{"id":745,"date":"2025-01-27T20:04:20","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T20:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/?p=745"},"modified":"2026-06-05T09:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:50:14","slug":"deepseek-bluetooth-on-nixos-using-lxqt-desktop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/deepseek-bluetooth-on-nixos-using-lxqt-desktop\/","title":{"rendered":"DeepSeek: Bluetooth on NixOS using LXQt desktop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am running LXQt under NixOS and having problems getting Bluetooth to work. My computer is a old ThinkPad T61. The configuration.nix file currently uses pipewire instead of PulseAudio. Suggestions?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.deepseek.com\/a\/chat\/s\/77a071f8-d291-41d2-b656-9b3742783583\">DeepSeek Response:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting Bluetooth to work on an older ThinkPad T61 running LXQt under NixOS with PipeWire instead of PulseAudio can be a bit tricky, but it\u2019s definitely possible. Here\u2019s a step-by-step guide to help you troubleshoot and configure Bluetooth properly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <strong>Ensure Bluetooth Hardware is Recognized<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, verify that your Bluetooth hardware is detected by the system. Run the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>lsusb<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look for a Bluetooth adapter in the output. If it\u2019s not listed, your hardware might not be supported or could be disabled in the BIOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <strong>Enable Bluetooth Services in <code>configuration.nix<\/code><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ensure that the necessary Bluetooth services are enabled in your <code>configuration.nix<\/code> file. Add or update the following lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>{\n  hardware.bluetooth.enable = true; # Enable Bluetooth support\n  services.blueman.enable = true;  # Optional: Blueman GUI for managing Bluetooth\n  services.pipewire = {\n    enable = true;\n    alsa.enable = true;\n    pulse.enable = true; # Enable PipeWire PulseAudio compatibility layer\n  };\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After making changes, rebuild your system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo nixos-rebuild switch<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Install Bluetooth Tools<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ensure you have the necessary Bluetooth utilities installed. Add the following to your <code>environment.systemPackages<\/code> in <code>configuration.nix<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>{\n  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; &#91;\n    bluez          # Bluetooth protocol stack\n    bluez-tools    # Additional Bluetooth tools\n    blueman        # Optional: GUI for managing Bluetooth\n  ];\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rebuild your system again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. <strong>Start and Enable Bluetooth Service<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ensure the Bluetooth service is running:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo systemctl enable bluetooth.service\nsudo systemctl start bluetooth.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check the status of the service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo systemctl status bluetooth.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the service fails to start, check the logs for errors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>journalctl -u bluetooth.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <strong>Configure PipeWire for Bluetooth Audio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PipeWire should handle Bluetooth audio out of the box, but ensure the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <code>pipewire-pulse<\/code> service is running:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>  systemctl --user status pipewire-pulse.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If not, start it:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>  systemctl --user start pipewire-pulse.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. <strong>Pair and Connect Devices<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use <code>bluetoothctl<\/code> or Blueman to pair and connect your Bluetooth devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using <code>bluetoothctl<\/code>:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open a terminal and run:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>   bluetoothctl<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Turn on Bluetooth:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>   power on<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enable agent:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>   agent on<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scan for devices:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>   scan on<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pair and connect to your device:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>   pair &lt;DEVICE_MAC&gt;\n   trust &lt;DEVICE_MAC&gt;\n   connect &lt;DEVICE_MAC&gt;<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using Blueman:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Launch Blueman from your LXQt menu and follow the GUI to pair and connect your device.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. <strong>Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No Sound Through Bluetooth:<\/strong> Ensure the correct audio profile is selected. Use <code>pavucontrol<\/code> (PulseAudio Volume Control) to check and switch the profile to <code>A2DP<\/code> for high-quality audio or <code>HSP\/HFP<\/code> for headset functionality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bluetooth Device Not Found:<\/strong> Ensure your Bluetooth adapter is not blocked. Run:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>  rfkill list<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it\u2019s blocked, unblock it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>  rfkill unblock bluetooth<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Permissions Issues:<\/strong> Ensure your user is in the <code>lp<\/code> group (required for Bluetooth):<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>  sudo usermod -aG lp $USER<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. <strong>Additional Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>NixOS Wiki: <a href=\"https:\/\/nixos.wiki\/wiki\/Bluetooth\">Bluetooth<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PipeWire Documentation: <a href=\"https:\/\/pipewire.org\/\">PipeWire<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am running LXQt under NixOS and having problems getting Bluetooth to work. My computer is a old ThinkPad T61. The configuration.nix file currently uses pipewire instead of PulseAudio. Suggestions? DeepSeek Response: Getting Bluetooth to work on an older ThinkPad T61 running LXQt under NixOS with PipeWire instead of PulseAudio can be a bit tricky, &#8230; <a title=\"DeepSeek: Bluetooth on NixOS using LXQt desktop\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/deepseek-bluetooth-on-nixos-using-lxqt-desktop\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about DeepSeek: Bluetooth on NixOS using LXQt desktop\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-linux","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}