2

I have two Ubuntu machines in a closet, and a USB cable coming out from there via a Video/USB switcher. My keyboard, mouse, a tablet screen, and USB audio are all hanging off the far side of the Video/USB switcher. That all works great for wired keyboards and for a couple of wireless mice.

However if I try to use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, one system (running Ubuntu 18.04) works fine, but the other, running 20.04 does not.

The 20.04 machine sees the Bluetooth adapter (and using my phone I can see that machine advertising itself when I go into the Bluetooth settings page). However, the 20.04 machine won't pair with the keyboard, and doesn't even seem to see the mouse. The keyboard is capable of pairing to multiple devices, but I don't believe the mouse is.

Is this some limitation on Bluetooth? I was hoping the keyboard and mouse would pair with the USB adapter rather than with the machine behind it, but it seems that's not the case.

Can anyone tell me what I should and should not be able to make work? And does anyone else run Bluetooth keyboard / mouse to multiple machines behind a switch? If so, how do you handle this?

cocomac
  • 3,043
  • 3
  • 16
  • 49
Toby Eggitt
  • 419
  • 5
  • 14
  • What is the model of the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard? While keyboards may be able to pair to more than one at a time, it may not be able to control more than one at a time. Plus, why would you want to send the exact same keyboard commands to both systems at the same time? The only other thing I can think of would be to get a mouse and keyboard combination that connect to their own wireless receiver, then you could plug that receiver into the switch instead, that way it hits both systems when you switch back and forth. – Terrance Nov 14 '20 at 22:59
  • I'm not sending the keyboard to both at once. The USB bluetooth dongle is on the far side of a KVM switcher that also switches USB. So, I was hoping the keyboard would connect to the USB device, and then by switching which machine that USB device is connected to, I want to connect the keyboard to one machine at a time. The KVM/USB switcher does something I don't fully understand so that it does not appear to the computers as though the USB devices were unplugged and replugghed, just that they didn't do any communicating while the USB was connected to the other machine. – Toby Eggitt Nov 14 '20 at 23:29
  • Oh, the bluetooth is built on Broadcom BCM20702A0 (it's branded ASUS). Keyboard is a Keychron K2, Mouse is a logitech M535. – Toby Eggitt Nov 14 '20 at 23:32
  • So, how would you tell the Bluetooth devices then when you switch between systems? I don't think you can. A KVM breaks the connection to one system when you switch to the other. You would have Bluetooth on both that is active all the time so there would be no way to tell the keyboard and mouse what system you're switched to. – Terrance Nov 14 '20 at 23:47
  • I think I'm not explaining. The USB bluetooth dongle is on the *keyboard* side of the USB / KVM switcher. It gets connected to one or other computer at the same time that I switch the screens, by the same device. That device switches HDMI and USB. Other USB devices (such as my USB audio) switch just fine. And when I switch to one or other machine, that machine sees the bluetooth, and appears to be able to advertize its existence (I can see the computer, through bluetooth, on my phone) But the keyboard and the mouse do not work. – Toby Eggitt Nov 15 '20 at 00:17
  • It honestly could be that the Bluetooth adapter doesn't like live switching. It might be something when the system boots up that it has the Bluetooth connect at that point. Then when you are switching to the other it doesn't like the change since the OS is what controls the connection of the Bluetooth. My son has one that has its own wireless adapter on the 2.4GHz network that works live without the need to connect anything special. It works the same as direct connect. I also have a wireless mouse that does the same. – Terrance Nov 15 '20 at 01:11
  • Try on your 18.04 system by booting it up without the Bluetooth and see if you can just plug it in and if it instantly recognizes the mouse and keyboard, or if you have to boot it up with it connected to see it. Also, have you connected successfully with the dongle by itself on the 20.04 system? – Terrance Nov 15 '20 at 01:12

0 Answers0