Samsung tablets intermittently lose Bluetooth scanner connection
We have an app we've been running successfully for a year now on Microsoft Surface 3 tablets with Windows 10, pairing the Zebra LS3578 scanner via bluetooth for barcode input. This has worked almost flawlessly on multiple tablet/scanner installations.
Now we've converted our app to run on Android, so I am trying to use the Samsung Tab A tablet with the same LS3578 scanner. The problem is that the bluetooth connection keeps dropping. When I say it is "dropping", I am referring to how when I pair them, at Settings > Connections> Bluetooth it shows this on the tablet screen like it is supposed to:
Paired Devices
LS3578 M1V09J24T
Connected as input device
But now and then, for no obvious reason, the line disappears that shows "Connected as input device", and if I touch the tool button on the right it shows "Text input" with the slider to the left (off). If I touch "Text input", the slider will go to the right to turn it back on, it will briefly show "Connecting..." on the screen, and it will beep and say at the bottom "Bluetooth keyboard connected". And then I'm fine until the next time it decides to disconnect.
There is no clear pattern or reason. It is definitely NOT the easy obvious stuff like the scanner being out of range or low battery. It does this with multiple brand new Samsung Tab A tablets and Zebra LS3578 scanners. It might happen once an hour or once every minute or two. I know I can go to Language and Input > Physical Keyboard and turn on "Show on-screen keyboard", but in my testing that setting can be set either way and I still have the problem.
The only things that have changed from the Surface setup are the tablet hardware, the OS, and the application software. The company that writes the app says it can't be them--and I'm guessing that is true for several reasons, including the fact that it sometimes does this when I'm not even running the app. I've read a few things where people complained about flaky bluetooth issues with Samsung products, but those were for older versions of Android.
If anyone has heard of such a thing and has any ideas on what I can try, I badly need them. TIA
Now we've converted our app to run on Android, so I am trying to use the Samsung Tab A tablet with the same LS3578 scanner. The problem is that the bluetooth connection keeps dropping. When I say it is "dropping", I am referring to how when I pair them, at Settings > Connections> Bluetooth it shows this on the tablet screen like it is supposed to:
Paired Devices
LS3578 M1V09J24T
Connected as input device
But now and then, for no obvious reason, the line disappears that shows "Connected as input device", and if I touch the tool button on the right it shows "Text input" with the slider to the left (off). If I touch "Text input", the slider will go to the right to turn it back on, it will briefly show "Connecting..." on the screen, and it will beep and say at the bottom "Bluetooth keyboard connected". And then I'm fine until the next time it decides to disconnect.
There is no clear pattern or reason. It is definitely NOT the easy obvious stuff like the scanner being out of range or low battery. It does this with multiple brand new Samsung Tab A tablets and Zebra LS3578 scanners. It might happen once an hour or once every minute or two. I know I can go to Language and Input > Physical Keyboard and turn on "Show on-screen keyboard", but in my testing that setting can be set either way and I still have the problem.
The only things that have changed from the Surface setup are the tablet hardware, the OS, and the application software. The company that writes the app says it can't be them--and I'm guessing that is true for several reasons, including the fact that it sometimes does this when I'm not even running the app. I've read a few things where people complained about flaky bluetooth issues with Samsung products, but those were for older versions of Android.
If anyone has heard of such a thing and has any ideas on what I can try, I badly need them. TIA
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Is the firmware update publicly available for download?
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If yes, please share the link.
ASKER
No one at Zebra tech support had an answer until yesterday, when I found a tech who said I should download their free Scanner123 program, then scan the barcode on the dock, put the scanner in the dock, and let the Scanner123 program check for updates. I did that, and the program determined that my test scanner's firmware needed to be upgraded from v16 to v18. After that upgrade, the problem appears to be resolved.
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ASKER
Because the only other answer asked if I had other hardware I could test, even though I had stated that I was having the problem on multiple new tablets and multiple new scanners.
Do you have another Android device to test?