I made a tool to communicate data using the PC speaker
Hi HN, r2t2 is a command-line tool for transmitting data through sound using the PC speaker on the motherboard. The name of the tool is a reference to the R2-D2 robot from Star Wars :) In short, you type some message and it gets FSK modulated and transmitted via sound through the PC speaker. Note that this is the speaker/buzzer that you connect to the motherboard and not the regular speakers that you connect to the sound card. I also made a simple web page that listens to the sound emitted by r2t2 and decodes the received messages. The page can be used by simply opening it on your phone…
I made a tool to communicate data using the PC speaker launched on April 21, 2021 with 189 votes, #149 of 3,754 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 5 years on.
In plain words
r2t2 is a command-line tool that transmits data through sound using a PC motherboard speaker. Messages are FSK modulated and converted to audio signals that can be decoded by a companion web page on a smartphone. The tool uses only the motherboard buzzer rather than standard audio hardware, making it an inexpensive communication method. It is designed for hobbyists and anyone interested in experimental data transmission techniques.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Tiny data-over-sound library. Contribute to ggerganov/ggwave development by creating an account on GitHub.
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hi HN, r2t2 is a command-line tool for transmitting data through sound using the PC speaker on the motherboard. The name of the tool is a reference to the R2-D2 robot from Star Wars :) In short, you type some message and it gets FSK modulated and transmitted via sound through the PC speaker. Note that this is the…
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Source: Show HN post ↗ · launch text quoted in part
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