BT4Stretch is a Bluetooth package for Debian-Live projects. It handles several functions:
- streaming audio to portable Bluetooth speakers
- connecting Bluetooth mice and keyboards
- Internet tethering over Bluetooth
- file transfers
Update: This project is now ONLY maintained for the 64bit Buster/Bullseye Starter Kits and some related Dogs.
Update: V2.5 uses Blueman instead of Bluetoothctl as the connection manager. It works better with tasks like file transfers. Audio still runs through bluealsa and PulseAudio is not required. Note: Occasionally, the Blueman components may not initialize properly. Restart X and try again.
Bluetoothctl is still available on the bottom row of buttons.
Update: V2.2 adds a Paired button. It displays a list of the currently paired devices, making it easier to paste a MAC address into your .asoundrc file.
Update: Project removed after four months due to lack of interest. Anyone who still wants it can post a request.
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This system uses Bluez5 but avoids the need for PulseAudio by using bluez-alsa. Installation requires two packages, attached below.
1. bluealsa from the raspberrypi.org repo here.
2. bt4stretch.
The main screen has several Help buttons. There is a learning curve to using bt4stretch. See the hints below.
The BT and Internal buttons let you quickly switch the ALSA audio output between Bluetooth and the internal sound card by modifying your .asoundrc file.
If the Bluetooth ALSA device is properly configured and set as default, you can control its volume from the AlsaMixer tray applet. If the applet fails to open or displays the wrong controls, there is a problem with your BT4Stretch setup. Either the BT speaker has not paired/connected properly or your .asoundrc is wrong.
Hints:
BT4Stretch works with most media players and web browsers. If you run Chrome/Chromium browsers as a non-root user, there may be a permissions problem. Start the browser from a terminal with: chromium --no-sandbox
When doing the Blueman setup, a device may repeatedly fail to connect. This situation will occur when you move a BT device between host computers. Do a "remove" operation and start over.
Learn the blink and beep codes of your BT device. If you are unsure about its status, click Disconnect, wait until the blink changes, and click Quick Connect.
If the system refuses to pair/connect reliably, do a BT Reset, cold shutdown/reboot and start again.
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