Urgent: Problem with Focus Blue braille display with Windows 11

By Knut, 21 March, 2025

Forum
Windows

Hi everyone,
I'm experiencing persistent Bluetooth connectivity issues with my Braille Focus 40 Blue 5th Generation on Windows 11.
Recently, when I connect the display via Bluetooth, it works for one or two days at most before disconnecting.
When this happens, the device appears as "not connected" in the Bluetooth settings.
- The only way to fix it is to remove the device from the Bluetooth settings and re-pair it from scratch.
I'm using JAWS 2025 (2025.2503.39) and NVDA 2024.4.2, both fully updated.
Has anyone else experienced this issue? Any suggestions on how to fix it?
Thanks in advance!

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Comments

By Maldalain on Friday, March 21, 2025 - 14:56

Maybe you need to reset the Focus.

By TheBlindGuy07 on Friday, March 21, 2025 - 15:23

A bit unrelated but.
I have the 4th gen but first of all I have noticed that they seem to have removed the focus 4th gen user guides^ Just why?! And on the 5th gen manual unless you meant something else there is the diagnostic mode but not a way to reset to factory defaults.
I also have bluetooth connection issues on mac with my focus.

By Travis Roth on Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 00:42

The Focus nees to know to be in Bluetooth mode. If it was but gets turned off, or at any time the USB connection is connected, or disconnected and reconnected, it can throw it off. And sometimes it can throw it off, just because. When Bluetooth stops working are you turning off the Focus, making sure it is not connected to USB, turning it on, and then reconnecting, e.g., by restarting JAWS?
I always have felt the Focus deciding to look for Buetooth connections or not is a bit strangely implemented.

By Maldalain on Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 02:47

I also have issues with the Focus on the mac. Sometimes it connnects sometimes it decides not to.

By Knut on Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 14:27

Yes, I tried many times to restart JAWS without any result. As I said, Focus appears as "not connected" in Windows 11.

By Maldalain on Sunday, March 23, 2025 - 02:23

Is it happening while your laptop on battery? Sometimes I find the connection unstable when I am on battery.

By Jes_mcd on Monday, April 13, 2026 - 20:13

Yes, we have trying to solve this problem in a school district. We got a new ThinkPad running Windows 11 and The Focus 40 Blue is 5th gen. The wired connection fine but cuts out so we are trying to connect via bluetooth. Hours one the phone with Freedom Scientific and with our district tech and still no luck. Updated to JAWS 2026. On the PC, it will say connected and then immediately flips to "not connected" (the display doesn't respond at all). The Focus has firmware v5.82-14.

Maybe I will try to update the firmware. It is interesting the some people can connect for at least a day or two, we have never had it connect (besides the PC screen saying connected for a second and then saying not connected).

Note: a 4th gen Focus 40 Blue will connect via bluetooth with the ThinkPad. and the 5th gen Focus 40 Blue connects to a PC running Windows 10 via bluetooth.