Bluetooth Passthrough

Since 5.0-910, Dolphin has the ability to passthrough a Bluetooth adapter for emulated Wii software. This gives emulated Wii software full control of a Bluetooth adapter, which, provided a decent, working adapter, notably allows pairing Wii Remotes to Dolphin, third-party Wii Remote support, working Wii Remote audio and more accurate connectivity.

Setting up

Linux

A udev rule has to be installed so Dolphin can use a Bluetooth adapter without having to get root privileges.

SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="YOURVID", ATTRS{idProduct}=="YOURPID", TAG+="uaccess"

Dolphin should be able to automatically unload the USB Bluetooth kernel module (assuming you have permission to; you typically need to be in the plugdev group). If not, unload it with modprobe -r btusb.

Windows

Download and open Zadig, then:

1. In the "Options" menu in Zadig, make sure "List All Devices" is enabled.

2. Select your Bluetooth adapter in the device list.

3. On the right column, select "WinUSB" then click "Replace Driver". Select "Yes" to modify the system driver.

Dolphin will be able to use the adapter after the driver is successfully installed, and until you revert back to the default Bluetooth driver.

macOS

There is currently no way to use this feature on versions newer than 10.9, because Apple removed the ability to unload the Bluetooth kernel module.

A potential solution would be to force the OS to ignore the adapter with a codeless .kext, but this hasn't been tried yet.

Android

This feature is not supported on Android.

Using passthrough mode in Dolphin

In Dolphin, open the Controller Configuration dialog, then select the "Passthrough a Bluetooth adapter" option in the Wii Remotes section.

While a game is running:

• Wii Remotes can be synced and paired to Dolphin by using the Sync button.
• All saved Wii Remote pairings can be reset by using the Reset button. This will also disconnect all currently connected Wii Remotes.

Advanced usage

Sync button hotkey

It is possible to use the Press Sync Button hotkey as an alternative to the buttons in the controller configuration dialog. It is designed to work just like the Wii's red sync button:

• Pressing the hotkey will trigger a sync.
• Holding the hotkey for 10 seconds will clear all saved pairings.

Forcing a specific adapter

If you need to use a specific adapter, instead of using the first Bluetooth adapter that is found, you can force Dolphin to use it by editing Dolphin's configuration file (Config/Dolphin.ini). In the BluetoothPassthrough section, set "VID" and "PID" to your adapter's vendor ID and product ID (that you previously converted from hex to decimal).

Troubleshooting

"Failed to open Bluetooth device: LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS"

This error means that Dolphin doesn't have permission to use the Bluetooth adapter.

If on Linux, make sure the udev rule is set up correctly.

"Failed to open Bluetooth device: LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED"

On Windows, this typically means that the libusb/WinUSB driver was not installed for the adapter.

"Failed to detach kernel driver for BT passthrough"

Dolphin tried to automatically unload the Bluetooth USB kernel module and failed to. Unload the module manually before starting a game to avoid this issue.

Wii Remotes do not stay paired after closing the game

This means that your adapter is likely broken and does not remember Wii Remote link keys properly. Use a different adapter to avoid this issue.

Black screen on boot

Games send a reset command to the Bluetooth adapter when they start and wait for it to be acknowledged. If you are getting a black screen for a long time (more than 10 seconds), your adapter may be stuck in a broken state and is unable to respond to any commands. Unplug the adapter and try again.

No usable adapter found

This can happen with some adapters. PR 4385 is currently needed to make such adapters work. You'll also need to force your adapter to be used.

Limitations

• The functionality and quality of the connections heavily depend on the quality of the adapter.

• Even though most adapters work fine in passthrough mode, the only perfect adapter is the Wii's Bluetooth module (so far).

• Save states are not very useful in passthrough mode, since loading a state will break Bluetooth connectivity.

• Because Bluetooth Passthrough Mode skips Dolphin's emulated Bluetooth and Wii Remote code entirely, it is not possible to mix passthrough mode and emulated/real/hybrid Wii Remote. This means that netplay, TAS input, input display, etc. cannot work.

Adapter test results

Adapter	VID	PID	Revision	Works	Stable	Remembers pairings	Audio	Range
Asus BT-211	?	?	?	Yes	?	?	?	?
Asus BT-400 (BCM20702A0)	0B05	17CB	?	Yes [1]	Yes	No	Good	?
Asus BT-400 (BCM20702A0)	0B05	17CF	?	Yes [1]	Yes	Limited to 1 remote	Good	Very long
Atheros AR3012	0CF3	3004	0001	Yes	Yes [2]	Yes	Good	Very long
Atheros AR9462	0B05	17D0	0001	Yes	Yes	No	Good	Very long
Azio BTD-V201	0A12	0001	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Good	Long
Azio BTD-V401	?	?	?	Yes	?	?	?	Short
CSL BSN23996	0A12	0001	8891	Yes	Yes	Yes	Good	Long
CSR 8510 A10 (Generic)	0A12	0001	8891	Yes	Yes	No	Good	Long
Generic Adapter	0A12	0001	3164	Yes	No	No	Good	?
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260	8087	07DC	0001	Yes	No	Yes	Good	Long
ISSC EDR Bluetooth Adapter	1131	1004	0373	Yes	No	Yes [3]	Short range	Average
Mayflash DolphinBar	Not supported
Plugable USB 2.0 Bluetooth Adapter (BCM20702A0)	0A5C	21E8	0112	Yes [1]	Yes	Yes	Good	Very long
StarTech.com USBBT1EDR4 (Class 1)	?	?	?	Yes	?	?	Short range	?
StarTech.com USBBT2EDR4 (Class 2)	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Trendnet TBW-105UB	?	?	?	Yes	No	?	Garbage	?
Trendnet TBW-106UB	0A12	0001	8891	Yes	?	No	Average	?
Wii Bluetooth Module (WML-C43, BCM2045)	057E	0305	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Good	Very long
Wii Bluetooth Module (J27H002, BCM2045)	057E	0305	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii U Bluetooth Module (BCM20702)	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

^[1] Needs to force Dolphin to use the adapter
^[2] May stop working after HCI resets (stopping, resetting emulation or going back to the system menu)
^[3] Has issues with several Wiimotes