[Bug 284994] Re: bluetooth-wizard unable to pair to fixed pin devices

[tz]

@Ravi

The bluez stack might be slightly updated.  There are some (insecure)
devices that will connect without any PIN but allow one optionally,
sometimes the fixed values - GPS and serial devices often do this.  I
suspect that the stack changed to invoke the callback in all cases now
and there is some way of saying "no pin" using it (e.g. a zero length
string return, or NULL) though I haven't looked through the code.

So it might have worked because your device worked in a PINless mode.
It would help if you could verify this.  If it connects without any PIN
being entered, it doesn't need one.

I will have to try it too - I think my GPS units will also work PINless.

@lotus49

As I noted, Pins can be up to 16 digits, and I've noted Apple uses 8
digits (The Nokia internet tablet uses 4, most phones pick 4 but accept
more).  If security was a concern a longer PIN should be used, so it is
irrational to force PINs that are both random and short.

Perhaps adding more text to my dialog would help, e.g. "Bluetooth
security requires having a random pincode which is provided below,
however if your device requires a specific pincode, change the value it
to the one your device needs, or if you desire more security, add more
digits".

I've been dealing with Bluetooth devices for a while and if there were a
few isolated "crappy devices" I would probably rethink how it should be
done, but over 1/2 of the BT devices I have won't work with the current
setup.  I could file at least a half-dozen separate bugs right now
requesting special casing, and the more I look the more special cases
for both devices and PINs I find.  Thirty bugs?  I think I said
thousands, but there would probably be hundreds just from the people on
the various lists experiencing the problem.

My patch is only alpha quality (any Gtk+ wizard should be able to fix it
to release quality in a very short time), but even as-is you can at
least enter a fixed PIN and use your device as soon as it gets packaged
and you can get the update.  His approach?  Daily builds just to get the
latest growing list of special cases?  Or devices that won't work for
another few weeks or months?

-- 
bluetooth-wizard unable to pair to fixed pin devices
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/284994
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