bt_dev_dbg(hdev, "status 0x%2.2x", rp->status);
 
-       if (rp->status)
-               return rp->status;
-
        sent = hci_sent_cmd_data(hdev, HCI_OP_WRITE_AUTH_PAYLOAD_TO);
        if (!sent)
                return rp->status;
        hci_dev_lock(hdev);
 
        conn = hci_conn_hash_lookup_handle(hdev, __le16_to_cpu(rp->handle));
-       if (conn)
+       if (!conn) {
+               rp->status = 0xff;
+               goto unlock;
+       }
+
+       if (!rp->status)
                conn->auth_payload_timeout = get_unaligned_le16(sent + 2);
 
+       hci_encrypt_cfm(conn, 0);
+
+unlock:
        hci_dev_unlock(hdev);
 
        return rp->status;
 
                cp.handle = cpu_to_le16(conn->handle);
                cp.timeout = cpu_to_le16(hdev->auth_payload_timeout);
-               hci_send_cmd(conn->hdev, HCI_OP_WRITE_AUTH_PAYLOAD_TO,
-                            sizeof(cp), &cp);
+               if (hci_send_cmd(conn->hdev, HCI_OP_WRITE_AUTH_PAYLOAD_TO,
+                                sizeof(cp), &cp)) {
+                       bt_dev_err(hdev, "write auth payload timeout failed");
+                       goto notify;
+               }
+
+               goto unlock;
        }
 
 notify: