Bluetooth dies after a while

Question

Bluetooth disappears after a random usage time - maybe an hour or so, or maybe it is after some usage.

It is like the hardware disappears completely when looking in Device Manager.

I doubt it is hardware related, rather hardware driver related. I have the exact same problem on a Surface Pro (latest generation).

Reboot the computer, and it works for a while.

The computer is "vanilla" expensive Surface Book 2 - and "vanilla" expensive Surface Pro. All updates are installed.

If this is a hardware fault only I experience, I should buy tickets for the lottery, one computer bought in Norway, the other on the airport in Athens, Greece.

Answer 1

Hi Harold,

It's possible that your devices are not resuming from a low-power state.

If the Bluetooth adapter disappears in the Device Manager, or you don’t see any unknown devices under Other devices:

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and select it from the list of results.
2. In Device Manager, select View > Show hidden devices.
3. In Device Manager, select View > Devices by connection.
4. Look for Mavell AVASTAR Bluetooth Radio Adapter.

Once you find the Bluetooth adapter,

1. Right-click on Start, and select Device Manager.
2. In Device Manager, click the arrow next to Bluetooth, and select the Bluetooth radio.
3. Right-click Mavell AVASTAR Bluetooth Radio Adapter and select Properties.
4. Select the Power Management tab, and see if there is a check next to Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

 If this doesn't work, run the Bluetooth troubleshooter . This automatically resolves common Bluetooth issues. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Update & security  > Troubleshoot.
2. Under Find and fix other problems, select Bluetooth > Run the troubleshooter.

If running the troubleshooter did not work, run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit. The diagnosis and repair takes about 15 minutes as it would check for both Windows and driver updates. It will automatically install any missing Windows update or driver and firmware update for your device. Click **here**to learn how to run the toolkit.

Force shutdown your device to ensure all updates are applied.

1. Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
2. Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.

If that doesn't work, use this shutdown process to make sure your Surface completely turns off. Here’s how:

Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (this takes about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

If you continue to have this issue even after performing the above steps, please reply to this thread. The system will notify me so I can get back to you and provide you more answers.

Regards.

Answer 2

Thank you for your effort - I have seen this solution before, and tried it. At the moment (just started my work day) the problem hasn't occured yet, so I can find the bluetooth adapter nicely.

I'll try to figure something out with the "view hidden" when it dies again.

The power checkbox is disabled, and has been since I first searched for a solution for this. I hoped an windows update was the cause, and that it would be automatically fixed, but the problem is persistent.

I have also tried the bluetooth troubleshooter, but since the computer seems to no longer have any bluetooth hardware after the problem occurs, it doesn't really help.

I'll still try it again.

One of the devices I use is the Fitbit Ionic with BLE.

By the way, the NFC-function also dies, I guess that is the same hardware.

Update:

Now the adapter has died, it might be after locking the computer, going to meetings or other. I now change the power settings so it will not hibernate at all when on power. That is not a solution, but it might stop me from going mad.

The adapter didn't completely disappear as I said, it is there with a message that it is failing with the code 43. 

The troubleshooter ends like this:

"har et driverproblem" means "has a problem with the driver" "Ikke løst" means "not solved".

Answer 3

Thank you for updating us.

Reinstalling the driver usually resolves Code 43 error.

1. Right-click on Start, and select Device Manager.
2. In Device Manager, click the arrow next to Bluetooth to expand it.
3. Right-click Mavell AVASTAR Bluetooth Radio Adapter and select Uninstall.
4. Restart your device and let Windows reinstall the driver.

Please respond to this thread to let me know how the issue progresses. Similarly, if you have more questions, please inform me by replying to this post.

Answer 4

I have now done what you suggested, and we'll se how it works during the day.

This morning the symptoms were different from yesterday, today the hardware was indeed "not there" and - by using the "show hidden" the driver reported code 45, and asked me to insert the hardware. 

I tried to uninstall from that state, the process of deleting took forever, at last I tried to reboot the machine, and it ended in a BSOD - code "DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE"

After restarting, the adapter worked, I then uninstalled it as instructed, and now we'll see if it changes anything.

There is now a BLE device connected (Fitbit Ionic)

I'll add another post later today, if it dies again, and after the weekend if it is stable.

Answer 5

Ok, it died again - code 45 

This time it died while I watched.

I'll try to reproduce - and confirm that it is consistent. I only have a Fitbit Ionic BLE Device, so I don't know if the problem is the same with other BLE-devices

1. Start computer - make sure the Fitbit Ionic BLE-Device Connects to the computer
2. Start the fitbit companion app on the mobile phone (in my case Huawei P10 Plus, Android) - synchronize Fitbit in the app
3. Start the Fitbit companion app on the computer - click the Ionic Device from the app, try to sync / Access wallet or other function that involves communication with the BLE-device that is connected to the phone
4. Watch the driver die by clicking the Notification-icon of Windows 10.

So what I think happen, is that at some point the PC tries to communicate With the Fitbit-watch, after it has synced with the phone

---

Update: tried to reproduce, but it is a bit tricky, it didn't connect automatically to the Ionic the second time around. I discovered that my Surface Dial also use BLE - and I have had trouble with that also, of course due to the dying blutooth,  I realise.