diff --git a/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c b/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c
index 140d9764c77e3389955bfa1fc39957210b670aec..fb95400cc08c9e6f24d7d3194ca5a9239f64e561 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c
@@ -135,13 +135,11 @@ static void hci_conn_cleanup(struct hci_conn *conn)
 			hdev->notify(hdev, HCI_NOTIFY_CONN_DEL);
 	}
 
-	hci_conn_del_sysfs(conn);
-
 	debugfs_remove_recursive(conn->debugfs);
 
-	hci_dev_put(hdev);
+	hci_conn_del_sysfs(conn);
 
-	hci_conn_put(conn);
+	hci_dev_put(hdev);
 }
 
 static void le_scan_cleanup(struct work_struct *work)
diff --git a/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c b/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c
index b69d88b88d2e4f25dc725b147bcb373a2eee8404..21ce505da8df450f8649672e32a301db4c59fcd4 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ void hci_conn_init_sysfs(struct hci_conn *conn)
 {
 	struct hci_dev *hdev = conn->hdev;
 
-	BT_DBG("conn %p", conn);
+	bt_dev_dbg(hdev, "conn %p", conn);
 
 	conn->dev.type = &bt_link;
 	conn->dev.class = bt_class;
@@ -46,24 +46,27 @@ void hci_conn_add_sysfs(struct hci_conn *conn)
 {
 	struct hci_dev *hdev = conn->hdev;
 
-	BT_DBG("conn %p", conn);
+	bt_dev_dbg(hdev, "conn %p", conn);
 
 	dev_set_name(&conn->dev, "%s:%d", hdev->name, conn->handle);
 
-	if (device_add(&conn->dev) < 0) {
+	if (device_add(&conn->dev) < 0)
 		bt_dev_err(hdev, "failed to register connection device");
-		return;
-	}
-
-	hci_dev_hold(hdev);
 }
 
 void hci_conn_del_sysfs(struct hci_conn *conn)
 {
 	struct hci_dev *hdev = conn->hdev;
 
-	if (!device_is_registered(&conn->dev))
+	bt_dev_dbg(hdev, "conn %p", conn);
+
+	if (!device_is_registered(&conn->dev)) {
+		/* If device_add() has *not* succeeded, use *only* put_device()
+		 * to drop the reference count.
+		 */
+		put_device(&conn->dev);
 		return;
+	}
 
 	while (1) {
 		struct device *dev;
@@ -75,9 +78,7 @@ void hci_conn_del_sysfs(struct hci_conn *conn)
 		put_device(dev);
 	}
 
-	device_del(&conn->dev);
-
-	hci_dev_put(hdev);
+	device_unregister(&conn->dev);
 }
 
 static void bt_host_release(struct device *dev)