Bluetooth page turning for Kobo eReaders

[lumping-sugar66]

Originally Posted by Renate

That's strange.
I have foot pedals, keyboards and clickers and I never touch a power switch.
I just hit some key and within two seconds it connects.
Ok, I'm on Android, I have my own popup that shows BT appearing and disappearing.
Does the Kobo give you any indication that something connected?

No, it does not. And I know what you're referring to. I have other devices that connect automatically but not the 8bitdo.

[bohn]

Originally Posted by Renate

Huh? I just leave Bluetooth on all the time.

How to do this though? If I enable Bluetooth in the settings, my device (logitech r500s) instantly works, I can turn pages no problem. But after a few mins or so bluetooth just turns off again. If I have used the page turner in that time, it remains on.. but after being idle for a few mins it disables itself.

How am I meant to keep it on? (aside from forcing wifi to remain on all the time which does keep bluetooth running).

[Renate]

Originally Posted by bohn

How am I meant to keep it on?

Is it the BT in the reader that is sleeping or is it the remote?
When I used cheapy remotes like selfie clickers they slept in 60 seconds.
Since I program my own now, I set them to sleep after five minutes.
If I space out on a page and my clicker sleeps, I can reconnect with any key.
That key doesn't get actually received but the next one does.

Bluetooth LE (low energy) is designed to be energy sparing. There's no need for it to sleep. I'm a heavy reader and I get 6 months out of a 2032 battery.

[bohn]

Originally Posted by Renate

Is it the BT in the reader that is sleeping or is it the remote?

It's the BT in the reader. If I go back into settings -> bluetooth it's off.

I think even in earlier pages in this thread people did complain about bluetooth turning off, .. I can 'force wifi' to be on in developer settings but I'd prefer it stay on without that so as not to drain the battery even further.

So your bluetooth setting just remains on all the time without any modifications to configs etc?

If I read constantly , it will work. But as soon as I let it idle for about 2mins approx it goes off.

edit: just did a test, timer on for 3mins, and it had stopped working (bt was off in the settings). Which firmware are you on? I am on the 4.38.23038 libra 2

[Renate]

No, I'm not on Kobo.
But I've never heard of an OS that turns off Bluetooth reception by itself.

[bohn]

Originally Posted by Renate

No, I'm not on Kobo.
But I've never heard of an OS that turns off Bluetooth reception by itself.

Ah. Yeah I have read that a few people have had this issue. From what I have read, I think the Kobo has bluetooth for audiobooks, and if there is no audiobook playing it then turns itself off. Unless Wifi is forced on.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Renate

No, I'm not on Kobo.
But I've never heard of an OS that turns off Bluetooth reception by itself.

Oddly enough, Kobo's official use for Bluetooth is audiobooks. If you aren't listening to an audio book, WiFi and Bluetooth will turn off after 5 minutes of inactivity to conserve power. So if it takes you more than 5 minutes to read a page, it's entirely possible that the wireless connections will be shutdown.

[bohn]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Oddly enough, Kobo's official use for Bluetooth is audiobooks. If you aren't listening to an audio book, WiFi and Bluetooth will turn off after 5 minutes of inactivity to conserve power. So if it takes you more than 5 minutes to read a page, it's entirely possible that the wireless connections will be shutdown.

As I mentioned a few posts above, I set a timer and 3 mins it was off. It's less than that, I think I read someone else claiming it was 150 seconds.

[DNSB]

Entirely possible. The ~5 minute time was from the first firmware for my Sage. It may have been shortened since then. Still though, 150 seconds to read a page? Averaging over my last 4 Kobo Plus Reading Life reports, I come up with an average of 14.6 seconds per page.

[bohn]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Entirely possible. The ~5 minute time was from the first firmware for my Sage. It may have been shortened since then. Still though, 150 seconds to read a page? Averaging over my last 4 Kobo Plus Reading Life reports, I come up with an average of 14.6 seconds per page.

Yeah, I know it doesn't take 150 secs to read a page. But if you put it down for a second for some other reason , you need to go back to the home screen, click on settings, click on bluetooth, load it, , back to menu, back to book, etc.

This is what I would like fix. 5mins is more reasonable - you could take a phone call and return to your book etc.

[lumping-sugar66]

Originally Posted by bohn

It's the BT in the reader. If I go back into settings -> bluetooth it's off.

I think even in earlier pages in this thread people did complain about bluetooth turning off, .. I can 'force wifi' to be on in developer settings but I'd prefer it stay on without that so as not to drain the battery even further.

So your bluetooth setting just remains on all the time without any modifications to configs etc?

If I read constantly , it will work. But as soon as I let it idle for about 2mins approx it goes off.

edit: just did a test, timer on for 3mins, and it had stopped working (bt was off in the settings). Which firmware are you on? I am on the 4.38.23038 libra 2

On Kobo devices, Bluetooth functionality depends on Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi is off, you won’t be able to turn on Bluetooth through Nickel (the default Kobo software). Nickel will automatically turn on Wi-Fi to enable Bluetooth. It’s also very strict about turning off unused processes, so without the “force_wifi” option, Wi-Fi may turn off, and the device will eventually shut down the Wi-Fi chip. If Bluetooth is inactive, Nickel may decide it’s time to turn both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off.

That said, I’ve used this plugin for months and never experienced a disconnection due to inactivity. The plugin has a heartbeat feature that pings the Bluetooth receiver every few seconds to keep it active. To avoid disconnections, make sure you’re not turning off Wi-Fi after it’s been turned on. You don’t need to use the “force_wifi” option, but don’t turn Wi-Fi off either. With the heartbeat feature, the connection should remain stable. If you still have issues, “force_wifi” might be your only option—it won’t significantly impact battery life since the chip is already running (I tested this).

If Nickel isn’t working for you, there are alternative methods on other readers, like KOReader.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I come up with an average of 14.6 seconds per page.

I couldn't say (or care) what my reading rate is.
If you use a selfie clicker or a ring clicker you will be occasionally annoyed by it timing out at 60 seconds.
Sure, you can read a page in less than a minute.
Ever look up from your book to see if the UPS truck is stopping here or your partner asks you what to have for dinner or even just space out with a bit of nostalgia?
Having your Bluetooth device timeout after an hour might be a tad wasteful.
5 minutes seems a reasonable compromise.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Renate

Ever look up from your book to see if the UPS truck is stopping here or your partner asks you what to have for dinner or even just space out with a bit of nostalgia?

When I am reading, I tend to get caught up in the book and according to my family, I wouldn't notice if our home was burning down until my toes caught on fire. As for my spouse asking what to have for dinner? We have a long standing arrangement where I plan and cook the meals and they do the dishes. A decision I sometimes regret since we installed our first dishwasher decades back but have never found an autochef to install.[/QUOTE]

[Renate]

Originally Posted by DNSB

... but have never found an autochef to install.

Well, get an old electrical cord, some nails and some hot dogs.
That's as close to an autochef as you'll get.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

When I am reading, I tend to get caught up in the book and according to my family, I wouldn't notice if our home was burning down until my toes caught on fire. As for my spouse asking what to have for dinner? We have a long standing arrangement where I plan and cook the meals and they do the dishes. A decision I sometimes regret since we installed our first dishwasher decades back but have never found an autochef to install.

An Air Fryer can help with making dinner. We have one with two drawers and it's great. I heated my wife's leftovers in the microwave and my chicken steak and fries in the air fryer.