# Adopting BlueZ in Automotive Infotainment Systems > [! note]- > The content of this page is generated by audio/video transcription and text transformation from the content and links of this source. Source: [https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats/](https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats/) <video src="https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h1302/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats.av1.webm" controls></video> ## Summary & Highlights: This session at FOSDEM 2025 discusses the integration of BlueZ, an open-source Bluetooth stack, into real-world automotive infotainment systems. The presentation highlights the challenges faced, such as transitioning from proprietary stacks, handling different Bluetooth profiles, and addressing security concerns. It also covers the improvements made to open-source components like PipeWire and the lessons learned from this transition. **Introduction to BlueZ in Automotive Systems** The session begins with an introduction to BlueZ, an open-source Bluetooth stack, and its deployment in automotive in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems. The speaker, George Kiagiadakis, shares his experience working with a team to replace a proprietary Bluetooth stack with BlueZ, aiming for feature parity and contributing to open-source projects in the process. **Challenges and Improvements** George outlines the technical challenges encountered, such as differences in Bluetooth stack architecture, security concerns, and the need for vendor-specific commands. He also discusses improvements made to PipeWire and BlueZ, including adding telephony support and fixing issues in the A/V Remote Control Profile. **Security and Compatibility Issues** The presentation delves into security concerns related to sending raw HCI commands and the need for specific capabilities, which posed challenges for maintaining a secure system. It highlights the importance of open-source solutions in providing transparency and control to users and developers. **Future Prospects and Community Impact** Looking forward, the session emphasizes the potential for extending BlueZ and PipeWire capabilities to desktop environments and further integrating them into Automotive Grade Linux. The community-driven approach of open-source projects is presented as a significant advantage over proprietary alternatives. ## Importance for an eco-social transformation The integration of BlueZ into automotive systems represents a significant step towards eco-social transformation by promoting open-source solutions that empower communities and reduce reliance on proprietary technology. This transition allows for greater transparency, adaptability, and community involvement in technological development. For eco-social designers, adopting open-source platforms like BlueZ can lead to more sustainable and ethical design processes. However, challenges such as security concerns and compatibility issues with existing systems must be addressed. Collaborative efforts and community engagement are crucial to overcoming these hurdles and ensuring that open-source solutions can effectively contribute to sustainable and socially responsible technological advancements. ## Slides: | | | | --- | --- | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_001.jpg\|300]] | The presentation introduces the challenges and caveats of adopting BlueZ, an open-source Bluetooth stack, in production environments. George Kiagiadakis, a principal software engineer at Collabora, shares insights from his experience in integrating BlueZ into automotive systems. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_002.jpg\|300]] | George Kiagiadakis introduces himself as a principal software engineer at Collabora with a focus on multimedia. He has extensive experience with GStreamer, PipeWire, and is the author and maintainer of WirePlumber. He is new to BlueZ but brings expertise in automotive-grade Linux. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_003.jpg\|300]] | In 2024, George collaborated with Frédéric Danis, a Bluetooth expert, to deploy BlueZ in a real-world automotive infotainment system. The project aimed to achieve feature parity with a proprietary stack and is undergoing Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) qualification. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_004.jpg\|300]] | George shares that the project led to improvements in open-source components and provided him with a deeper understanding of Bluetooth beyond audio. He also learned about complex audio use cases in automotive systems. The talk aims to share these lessons with others considering similar transitions. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_005.jpg\|300]] | The system supports media players, phone calls, text messaging, contact lists, and gaming controllers. The integration of BlueZ has achieved functional parity with the previous proprietary stack, demonstrating its effectiveness in real-world applications. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_006.jpg\|300]] | The architecture involves integrating various components such as the Linux kernel, BlueZ daemon, and PipeWire to support Bluetooth functionalities. It highlights the complexity and the collaborative nature of open-source projects in achieving a seamless integration. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_007.jpg\|300]] | New enhancements include telephony support in PipeWire, replacing oFono, and the addition of the Basic Imaging Profile in BlueZ. These improvements enable advanced features like album cover art for media players and are part of ongoing open-source contributions. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_008.jpg\|300]] | The session discusses the challenges faced during the integration process, such as differences in Bluetooth stack architecture and security concerns. These challenges required innovative solutions and collaboration to ensure a successful transition. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_009.jpg\|300]] | Differences between proprietary and open-source Bluetooth stacks are outlined, with BlueZ being more integrated into the kernel space. This change required adapting to new architectural paradigms and understanding the nuances of open-source development. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_010.jpg\|300]] | Expectations were misaligned with the open-source approach, as BlueZ does not guarantee specific Bluetooth versions or straightforward packet filtering. These differences required extensive testing and adaptation for successful implementation. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_011.jpg\|300]] | BlueZ abstracts complexity, which clashed with customer expectations for low-level information access. This required adjustments in logging practices and error handling to align with the open-source stack's capabilities. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_012.jpg\|300]] | Vendor-specific HCI commands posed challenges due to their non-standardized nature. These commands are crucial for configuring hardware paths in Bluetooth profiles, highlighting the need for kernel-level support to streamline the process. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_013.jpg\|300]] | Security concerns arise from the need to send raw HCI commands, requiring specific capabilities. BlueZ's design necessitates these permissions for privileged operations, emphasizing the importance of security in open-source implementations. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_014.jpg\|300]] | Some challenges initially perceived as significant, such as vCard parsing, were resolved more easily than expected. This highlights the potential for simple, effective solutions within the open-source community. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_015.jpg\|300]] | vCard parsing, necessary for accessing phone book data, was initially challenging due to dependency-heavy libraries. The solution was to implement a simple parser, demonstrating the efficiency of creating lightweight solutions in open-source projects. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_016.jpg\|300]] | Future plans include extending PipeWire's telephony support to desktop applications and further integrating these advancements into Automotive Grade Linux. These steps aim to broaden the impact of open-source solutions in automotive and desktop environments. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Adopting-BlueZ-in-production-challenges-and-caveat/preview_017.jpg\|300]] | The presentation concludes with a call for collaboration and highlights job opportunities at Collabora, inviting participants to contribute to the ongoing development of open-source technologies. ## Links [Slides](https://fosdem.org/2025/events/attachments/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats/slides/237999/Adopting_LwJKaDS.pdf) [Video recording subtitle file (VTT)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h1302/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats.vtt) [Video recording (AV1/WebM) - 108.0 MB](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h1302/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats.av1.webm) [Video recording (MP4) - 537.7 MB](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h1302/fosdem-2025-6203-adopting-bluez-in-production-challenges-and-caveats.av1.mp4)