bahaaador (u/bahaaador)

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

lamnguyenx · a year ago

Does this work with Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W? Unfortunately I don't have Pi Zero W lying around :(

bahaaador · a year ago

Any SbC with OTG support should work, so both Zero W and Zero 2 W should be compatible (I tested it with RPi Zero 2 W—I will update the docs).

https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w/https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/

I can't find definitive information for RPi 4 though, I see some references to using it online but the spec here does not seem to mention USB host or OTG

https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/...

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

tanvach · a year ago

This is very cool. I have a Kinesis Freestyle2 Blue for Mac that keep having repeating key issue when paired with my Macbook. The Kinesis CS unhelpfully blame Apple's BT stack implementation and offered no solution. I never had issues with the keyboard when connected to a Linux machine, so this will work nicely for my home office setup!

I'm assuming this also works with Pi Zero 2 W? (The repo only mention the original Zero W)

bahaaador · a year ago

Actually, I meant to say Pi Zero 2 W as well. But basically, any device that supports USB OTG

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

Havoc · a year ago

Does this support headphones/audio too?

bahaaador · a year ago

Not at the moment, I might look into it as I've received the request a few times now. So stay tuned! :)

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

reeddavid · a year ago

This solves a huge annoyance I've had: swap a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse between multiple laptops, without manually un0paring / re-pairing. I have a personal "hot desk" at home. I want to be able to plug in any laptop to the large monitor, and have the wireless keyboard/mouse on that desk instantly work. And when I leave the desk with my laptop, I don't want that keyboard/mouse connected anymore.

This has been impossible so far, because even USB bluetooth dongles still require each host computer to pair (and un-pair) with the keyboard/mouse.

I am going to try your solution, and I will plug the USB input into the large monitor on my desk. Then any laptop that plugs into that monitor should have access to the wireless keyboard/mouse. Thank you for creating and sharing this!

bahaaador · a year ago

My pleasure, @reeddavid! I’m excited that you might find a use for it. Just a quick note: you may need an external power source for the RPi if you’re switching between devices frequently.

One popular request I’ve received is for certain RPi models (those with multiple USB ports as host) to act as a KVM, allowing them to serve as a USB host for multiple PCs simultaneously with easy switching—perhaps through shortcuts or physical buttons on the RPi. I’ll need to give it more thought, but it seems feasible with minimal changes. I already have some ideas for better state management for the devices!

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

WhitneyLand · a year ago

Can’t imagine when I’ll ever need this, but I love it.

Great work Bahador.

bahaaador · a year ago

Thank you so much!

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

mschuster91 · a year ago

I'd love to see something like this but the other way around - a native implementation of a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard in either Android, an iPhone or a RPi with a touchscreen. It would make life in a server rack so much easier if I didn't have to lug around a physical keyboard and mouse...

bahaaador · a year ago

Oh interesting, I can see how something like that would be useful for myself as well. I think you just gave me some good ideas for future projects as I have a few ideas around using Bluetooth in React Native apps and potentially amalgamating them with Single-board computers. Thank you!

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

pwizzler · a year ago

Bluetooth was disabled but the USB port... wasn't?

bahaaador · a year ago

I know, it seemed to me like a pretty arbitrary policy as well, but what can you do other than turning limitations into opportunities? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

abind · a year ago

Awesome! I was going to build something like this for myself for connecting peripherals behind a KVM.

I gotta test how this works with the Magic Trackpad. IIUC Magic Trackpad does something non standard to achieve smooth scroll.

bahaaador · a year ago

I would be interested to know too, be sure to let me know how it goes!

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

ChrisMarshallNY · a year ago

> This project was born out of a desire to help a friend who couldn't use his favorite Bluetooth mouse and keyboard due to Bluetooth being disabled on his work laptop.

Protip: If their company's IT section is like the one at my old company, they are quite unlikely to like this solution, either.

But it's very clever. Kudos.

bahaaador · a year ago

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I had thought about this as well but came to the conclusion that from the company's perspective, this is no different than connecting a random keyboard bought from Amazon, what do you think?

Another thought around this is that I don't even think there's anything intrinsically insecure about BT as an attack vector but most likely some old policy based on security issues that existed in the early days of Bluetooth. Or at least I don't know of any, but I'm no expert in this so I would love to hear other people's insights here.

bahaaador commented on Show HN: Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay – Bridge Bluetooth Devices to USB github.com/bahaaador/blue... · Posted by u/bahaaador

rkagerer · a year ago

So it's basically what I would expect to get if I asked for a generic Bluetooth dongle.

bahaaador · a year ago

Not quite, if your PC has a policy that disables Bluetooth, a BT dongle would not work either.

That’s where this relay comes in—it bridges Bluetooth to USB, so you can still use your devices.