How to enable Bluetooth on the ATS Mini

Bluetooth control is not something every ATS Mini can do out of the box. It arrived in firmware 2.34, so a radio still running older firmware has no Bluetooth control at all, and on newer firmware it stays off until you switch it on. Getting it working takes two steps: update the firmware if you need to, then set Bluetooth to Ad hoc on the radio.

Step 1: check your firmware

The quickest check is on the radio: open Settings. If there is a Bluetooth entry, the firmware is recent enough and you can skip to step 3. To see the exact version, connect over USB with a data-capable USB-C cable and read it in the status panel. Firmware older than 2.34 answers over USB without any setting on the radio; newer firmware needs USB Port → Ad hoc first.

Step 2: update the firmware

The firmware installer on this site writes a release to the radio over USB, straight from the browser. It reads the PSRAM type off the chip, so it can pick the right build for your board, and it offers to back up the current image first. Installing firmware walks through the whole process. Bluetooth has also improved since it first appeared: release 2.43 made remote control over Bluetooth more reliable, so take a current release rather than exactly 2.34.

Step 3: switch on Ad hoc mode

On the radio, open the menu and go to Settings → Bluetooth. The options are:

• Off is the default. The radio does not offer Bluetooth control.
• Ad hoc exposes the remote control protocol over Bluetooth LE. This is the mode the app needs.
• HID is for Bluetooth remotes and keyboards. The radio looks for such a device itself, and the app cannot connect in this mode.
• Unpair All clears the saved Bluetooth bonds and switches Bluetooth back to Off.

Step 4: connect from the browser

1. Open the app in Chrome, Edge or Opera on a computer, or in Chrome on Android. Safari and Firefox do not implement Web Bluetooth.
2. Choose the Bluetooth transport and click Connect.
3. Pick your radio in the browser’s device chooser and confirm.

Everything works as it does over USB, with one exception worth knowing: a screenshot takes about 30 seconds over Bluetooth, against a second or two on a cable. In return the radio runs on battery, which keeps USB noise out of its audio. The USB and Bluetooth comparison has the details.

If it does not work

• No Bluetooth entry in the menu: the firmware is older than 2.34. Go back to step 2.
• The radio does not appear in the chooser: check that the setting says Ad hoc, not HID, and that Bluetooth is on in your computer or phone.
• The radio behaves erratically: the firmware manual advises against running Bluetooth and Wi-Fi at the same time. Set Settings → Wi-Fi to Off.
• It worked and then stopped after Unpair All: that option also switches Bluetooth off, so select Ad hoc again.