I am dual booting Windows 10 and Ubuntu, using the GRUB boot loader. I also have a Bluetooth keyboard that works fine when booted into either OS, but it doesn’t work in the boot loader (I have to get out my cable and plug it in). From what I’ve read to use Bluetooth in the boot loader I would have to enable Bluetooth in BIOS. The problem is I don’t see any setting in BIOS that remotely resembles enabling Bluetooth.
I have an MSI Tomahawk B350 Motherboard, which doesn’t have WiFi or Bluetooth, so I bought a wireless network card to add the functionality. Since my motherboard doesn’t have wireless capabilities natively, does that mean it’s not possible to enable Bluetooth in BIOS? Or am I just missing some setting?
12 Answers
Bluetooth isn't a simple technology to support, and to the best of my knowledge no BIOS (EFI or not) to date has any form of Bluetooth driver or stack.
To further this, a PCI / PCIe card that provides Bluetooth support is even less likely to achieve what you're after due to the additional drivers required.
As @music2myear suggests, a configuration option will simply enable or disable the on-board radio - effectively allowing you to disconnect it. There will be no such option for an add-on card.
If you find a "Bluetooth USB Dongle" that is able to provide USB HID support (aka "HID Proxy"), then you may be in luck, otherwise, I'd suggest it's not possible.
HID Proxy mode works by running a minimal Bluetooth stack on the dongle - it then enumerates as a USB "Human Input Device" instead of a "Bluetooth Radio"... this minimal stack is able to communicate with a paired keyboard / mouse, and interpret their input such that as far as the PC knows, a basic wired USB input device is connected.
Enabling Bluetooth in the BIOS typically refers to a switch in the BIOS that enables the Bluetooth radio, NOT a command that allows Bluetooth devices to communicate while in the BIOS. You either heard wrong, or misunderstood.
I am not aware of any computer that allows BT communication pre-OS.
Bluetooth requires drivers and utilies to manage the connection, neither of which are available in the BIOS.
