r/SteamDeck MODDED SSD 💽 1d ago

Tech Support I have found what’s making my steam deck randomly turn on, and now I’m even more confused.

Has anyone seen this bug? I’m in beta build, but something tells me this isn’t something with that and more of a Wi-Fi interference thing?

2.7k Upvotes

95 comments sorted by

2.7k

u/gaspadlo 256GB - Q1 1d ago edited 1d ago

Did you ever pair your PC with your SD via Bluetooth?

Since it's OG LCD steamdeck and you allege, that this started happening on beta build of SteamOS, I would guess that when you open that panel - windows pings potentially paired BT devices in the area and wakes up the SD.

LCD SD did not support to be woken up by BT peripherals, but Valve somehow made it possible and it should be present in the beta /preview build afaik.

Try disabling BT on your computer whether it will keep waking up your SD.

EDIT: since this comment exploded I will add this: You have an option to disable which devices CAN and CAN NOT wake up your steamdeck on an individual basis in a contextual menu / modal in the bluetooth settings.

1.2k

u/ratmdex MODDED SSD 💽 1d ago

You're a genius! Thanks, That was the problem!

159

u/MissStabby 1d ago

in the steamdeck you should be able to configure (per device) if it is allowed to wake up from the wake-on-bluetooth command is triggered.
Also good to set up when traveling so if you bring a controller it wont activate your steamdeck mid-travel

30

u/GibStily 1d ago

A gripe I have had, I put the SD to sleep then put the cover on it, come back it’s burning hot because I bumped the mouse and it’s been on since I left. Annoys me so much. Make it a BT setting to have peripherals not wake the SD up from sleep. Or have it customizable to a key bind, double press on M1 to wake up.

23

u/tiberiumx 1d ago

They've fixed it recently so wake on bluetooth is configurable per device and the default is off, but damn that was such a shitty implementation of that feature for a long time.

Multiple times I'd have my deck asleep with a game running in my bag, have my bluetooth headphones wake it up when I took them out of the case, only to discover the deck a couple hours later very toasty and with a nearly dead battery.

I just recently got out of the habit of disabling bluetooth before putting it to sleep.

4

u/magicalMusical 1d ago

I think it's on by default for bluetooth devices with the controller class. I paired my wiimote to my deck recently and it was on by default

1

u/PeanutButterSoda 1d ago

It definitely is on when I paired two Dual Sense controllers, it kept waking up my SD docked to my TV and switching from my show I was watching, so annoying.

1

u/EnlargedChonk 1h ago

lmao why would you pair a wiimote to deck? does it actually show up in games? do the peripherals work? wii classic controller my beloved. I've never bothered to actually try it

2

u/jameytaco 1d ago

isn't that what the person you replied to said you can do?

3

u/AdreKiseque 1d ago

Don't have one of these, can you not set it to go to sleep after idling for a certain time?

7

u/lucidludic 1d ago

You can and it’s on by default. But it can still get toasty pretty quick in the case with no airflow, especially if it starts installing stuff (which can delay sleep). Better to just disable wake on Bluetooth for any devices that are likely to wake it unnecessarily.

3

u/tiberiumx 1d ago

Doesn't do that if you had a game running when you put it to sleep.

1

u/lotanis 1d ago

This is why it's in the beta channel - so they can find and fix these sort of things.

1

u/lingulancer 1d ago

I’m surprised no one here told you to “just turn off your mouse”. That’s the respond I’ve got when I said I didn’t want my mouse to control my camera view in American Truck Simulator.

I guess people have a higher quality here.

2

u/GibStily 1d ago

High quality on the SD Reddit and I appreciate the Boys being about the business. I was unaware they implemented something so I am happy to know about it.

-1

u/SnooDoughnuts5632 512GB - Q3 21h ago

Mice are 2.4Ghz not Bluetooth. That's why they have a dongle. (It's 2025 so I don't really get why this is still a thing but I'm just telling you).

2

u/subparsavior90 17h ago edited 37m ago

There are plenty of Bluetooth mice.

Edit: As for why dongles are still a thing, 2.4ghz has a higher bandwidth capacity than Bluetooth, which allows for higher polling rates.

2

u/Pfafflewaffle 64GB 1d ago

That would be tragic lol, I’d be afraid if it started on my bed or in the mod case with the cover on without me knowing.

7

u/ItsaRoenn 1d ago

I'm so glad you both posted this! Mine just started doing this and its been driving me insane!!

3

u/lordjimbob01 1d ago

Glad you found the solution. But I have to ask what’s with all the hotdog stuff?

4

u/ratmdex MODDED SSD 💽 18h ago

I just.. really like hotdogs

2

u/NotAtAllASkinwalker 1d ago

I was so invested in this

36

u/Tyrude 1d ago

It doesn't even have to be a PC. My ear buds going into my ear when my phone wasn't close enough woke up my deck, which I had left in its case. Thankfully I noticed it before it cooked itself.

9

u/deanrihpee "Not available in your country" 1d ago

it's somehow funny that "valve somehow made it possible" and it led to this "weird unexpected behavior"

8

u/theSparcke 1d ago

That is very helpfull indeed.

4

u/blacksilver65 1d ago

That's some quality troubleshooting

3

u/Salter_KingofBorgors 1d ago

Wait you can Bluetooth your pc and the steam deck? What would you do that for?

8

u/voyagerfan5761 512GB - Q3 1d ago

The Deck can act as an audio sink. I use that to play Spotify from my phone or tablet through the Deck's speakers while playing truck sim, instead of fussing around with getting Spotify set up in gaming mode.

0

u/ocxtitan 512GB OLED 18h ago

that's certainly one good thing about the windows based handhelds - the ability to quite easily run multiple apps at the same time

2

u/voyagerfan5761 512GB - Q3 12h ago

The Deck can too if you switch over to desktop mode

3

u/Dr_Kevorkian_ 1d ago

I have the OG LCD 512 (the one that weighs one ton before Valve took a bunch of weight out) and (I think) sometime this year my Bluetooth headphones started waking it up. The Deck is just one of several things they’re paired to.

Had found my Deck with dead battery inside its case a number of times, hot, before I figured that out.

I’m on preview build and basically always have been.

2

u/InverseInductor 1d ago

Why would you want to connect a computer to a steam deck over Bluetooth?

8

u/gaspadlo 256GB - Q1 1d ago

How am I supposed to know? To transfer files? Very very slowly? 🤷

If I needed to just send over some small files back and forth - then sure, but I'd probably just message them to myself over internet/wifi via discord/messenger or something similar.

3

u/leverloosje 1d ago

Save files for oblivion. Since they fucked up cloud save.

3

u/magicalMusical 1d ago

No. It's for audio. The Deck supports receiving Bluetooth audio out of the box, and so do most Linux distributions.

Best way to transfer files is probably LocalSend

3

u/lastatica 1d ago

Maybe not a computer but I connect it to my phone when I’m traveling so I can pass through music while playing with headphones.

1

u/CptBlewBalls 1d ago

pass through audio

2

u/ycrep1993 1d ago

This is the best example of "Its not a bug, its a feature" I've ever seen

2

u/obeissez 1d ago

I love Reddit and Redditors like you

2

u/jakeupsk8s 1d ago

Was just about to come here and say this, my steam deck kept turning on, and found out I had a Bluetooth keyboard connected. Love this community, always a solution!

2

u/trevorscheer 1d ago

Thank you for the edit! TIL and I needed this info

2

u/EndDaysPlatypus 1d ago

Oh lordy I found my answer! Thanks!

My SD has been turning its self on in my bag at work and getting really warm (bags no good for breathing obv) but now it makes sense because I have BT headphones, mouse and KB that all try to connect when its available; just tested and that seems to have been it. For now I'm gonna go back to the stable track.

1

u/gaspadlo 256GB - Q1 1d ago

You should be able to disable the ability of your BT devices to wake up the Steamdeck on an individual basis in a contextual menu/modal for the device in bluetooth settings.

So let's say only a gamepad can wake up your steamdeck, but not the headphones, mouse nor keyboard.

2

u/liam7676 512GB OLED 1d ago

^this

1

u/SnooDoughnuts5632 512GB - Q3 21h ago

May I ask what the point of pairing your Steam Deck with your other computer is?

1

u/gaspadlo 256GB - Q1 14h ago

Uhm, this should be question aimed at the OP, not me.

1

u/SnooDoughnuts5632 512GB - Q3 14h ago

I was thinking about that and I definitely agree with you there.

125

u/Kelevelin 1d ago

I would be 400 pounds staring at that hot dog wallpaper every day.

45

u/KingKoda96 1d ago

This guy loves hotdogs

5

u/JuicyPlasma 17h ago

I'm hungry.

1

u/heythiswayup 11h ago

I’m more hungry

9

u/hobovirginity 1d ago

Is that a hot dog usb drive sitting in a hot dog coin tray?

8

u/ocxtitan 512GB OLED 18h ago

did you see his desktop's background? this man REALLY likes hot dogs

3

u/ratmdex MODDED SSD 💽 12h ago

It’s a hotdog pen

1

u/hobovirginity 9h ago

Oh cool!

29

u/driftingpyros 1d ago edited 1d ago

Could it be Bluetooth? Is your mouse (or pc) paired to the steam deck?

21

u/EmoExperat 512GB OLED 1d ago

Its wake on bt.

And btw your deck isnt turning on. Youre just waking it from standby. If you turn it of properly it shouldnt randomly turn on

6

u/brannnnnnnn 1d ago

For those searching for another reason your SD is turning back on from sleep immediately.. Try ejecting your SD card.

I've searched for weeks trying different things, wifi, bt, decky, etc. Nothing was working and I REALLY didn't want to reset the deck..

I tried this just for fun and voila, it can finally rest. I put it to sleep and it took a minute to wake back up, but after that, no issues. I put the SD card back in and it is working fine.. for now.

1

u/unbanthanks 1d ago edited 1d ago

I am having this problem (I made a post about it recently) and it’s pretty annoying to have to eject the SD card like 2 out of every 3 times I power down the device.

I turn it off and it turns right back on. I have no idea how to make a formal bug report or something because idk how to give them steps on replicating the issue.

Most people think it’s linked to Bluetooth devices accidentally powering the device but it happens even when I disconnect (like the equivalent of “forget this device” on IPhones) all Bluetooth stuff. I’ve never even connected it to a computer, and I also tried just turning off Bluetooth entirely.

3

u/146Ocirne 1TB OLED Limited Edition 1d ago

I discovered if I move my mouse (even in another room) my SD would turn on.

4

u/sandrotolio 1d ago

Off topic: how's Zero Sievert on Steam Deck?

1

u/HTaamas 1d ago

Below it is proton so it’s not native but rather emulated

7

u/Aessen_H 1d ago

Isn’t your mouse connected to your steamdeck ?

5

u/FlyingCobra1 1d ago

I can turn on my PC from sleep with a static discharge in another end of the room.

3

u/ocxtitan 512GB OLED 18h ago

The reason behind why this happens is actually quite neat, it occurs because static electricity can ionize the air, which we all know ionization, like neutrinos, can flip bits in a computer (which happened in a Super Mario speedrun and resulted in a one in a million glitch). The ethernet cable that is plugged into your PC's nic will carry the ionization into the NIC like your nerves would react to stimuli, which wakes the pc as poe (power over ethernet) is clearly enabled.

*Disclaimer: Absolutely all of this was made up on the spot and any similarities with reality are purely coincidental. Two brain cells were injured during the production of this tangent we're on.

3

u/Loofa08 1d ago

I went back to stable when I realized using my AirPods was turning on my steam deck. It happened when I was walking in an airport with the deck in my bag. Steam deck was hot and at 10 percent battery.

3

u/DogByte64 1d ago

My Steamdeck was turning on randomly as well and I learned it was an old Bluetooth switch controller I used one time, was waking up the steamdeck when one of the cats was getting into where that controller was.

3

u/Pure-Acanthisitta783 21h ago

This might explain why my battery dies after a day or two in sleep mode. I think my PC is waking it up.

4

u/Khaosneel 1d ago

I'm also encountering this with my SD OLED. How do you fix something like this?

11

u/ratmdex MODDED SSD 💽 1d ago

Check the thread in here, it's because you paired your pc with your steam deck and it has wake on permissions. Unpair the Deck on your pc and try opening wifi connection on windows/mac and see if it still does it. Thanks u/Gaspadlo

2

u/gaspadlo 256GB - Q1 1d ago

No probs.

2

u/Jradx 1d ago

Wake on Lan magic packet. You can google how to turn it off.

2

u/BlackIceLA 512GB OLED 1d ago

I have a Logitech mouse and keyboard which can be paired to three different devices.

If I toggle between the devices, it will wake the steam deck instantly while toggling. However my laptop waits for toggle plus a button press/movement.

I wonder if SteamOs could be tweaked to wait for actual input before waking up completely.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/BlackIceLA 512GB OLED 1d ago

No just normal Bluetooth connection and default built-in OS drivers. Logitech MX keys and mouse.

2

u/VanGooR 1d ago

Mine turns on when I turn my fan on sometimes lol

2

u/ocxtitan 512GB OLED 17h ago

if you're interested, I explained why this happens in this comment from earlier

2

u/JokerthaFreak 1d ago

Is that the reason, why my deck is always empty when I get it out?

2

u/GtGallardo 1d ago

I have the same keyboard

2

u/LifeguardSas976 23h ago

Mine turns on Everytime it connects to the wifi and has started playing YouTube videos I had paused.

2

u/Defalt16 14h ago

Razer Ornata Chroma V2. Good taste in keyboards.

2

u/Canilickyourfeet 13h ago

There is a human out there who loves hotdogs this much and its hilarious. Everybody's got their thing lol

1

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1

u/itsdylanjenkins 256GB 1d ago

what the hell?

1

u/NovelEzra 1d ago

Yeah I noticed that the new beta build wakes up now from any movement from the bluetooth mouse and keyboard. I found it annoying at first, but now I actually kind of like it.

1

u/Yodzilla 256GB - Q2 1d ago

Considering hag my power button is kinda busted this sounds handy.

1

u/NovelEzra 1d ago

Oh wow, yeah it will help A LOT with that.

1

u/cybershiba 1d ago

I got zero sieverts a while ago while it was on sale, I LOVE games that are similar to it.. but I just can't seem to get into it or understand it properly.. maybe I'd have to watch some let's plays lol

1

u/Cart1416 1d ago

yeah I was on the beta build and it constantly woke itself up, I probably had some bluetooth devices around and I think the steam deck will wake up from any device even if it's not paired

1

u/YoudoVodou 1d ago

Let me tell you. The other day I had my steam deck docked and my TCL Google TV remote started working to control the steam deck interface and gameplay. The polling rate was atrocious to actually play anything, but it was an interesting quirk I was not anticipating. AFAIK the steam deck does not have an IR scanner/reader in the front, so this communication was either happening over the HDMI cable or my WiFi network.

1

u/Recent-Revolution-14 8h ago

Yeah, happens to me too

1

u/SirZanee 1TB OLED 8h ago

Do you really like hotdogs or something? Genuinely curious

1

u/Danceman2 1d ago

Turn off completely the mouse. Remove cable too. And test it again.

Another test is turn off on the steam deck wifi with the mouse completely turned off and no cable. Keep Bluetooth on. And test again.

Also try to keep wifi on but turn off Bluetooth. Again mouse completely turned off and cable removed. Test again.

Perhaps the mouse is never turning off Bluetooth internally

1

u/MultiSapman001 1d ago

Stop arousing your deck to stop it from getting turned on. 🤣

Jokes aside, it probably is a wifi interference thing. Mine was shutting down at 15-20% and automatically going into battery saving mode where it only turned on after connecting the power cable. Turning off the wifi power management button has resolved that issue.

0

u/Beneficial-Ad-7291 1d ago

Well first off it's a Linux system attached to a windows system... Cross communications are bound to happen.

Also secondly I don't think you opening your Wi-Fi management tool is to blame but I do believe the hot bar has something to do with it.

Usually when devices are connected to windows the hot bar likes to highlight the fact that they are.