How do I resolve Bluetooth connection issues while attempting to pair a PARROT Minidrone with a Mac or Windows PC?

I have an issue while pairing a Parrot Minidrone to my Mac via a Bluetooth connection. I have already installed the firmware on Parrot Minidrone, and installed and set up the hardware support package with my Minidrone.

The Bluetooth connection was successful during the initial setup. However after restarting my Mac and trying again, the drone is unable to maintain a stable connection with my computer. The Minidrone appears in my Networks and Bluetooth devices, and a connection is made for a few seconds seconds before disconnecting.

So far, I have seen this issue on a  Mac PC with El Capitan (OS X Version 10.11) and High Sierra (OS X Version: 10.13).

As troubleshooting steps, I have: 

• ​Attempted to reset the Bluetooth on my PC.
• Used an external dongle after disconnecting my own PC's Bluetooth.
• Performed all the steps for the hardware setup of the Simulink support package again.

Sometimes, I also have similar Bluetooth pairing issues on a Windows-PC. Are there other troubleshooting steps or workarounds that can help resolve the issue?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

To establish a successful Bluetooth connection between a Mac and a PARROT Minidrone, you would need to pair the drone first. After successful pairing, you need to click on "Connect" immediately. If this steps is not performed immediately, the Bluetooth pairing might go out.

Please attempt the following steps to achieve a stable connection:

1. Pair the drone in the "Bluetooth" tab in System preferences by right clicking and selecting "Pair" (or directly click "Pair" if you see a pair button).

2. Browse to "Network" tab and click on "Bluetooth_RS".

3. Select the paired drone from the drop box and click "Connect".  

All of these steps must be completed within 5 seconds, otherwise pairing will go out.

In some cases, you can do both the steps together in the same "Bluetooth" tab in the following manner:

1. Right-Click on the drone, and if you see a "Pair" option click "Pair".

2. After a couple of seconds, right click the drone again.

3. If you see "Connect To Network" option click on that.

4. Browse to "Network" tab and ensure that the "Connect" button is showing as "Disconnect".

Sometimes, Bluetooth pairings go 'stale' and hence the connection fails. This usually happens after a system reboot. This according to Parrot is expected behavior. This behavior may sometimes be observed on a Windows-PC as well. In such cases,

1. Remove the Bluetooth pairing from the list of devices

2. Reboot the drone.

3. Turn off the system Bluetooth, turn it back on after a few seconds.

4. Repeat the connection process.  

If none of the steps mentioned above resolve the issue, please contact MathWorks Technical Support. 

[Walter Roberson]

Remove the device in the bluetooth preferences. Then provided that the device is visible, you will be offered a chance to pair it.