Bluetooth Terminal
Scan for nearby Bluetooth serial devices, connect to one, and exchange text directly.
Bluetooth Terminal is a low-level tool for talking to nearby Bluetooth serial hardware — sensors, adapters and similar equipment — rather than to another REDENES device. It scans continuously and lists everything it finds, one device per row. You connect to one device at a time and send or receive plain text through the terminal area.
Overview
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Device list | Every discovered device, each row with its own Connect button |
| Connect / Disconnect | The per-row button; it reads Disconnect only on the row you are linked to |
| Received text area | Incoming text, appended line by line as it arrives |
| Send field | Where you type the text to send |
| Send button | Delivers the typed text and clears the field |
Each row shows two lines:
| Line | Contents |
|---|---|
| First | The device's advertised name, or Unknown Device if it does not advertise one |
| Second | Identifier: followed by the device's unique identifier |
The identifier is what tells two otherwise identically named devices apart.
Getting Here
- Open the Account tab.
- Open App Settings.
- Choose Bluetooth Terminal.
Loading and Empty States
| State | What you see |
|---|---|
| Scanning, nothing found yet | An empty list. There is no spinner — the screen simply stays blank until the first device answers |
| Devices found | Rows appear one at a time as each device is discovered |
| Bluetooth off | The list stays empty and never fills; nothing is scanned |
| Bluetooth switched back on | Scanning restarts by itself and rows begin appearing without reopening the screen |
Already-connected devices your phone knows about are reported straight away, so they can appear before any new device is discovered.
The list never removes anything. A device that has been powered off keeps its row until you leave the screen, because the app only ever adds newly discovered devices.
Connecting to a Device
- Wait for the list to fill. Scanning begins the moment the screen opens, provided Bluetooth is on.
- Find the device you want and tap its Connect button.
- Once linked, that row's button changes to Disconnect. Every other row still reads Connect.
- Only one device can be connected at a time. Tapping Connect on a second row while something is already linked disconnects the current device instead of switching to the new one — tap again on the row you want.
Connecting happens in two stages. The row flips to Disconnect as soon as the link is made, but the device is not ready for text until the app has found the right channel on it. Sending in that short gap does nothing.
Sending and Receiving Text
- Type your message in the Send field.
- Tap the send button. The keyboard closes, the text is written to the device, and the field clears.
- Replies appear in the received text area as they arrive, each on a new line.
- An empty field sends nothing, even when a device is connected.
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Connected and ready | The text is sent and the field clears |
| Nothing connected | A Device not connected message appears and your text is kept |
| Connected but not yet ready | The send is ignored silently; try again a moment later |
| Device replies with data the app cannot read as text | Nothing is added to the received area |
The Two Stages of Connecting
Understanding the gap between these stages explains most of what looks like a fault on this screen.
| Stage | What has happened | What the row shows | Can you send? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Linked | Your device has connected to the hardware | Disconnect | No — nothing happens |
| 2. Ready | The app has found the channel it writes text to | Disconnect | Yes |
There is no separate indicator for stage two. The practical rule is: if the row says Disconnect but sending does nothing and you get no Device not connected message either, you are between the two stages. Wait a moment and send again.
Comparing the Bluetooth Tools
| Bluetooth Terminal | Bluetooth Scan | |
|---|---|---|
| Talks to | Bluetooth serial hardware | Another REDENES device |
| How you link | Tap Connect on a discovered row | Scan the other device's QR code |
| How the other side is identified | Advertised name and identifier | The person's name and agency |
| Can send a large file | No | Yes, with a progress ring |
| Shows a QR code of its own | No | Yes |
| Connections at once | One | One |
| Needs internet | No | No |
If you are trying to reach a colleague's phone, you want Bluetooth Scan. This screen is for equipment.
Disconnecting
- Tap Disconnect on the connected row. The link ends and the button returns to Connect.
- Turning Bluetooth off also drops the link. When it comes back on, scanning restarts but you are not reconnected — tap Connect again.
- Leaving the screen with the back button returns you to App Settings.
How This Connects
- Where the data comes from. Everything here comes from the hardware in front of you over Bluetooth. Nothing is sent to or read from your agency's servers, and the app works the same whether or not you have data.
- What is saved. Nothing. The device list, the received text and anything you typed are all discarded when you leave the screen. Text from a device is not logged as a message or a notification.
- Not for device-to-device. To link two REDENES devices and pass messages or files between them, use Bluetooth Scan, which pairs by QR code and identifies the other person by name and agency.
- Permissions. Bluetooth access is required. You can confirm what a device has granted from its detail card on Devices.
- Offline and reconnect. Fully usable offline. There is no automatic reconnect after a drop, but scanning does restart on its own as soon as Bluetooth returns, so the device reappears in the list ready to connect again.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The list stays empty | Bluetooth is off, or nothing nearby is advertising. Switch Bluetooth on — scanning restarts by itself without reopening the screen. |
| A device will not pair | Confirm it is powered on, in range and in pairing mode. Tap its Connect button again; if something else is already linked, that first tap only disconnects. |
| Every row reads Connect although you just connected | The link failed. Tap Connect once more and watch for the row to flip to Disconnect. |
| Device not connected when you send | Nothing is linked yet. Connect first, then send. |
| The row says Disconnect but sending does nothing | The device is linked but not yet ready for text. Wait a moment and send again. |
| Replies never appear in the received area | The device may be sending data that is not plain text. Only readable text is added to the log. |
| A powered-off device is still listed | Expected — rows are never removed. Leave the screen and come back to clear the list. |
| Two rows have the same name | Use the Identifier: line underneath to tell them apart. |
| You need to switch devices | Tap Disconnect on the current row first, then Connect on the one you want. |
Related Pages
⬅️ Previous: Bluetooth Scan | Next: Wi-Fi Scan ➡️