GSConnect could not pair two computers, is it a bug or a limitation?

[deltasata]

Describe the bug

I have two laptops, both on Ubuntu 24.04, Gnome 46 and have GSConnect. I could see one from the other, but pressing 'pair' does nothing, does not send any request to the other! Do I have to do something? Or, does GSConnect work between two computers?

Steps to reproduce

No response

Expected behavior

No response

GSConnect version

58

Installed from

Extension Manager

GNOME Shell version

46

Linux distribution/release

Ubuntu 24.04.1

Paired device(s)

Another Ubuntu 24.04 laptop

KDE Connect app version

No response

Plugin(s)

No response

Support log

No response

Screenshots

No response

Notes

No response

[uncharted-user]

I also experienced that issue. Is that a limitation? I tried to connect between Fedora 41 with Windows 10.

[ferdnyc]

@uncharted-user

Windows support, in particular, is not very well tested... but I was able to pair a Windows 10 system running KDE Connect with GSConnect on my Fedora desktop, relatively recently.

I do remember that my Windows machine didn't see the Fedora box at all, initially, and since there doesn't appear to be any way to initiate a manual connection from the Windows side, I ended up using "Add device by IP..." in GSConnect to link it with the Windows box. That made the Linux box show up in Windows, and I proceeded with the pairing from there.

I can't promise anything else will work between GSConnect and a Windows machine, but pairing should at least be possible.

If you're having trouble getting messages (including pairing requests) through from one system to the other, it's possibly a firewall issue on at least one end. Both systems need to have ports opened in their respective firewalls, in order to communicate. (And for discovery to work, they need to be connected via a network that will let them hear each other's broadcast traffic.)

(When I installed KDE Connect on Windows and launched it for the first time, I remember Windows 10 threw up a firewall access dialog where I was able to give it permission to communicate over private and/or public networks.)

[uncharted-user]

Thanks for the reply. No I didn't get any firewall block however my Windows 10 is LTSC version. I don't know whether something to do with that. However, KDE connect was working with Android devices. I can connect to Windows 10, but unable to send files from Linux to Windows 10. Currently, I am using LocalSend. A lot of features of KDE are missing from LocalSend, which works great as a file sharing app.

[ferdnyc]

@uncharted-user

Hmm. If KDE Connect on Windows was working with Android devices, then the firewall setup sounds like it was correct at least on that end. (Actually, if both devices could see the other, unpaired, that's a good sign for firewall setup all around.)

Since you have Android devices in the mix, were you able to pair any of those with GSConnect on your Ubuntu system?

If not, then the problem is simply GSConnect not being able to pair with devices. In which case, the Generate Support Log¹ output collected when trying to pair the devices might be helpful.

If yes (you can pair Android devices, but not Windows), then I'm stumped. But, Generate Support Log could still be helpful.

Notes

1. As the wiki entry says, the process is:
   1. activate "Generate Support Log"
   2. THEN try to reproduce the problem you're seeing (IOW, try to pair the devices, from both ends — in fact, even better if you wait to connect the other device to the network until after you've activated Generate Support Log, so we can see the log of device discovery as well.)
   3. Once you've reproduced the (non-)pairing, click "Review Log" to get the collected debug logs for the session.

[uncharted-user]

Since you have Android devices in the mix, were you able to pair any of those with GSConnect on your Ubuntu system?
Yes, the only problem was there was no way to send files from Ubuntu to Windows 10.

But, Generate Support Log could still be helpful.
I will once I can manage some free time.