Bluetooth headset drops connection

I have exactely the same problem.

Let's just hope someone out there has a way to get around this.

Cheers,

mark (Mantagua, Chile)

1.

Yep, same here in that I can pair my Logitech Mobile Freedom headset via Mac Mini's Bluetooth preferences but it won't make a connection. Pressing the signal activation button on the headset makes a quick connection and then disconnects.

I've trashed bluetooth plist file, I've restarted the Mini, I've repaired the headset with the Mini, turned everything off and restarted but nothing. My Sony Ericsson T637 phone has no problems with either device in connecting and using the features. FYI, just like you, I attempting these setups with my phone turned off to avoid interference.

2 weeks ago, this was not an issue and the headset worked great w/ the Mini. I just reinstalled all the OS and applications onto a new external boot drive (faster drive than the pokey Mini's!).

I'm having a similar problem with a Logitech Mobile Freedom. Upon receiving it last month, I had a 25-minute long conversation with a friend using Gizmo, and a 7-minute conversation a few minutes after it. No problems connecting to my PowerBook G4 (1.25)'s Bluetooth. However, after not using the headset for a few days, I turned it on again and found it no longer able to input/output audio with Mac OS X. It wouldn't even show up in Sound preferences when connected. It was also timing out (shutting itself off) after 60 seconds.

I called Logitech on the issue and after standard troubleshooting, the rep decided it was a product hardware issue and suggested I return it. I just received my replacement and I'm experiencing the same issue. I'm further finding that even if I press the multi-function button repeatedly, the device still turns off after 60 seconds. Now I'm not sure whether it's a headset or OS X issue.

I don't have a bluetooth phone to test, and I'm really not sure whether that would help. For a while, the replacement headset was showing up in Sound preferences after connected, but System Preferences was crashing (beachballing) when I tried to select anything there. Also, when selected, the headset didn't pick up any audio as input, as displayed by the Sound pref pane. Now, once again, Sound prefs isn't displaying the headset as an option at all.

Any ideas?

Yes, after diligent searching in these forums, I ran across the following instructions for trashing the OS X Bluetooth settings which include hidden files. It's a bit tricky and exact via Terminal but it did the job and I was able to re-establish my Logitech headset with OS X's Sound. Here's the steps:

------------------------------------------
After my previous post I got it working!
Apparently, I had to "self-brainstorm" by posting in here to recap what could have been the solution!
Ok! Here's the procedure:
1) Login as root from the login screen
1.1) prerequisites are:
1.1.a) You DON'T have "Automatically login as:" field filled with your account name and "Display Login window as:" is set to "name and password in Accounts.prefpane
2) go to /var/root/Library/Preferences by CMD-Shift-G'ing in finder
3) MOVE blued.plist and com.apple.Bluetooth.plist OUT of that folder and onto the root's desktop
4) open a terminal.app (in /Applications/Utilities/terminal.app)
5) cd to /Library/Preferences
6) MOVE a file called .GlobalPreferences.plist (invisible to the Finder!) to the root's desktop by using following command in terminal:
6.1) mv .GlobalPreferences.plist ~/Desktop/
6.2) You will NOT see this file appear on root's desktop!!! Remember that is invisible to the finder! Nor you'll have any special feedback from the command issued as per bullet 6.1.
7) REBOOT your Mac altogether without touching anything else
8) After the reboot you'll login with your usual username and go to the Bluetooth.prefpane where you'll see all your previously paired devices listed by their MAC addresses (names will be lost). Also note that they all remain "favorites" but not "paired" (heart icon but no key).
9) Remove them all from being favorites (click on the appropriate button) until you'll have an empty list (except the apple BT mouse, if you happen to use it)
10) set-up all the devices you need, including (obviously) your lovely BT headset by using the standard procedure; you'll see your headset listed correctly under Sound.prefpane and consequently available to iChat and stuff!

It is VERY worth noting that if (like me) you have one or more phones paired and set up for iSync, you *WILL NOT* reset those re-paired devices!!!
What this means is that, provided that you'll NOT launch iSync while executing these steps, iSync will NOT SEE ANY DIFFERENCE before and after the "treatment".
All in all, re-pair everything and enjoy syncing in peace and harmony!!!

Successfully made on a Powerbook with built-in BT, pairing a Moto HS810 BT headset, a SonyEricsson Z1010 and a Nokia 9500 (YES! is NOT listed as compatible, but tweaked to work 100%).
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Can you explain the following (I'm not very used to using the terminal so sometimes I don't really get it):

?? 1.1.a) You DON'T have "Automatically login as:" field filled with your account name and "Display Login window as:" is set to "name and password in Accounts.prefpane

?? cd to /Library/Preferences

Thank you for the help.

Mark

?? 1.1.a) You DON'T have "Automatically login as:" field filled with your account name and "Display Login window as:" is set to "name and password in Accounts.prefpane

This setting is actually found in the Account preference pane within System Preferences. Click on the Login Options over on the bottom left; the first option in the next window is "Automatically Login As"... turn it off. Then select the next option to be Name and password.

?? cd to /Library/Preferences

After you open Terminal, you should see a line of text stating your computer name, the short user name (e.g. - YourMac:~Me$). Just type in cd /Library/Preferences and then hit the Return key. Just follow the rest of the steps to complete.

Works great!, pairof9s. I'm curious to know what led you to find this solution and whether you discovered any corruption in those preference files that resulted in our issue.

No, diligent searching found the answer through a similar issue on another thread:

Andrea Colombo, "Problem with iChat / BT Headset / Tiger" #12, 06:09am May 11, 2005 CDT

Wow,

Pairof9s- that seemed like it was going to work- everything went as expected- though I couldn't seem to browse the folder as specified but browsing via the finder worked- or rather I used Transmit since it sees invisables. Everything resulted as you stated until the final step. When I logged back in as my regular user (it is an admin account BTW- due to issues I've had with new Adobe CS and permissions) The heart icon was available - no key so it all seemed to work as you described but when I removed the fav's and tried to re-pair the headset, which also worked- I still got no stable connection with the Jabra. I know this issues has been troubling users with BT headsets in general so I figured I 'd try.

No Dice. Good effort.

GG

Garrison,

I hate to hear that. I have to add that I initially tried to use my full admin account to do this but realized that I definitely had to log in as root; not sure why but it worked for my LogiTech headset. Let me also add that when I was finished and I had re-established my connection w/ the headset, the Bluetooth settings still stated that I had no connection to it. That said, I was able to set up the Audio Out/In selection for the headset in the Sound pref pane. In addition, it worked again w/ Skype which was my sole purpose. I can both listen to Skype audio through the computer speakers or exclusively through my headset as well as speak through the mic.

I'd say perhaps give it another shot but other than that, I have no idea on how to proceed further. No doubt Bluetooth is still a bit wacky for Apple.

D9

D9,

Your efforts to help with this issue are far better than Apple's. I haven't seen one instance of an apple tech replying to this problem. I appreciate your insight and look forward to the resolution- Apple? Are your ears ringing?

-Garrison

Hello folks!

I'm the original poster of the BT headset "thing".
I'm happy that after quite a few weeks my "procedure" is still useful!
Now the new frontier is to use the new BT2.0 features the new PB line provides... if any of you happen to use a BT Stereo Headphone (like the brand new Logitech Wireless Headphone for MP3) that uses A2DP services (BT2.0) or know someone that does, please post your successes/failures... I could connect and pair but not reconnect (see my post under Bluetooth forum).

Cheers,
Andrea

hey..

I can't find this blued.plist file anywhere. I can get into this /var/root/Library/Preferences/ folder but can only find these com.apple.Bluetooth.plist and .GlobalPreferences.plist files. Anyways when Im trying to set up my headset (logitech mobile pro) it says that Headsets are not supporeted on my hardware. Im using year old PB with tiger and I already updated my bluetooth firmware and software so it should work. Anyways I managed to set it up through any device and it says that my computer is now set up to use my bluetoot device and I can see it but still there's this connection: No and nothing in Sound preferences. Could it work if I can locate this blued.plist file somewhere?

That looks pretty strange to me...
All the files you mentioned are owned by root/wheel, so you have to "work" using the actual root account.
Your account, even if admin of your machine will NOT do.

If you didn't do that before (I don't think so, since you said you were able to "cd" in /var/root/Library/Preferences ...), your root account could be disabled; in that case you should go to /Applications/Utilities/ and use NetInfo Manager to enable it under Security menu-item, choosing a strong password (remember that root has all the power on your machine!). These info - again - might not be of use for you, but for others... you never know 😉

Then you should see everything...