I am very disappointed to find out that there is not an option to switch off the bluetooth in the settings.
This means I have to open the case and find out it I can at least disconnect the antenna, as I want it definitely killed.
I did read somewhere in a review that it would be able to switch off: one of the main reasons to buy the Rivo+
Why is it that WIFI can be switched off but Bluetooth not?
I am sensitive to HF, and I am not the only person that doesn’t want any wireless at home.
Hi @Frans
I don’t own a Rivo+, but do you need more than is offered in the Sources settings? There you can turn off Bluetooth Input Playback.
Hi @SimonE
Thank you.
There is a setting in sources “Bluethooth Input Playback”
It was already switched off.
I just recently discovered that my smartphone (which is only on in the sparse case I need it) finds the RIVO+ on Bluetooth.
Frans,
Are you referring to the output of:
sudo rfkill list
0: bt-dev: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
2: brcmfmac-wifi: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
3: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
If that’s the case, the community can’t help. You need to raise a ticket with Volumio.
For the time being you can run:
sudo rfkill block bluetooth
volumio@rivo:~$ sudo rfkill list
0: bt-dev: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
2: brcmfmac-wifi: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
3: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
I don’t know what you exactly mean. You mean changing the settings in the software of the RIVO+ by working in the terminal in something like a telnet session?
Again, I am not an expert in Linux, but as I manged to get the file server right on your instructions in my linux server, perhaps I can solve this too?
But again: I would prefer a menu setting in the RIVO+ to kill Bleutooth.
If it is turned off in sources, your phone shouldn’t be able to find it. Just make sure your not playing with cashed scan results.
Just validated it. If I turn of BT in settings, your phone won’t find it. However it doesn’t kill the BT completly.
Please raise a ticket with Volumio support. We have no access to Volumio HW resources. Can’t be solved by the community.
You mean turning of in the menu ““Bluethooth Input Playback”?
That was already done long ago, but my phone I used for the first time since I use the RIVO+ finds it. “doesn’t turn off completely” that is a bit vague/
Can I open the unit and remove an antenna? ( I am very skilled in electronics, however analog)
I wouldn’t do it, you’ll break the tamper seal and your warranty. Connect with Volumio by the instructions I gave a few posts back.
Thank you very much, I will try that first before going inside the unit.
Hey @Frans,
Genuine question, because the reasoning matters here: what is the basis for singling out the Rivo+'s Bluetooth radio as a health concern? Every wireless device Volumio ships is required to meet CE/UKCA (and equivalent FCC) emissions and SAR limits before it can legally be sold. That certification is not optional and it is not a rubber stamp - the radio output is measured, bounded, and documented. The Rivo+ sits well inside those limits by design.
Set against that, a smartphone held in the hand transmits at far higher power and far closer range than a Bluetooth controller idling metres away, and a domestic WiFi access point runs continuously at higher output still. RF exposure is dominated by distance and duty cycle, and on both counts the Rivo is not a meaningful contributor compared to the devices already switched on in the same room. If the phone and the AP are staying on, the Rivo’s BT radio is not the variable that matters.
If there is specific measurement data or a referenced source behind the concern about this particular device, it would be worth citing when you raise it with Volumio support, because it would need to contradict the certification data on file. Otherwise the feature request stands perfectly well on its own merits as a UI parity question - WiFi has a toggle, Bluetooth does not - and that is the basis on which the service desk @Wheaten linked is most likely to act on it.
Kind Regards,
Hi @nerd
I have godark farady pouches were I keep my 2 smartphones in, They are 99.9% of the time in their pouches.
Everything in my house is wired with ethernet cat 6a, no WIFI at all.
I went to the trouble of getting the seemingly only 1 available old model of Siemens gigaset house telephone that still has the ECO+ mode, where is no transmission of DECT, only when I am on the phone.
I rerouted the mains wiring in my home to maximize the distance to where I sleep.
I had someone measuring HF spectrum at my house.
There is NO function whatsoever for the BlueTooth in my case. It takes power, radiates for no reason near my super high-end audio gear.
I can switch if off in my smart phones, in my laptops, so why not in the RICO+?
I don’t care at all about technical standards, one should be able to switch the damn thing off.
Kind Regards,
Frans
Hello @Frans,
I’ve noticed this problem for a long time now and I feel the same way. I don’t want or need Bluetooth. I don’t use Wi-Fi either. Everything is wired. Bluetooth is just a nuisance.
I would appreciate a solution that completely disables Bluetooth.
Best regards,
Andreas
Hey @Frans, @misterpii,
Thank you for the additional context. To be clear about what the community forum can and cannot do here: this is not a technical fault and it is not something the volunteer side of the community has any authority over. Volumio’s design principle is that all hardware inputs and outputs are available at all times, and changing that for a shipped commercial product is a core team decision, not a community one. None of us can implement it, approve it, or commit to a timeline for it.
That makes this a feature request, and feature requests on commercial Volumio hardware go through one route only: the official service desk @Wheaten linked earlier. Raising it there is what gets it logged, prioritised, and tracked against the existing work already in progress. Restating it on the forum, however firmly, does not move it any closer to being built - it only ties up volunteer time that could be helping users with problems the community can actually solve.
@misterpii, since you have the same request, the most useful thing you can do is open your own ticket on the service desk as well. Two independent tickets carry more weight than two posts in a thread, because they land in front of the people who can actually action them.
The personal reasoning behind the request is yours and I am not going to argue it. The point is simply that the forum is not the mechanism for this, and continuing to press it here will not change the outcome. The service desk will.
Kind Regards,
You are wrong.
I got today response from my help ticked:
Marco commented:
Hi,
I understand your concern. On Rivo+, Bluetooth is only intended to become discoverable when Bluetooth Input Playback is enabled; if it is OFF, the device should not appear for pairing .
Since your unit is still visible, this is not expected behavior and needs investigation.
Steps:
Settings → Sources → Bluetooth Input Playback → ensure OFF
Settings → System → Restart
If still visible, send logs: How to send a log link for a bug report?
We do not recommend opening the unit or removing antenna as it voids warranty; we will help resolve this via software.
@nerd you are right however that posting this here won’t solve it
I was thinking this forum topic was meant to reach out for the help desk.
Of course I know now that one has to write a ticked which did work.
Hi,
Thank you for your patience, and I’d like to clarify the correct behavior of Bluetooth on the Rivo+.
Bluetooth on the device is always active, as it is also used for the initial setup and configuration via the app. What can be disabled is only the Bluetooth audio playback, not the Bluetooth visibility itself.
So, even if Bluetooth Input Playback is turned OFF, the device may still appear available for pairing, this is expected behaviour.
If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.
Best regards,
Marco
Hey @Frans,
I don’t think so. Read Marco’s two replies side by side.
So the position has not changed. What you have from Marco is official confirmation that current behaviour is by design, not a fault. That moves your request firmly into feature-request territory, which is what was said from the start, and the service desk ticket is now the correct place for it to live. Keep it open there and let it be tracked against any future Bluetooth work.
Kind Regards,
Hi @nerd You are indeed right. I got indeed the answer form Marco which finally makes it 100% clear.
I mailed back that I would like to know if it is possible to program that feature in (it should be I think)
And also If they are going to do that or not, so if not I can proceed and open my RIVO+ and disconnect both antennas (now we are at it) of the bluetooth and the WIFI.
I never used the bluetooth and don’t need it.
Even better would be if he gave the user and password for the ssh hehe.
In my view the option to switch off bluetooth would only make things better, so why not? Shouldn’t be too difficult to program.
Kind regards,
Frans
The passwords for Volumio are widely shared, be crazy and use the magic button on top.
Or google…