Bluetooth File Transfer With Linux
This stuff was done using Mandriva 2007 and KDE 3. I have two very cheap bluetooth micro USB adapters, and both work perfectly with Linux. Any reasonably recent distro will already have the bluetooth kernel modules, so chances are, you won't need to bother messing about with the kernel.
As usual, I'm writing this so I can remember where to look in future when I've forgotten how to do this. (My memory is like a sieve). There are much more comprehensive tutorials elsewhere.
Firstly install packages bluez, bluez-utils.
I also installed packages kdebluetooth, obexftp.
Send a file to a bluetooth device via Konquerer KDE File Manager
Ensure package kdebluetooth is installed for this.
Right click the required file in Konqueror file manager, select "Actions", "Send Via Bluetooth".
This will open the "Bluetooth OBEX Object Push Client" with the required file already selected in the right-hand pane.
You can also run the command kbtobexclient to access this.
Wait for bluetooth device searching to complete, then when the correct bluetooth device appears in the left-hand pane, select it, then press "Send" on the bottom-right.
Manage Files With Konqueror
Open Konqueror file manager, and type bluetooth:/ in the "Location" toolbar.
This will show the bluetooth devices in range.
You can also do this by simply clicking the bluetooth icon in the sytem tray.
Double-click "OBEX File Transfer".
You should then see shared drives or available storage icons.
I see C: and E: drives of my Nokia N95.
Scan for bluetooth devices in range from the command prompt
hcitool scan will show bluetooth devices in the area, along with their respective names.
[jack@jf ~]$ hcitool scan
Scanning ...
00:1E:3A:2B:E5:8B Driving God
00:21:FE:BE:E3:38 Jordan not jodie
Send a file to a bluetooth device via the command prompt
Install package obexftp for this.
If the device is not yet paired with the linux box, you will be prompted for passwords during this process. It doesn't matter what you choose as long as you enter the same code on both the bluetooth device and the linux box. Subsequent transfers will work without prompting for the password.[jack@jf ~]$ obexftp -b 00:1E:3A:2B:E5:8B -p test.jpg Browsing 00:1E:3A:2B:E5:8B ... Channel: 11 Connecting...done Sending "test.jpg"...-done Disconnecting...done
USB Bluetooth Dongle Not Working?
Have you got your bluetooth dongle plugged in, but it's not being recognised?
When I plug in my bluetooth dongles, I get "Bluetooth adapter found" in the system tray.
Try this. Type hciconfig with no parameters, and you will see basic information about all bluetooth devices found by the system. You need to be root to do this.
[root@jf ~]# hciconfig
hci0: Type: USB
BD Address: 00:13:67:D0:4E:FD ACL MTU: 1021:4 SCO MTU: 48:10
DOWN
RX bytes:514 acl:0 sco:0 events:29 errors:0
TX bytes:345 acl:0 sco:0 commands:23 errors:0
This shows that the system has detected my bluetooth adapter as hci0, but the interface is down.
Type hciconfig hci0 up to bring the interface up.
[root@jf ~]# hciconfig hci0 up
[root@jf ~]# hciconfig
hci0: Type: USB
BD Address: 00:13:67:D0:4E:FD ACL MTU: 1021:4 SCO MTU: 48:10
UP RUNNING PSCAN
RX bytes:922 acl:0 sco:0 events:48 errors:0
TX bytes:669 acl:0 sco:0 commands:42 errors:0
