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🐍 Armbian Bluetooth + Audio Control Guide

A complete guide to enable and control Bluetooth and Audio I/O (input/output) easily on Armbian or other ARM-based Debian systems.

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🖌️ 1. Install Core Bluetooth & Audio Packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
  bluetooth bluez blueman \
  alsa-utils pulseaudio \
  pavucontrol pulseaudio-module-bluetooth

Package Overview

Package	Purpose
bluetooth, bluez	Bluetooth service + CLI tools
blueman	GUI Bluetooth manager (optional)
alsa-utils	Low-level audio tools (alsamixer, aplay)
pulseaudio	Sound server for multiple devices
pavucontrol	GUI volume and device manager
pulseaudio-module-bluetooth	Enables Bluetooth audio (A2DP, HSP)

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⚙️ 2. Enable and Start Services

sudo systemctl enable bluetooth
sudo systemctl start bluetooth

Optional (for PulseAudio user service):

systemctl --user enable pulseaudio
systemctl --user start pulseaudio

Verify:

sudo systemctl status bluetooth

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🔍 3. Check Bluetooth Adapter

hciconfig

If output shows UP RUNNING, it's ready.

If it’s down:

sudo hciconfig hci0 up

If no adapter is detected (UART-based boards):

sudo hciattach /dev/ttyS1 any 115200 noflow -

(adjust /dev/ttyS1 based on your board)

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🔵 4. Connect to Bluetooth Speaker or Headset

Enter the Bluetooth control shell:

bluetoothctl

Then run the following commands inside:

power on
agent on
scan on
# wait for your device MAC (XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX)
pair XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
trust XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
connect XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

Exit:

exit

Verify connection:

bluetoothctl info XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

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🔊 5. Manage Audio Output (CLI)

List audio devices

pactl list short sinks

Set Bluetooth as default

pactl set-default-sink bluez_sink.XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX.a2dp_sink

Move playing audio stream

pactl list short sink-inputs
pactl move-sink-input <input_id> bluez_sink.XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX.a2dp_sink

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🎚️ 6. CLI Volume and Mixer Control

Launch ALSA mixer:

alsamixer

Controls:

• ← →: select device
• ↑ ↓: adjust volume
• M: mute/unmute
• F6: switch between sound cards (HDMI, Analog, Bluetooth)

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🖥️ 7. Desktop Audio GUI (Optional)

If using Armbian with desktop:

pavucontrol

Tabs:

• Playback: Move app outputs
• Output Devices: Select audio sink
• Input Devices: Choose microphone

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🔁 8. Auto-connect Bluetooth on Boot

Create script /usr/local/bin/bt-autoconnect.sh:

#!/bin/bash
MAC="XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX"
sleep 5
echo -e "power on\nconnect $MAC\nexit" | bluetoothctl

Make it executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/bt-autoconnect.sh

Add to /etc/rc.local before exit 0:

/usr/local/bin/bt-autoconnect.sh &

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✅ Quick Command Reference

Task	Tool	Command
Start Bluetooth	systemctl	sudo systemctl start bluetooth
List adapters	bluez	hciconfig
Pair device	bluetoothctl	pair XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Set default audio	PulseAudio	pactl set-default-sink
Adjust volume	ALSA	alsamixer
GUI control	PulseAudio	pavucontrol

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🧠 Tip: Quick Sound Test

Play test tone:

play -n synth 2 sine 440

Or test audio device:

aplay /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

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💡 Done!

You now have a fully working Bluetooth + Audio control setup on Armbian, usable both headlessly (CLI) and via desktop tools.