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Comment by wkipling | Hacker News Reader

Because Bluetooth barely works normally for Windows

I know it's a popular trope on HN to say nothing on Windows ever works but anecdotally I've been using Bluetooth on windows for over 10 years now from 7 to 11, and never had any issues whatsoever that were related to Windows itself.

The only issues I have are Bluetooth disappears after wake from sleep which after research appears to be due to buggy firmware of the Mediatek network card installed in the laptop and not due to Windows, as the same issue happens at wake from sleep in Ubuntu.

And another issue was due to the device used being a Chinese no-name bootleg e-waste piece of crap off Amazon. Ironically never had any issues with Bluetooth earphones off AliExpress.

So YMMV.

I’ve had a ton issues on Windows with Bluetooth and I know it’s not the hardware because on Linux it works fine.

My Xbox Series controller is the biggest issue. For instance will not automatically reconnect when I pair it the first time and then disconnect. On the next turn on of the controller, it never finds the PC and connects. Windows then has no push for me to press to connect.

I have to delete the controller and then repair it each time. Sometimes I can’t even delete it and have to go into RegEdit and delete it. The delete button just does nothing sometimes in that menu

The Xbox is a popular controller so its Bluetooth connection issues on windows should be well documented online by multiple users by now if it's a known issue. Or is it just you and a handful of unlucky users due to some buggy Bluetooth card-driver combo?

There are a lot of short straws you can pull in the Bluetooth stack lottery that don't necessarily stem from the OS.

A few of friends also have this experience with the controller. Nobody bothers to say anything though and they all told me that I’d just be better off plugging it in. Which is what they do and what I ended up doing

I've used an original Xbox One Bluetooth controller on Windows with about a dozen different Bluetooth adapters. I've never had problems. I also used a Bluetooth Xbox 360 controller before and once again didn't have issues. I also use a GuliKit Zen Pro controller without issues across close to half a dozen different Bluetooth adapters without issue. All in Windows.

I'd be interested in knowing what version of Windows you're using. Bluetooth has had a lot of updates in the past few generations of Windows.

For what it’s worth, I had a similar experience with my old Xbox controller. I bought a new one and the issue went away.

Could be one of two issues here. Either your old controller could have been faulty, or the other one, the new controller has a firmware update or HW revision that fixes the issue your old one had. Impossible to know without deeper dives in HW & FW revisions.

For me, it never went away. I had an Xbox One S controller before with the same issue. Bought the Xbox Series controller last year for Elden Ring, same issue on Windows. Gave up, and just got a longer USB C cable.

> I’ve had a ton issues on Windows with Bluetooth and I know it’s not the hardware because on Linux it works fine.

This isn’t enough to tell you it’s not the hardware: you’d still need to check that it’s not, say, Linux being more tolerant of errors or not supporting a particular feature that the other stack is using. I know at least one person who had some long rant like that about audio, and then updated their Linux distribution to find that the newer bluez failed the same way.

I've experienced Bluetooth issues like that before on Windows. 100% of the time it's been solved by using a better Bluetooth adapter. I don't have any issues after using actually good Bluetooth adapters, such as modern Intel ones.

When people say that Linux works flawlessly with the right hardware, people also often don't seem care.

I could do that, but I’m using the built in Bluetooth on my desktop. Honestly, I’m just annoyed with Bluetooth and windows. Everything else not based on Windows work completely fine, from macOS to my multiple linux desktops

Are your Mac and Linux desktops using the same Bluetooth adapter as your Windows machines? If not, then maybe you do have an adapter issue and it's not the OS.

Linux and Windows are on the same machine. I can’t rip out my motherboard’s adaptor to connect it to my Macs

That's like arguing graphics suck in Linux compared to Windows because your 4090 in Windows works great but your CGA adapter you use on your one Linux desktop isn't that great. You're not doing a real comparison of like hardware, you're comparing different adapters across different OSes.

True, but I can’t feasibly rip out my wireless adaptor on my motherboard and connect it to my Mac.

Linux was running on the same hardware that windows was because I wanted to utilize my 4090 for some machine learning projects, so yes, there was an apples to apples comparison

Side note, have you tried a firmware update with the Xbox controller, inside the Xbox app for Windows? It helped me a lot, especially earlier generation / early production units.

(But yes, I always have issues with Bluetooth on Windows too)

I have, it’s on the latest firmware from the Xbox app. Still have these issues, the Xbox controller is just the biggest thing, my Sony headphones also have issues with Windows.

All of my coworkers have issues with anything regarding Bluetooth on Windows too

Yeah, I feel ya :/ My Xbox controller works better on a Mac than it ever it did on my Surface Book. Ironic.

I understand the desire to use Bluetooth, but there is a (relatively) cheap $20 adapter that uses a protocol and frequency more similar to WiFi I believe (like arctis gaming headsets if you’ve ever used those) which works much better. My experience with Bluetooth has always worked as far as connecting is concerned, but I had to use a TP Link Bluetooth adapter and disabled the motherboard Bluetooth to tell windows to use TP (it won’t assume for you). Even after being connected, I don’t think standard Bluetooth has the proper latency and bandwidth for the controller to work reliably in a crowded airspace (I live in an apartment). I will get small skips and latency spikes from time to time. The Xbox adaptor for PC makes it work basically just as effectively as connecting to an Xbox, with the only caveat being it will overheat pretty easily if you place it near an exhaust vent on the PC and are pumping hot air all around it. I put it on the front of my case and it stays cool enough there to work reliably.

As someone who used a bluetooth mouse with Windows for the past few years, have to disagree

And Bluetooth got quite a bit better on Windows 11 after the new audio profile thing is available

Can't be affected by an attack vector if the vector doesn't work to begin with, clever.

I think you mixed up Windows and Linux. Or maybe both have their share of problems. Or maybe it is, as some people here say, impossible to implement Bluetooth properly.

I agree. In Windows whenever I need to connect my BT headset I have to re-pair it, otherwise I get just speakers, no mic.

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