diff --git a/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c b/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c
index 3735764b3169..2cee330188ce 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c
@@ -172,13 +172,11 @@ 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 hci_acl_create_connection(struct hci_conn *conn)
diff --git a/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c b/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c
index 15b33579007c..367e32fe30eb 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/hci_sysfs.c
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ 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;
@@ -48,27 +48,30 @@ 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);
 
 	if (device_is_registered(&conn->dev))
 		return;
 
 	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;
@@ -80,9 +83,7 @@ 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)