Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows you to communicate with and control devices within a short distance. It’s great for transferring small files, streaming music to your headphones, and communicating with your watch.
But managing Bluetooth devices from the command line on Linux isn’t always easy. bluetuith gives you a simple terminal interface, through which you’re able to easily scan, connect, pair with, and operate Bluetooth devices.
Why Use bluetuith to Control Bluetooth Devices on Linux?
Bluetooth is named after a tenth-century Scandinavian king, and exists to facilitate short-range communication between electronic devices.
On Linux, the standard tool for managing Bluetooth devices is bluetoothctl.Using bluetoothctl is fairly intuitive, but requires you to recall and manually type in commands.
Alternatively, most distros come with some kind of Bluetooth GUI which makes managing Bluetooth peripherals a matter of point and click.
bluetuith occupies a middle ground, and is aimed at people who spend most of their time in the Linux terminal, but don’t want the headache that comes with repeatedly entering MAC addresses.
In addition to its attractive Terminal User Interface (TUI), bluetuith offers additional functionality. You can send files, stream audio, and control device functions, all without leaving the app.
How to Install bluetuith on Linux
bluetuith is written in Google’s Go language, so before you start,make sure you have Go installedon your system.
Then, install bluetuith with the following command:
Go will install the binary to~/go/bin/bluetuith, but you can create a symbolic link to ensure you can start it from any location:
You can now start bluetuith by entering:
bluetuith is also packaged for multiple distros. You can install it directly on Arch Linux with:
You can also find packages for Alpine Linux, NixOS, and openSUSE on the bluetuithRepologypage.
Use bluetuith to Manage Bluetooth Devices on Linux
Start bluetuith and you’ll be greeted with an almost empty screen, showing your hostname, and menu items forAdapterandDevice.
You haven’t connected any devices yet, so theDevicemenu isn’t functional at this stage.
HitEnterto view the options available in the adapter menu, and note the common shortcut keys you can use to streamline the process later.
To scan for devices within range, make sure the ones you want are discoverable, then presss, or selectscanfrom the adapter menu.
bluetuith will present you with a list of devices you’re able to connect to. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select the one you want, then presscto connect.
If you’reconnecting to an Android device via Bluetooth, you’ll see a pairing code pop up on your device screen, and within the bluetuith interface. Confirm the number is the same on both devices, then confirm you want to pair them.
Now that you’re connected to a device, you can access the device menu by pressingEnter, thenTab.
Again, you should take note of the shortcut keys for future reference.
To quickly send files over Bluetooth, pressfthen select your files using the arrow keys in the built-in file manager.
Themkey allows you to either stream media to your device or take control of your device’s media player. If you’re connected to a phone, you’ll see what’s currently playing, regardless of what app is being used.
While testing bluetuith, we were able to control playback in Audiobookshelf—aself-hosted audiobook libraryrunning on Raspberry Pi.
Alternatively, if your device is a speaker or set of headphones, you’re able to stream directly to them.
To see information about your connected device, theikey will bring up relevant details.
It’s not inconceivable that your computer has more than one Bluetooth adapter. You can choose which one bluetuith should use witha.
If you’re fed up with the plain black and white looks of bluetuith, there are some basic theming options available. To see these and other simple configuration switches, run:
Managing Bluetooth Devices Is Simple With bluetuith
By using bluetuith instead of either bluetoothctl or your distro’s GUI Bluetooth app, you get a speedy, lightweight interface that’s easy to understand—and you don’t have to leave your terminal either!
The most common use of Bluetooth is to stream music to speakers, so make sure you choose the best speakers available.
