectly under Windows 10. Except that I really can't get it to work with Artix OpenRC dual-boot, despite having installed all of the relevant packages and having watched and read many tutorials. (My headphones are Sony's `LE_WH-1000XM3`)

The closest I could get to something working was following [this Gentoo OpenRC tutorial][tutorial], but, at the very end, when trying `connect device_mac_address` all I get is a vague error message — yes, I have done `rfkill unblock bluetooth` —:

```error
Attempting to connect to XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Failed to connect: org.bluez.Error.Failed
```

And, if I try to pair it again, I get `Failed to pair: org.bluez.Error.AlreadyExists`. Quite frankly, I find `bluetoothctl`'s error messages quite terse and cryptic.

---

I have many packages installed, including:

```none
alsa-utils
blueberry
blueman
bluez
bluez-tools
bluez-utils
bluetooth
bluetooth-openrc
pavucontrol
pulseaudio-alsa
pulseaudio-bluetooth
pulseaudio-ctl
```

So far, I have been using my headphones through cable, but even then I can't say the behavior has been very consistent. Sometimes I have to open `pavucontrol` and hack around to see if a specific configuration manages to enable to headphones.


[tutorial]: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Bluetooth

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #2 –
I was reading the Gentoo tutorial because it seemed to be more readable than what I had found on the Arch Wiki. But, that said, the Bluetooth USB Dongle section (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth#Bluetooth_USB_Dongle), fits in more nicely into my context.

With respect to the services starting on boot, I think I had enabled them with this: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth#Auto_power-on_after_boot

I quite frankly find the `rc-whatever` stuff kind of confusing, but, when I run `rc-service --list`, here is what's under the letter "b":

```none
binfmt
bluetoothd
bootmisc
```

Is `rc-service --list` what you meant by checking what's starting at boot?

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #3 –
What DE are you using I did a new Cinnamon runit install and Bluetooth works fine out the box, both my earbuds and Bluetooth amp.
Please remember that if you inst packages not matched for the DE, WM, you can get problems.
Also with everything the headset is always only compatible as is the Bluetooth transducer, with Windows.

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #4 –
Quote
bluetooth service bluetooth-openrc is installed, i see, but it's started at boot?
Code: [Select]
rc-status

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #5 –
Here is my
Code: [Select]
rc-status
output (https://imgur.com/gallery/bqgnKeS):



My desktop environment is pure Xorg + XMonad, I wouldn't have guessed it would influence Bluetooth though. You can take a look at my full dotfiles setup here.

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #6 –
have you read this

you will typically need to take an additional step to integrate the audio server with bluetooth. This is detailed in the below sections.

See the Bluetooth headset page for more information about bluetooth audio and bluetooth headsets.
PulseAudio

In order to be able to use audio equipment like bluetooth headphones or speakers, you need to install the additional pulseaudio-bluetooth package. With a default PulseAudio installation you should immediately be able to stream audio from a bluetooth device to your speakers.

If you have a system-wide PulseAudio setup make sure the user running the daemon (usually pulse) is in the lp group and you load the bluetooth modules in your PulseAudio config:

/etc/pulse/system.pa

...
load-module module-bluetooth-policy
load-module module-bluetooth-discover
...

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #7 –
Quote from: mandog – on
have you read this

Is that content on the Arch Wiki's Bluetooth page? If not, where is it? I can't seem to find it... Do you have a link?

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #8 –
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth

its just before pipewire the arch wiki can be very elusive at times

do you use a dongle by any chance

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #9 –
I added the policy and discover modules to the system.pa file, but it still didn't work :(

I use a dongle for my keyboard and webcam. My mouse is connected through its Logitech RF USB adapter. And the Bluetooth USB adapter is directly connected to the PC as well.

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #10 –
The usb dongle is not by any chance a Cambridge dongle as their are a lot of bad ones, I use a cambridge dongle myself mine is fine mind you ,  but if the other BT devises are working that should rule out the interface.
My other dongle does not work with Mac and gives low quality sound on Linux.

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #11 –
My dongle is from a brand called exbom, it works really well, but I have no devices related to the Bluetooth issue that are connected to it. And I also have no other Bluetooth devices working actually, the Logitech USB device works with RF, which was unexpected to me some years ago. My Bluetooth USB adapter is connected to 1 of 3 of my desktop USB ports.
 

Re: Bluetooth with a USB Adapter and Sony's LE_WH-1000XM3 Headphones

Reply #12 –
Unexpectedly, when I was trying to debug this one day, I opened up both Blueberry and Pavucontrol at the same time. Then and only then Bluetooth connected, with even better sound quality than I was experiencing through cable.  (Closing any of the mentioned apps would terminate the Bluetooth connection itself.)