Bluetooth audio auto-connection stop working after driver 23.10.0.2

[888]

My Intel NUC8i7BEH, WiFi Wireless-AC 9560 160MHz

After updating to Bluetooth driver 23.10.0 https://www.intel.cn/content/www/cn/zh/download/18649/intel-wireless-bluetooth-for-windows-10-and-windows-11.html

Bluetooth speaker won't auto-reconnect after PC wakes from sleep. It worked with previous older drivers 22.XXX. Bluetooth mouse and keyboards reconnect without a problem.

It appears the chance to auto-connection is below 30%, can't figure out the pattern. Pervious drivers are 100% reconnected.

[JayB_Intel]

Hello 888,

Thank you for contacting us regarding your Intel NUC8i7BEH having Bluetooth connectivity issues. Please be informed that all Technical and Warranty Support for Intel’s NUC 7 through NUC 13 Systems has transitioned to ASUS as of January 16, 2024 please contact https://www.asus.com/support for further assistance. All software, firmware, BIOS support, and security advisories will be supported through ASUS as well.

For more information about the transition, please see our article below for your reference:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000097279/intel-nuc.html

I hope this helps. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards,

Jay B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[888]

This is not about NUC support. It is related to Intel chipsets and Intel drivers.

I highly doubt anyone could encounter this. I already downgraded the driver. But May you consider to create the issue to your technical team. Thanks.

[JayB_Intel]

Hi 888,

Before we proceed, please note that this is an OEM device, we will try to assist you with general troubleshooting steps even if it’s something not traditionally covered in our support. However, if the issue still persists, you will have to contact the Original Equipment Manufacturer of your device. Your device manufacturer may have altered features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to some components for better compatibility with your system.

Please consider performing the steps below to conduct troubleshooting on your NUC. Please make sure to use the wifi and/or bluetooth customized driver from ASUS to avoid potential installation incompatibilities.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000022173/wireless.html

Best regards,

Jay B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[888]

I see. I didn't realize Intel has it's own wireless products.

[JayB_Intel]

Hi 888,

Please be advised that the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adapter installed in your NUC is the Dual Band Wireless-AC 9560 module. Intel® only supplies generic versions of Wireless/Bluetooth Drivers for general purposes. Computer manufacturers such as ASUS might have changed the features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to the driver software or software packaging for the NUC8i7BEH.

You may try the clean installation for Bluetooth drivers using the article below and apply the Intel generic driver. However, we do highly encourage you using the driver from ASUS to avoid incompatibility

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000087250/wireless.html

Best regards,

Jay B

[VonM_Intel]

Hi, 888.

I hope you are doing fine.

Were you able to check the previous post?

Kindly let us know if you still need assistance.

Best Regards,

Von M.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[888]

Yes, I checked all the replies, which don't help at all. and I can't understand why the issue is not related to Intel. I wouldn't waste time on this one.

[n_scott_pearson]

Intel doesn't seem to understand that selling off the NUC business doesn't make their support responsibilities for the Graphics, Ethernet or Wireless solutions go away. In this particular case, there is nothing 'OEM' about the Wireless solution - its standard part, standard installation, standard drivers, etc. - so the issue remains squarely in Intel's hands (Asus would be looking to Intel to solve it regardless). I have a feeling that Intel's continued refusal to address these issues for NUC owners (when they handle them for non-NUC owners) could result in a class-action lawsuit being filed against Intel. The fact that it's a NUC Simply. Doesn't. Matter.

Ok, all that aside, my gut-level response to the symptoms presented here is that a clean install of both the Wireless and Bluetooth driver packages is likely necessary. Here is my procedure for performing this clean install:

1. If you haven't already, download - but do not install just yet - the latest Bluetooth and Wireless driver packages for your adapter. Here are the current links for downloading these drivers: Wireless: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19351 and Bluetooth: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18649.
2. Most important! Disable Internet access. Unplug Ethernet cable and/or disable wireless. Keep disabled until told to re-enable. Note this Wireless disable *must* be of type that will persist and stay disabled across reboots.
3. From the Apps & Features applet, check for instances of Intel PROSet/Wireless Software and Intel Wireless Bluetooth. If none, skip forward to Step 6.
4. Uninstall each instance of Intel PROSet/Wireless Software and/or Intel Wireless Bluetooth that is present. When prompted, choose to "Discard Settings".
5. Manually reboot your computer, keeping Internet access disabled throughout.
6. From the Device Manager applet, check the Network Adapters section for an entry for Intel Wireless-AC 9560 and check the Bluetooth section for an entry for Intel Wireless Bluetooth that has an intel driver associated with it. If neither is the case, skip forward to Step 10.
7. Right click on the entry for Intel Wireless-AC 9560 and uninstall it, choosing to (checkmark) Delete the driver software for this device.
8. Right click on the entry for Intel Wireless Bluetooth and open its properties. If it has an Intel driver associated with it, then uninstall it, choosing to (checkmark) Delete the driver software for this device.
9. Go back to Step 5.
10. Install the downloaded Bluetooth driver package (my rule: always install Bluetooth first).
11. Install the downloaded Wireless driver package.
12. Manually shutdown and reboot your computer.
13. Reenable Internet access. Restore Ethernet cable and/or reenable wireless.
14. Test.

Note that it sometimes takes multiple uninstall (and reboot) cycles to clean out the old installations, so don't give up on the process. If you get to, say, 10 cycles, stop there and attempt the installation of the latest drivers.

Hope this helps,

...S

[888]

Thank you. It's irrelevant to NUC that someone finally spoke up. I did completely remove the wireless and Bluetooth drivers to nothing left. Interestingly, it's not that the auto-connect feature is completely disabled; rather, its success rate is extremely low. Hence, I believe it's an issue with the driver content rather than the installation itself. The version 23 here seems to be a revamp, requiring all Bluetooth devices to be re-paired.

I just want to bring this matter to Intel's attention; I don't want to waste any more of my time on this issue. Now I keep the latest 23.x wifi driver and the downgrading 22.x bluetooth driver. The issue of automatic connection with WiFi existed in version 22, but it was resolved in version 23. (At least I haven't encountered any problems so far).

[888]

2/26/2024 23.30.0 The only key fix is: improvements to device stability while resuming from hibernate or sleep mode.

People experiencing issues can try updating to see if it resolves the problem.