Windows Surface Notebook - keyboard not working in HAOS

Installation
1

Hi everyone. HA newbie here.

Just installed HAOS 14.1 on a Windows Surface Notebook. All working fine EXCEPT the notebook keyboard doesn’t work - nothing appears on the command line.

Notebook keyboard works in BIOS and previously worked when it was a Windows machine.

Plugging in a USB keyboard works OK.

Anyone had this issue and know the fix?

TIA
Cheers
…Steve

2

The keyboard is probably connected through Bluetooth and the HAOS does not have the driver for that Bluetooth chipset.
Make a bug report/feature request on it.

3

Thanks Wally. It’s the built-in keyboard - not a separate peripheral.

I had assumed (silly I know!) that someone in HA world would have been running HAOS on a Windows Surface Notebook, and at least knew of a workaround (other than using a USB external keyboard).

I’ll raise a bug report anyway. Thank you!
Cheers
…Steve

4

(@WallyR - it connects through a custom connector at the bottom edge of the tablet. If I remember it is usb connected BUT not a standard usb keyboard, therefore…) Surface does not use the standard usb driver. It requires a unique driver that AFAIK is not included in buildroot. (read: not included in HAOS) meaning you’re probably out of luck using the surface keyboard.

See: Solution to making the Surface Laptop keyboard work with Ubuntu 20.04 | by Angel Lau | Medium https://search.app/7jvLKK9PJtPUFSwz9

5

Thanks Nathan.
It’s not a tablet - its a touchscreen notebook PC. See Surface Laptop (1st Gen) specs and features - Microsoft Support)

That article refers to installing and modifying Ubuntu - I installed the HAOS image, so don’t have Ubuntu (I think!).
I’ll have a look at the Step 8 onwards instructions and see if they have an impact:-)
Cheers
…Steve

6

I understand and you miss my point…

My point is the entire surface family uses custom drivers for those peripherals that you won’t be able to load in HAOS. If it were something like supervised or core you would be able to. But on HAOS you’re done.

7

No worries - I understand, thank you.

I did look into Step 8 in the article but it only applies to Ubuntu, which I can’t access in HA, so no good.

I’ll see what comes back from the bug report, but I guess I’ll have to live with a USB keyboard:-)

Cheers
…Steve

1 Like
8

Maybe a Bluetooth keyboard work in HA.
I have never tried it, so it is just a wild guess. :slight_smile: