Bluedevil won't start from KDE

[EdVaessen]

I have OpenSuse 13.1 with KDE and installed seemingly all necessary software:

typing rpm -qa | grep blue gives:

libbluedevil2-1.9.4_bluez5-1.1.x86_64
pulseaudio-module-bluetooth-4.0.git.270.g9490a-20.1.x86_64
libbluetooth3-5.8-3.9.1.x86_64
bluedevil-1.3.2_bluez5-3.1.x86_64
bluez-5.8-3.9.1.x86_64

The firmware (ath3k-1.fw) is installed.

There is a bluetooth icon in the system tray, I have connection with my cell phone and can read directories in it.
Problem however is that I cannot start bluedevil from the KDE menu. When I try KDE->Utilities->Desktop->BlueDevil, I get this bouncing icon that tells me the bluedevil cannot properly start.
It looks like a KDE problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?


Ed

[deano_ferrari]

What does 'rfkill' report about your bluetooth device?

 /usr/sbin/rfkill list

If soft-blocked, unblock with

sudo /usr/sbin/rfkill unblock bluetooth

Then try launching from a terminal window

bluetooth-wizard

[wolfi323]

There is a bluetooth icon in the system tray, I have connection with my cell phone and can read directories in it.
Problem however is that I cannot start bluedevil from the KDE menu. When I try KDE->Utilities->Desktop->BlueDevil, I get this bouncing icon that tells me the bluedevil cannot properly start.
It looks like a KDE problem.

If you have the icon in the system tray, bluedevil is already running. So running it again has no effect.
That is no problem at all, that's working as designed.

So what is your actual problem?

You write that you have the icon in the system tray, have a connection and can read directories.
So what's missing?
Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in "Configure Desktop" (might be called "Systemsettings")->Bluetooth?

[deano_ferrari]

So what's missing?
Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in "Configure Desktop" (might be called "Systemsettings")->Bluetooth?

...or right-click BT icon and select 'Configure Bluetooth'

[EdVaessen]

If you have the icon in the system tray, bluedevil is already running. So running it again has no effect.
That is no problem at all, that's working as designed.

Ok. That's clear.

So what is your actual problem?

You write that you have the icon in the system tray, have a connection and can read directories.
So what's missing?
Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in "Configure Desktop" (might be called "Systemsettings")->Bluetooth?

The problem is that I cannot read telephone numbers from my cell phone (Nokia 2323 Classic) that I connected. Perhaps this is simply not an option available under OpenSuSE? Configuring bluetooth does not show it.

I managed however to get the telephone numbers using Windows7 under VirtualBox and the Nokia Suite and being able to save them to the PC, so there is not really a problem. It is just that I am curious what I can achieve with OpenSuSE when connecting my cell phone via bluetooth.

[wolfi323]

The problem is that I cannot read telephone numbers from my cell phone (Nokia 2323 Classic) that I connected. Perhaps this is simply not an option available under OpenSuSE? Configuring bluetooth does not show it.

Sorry, I have no idea about that, as I don't have a bluetooth adapter for my PC.

There is an updated bluedevil available from the KDE:Extra repo, which you can find in YaST->Software Repositories->Add->Community Repositories. (you need to install bluedevil and libbluedevil2 from there, use the "Versions" tab in YaST->Software Management to switch those packages to the versions from that repo)

But I don't know whether your problem is caused by bluedevil or is a general limitation of the bluetooth stack in openSUSE 13.1.
Therefore I cannot offer you a solution as well, obviously, or tell you what's possible or not.
Sorry.
But maybe somebody else can...

[deano_ferrari]

Ok. That's clear.

The problem is that I cannot read telephone numbers from my cell phone (Nokia 2323 Classic) that I connected. Perhaps this is simply not an option available under OpenSuSE? Configuring bluetooth does not show it.

I managed however to get the telephone numbers using Windows7 under VirtualBox and the Nokia Suite and being able to save them to the PC, so there is not really a problem. It is just that I am curious what I can achieve with OpenSuSE when connecting my cell phone via bluetooth.

For Nokia connectivity, it may be worth trying gnokii (or xgnokii), which uses the bluez libraries AFAIU. (KDE uses the BlueDevil BT stack, while Gnome uses bluez, but installing it via a package manager should drag in any required dependencies, evenif using KDE.)

http://www.gnokii.org/
http://wiki.gnokii.org/index.php/Config

[wolfi323]

For Nokia connectivity, it may be worth trying gnokii (or xgnokii), which uses the bluez libraries AFAIU.

Does gnokii support bluetooth? I didn't know that. I only ever used it via USB...

(KDE uses the BlueDevil BT stack, while Gnome uses bluez, but installing it via a package manager should drag in any required dependencies, evenif using KDE.)

Bluedevil uses bluez as well, that's why it doesn't fully work in 13.1 as GNOME forced the upgrade to bluez5 and bluedevil's port to bluez5 was not finished yet.
The version in KDE:Extra should work better, although it is still only an RC (although the developer promised a release for November 2013... )

[deano_ferrari]

Does gnokii support bluetooth? I didn't know that. I only ever used it via USB...

Yes, it does. Refer the wiki.

Bluedevil uses bluez as well, that's why it doesn't fully work in 13.1 as GNOME forced the upgrade to bluez5 and bluedevil's port to bluez5 was not finished yet.

Yes, I do recall that now that you mention it. In any case, my point is that gnokii may behave better than KDE's BlueDevil tools perhaps.

The version in KDE:Extra should work better, although it is still only an RC (although the developer promised a release for November 2013... )

Well, I do have KDE Extra. (I'm using 4.14.4 currently.) Although, I only ever use BT to download the odd photo.

[crmrhm]

Bluedevil uses bluez as well, that's why it doesn't fully work in 13.1 as GNOME forced the upgrade to bluez5 and bluedevil's port to bluez5 was not finished yet.
The version in KDE:Extra should work better, although it is still only an RC (although the developer promised a release for November 2013... )

With 13.1 KDE 32-bit and bluedevil 1.3.2 from the standard openSUSE repository, our bluetooth headphones would not connect. I switched to bluedevil 2.0~rc1-16.5 from the KDE:Extra repository, and the connection works fine. IMHO, installing the KDE:Extra version is worth a try.
Howard