Two python scripts:

1. bluetoothctl-parser.py - Gathers device info using bluetoothctl, cleans it up and outputs it STDOUT in JSON format.
2. bluetoothctl-prettytable.py - Gathers device info from bluetoothctl, cleans it and and outputs it to a table. This script gets device data every 5 seconds and refreshes the table. It runs in a forever loop.

bluetoothctl-parser.py Usage

1. Start bluetooth scanning using bluetoothctl. Leave the scan running while using the script.

bluetoothctl scan on

2. Open a second terminal and mark the script executable.

chmod +x bluetoothctl-parser.py

3. Run the script. No privilege is required.

./bluetoothctl-parser.py

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bluetoothctl-prettytable.py Usage

1. Start bluetooth scanning using bluetoothctl. Leave the scan running while using the script.

bluetoothctl scan on

2. Open a second terminal and mark the script executable.

chmod +x bluetoothctl-prettytable.py

3. Run the script. No privilege is required.

./bluetoothctl-prettytable.py

bluetoothctl-parser.py Sample Output

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bluetoothctl-prettytable.py Sample Output

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Troubleshooting

• bluetoothctl.py returns only [] or bluetoothctl-prettytable.py returns a header row with no devices:
  • Check that bluetoothctl scan on is actually running.

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To Do:

• There are a few fields that sometimes still have a leading or trailing blank space; I need to remove those.
• Add writing results to a database to include first_seen, last_seen, GPS, etc..
• Integrate GPS recording.
• bluetoothctl-prettytable.py sometimes add a wonkily-formatted row when devices are in the process of being added. It goes away as soon as the device is fully seen. I need to chase it down in the tables to figure out how to clean that up.