[Pkg-bluetooth-maintainers] Bug#819598: bluetooth: Can't use bluetooth 4 / LE HID devices

[Matthew Gabeler-Lee]

Package: bluetooth
Version: 5.36-1
Severity: normal
Tags: upstream

I'm having the same problem as described in this Ubuntu ticket:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/bluez/+bug/1546603

My log entries, for completeness:

Mar 30 20:43:56 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Error reading PNP_ID value: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:56 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Unable to register GATT service with handle 0x0009 for device C6:E5:C2:98:9B:58
Mar 30 20:43:56 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Unable to register GATT service with handle 0x000e for device C6:E5:C2:98:9B:58
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Report Map read failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Protocol Mode characteristic read failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: HID Information read failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Read Report Reference descriptor failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Read Report Reference descriptor failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Read Report Reference descriptor failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Read Report Reference descriptor failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Read Report Reference descriptor failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write
Mar 30 20:43:57 hostname bluetoothd[1525]: Read Report Reference descriptor failed: Attribute requires authentication before read/write

I'm using a Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse 3600 for reference.  It is a BT4/LE
device.  It pairs and connects just fine, but no HID events make it through
(at least not through to X) -- no pointer movement, clicks, or scrolls.

Some deep time with Google suggests that this issue affects quite a few
folks (not just Debian, includes keyboards as well as other mice) and _may_
be fixed by this upstream patch:

http://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-bluetooth/msg66469.html
AKA
http://git.kernel.org/cgit/bluetooth/bluez.git/commit/?id=064f48ad6dd0eb4becb94f5492b6c78218065f19

Which I think is included in the latest upstream release (5.38).  I haven't
had the chance yet to test/verify this.

I see #816815 is also requesting an update to newer upstream to support
newer hardware, though not related to this specific issue.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (500, 'buildd-unstable'), (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 4.4.0-1-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages bluetooth depends on:
ii  bluez  5.36-1

bluetooth recommends no packages.

Versions of packages bluetooth suggests:
ii  bluez-cups   5.36-1
ii  bluez-obexd  5.36-1

-- no debconf information