Ubuntu Logitech diNovo Edge Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard (Part 2)

I reported on problems with Ubuntu Logitech diNovo Edge Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard, and now in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric and Ubuntu 12.04 Precise the problem resurfaces each time you do a fresh install or Distribution Upgrade. But the solution is slightly different than before.

Update: The problem appears in Ubuntu/Kubuntu 12.04 Precise also, but the solution is the same.

This solution is using for the Logitech diNovo Edge in Ubuntu/Kubuntu. Symptoms are the bluetooth-device-manager kept prompting me to connect to the device but nothing I did ever worked.

Here is the solution / fix for getting the keyword to work. The source for this information is here.

The problem is in the udev rules. In 11.04 there was a special line in '/lib/udev/rules.d/70-hid2hci.rules' for Logitech devices that started with KERNEL=="hidraw*".
These seem to be missing in default configurations. This fix adds this line into another file instead which makes things work.

Edit the file: /lib/udev/rules.d/##-bluez-hid2hci.rules (where the ## is the number on your system. Just search for the keywords 'bluez-hid2hci.rules' in the /lib/udev/rules.d/ directory. For example, on my system in Ubuntu 11.10 it was number 62 and on Ubuntu 12.04 is was 97.)

(If you need help editing a file, see bottom section.)

Change this line:

# Logitech devices
KERNEL=="hiddev*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="046d", ATTRS{idProduct}=="c70[345abce]|c71[34bc]", \
RUN+="hid2hci --method=logitech-hid --devpath=%p"

to

KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="046d", ATTRS{idProduct}=="c70[345abce]|c71[34bc]", \
RUN+="hid2hci --method=logitech-hid --devpath=%p"

I have made the changed sections BOLD. Save the changes to the file. I also turned bluetooth off from the icon in the system tray.
After making this change, I turned on my wireless keyboard, unplugged it's bluetooth dongle, plugged it back in, paired the keyword with the dongle, and a few seconds later it worked. I did not even have to reboot.
IF YOU NEED HELP EDITING CONFIGURATION FILES UNDER LINUX, please see this link: http://awesomelinux.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-edit-configuration-file.html

Ubuntu Logitech diNovo Edge Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

I use the Logitech diNovo Edge in Ubuntu/Kubuntu and I love it. When I installed Kubuntu 10.04 Lucid, this wireless keyboard failed to work. The bluetooth device manager kept prompting me to connect and pair the device with a PIN but nothing I did ever worked.

UPDATE/EDIT: This problem has been reported in version dating from 10.04 to 11.04. This solution works for those, but there is a slightly different solution for 11.10.

Here is the solution / fix for getting the keyword to work. The source for this information is here.

Edit the file: /lib/udev/rules.d/70-hid2hci.rules

(If you need help editing a file, see bottom section.)

Change this line:

# Logitech devices
KERNEL=="hiddev*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="046d", ATTRS{idProduct}=="c70[345abce]|c71[34bc]", \
RUN+="hid2hci --method=logitech-hid --devpath=%p"

to

KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="046d", ATTRS{idProduct}=="c70[345abce]|c71[34bc]", \
RUN+="hid2hci --method=logitech-hid --devpath=%p"

I have made the changed sections BOLD. I also turned bluetooth off from the icon in the system tray.

After making this change, I turned on my wireless keyboard, unplugged it's bluetooth dongle, plugged it back in, paired the keyword with the dongle, and a few seconds later it worked. I did not even have to reboot.

HOW TO EDIT THE FILE (for those who need help with this stage)

New users to Linux may have trouble editing text files at first. I'll try to be simple, and this guide is for people using Gnome or KDE.

The simplest way is using a user friendly program. In Gnome (which is normal Ubuntu), the default text editor is gedit. In KDE (in Kubuntu) it is Kate. Also, this is a protected system file, so you need to use special Administrator privileges before you can edit it. Don't worry. This is simply.

KDE

In KDE, you need to find the "Run Command" option the Application menu. (The App menu is usually in the lower left-hand corner, with a colorful K-button.) In KDE4's new menu style, the "Run Command" is (currently) under the 'Computer' section, near the top of the small list. Find the option and click it.

In the input box that displays, copy/paste the this command into it and press enter:

kdesu kate /lib/udev/rules.d/70-hid2hci.rules

The 'kdesu' program tells the system you want to run the text editor (kate) with Admin access. You will be prompted for your individual user password, which you enter. Then kate should open with a file ready for you. (This is the /lib/udev/rules.d/70-hid2hci.rules file which we told kate to open for us.) If this file does not open, you can open it manually by going to menu File -> Open... and then navigating to the '/' root directory, down to 'lib' and so on until you find the file ' 70-hid2hci.rules'.

Edit the file as directed earlier in this article. Save the file, close the file (menu File -> Close), and then finally exit Kate.

GNOME

In Gnome, first open the Terminal through the Application menu. (The App menu is usually in the upper left-hand corner, labeled as Applications.) On my system, it is under Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal.

In the input command window that displays, copy/paste the this command into it and press enter:

gksu gedit /lib/udev/rules.d/70-hid2hci.rules

The 'gksu' tells the system you want to run the text editor (gedit) with Admin access. You will be prompted for your individual user password, which you enter. Then gedit should open with a file ready for you. (This is the /lib/udev/rules.d/70-hid2hci.rules file which we told gedit to open for us.) If this file does not open, you can open it manually by going to menu File -> Open... and then navigating to the '/' root directory, down to 'lib' and so on until you find the file ' 70-hid2hci.rules'.

Edit the file as directed earlier in this article. Save the file, close the file (menu File -> Close), and then finally exit gedit. You can close the Terminal also.

Hope that helps.

Logitech diNovo Edge bluetooth connectivity issues

Sort of like USB support years ago, BlueTooth still has some bugs under Linux. Currently I'm referencing just connectivity issues. From what I can tell, this particular issue has been around in Linux since July 2007 at least according to some bug reports.

I use the Logitech diNovo Edge. This keyboard is awesome and I love it. When the dongle is not initialized as a bluetooth device - ie in bios, boot, install etc it simply emulates a usb keyboard / mouse and works (without any fancy features) perfectly. Hence, it works in text mode great. This happens during during System Startup, BIOS access or during the actually Linux console startup sequence.

However, as soon as it is initialized as a bluetooth device it forces you to use bluetooth pairing to work (this applies to Windows too). So, as you can imagine, by the time I reach KDE the keyboard doesn't work.

A solutions I have found to this problem (Source http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=355497):

Edit with sudo (text-editor) /etc/default/bluetooth

Then look for the line that says:
HID2HCI_ENABLED=1

and change it to this:
HID2HCI_ENABLED=0