Since these boxes all have different chip-sets for Bluetooth and what not, right now it is not recommended to use Bluetooth with EmuELEC you can still use it but I won't be able to help you if you have problems.

If you use a dongle, do not use it on a USB 3.0 port, or use a hub or OTG port (on the N2 it is recommended to use the OTG port for the dongle)

Before booting your device, turn on and set your controller to "pairing" mode, boot your device and let it finish, It can take up to 90 seconds to pair the controller make sure you give it enough time! if everything worked out your controller should be paired, connected and ready to setup. If your controller does not last long in "pairing" mode, try doing it mid boot (when the EmuELEC logo shows up).

Note that this most likely won't work for PS3 controllers, read this: https://github.com/EmuELEC/EmuELEC/wiki/Bluetooth#notes--ps3-controllers

Open the ES main menu go into the "Controller Settings" put your controller in "pairing" mode and select "Pair a Bluetooth controller" it should pair up. Note that you need to have a wired game-pad or keyboard to be able to select the menu.

On next reboot, you just have to power on your controller, preferably a few seconds before your device finishes loading EmuELEC and it should connect automatically.

1. SSH to EmuELEC host (use putty if using Windows), default credentials for EmuELEC is root/emuelec
2. Issue command 'bluetoothctl' this will change your command prompt to '[bluetooth]#' to denote you are in bluetoothctl mode.
3. Issue the following commands in this prompt:-

default-agent
power on
discoverable on
pairable on
scan on

4. As soon as you issue the 'scan on' command you should start seeing devices being detected, now power on your controller and set it to pairing mode
5. Wait until you see the device show up in the scan output, it will probably show as 'NEW' and will hopefully have some human readable description attached to it, example output:-

[NEW] Device E4:17:D8:3E:3A:00 Pro Controller

6. Once you have identified this is your controller then copy and paste the Bluetooth MAC somewhere safe.
7. Now issue the following commands, inputting the previous Bluetooth MAC where is:-

trust <BTMAC>
connect <BTMAC>

8. If the pairing is successful then the output will look something like this:-

[bluetooth]# connect E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04
Attempting to connect to E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04
[CHG] Device E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04 Connected: yes
[CHG] Device E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04 Modalias: usb:v045Ep02E0d0903
[CHG] Device E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04 UUIDs: 00001124-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
[CHG] Device E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04 UUIDs: 00001200-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
[CHG] Device E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04 ServicesResolved: yes
[CHG] Device E4:17:D8:C5:FF:04 Paired: yes
Connection successful

9. Pairing is now complete, you can now close the SSH connection (type 'exit' and 'exit' again) and configure your controller via EmuELEC initial setup wizard

If you cannot get it to pair you might want to try the following:-

1. Put the controller closer to the Bluetooth adapter
2. Try putting the device in a different pairing mode if possible - 8bitdo devices have multiple pairing modes, try another if your controller has this functionality
3. Double check the Bluetooth MAC - It is easy to misread the output from the scan, ensure you have the correct MAC address when attempting to trust and connect
4. Try another controller, not all controllers will work pair with a generic Bluetooth adapter.

I am still figuring if a script is possible to make Bluetooth easier/better on EmuELEC but keep in mind this is not a priority for me ATM, but I am more than happy if someone else would like to jump in and help with this.

That said EmuELEC includes pre-configured profile for the PS3 controller, but you need to do this in order to connect:

• Using an USB cable (required to update master device Bluetooth address), plug it to your box and click Home button, LEDs should stop blinking.
• Unplug USB cable, LEDs are blinking again, after a bit it should stop blinking and the controller is now connected using a wireless Bluetooth connection.

Please keep an eye on this Wiki page for any Bluetooth updates.