Are there any Bluetooth keyboards for the OLED SD that work without issues?

[neo2001]

Are there any bluetooth keyboards that work without
* losing characters
* lags and repetition errors
* the need to rebind the device every single time
?

I got a cheap KB and Mouse combo and the mouse works perfectly fine, disconnects and reconnects in 1-2 seconds.

The keyboard works perfectly fine with iOS and Android, but with the SD, I cannot turn it off (neither the deck nor the keyboard) without having to rebind it, which is ANNOYING.

I know Linux pretty well and I’ve tried binding the keyboard in game mode, desktop mode and the command line. I’ve also explicitly trusted the device. But it doesn’t change anything, a soon as it’s turned off and on again, it need to be deleted and re-paired to work.

Another issue is, that even if it’s working, it very often loses characters or there are lags and issues when I hold down a key for too long. That makes it even more annoying.

The mouse on the other hand works perfectly fine.

First I though it may be the cheap keyboard, but then again, it works fine with other devices and I don’t really see a reason why it shouldn’t work with the SD.

Therefore I wanted to ask here if anyone here uses a bluetooth keyboard with the OLED SD without any of these issues and what brand it is or where to get it?

(I know I can connect a USB keyboard or use one with a USB receiver, but that’s not what I’m asking here.)

[@R+5]

Originally posted by neo2001:

The keyboard works perfectly fine with iOS and Android, but with the SD, I cannot turn it off (neither the deck nor the keyboard) without having to rebind it, which is ANNOYING.

imo, that looks like a driver issue, which afaik, is sometimes more common with chinese hardware from small or less known brands. with more "mainstream" brands, since theres more demand and users, that kind of stuff is less common.

still even with known brands, if there is no compatible driver in linux for the hardware, provided by independent devs or official sources, the thing may work improperly or not work at all.

which is the brand + model of your keyboard and mouse combo? if its a driver issue, maybe you can confirm it by checking if someone else has reported the same behaviour.

[shadowboy813]

I recently acquired a Logitech Pebble Combo for my Pi and SD. It worked fine on both. It's not exactly a gaming setup (gaming is not what I bought it for), so take from that what you will.

[Haruspex]

Keychron.[www.keychron.com]

[ReBoot]

I'm using an "iHarbort" one which is as much a non-name brand as it sounds. Works fine.

[neo2001]

Thank you guys for your feedback! I will check them out.

This is the keyboard and mouse, where the mouse works flawlessly, but the keyboard works only once and needs to be re-paired every time:
https://imgur.com/a/J5G0xsP

(I have taken it apart and added some pictures from the insides and PCB, for those who are interested.)

[That Fish Guy]

I use a very similar keyboard to what you linked, and don't have those problems on the deck (strangely it does have programs staying connected to my laptop) sounds like we're both bit by cheap electronic hardware.

[neo2001]

In the meantime I got a Logitech Pebble 2 Combo and I can also confirm, that it works perfectly fine with the Steam Deck. I also don't need/want it for gaming, just for Desktop mode and terminal stuff.

Considering the cheap keyboard works with other operating systems, it's probably "just" a software issue, but it's good to know that there are keyboards that work.

[lightwo]

Late reply to the thread, which seems to be the only relevant one here; Donar Electronic BT1505 (in its various no-name branded forms) is another keyboard that has issues on Deck OLED. Frequent disconnects. Might apply to all other keyboards/HID devices using Cypress CYW20730A2KFBG.

Just posting here that getting one is a bad idea, I learned that the hard way.

On CachyOS, I tried to swap kernel from linux-cachyos-deckify to linux-cachyos and even linux to no avail. A generic dongle that works fine on my desktop worked just as fine on the Deck, so it is definitely something to do with the FC66E-B WiFi/BT chip.

[1singur]

"I got a cheap KB and Mouse combo" well there it is, the problem itself.

I highly recommend MX Keys Mini if you want a small form factor, and if you want to make it a combo then go for MX Anywhere 3s as well.
Otherwise get the regular MX Keys and pair it with an MX Master 3 for a more desktop feel. I use this combo on my PC daily and on my Deck regularly.
Don't let the low profile full you, these are ok for gaming, with the added benefits of being fairly easy to carry around and connectivity does not fail.

[lightwo]

Originally posted by 1singur:

I highly recommend MX Keys Mini if you want a small form factor, and if you want to make it a combo then go for MX Anywhere 3s as well.

Can you clarify whether you use an OLED model specifically? It looks neat and I may consider it, but going through the compatibility lottery again isn't very encouraging. In fact, the keyboard I got cannot even be returned from what I could tell.

Originally posted by Ozwald:

You might be able to hammer a nail with a wrench, but you're never going to get carpenter results.

That isn't what the topic is about. Call Bluetooth as unreliable as you wish, some keyboards out there work fine on most devices, but not on devices like Steam Deck OLED. In this case, frequent disconnects happen on the Deck's side, which is very much unexpected behaviour.

[lightwo]

Extra note; the keyboard mentioned by the OP looks a lot like what Adafruit offers, probably designed and manufactured by some other company:

Originally posted by neo2001:

https://imgur.com/a/J5G0xsP

10" Bluetooth Keyboard – Black[www.adafruit.com]

...so it is safe to assume that this keyboard uses the same or similar internals and would behave the same way.

---

Edit: I made a new thread in Bug Reports, Deck OLED Bluetooth unstable with some keyboards

[1singur]

Originally posted by lightwo:

Originally posted by 1singur:

I highly recommend MX Keys Mini if you want a small form factor, and if you want to make it a combo then go for MX Anywhere 3s as well.

Can you clarify whether you use an OLED model specifically? It looks neat and I may consider it, but going through the compatibility lottery again isn't very encouraging. In fact, the keyboard I got cannot even be returned from what I could tell.

Originally posted by Ozwald:

You might be able to hammer a nail with a wrench, but you're never going to get carpenter results.

That isn't what the topic is about. Call Bluetooth as unreliable as you wish, some keyboards out there work fine on most devices, but not on devices like Steam Deck OLED. In this case, frequent disconnects happen on the Deck's side, which is very much unexpected behaviour.

I am using the LCD model, but Logitech is Logitech, they don't make duds. The keyboard can be paired with 3 devices at a time and switching from one to another takes a button press which makes the switch almost instantaneous. It also has a power off button, so you can avoid pressing buttons when throwing it in your backpack.
As a bonus tip, there is already an application made for Linux which replaces Logitec's Windows app for configuring advanced features of the keyboard or mouse, so keep that in mind as well.
I don't recommend the white model though because the key readability is bad (as in, characters can be hard to see on the keyboard in some circumstances).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_DWTVgTZLs

[lightwo]

Update: I re-tested and this issue still occurs with updated kernel and all. In fact, I only just realised that the behaviour which causes intermittent disconnects appears to glitch the whole wireless chip...?

When the keyboard was unresponsive and later managed to reconnect, in the meantime I noticed that WiFi was disconnected.

Given the nature of this issue, I feel like a firmware update is necessary. However, since I use CachyOS (the most similar distro to SteamOS in nature), I can't say whether I have the latest wireless firmware or not, as I can only use the package manager instead of Steam to upgrade my system (incl. firmware updates).