Open-Source Observability · dannymcc

bluehood

Bluehood is a Python-based Bluetooth scanner that monitors nearby BLE and Classic Bluetooth devices, tracking their presence patterns and correlations over time. It provides a web dashboard with analytics, notifications, and device management—designed as an educational tool to demonstrate Bluetooth privacy risks, not for production use.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/dannymcc/bluehood

GitHub stars

Forks

Python

Primary language

MIT

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	dannymcc/bluehood
Owner	dannymcc
Primary language	Python
License	MIT — OSI-approved
Stars	1k
Forks	71
Open issues	5
Latest release	v0.7.1 (2026-06-10)
Last updated	2026-06-10
Source	https://github.com/dannymcc/bluehood

What bluehood is

Bluehood passively scans for Bluetooth devices using BlueZ (Linux) or CoreBluetooth (macOS), performs MAC vendor lookup and BLE UUID fingerprinting for classification, stores sighting data in a local database, and exposes analytics via a Flask web interface with optional Prometheus metrics and ntfy.sh push notifications.

Quickstart

Get the bluehood source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/dannymcc/bluehood.git2cd bluehood3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Bluetooth Privacy Awareness & Security Research

Demonstrate how easily personal presence patterns can be inferred from passive Bluetooth device detection. Suitable for security teams, researchers, and privacy advocates evaluating organizational exposure or building threat awareness.

Home Lab / Local Network Monitoring

Track known personal devices (phone, wearables, car keys) within your own residence or controlled environment. Useful for understanding device presence patterns, arrival/departure automation, or as a baseline for device correlation analysis.

IoT Device Inventory & Classification

Passively catalog and classify IoT, wearable, and audio devices in a confined area (office, lab) without network access or active scanning. Helpful for asset management and identifying unknown devices on the local Bluetooth spectrum.

Implementation considerations

Bluetooth adapter must support BLE Central role (Bluetooth 4.0+); older 2.x/3.x adapters will not work. Verify adapter capabilities with `bluetoothctl show` before deployment.
Linux deployment requires BlueZ installed and running on host before Docker container start; BlueZ is not bundled in the image. Requires privileged container mode and host networking for Bluetooth access.
Database storage location is configurable via `BLUEHOOD_DATA_DIR` (default `/data`); consider volume mounts for persistence and set `PUID`/`PGID` to avoid file permission issues on bind mounts.
Scanning continuously collects sighting data; configure `BLUEHOOD_PRUNE_DAYS` to auto-delete old records and prevent unbounded storage growth. Default (0) disables pruning.
Optional ntfy.sh integration for push notifications requires external service connectivity; consider firewall rules and verify ntfy.sh privacy policy before enabling notifications with sensitive device names.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Production / Business-Critical Monitoring — Project is explicitly labeled 'Alpha Software' with a warning that features may break, change, or be removed without notice. Do not use in customer-facing, regulated, or SLA-bound environments.
Scanning Others Without Consent — Passive detection of Bluetooth devices in public or shared spaces where individuals have not consented to monitoring may violate privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.). Legal review required before deployment in any multi-party scenario.
Devices Requiring High Availability & Reliability — Bluehood depends on local Bluetooth adapter health, BlueZ/kernel stability, and single-machine deployment. No clustering, failover, or redundancy mentioned. Not suitable where continuous uptime is critical.
Windows / Non-Linux Deployment at Scale — Docker deployment requires Linux host with BlueZ; macOS support exists but is manual. No Windows native support stated. If cross-platform or Windows deployment is mandatory, alternatives better suited.

License & commercial use

Licensed under MIT (MIT License), a permissive OSI-approved license allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.

MIT license permits commercial use without explicit permission; however, the project is marked 'Alpha Software' with explicit warnings that features may break or change without notice. Any commercial deployment carries risk of regression, incompatibility, or discontinuation. Requires written assessment of stability expectations and support model before use in revenue-generating or customer-facing contexts.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Strong
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Moderate
DEV.co fit	Possible
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

Bluehood is a passive scanner; it does not modify or interact with detected devices. No stated authentication for web dashboard by default (optional via UI), so local network access control is recommended. Stores device names, MAC addresses, and presence patterns in local SQLite database; encryption at rest not mentioned. Heartbeat and ntfy.sh integrations send device metadata and names to external services—review privacy implications before enabling. Depends on BlueZ/kernel security patches for Bluetooth stack stability; no vulnerability disclosure policy stated. Tool itself designed to demonstrate privacy risks in Bluetooth—not a security product.

Alternatives to consider

Kismet

Mature, production-ready wireless (WiFi + Bluetooth) scanner with advanced analytics, long maintenance history, and cross-platform support. Better for forensics and penetration testing; overkill for simple local Bluetooth monitoring.

hcitool / bluetoothctl

Lightweight, built-in Linux Bluetooth command-line tools. No UI or analytics; suitable for scripted scanning and device enumeration. Requires manual data collection and analysis.

nRF Connect (Nordic Semiconductor)

Commercial and open-source tools for Bluetooth development, scanning, and analysis. More feature-rich than Bluehood for device interaction and testing; requires proprietary hardware or specific nRF tools.

Software development agency

Build on bluehood with DEV.co software developers

Bluehood provides hands-on insight into passive Bluetooth detection risks. Deploy it in your lab or home network, review the analytics, and use findings to inform your privacy and security posture.

Talk to DEV.co

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bluehood FAQ

Can I use Bluehood to find stolen devices or track people?

Bluehood is a passive scanner; it detects device presence but cannot pinpoint location, trigger alarms, or interact with devices. It cannot replace dedicated location services or anti-theft systems. Use cases involving tracking others without consent may violate privacy laws.

What Bluetooth adapters are supported?

Any Linux Bluetooth adapter with BLE Central role support (Bluetooth 4.0+). Older Bluetooth 2.x/3.x adapters do not support BLE and will not work. On macOS, native CoreBluetooth is used automatically.

Is Bluehood safe to run on my home network?

Yes for local use on your own devices. Bluehood only scans; it does not modify devices or broadcast data without your configuration. Ensure optional integrations (ntfy.sh, heartbeat URLs) are trusted services before enabling. Web dashboard authentication is optional; use it if exposing to untrusted networks.

Can I run Bluehood on Windows or macOS?

macOS is natively supported via manual Python setup. Docker on Windows is not supported due to BlueZ/Bluetooth driver incompatibility. Windows native support is not listed; use Kismet or WSL2 with Linux Bluetooth setup as alternatives.

Work with a software development agency

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If bluehood is part of your open-source observability roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

Ready to Assess Bluetooth Privacy in Your Environment?

Bluehood provides hands-on insight into passive Bluetooth detection risks. Deploy it in your lab or home network, review the analytics, and use findings to inform your privacy and security posture.

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