Bluetooth Keyboard Stutters on Iconia A500, Loses Connection?

[WasteLandSavage]

Hi everyone, I have an Iconia A500 as well as the Acer keyboard that is supposed to be made to match the Iconia series of tablets.
When I first got it the thing ran flawless, but that's when I was still running HC.
But when ICS came out shortly there after is when my problem started, and it's been getting worse ever since, to such a point I had to give up the keyboard until I can find a solution. It acts like this for an example, I'll be typing along just fine let's say I was typing the word tablet?
It would come out looking something like this... Taaaaaaaa bbbbb lettttt t?
It also has trouble staying connected as well if I let it set for more then a few seconds it will lose connection, then when I hit a button it will try to connect and sit there for a minute or more before connecting.
Any ideas?
I've tried reconnecting, changing batteries a couple of times, and I even tried playing with some of the settings as well.
And you guessed it No Soap....

All I CA say is I'm about to give up and throw it across the room. Thanks for any help I'm more then grateful......

 

[Greg_E]

Did you try putting fresh batteries in the keyboard or is it using a rechargable battery? All I can say is that my Logitech keyboard has never given me any issues with my a500. I have not tried my cheap Acer keyboards to see how they work, but they have been working great with the dongle that comes with the mouse in my win 7 test computers.

I would probably junk the Acer keyboard and go for this one:
Logitech® Tablet Keyboard for Android
I've used mine for my a500, and a lot of my Fujitsu ST5112 Win XP tablet and it just plain works great even when I'm doing things like using the keyboard and using a bluetooth to serial device to talk to routers.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

Did you try putting fresh batteries in the keyboard or is it using a rechargable battery? All I can say is that my Logitech keyboard has never given me any issues with my a500. I have not tried my cheap Acer keyboards to see how they work, but they have been working great with the dongle that comes with the mouse in my win 7 test computers.

I would probably junk the Acer keyboard and go for this one:
Logitech® Tablet Keyboard for Android
I've used mine for my a500, and a lot of my Fujitsu ST5112 Win XP tablet and it just plain works great even when I'm doing things like using the keyboard and using a bluetooth to serial device to talk to routers.

Thanks for your response.

The batteries are regular Alkaline batteries, Not the rechargable ones.
And the Logitech Keyboard you have mentioned is the sameone my wife has.
I works flawless for her on her A500 but on mine it does the samething that the Acer one does but not quite as bad.

Anyother thoughts I'd be most grateful....

 

[Douvie]

Yeah, Iv'e noticed probkems with the WIFI every time I use the BT keyboard. I noticed every time the batteries started to run low stuttering happens. On my PC I use the ms wireless 3000 KB & Mouse and it happens on there as well. So I believe it may have something to doo with the batteries. So it is not just ICS.
Every time I recharge the KB for the tablet or replace batteries on my PC's wireless KB the problems disappear for a while.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

Yeah, Iv'e noticed probkems with the WIFI every time I use the BT keyboard. I noticed every time the batteries started to run low stuttering happens. On my PC I use the ms wireless 3000 KB & Mouse and it happens on there as well. So I believe it may have something to doo with the batteries. So it is not just ICS.
Every time I recharge the KB for the tablet or replace batteries on my PC's wireless KB the problems disappear for a while.

The last time I tried and was having problems with it I had just changed the batteries in it again!
Iwas still having problems on my Iconia.
So I tried it for a night on my Dell Inspiron M511 Laptop running Windows 8 Pro and it worked flawless.
So I then tried it on my Iconia again it stuttered on me before I could even type three words.
Am glad you got yours figured out, But when I was running HC I didn't have this problems, Until the update to ICS.
I think it's software of some sort?
But not ICS in general or I would think my wife would be having the same problems?

 

[Greg_E]

Must be a defective BT module in your a500 if it works great everywhere else, and the Logitech also gives you problems. I don't use it much on my a500 but I certainly don't remember problems the last time I used it. It might also be something local to the location you are trying to use it at, cell phone BT trying to connect or next to a wifi access point.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

Must be a defective BT module in your a500 if it works great everywhere else, and the Logitech also gives you problems. I don't use it much on my a500 but I certainly don't remember problems the last time I used it. It might also be something local to the location you are trying to use it at, cell phone BT trying to connect or next to a wifi access point.

My wife sits by our Wifi without a problem.
I have a bluetooth mouse that works next to perfect, And we do have a lot of Cell Phone Towers plus other types of Comm Towers in the area within a 10 mile or so radius.
I had thought about them, but dismissed that idea because of it working on everything else ie: My Keyboard and my wife not sitting 5 foot away from me most of the time.
And her not having any problems while I do.
OH WELL maybe I'll contact Acer about the Bluetooth Module that ought to be fun...

 

[Douvie]

You could have problems with interference. We got 2 cordless phones working from separate bases, 2 cell phones (or mobile phone as we call it), then 3 PCs with a wireless KB & Mouse for each, internet computer with its own BT dongle, 2 wireless networks, never mind the tablets, laptops, net books.

So you can see the issues here.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

You could have problems with interference. We got 2 cordless phones working from separate bases, 2 cell phones (or mobile phone as we call it), then 3 PCs with a wireless KB & Mouse for each, internet computer with its own BT dongle, 2 wireless networks, never mind the tablets, laptops, net books.

So you can see the issues here.

OK I still haven't given up om the interference part of it.
But any ideas on how to root it out to be sure?
And does anyone else know of any other BT Keyboards I may want to try?

I'm thinking of just getting me a wired Mini usb Keyboard and leaving it be at that, But I hate wires....

 

[Douvie]

OK I still haven't given up om the interference part of it.
But any ideas on how to root it out to be sure?
And does anyone else know of any other BT Keyboards I may want to try?

I'm thinking of just getting me a wired Mini usb Keyboard and leaving it be at that, But I hate wires....

I'm with you there. I just got use to the wireless stuff.

But it may help you analyse the problem. Get a USB 4 hub, then you can plug in KB & Mouse. See how it goes. Icebike was saying something about the WIFI and the BT run by the same chip. I'm not sure - I haven't had the need to crack open the A500 yet.

On the interference issue, I'd be checking how many devices you got that are using 2.4GHz band range. Also, how close are your devices to your neighbour's WIFI and devices. (I am lucky in this way - 100m to my nearest neighbour.) Even a microwave oven can be suspect.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

It's more then likely the wifi and BT run off the same chip. I know they do on my laptop as the two are combined together.
I have no idea whose bright idea that was.

My nearest neighbor that has wifi that I know of at the moment is approx 500ft away, My wife is approx 10ft away from me she uses a wireless mouse but it's an older RF mouse so I doubt that's a problem, she runs on wifi but my problem happens even when her laptop is shut off, and the microwave is very seldom ever in use when I'm on my computer.
And there's only been a few times that I have my laptop on at the same time as my tablet.

Once my wife gets hers back I'll have to shut off my wifi and try out the keyboard, Maybe that will at least tell us something....
Thanks so much for your continued help...

 

[Douvie]

There is another thing.

BT devices have a refresh which can cause BT devices to lose connection for a short period of time. As an example, my Q2 BlueAnt ear piece will sometimes - at least once per day totally loose connection which the mobile/cell phone. On ocassions 2 or 3 times per day. The Car BT does the same. Whether is has something to do with the problem I don't know because I haven't gone that far into the fault finding.

I have been watching the WIFI icon and have noticed that when the keyboard is connected, the WIFI signal drops out on ocassions. Hardly ever when KB is not connected. If I remember correctly that the issue is more prevalent with ICS than with HC. Therefore, in addition to your possible interference, there could be an issue with the refresh rate and maybe the chip is a little slow in reacting.

I'm just rambling here - maybe - so just observe the symptoms and takes notes. This is what I have been doing.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

There is another thing.

BT devices have a refresh which can cause BT devices to lose connection for a short period of time. As an example, my Q2 BlueAnt ear piece will sometimes - at least once per day totally loose connection which the mobile/cell phone. On ocassions 2 or 3 times per day. The Car BT does the same. Whether is has something to do with the problem I don't know because I haven't gone that far into the fault finding.



I have been watching the WIFI icon and have noticed that when the keyboard is connected, the WIFI signal drops out on ocassions. Hardly ever when KB is not connected. If I remember correctly that the issue is more prevalent with ICS than with HC. Therefore, in addition to your possible interference, there could be an issue with the refresh rate and maybe the chip is a little slow in reacting.

I'm just rambling here - maybe - so just observe the symptoms and takes notes. This is what I have been doing.

Not a problem Thanks.
My wife still has my A500 cause Acer still hasn't completed repairs and sent it back yet.
But as soon as she gets it back I'll have to take a look see.
As for both our problems if we can't figure this out I found an app on Google Play called Bluetooth KeepAlive that cost a $1.50 I was thinking of getting and trying it is suppose to keep your bluetooth active as long as there are devices connected, And from the reviews it sounds pretty promising.
I can't find any others that work on all bluetooth devices.

I'll let ya know "IF" I ever get my tablet back.
Again Thanks.

 

[WasteLandSavage]

I downloaded a program from Google Play that is called Bluetooth keep Alive.
It works fantastic with my mouse as I did have some but very few problems with it though not enough to mention.
I thought it was working with my keyboard as well "BUT" after about 30 minutes it started the same thing up to the point it wouldn't connect at all It seems to lie in the keyboard going into a power save state.
Even though it's designed to kick back up in a couple of seconds once you hit a key sooner or later you can see the program I downloaded grab it, and then 5 seconds later it disconnects again.
I've read it has to do with ICS as plenty of others are having this problem as well with different brands of tablets as well as phones.
And an upgrade to Jelly bean seems useless as I have read they also have the same problems with it as well.

Anymore guesses I'd be most grateful.

 

[Douvie]

Just a question. Are you running both mouse and KB on the BT at the same time??? Or does the BT mouse and KB come as a unit with a USB BT transceiver'dongle?