How to Use bluetoothctl

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of using bluetoothctl command-line tool to manage Bluetooth devices on Linux. bluetoothctl is a utility provided by BlueZ, the official Bluetooth protocol stack for Linux. It allows you to control and interact with Bluetooth devices using a command-line interface. Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have the following:

  • A Linux-based system with Bluetooth support.

  • bluez package installed.

Step 1: Launch bluetoothctl

  1. Open a terminal on your Linux system.

  2. Launch bluetoothctl by running the following command:

$ bluetoothctl

Step 2: Enable Bluetooth

Before you can start managing Bluetooth devices, make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your system:

  1. Inside the bluetoothctl prompt, enter the following command to turn on Bluetooth:

[bluetoothctl] power on

  1. Verify that Bluetooth is now enabled by running:

[bluetoothctl] show

You should see the details of your system’s Bluetooth adapter.

Step 3: Scanning for Devices

To discover nearby Bluetooth devices, you can perform a scan:

  1. Start the scanning process by entering the following command:

[bluetoothctl] scan on

  1. Wait for a few moments while the scan is in progress. You will see a list of discovered devices along with their MAC addresses.

  2. To stop the scan, use the command:

[bluetoothctl] scan off

Step 4: Pairing and Connecting to Devices

Once you have identified the device you want to connect to, you can initiate the pairing and connection process:

  1. Enter the following command to start the pairing process:

[bluetoothctl] pair <device_mac_address>

Replace <device_mac_address> with the MAC address of the device you want to pair with.

  1. Follow any on-screen prompts or instructions to complete the pairing process.

  2. Once paired, you can connect to the device using the following command:

[bluetoothctl] connect <device_mac_address>

Replace <device_mac_address> with the MAC address of the device you want to connect to.

Step 5: Managing Paired Devices

You can view and manage your paired devices using the following commands:

  • To view a list of all paired devices:

[bluetoothctl] devices Paired

  • To remove a paired device:

[bluetoothctl] remove <device_mac_address>

Replace <device_mac_address> with the MAC address of the device you want to remove.

Step 6: Exiting bluetoothctl

To exit bluetoothctl, simply enter the following command:

[bluetoothctl] quit

Conclusion

Using bluetoothctl to manage Bluetooth devices on Linux. You can now scan, pair, connect, and manage your Bluetooth devices from the command line.

For more advanced configurations and options, refer to the bluetoothctl documentation or the official BlueZ documentation. References