Cross-Platform Bluetooth Communication in Python for Windows and Linux

With the pybluez library, we can create Bluetooth applications that work seamlessly on both platforms.

Setting Up Bluetooth in Python

Python has a wonderful Bluetooth library called pybluez, which provides an easy-to-use API for scanning, connecting, and sending data over Bluetooth.

And it works the same on both platforms

Installing PyBluez

Before we do anything, let’s install pybluez.

On Windows:

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pip install pybluez

On Linux:

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sudo apt-get install bluetooth libbluetooth-dev
pip install pybluez

Discovering Bluetooth Devices

Now that we have pybluez installed, let’s scan for nearby Bluetooth devices.

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import bluetooth

def discover_devices():
    print("Scanning for Bluetooth devices...")
    devices = bluetooth.discover_devices(duration=8, lookup_names=True)
    
    for addr, name in devices:
        print(f"Found {name} at {addr}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    discover_devices()

This script scans for Bluetooth devices for 8 seconds and prints their names and addresses.

Connecting and Sending Data

Once we have found a Bluetooth device, we can connect to it and send data. Here’s how:

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import bluetooth

def send_data(target_address, message):
    port = 1  # RFCOMM default port
    sock = bluetooth.BluetoothSocket(bluetooth.RFCOMM)
    sock.connect((target_address, port))
    
    print(f"Connected to {target_address}, sending data...")
    sock.send(message)
    sock.close()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    target_address = "XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX"  # Replace with your device's Bluetooth address
    send_data(target_address, "Hello Bluetooth!")

This script creates an RFCOMM socket, connects to a Bluetooth device, sends a message, and then closes the connection.

Receiving Data Over Bluetooth

To receive data from another device, we need to set up a Bluetooth server.

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import bluetooth

def bluetooth_server():
    server_sock = bluetooth.BluetoothSocket(bluetooth.RFCOMM)
    server_sock.bind(("", 1))  # Bind to port 1
    server_sock.listen(1)
    
    print("Waiting for connection...")
    client_sock, client_info = server_sock.accept()
    print(f"Connected to {client_info}")
    
    data = client_sock.recv(1024)
    print(f"Received: {data}")
    
    client_sock.close()
    server_sock.close()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    bluetooth_server()

This sets up a simple Bluetooth server that listens for incoming messages.

Conclusion

Python makes cross-platform Bluetooth development easier than ever.

With pybluez, you can discover devices, send data, and even set up a Bluetooth server—all with a few lines of code.