# Bluetooth and Software serial

**URL:** <https://community.sparkfun.com/t/bluetooth-and-software-serial/28873>\
**Category:** Arduino\
**Created:** [June 4, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/bluetooth-and-software-serial/28873 "2014-06-04T02:35:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pm6041141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@pm6041141](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/pm6041141)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/bluetooth-and-software-serial/28873/1 "2014-06-04T02:35:55Z")

</div>

I have a device with an RN-42 bluetooth module in it. It sends out a serial stream of human readable data. I am trying to read this by using a bluesmirf connected to a pro-mini. I am presently trying to relay the bluetooth data thru an FTDI cable to my computer screen to see that I am reading the bluetooth data correctly - I think I am not.

I can read by original device’s bluetooth serial data using coolterm on my mac.

I can send hard coded serial over FTDI from the pro-mini OK.

But when I try to relay the data by:

```auto
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

int txPin = 7; // software serial transmit pin
int rxPin = 4; // software serial receive pin

SoftwareSerial bluetoothSerial( rxPin, txPin ); // Rx, Tx

void setup() {
  

  bluetoothSerial.begin( 115200 );
  
  Serial.begin(9600);
 
}

void loop() {
  
if(bluetoothSerial.available())  
  {
    
    char received = bluetoothSerial.read();
    
    Serial.print(received);
        
 }
 
  
   //delay(25);

}

```

The FTDI serial on my screen looks like this:

> e…{…,…{.a.t.s.r…n{.{…n"…{Wn.r5{{.u{{…t{…i.{.ni.{…a.tu.5t{.u…

Any thoughts on what might be wrong here?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KeithB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@KeithB](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/KeithB)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/bluetooth-and-software-serial/28873/2 "2014-06-04T14:30:39Z")

</div>

In the BlueSmirf Getting hookup guide:

It says

" // 115200 can be too fast at times for NewSoftSerial to relay the data reliably"

You might try the example code there which just echoes things back and forth.