Trying to revive 'ubtd' (Bluetooth file transfer)

domubpkm

@PhAndersson UT Tweak Tool https://open-store.io/app/ut-tweak-tool.sverzegnassi

PhAndersson

Sure, Tweak Tool, of course -- sorry.

I just checked on my phone and it shows there, yes. Just look under the name 'Ratatoskr' (that's the actual name I gave the app -- "Bluetooth file transfer" is only a description).

It's the first UT app I built, so I'm not familiar yet with all the intricacies of the dev. workflow.

In any case, it seems there was a mixup, as the packages that were pushed on the server are v0.1.0, not v0.1.1. The "file sending" functionality may not be functional in that version (the receiving one should be).

I'll try to get this fixed tomorrow.

PhAndersson

I need to amend the statement above. After further tests, the code that has been used to generate the packages is the correct one, so all the latest functionalities are present, and both sending and receiving files should work.

The only problem is that the wrong version string has been used when building.

domubpkm

@PhAndersson Can connect with bluetooth a Volla with Volla OS to a Volla 22 with UT noble. Try to send a little video from Volla to Volla 22 following the procedure. But doesn't work currently. File not sent / received.

PhAndersson

@domubpkm said:

@PhAndersson Can connect with bluetooth a Volla with Volla OS to a Volla 22 with UT noble.

There is currently a bug in Noble (up to 24.04-1.2) that prevents the OBEX daemon from starting.

The fix exists and is already merged. Here is the related MR: https://gitlab.com/ubports/development/core/ubuntu-touch-session/-/merge_requests/81. It is supposed to be part of the upcoming 24.04-1.3.

Based on earlier tests by @gpatel-fr, once this fix is available, 'ratatoskr' should work on Noble as well.

gpatel-fr

@PhAndersson

yes that's it.
@domubpkm
you can add the fix even on stable with a systemd overlay file.

phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$ systemctl --user cat obex
# /usr/lib/systemd/user/obex.service
[Unit]
Description=Bluetooth OBEX service

[Service]
Type=dbus
BusName=org.bluez.obex
ExecStart=/usr/libexec/bluetooth/obexd

[Install]
Alias=dbus-org.bluez.obex.service

# /usr/lib/systemd/user/obex.service.d/ubuntu-touch-session.conf
[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/lib/bluetooth/obexd -P ftp,irmc,mas,pcsuite -r $HOME

# /home/phablet/.config/systemd/user/obex.service.d/xxoverride.conf
[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/libexec/bluetooth/obexd -P ftp,irmc,mas,pcsuite -r $HOME

after adding the overlay, you have to restart the obex service using systemctl --user restart obex

domubpkm

@PhAndersson @gpatel-fr So the fix is in 1.3 daily. Wait 1.3 candidate to test. Thanks.

domubpkm

@phandersson ok. I switched to dev channel and i tried to send a (big) file from my Volla 22 with UT to a Volla with volla OS with your last update : it works now. . But i found the transfer speed was very slow. Could it be improve or not ?

projectmoon

@domubpkm there is only so much data you can push over Bluetooth. Bluetooth file transfer will always be slow (sometimes very very slow).

PhAndersson

@domubpkm said:

@phandersson ok. I switched to dev channel and i tried to send a (big) file from my Volla 22 with UT to a Volla with volla OS with your last update : it works now. .

Excellent news -- thanks for the feedback.

But i found the transfer speed was very slow. Could it be improve or not ?

Could you be a bit more specific, please? From what I read online, typical Bluetooth transfer speeds are between 1 and 3 Mbps.

When I tested the app prior to releasing v0.1.1, I measured 1.3 Mbps when pushing a large file from my (Linux) laptop to the phone (Pixel 3a).

Do you get a comparable bandwidth, or something much lower? (to measure it, I simply time the transfer and divide it by the file size).