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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

OS

This open source hardware platform enables developers to experiment with and analyze Bluetooth technology. Launched in 2014 by Nordic Semiconductor, it provides tools for those working on Bluetooth implementations… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Open source hardware platform for Bluetooth hacking launched in 2014; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    Hi HN! I built Bluetooth USB Peripheral Relay, a tool that lets Bluetooth devices (like keyboards and mice) connect to USB-only hosts using a Raspberry Pi Zero W. Why? My friend needed a way to use his Bluetooth mouse and keyboard on a PC with Bluetooth disabled due to policy restrictions. This tool acts as a bridge, relaying Bluetooth input over USB. It also lets you use Bluetooth peripherals with older devices that only support USB input. Tech: Written in Go, optimized for Raspberry Pi Zero W. I love HN’s community and often lurk here—I’m hoping this project is useful or at least sparks…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2RY
  3. 3

    3nd generation with faster processor, wireless and Bluetooth

    2016 · raspberrypi.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    This is my adventure reverse engineering a De'Longhi coffeemaker's Bluetooth-Low-Energy-based protocol, writing a rust CLI for it, and hooking it up to GitHub actions to let us brew from either the browser or the GitHub app by filing issues (all the coffee are defined in issue templates).

    2022 · grack.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5
  6. 6OS

    OpenBLE is an API specification language and client generator for Bluetooth services built on the generic attribute (GATT) profile. Bluetooth development is a mess. Too many datasheets, too little documentation and SDK fragmentation across platforms. I built this tool to improve documentation, version control and development speed for BLE programs. Even though shunned by Apple and Mozilla, Web Bluetooth enjoys wide support and just works. It makes sense to build the frontend for OpenBLE using web Bluetooth. No SDK hell, no installations, wide support albeit experimental. I could ship the…

    2023 · demo.openble.org · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Bluetooth LE consulting, training, and tools for engineering teams, plus in-depth guides on how Bluetooth LE actually works.

    2018 · novelbits.io · its alternatives →

  8. 8PB

    Hi HN, I'm Erwin. I built a small free open-source utility that bridges Bluetooth LE MIDI keyboards into the new Windows MIDI Services stack so any DAW or Web MIDI app can use them as if they were wired. I bought a Roland FP-90X piano partly because it had Bluetooth MIDI. On my Windows 11 PC, pairing succeeded, but my DAW couldn't see the keyboard, and notes I sent from the PC never made the piano sing. After a regrettable number of evenings, I'd separated this into three independent bugs stacked on top of each other. The first one is the famous one: Windows only natively exposes BLE-MIDI…

    May 2026 · its alternatives →

  9. 9
    Puck.js▲103

    The ground-breaking bluetooth beacon

    2016 · puck-js.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Hi, I am Krishna Thota. I am building an open source integration and data platform(https://cptn.io). The product is MIT licensed and the repo is at https://github.com/cptn-io/el-cptn. I have started on my startup journey an year ago and launched a monitoring platform called DevRaven. Unfortunately the product did not takeoff as expected. That story is for another day. But during the course of building the product, I have built several integrations leveraging MQs and Cloud Functions. While building and deploying Cloud Functions for happy paths is easy, I had to…

    2023 · cptn.io · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    Real wooden bluetooth keyboard

    2016 · its alternatives →

  12. 12WB

    2016 · webbluetoothcg.github.io · its alternatives →

  13. 13
    Penna▲121

    A retro bluetooth keyboard

    2017 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Hi HN! Last year the project I launched here got a lot of good feedback on creating speech to speech AI on the ESP32. Recently I revamped the whole stack, iterated on that feedback and made our project fully open-source—all of the client, hardware, firmware code. This Github repo turns an ESP32-S3 into a realtime AI speech companion using the OpenAI Realtime API, Arduino WebSockets, Deno Edge Functions, and a full-stack web interface. You can talk to your own custom AI character, and it responds instantly. I couldn't find a resource that helped set up a reliable, secure websocket (WSS) AI…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    A serverless, unblockable messaging system for Android. - megamattron/SplinterNet

    2013 · github.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    Free & Open-source iPhone/iPad Synth 🎹

    2019 · audiokitpro.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    Bluetooth-enabled portable locking system

    2016 · indiegogo.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    An open-source modular platform for building wearables

    Aug 2026 · sens-wear.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    PandwaRF: RF analysis tool with a sub-1 GHz wireless transceiver controlled by a smartphone or - Home · ComThings/PandwaRF Wiki

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20
    Stek.io▲161

    Easily install open source software to get things done!

    2017 · its alternatives →

  21. 21BA

    Hello Hacker News, My co-founder and I have spent the better part of years developing a completely hackable Home Automation toolset that runs on a Raspberry Pi, or any machine running Linux. With just a Raspberry Pi and a $45 Z-Wave dongle (https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Z-Stick-Z-Wave-create-gateway/...), you can run a complete home automation system! Our hub will support any Z-Wave or Z-Wave plus device. We are cloud hosted service that doesn't require you to purchase any proprietary hardware. Our hub software runs on NodeJS and is completely open source. We encourage…

    2018 · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Turn a raspberry pi into a Bluetooth Midi device . Contribute to Mylab6/PiBluetoothMidSetup development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23MA

    Hi HN! I'm Fischer, and I'm super stoked to share a project that I've been working on for a little over a year: Manta, an open-source, cross-platform, vendor-independent tool for debugging and rapid prototyping with FPGAs. This was originally my Master's Thesis at MIT, where I developed it for our course on FPGA design. We needed an alternative to vendor debugging tools, which only supported x86 machines running Windows or Linux. We were able to patch in macOS support with VMs, but as more students came bringing ARM-based devices, we needed a new tool. So I developed this. It's called Manta,…

    2024 · fischermoseley.github.io · its alternatives →

  24. 24
    blendr▲3

    The hacker's BLE (bluetooth low energy) browser terminal app

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →