Bluetooth Networking: access Raspberry from Android

[IIVQ]

Hello,

For several projects I would like to control a Raspberry Pi from a browser on an android device; a media player on our ship and a timelapse computer. Both applications are essentially battery powered, so I need a low-power connection solution; enter bluetooth.

What I want is to be able to browse the server on a raspberry Pi from an android device (or possibly every laptop, tablet). No tethering or anything fancy, and I do not need internet on the Pi via the phone.

I have been testing this with my android phone (HTC Desire Z running stock android 2.3.2) and my kubuntu desktop PC using a cheap android adapter. Using KDE's bluetooth tool, I can browse the files on the phone, so hardwarewise everything works.

I've installed on the PC (which will be the Pi) bluez-utils, bluez-compat and bluez-hcidump. After a

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hcitool scan

I got the phone's bt Mac Address. Now when I do

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pand --connect 00:11:22:33:44:55 -n

I get

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pand[6424]: Bluetooth PAN daemon version 4.101
pand[6424]: Connecting to 90:21:55:AD:64:22
pand[6424]: Connect to 90:21:55:AD:64:22 failed. Connection refused(111)

I've read dozens of pages on bluetooth and linux, but most want their phone's internet on their laptop, which is the other way around; but even trying those has lead to nothing. Ideally, the raspberry should also auto-accept any bluetooth device that wants to browse it (that is, browse the internet, not browse files) so no interference with the Pi is needed anymore.

Any hints/tips?

[IIVQ]

I found that stock Android doesn't have the PAN bluetooth profile, which means that I either need to try networking via DUN (which is really meant to work the other way around - the computer uses the phone to call) or root my android, both things I'm not gonna do today.

[maxwed]

I wouldn't generally say that Android doesn't support Bluetooth PAN. Bluetooth PAN was introduced with Honeycomb (3.x.x) and should be present in all later versions. It works fine between my Android 4.2.1 device and my RPi. With 2.x.x devices or earlier however you are out of luck, that's true.

[IIVQ]

Yeah sorry, my Desire Z with Android 2.3 doesn't have it