Maker uses Raspberry Pi and AI to block noisy neighbor's music by hacking nearby Bluetooth speakers

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Put an end to spicy morning jams intruding through your shared wall.

Raspberry Pi
(Image credit: Roni Bandini)

Some Raspberry Pi projects are born out of necessity while others are made for passive-aggressive, neighborly warfare. Maker and developer Roni Bandini grew tired of his neighbors' regular habit of playing loud reggaeton music at the same time every day, and decided to act on the matter by programming a Raspberry Pi-powered response.

At the end of the day (or perhaps at the beginning), Bandini saw two possible outcomes. Either he confronts the neighbors directly about the music or he creates an AI-drive solution that automatically responds when Reggaeton music is detected. Long story short, we've got a cool Raspberry Pi AI project to share with you today. When this Pi detects Reggaeton music, it interferes with nearby Bluetooth speakers so the audio is distorted.

It's worth noting that this project was mostly made in jest as an experiment. The legality of recreating this project varies depending on where you live, so be sure to double-check local ordinances before you try this one out at home. Bandini also explains that you have to be really close to the Bluetooth speaker for it to work, and this won't work with every kind of Bluetooth speaker.

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Raspberry Pi
(Image credit: Roni Bandini)

Powering this Bluetooth jamming device is a Raspberry Pi 3 B+. It's connected to a DFRobot OLED display panel, which has a resolution of 128 x 32px. Audio is observed using a USB microphone, while a push button handles when the system will perform a check to listen for any potential reggaeton.

According to Bandini, the Pi is running Raspberry Pi OS. The AI system driving the machine learning aspects of the design is Edge Impulse. With this, Bandini was able to train the Pi to listen for music and more specifically identify whether the song playing is classifiable as reggaeton or not.

If you want to get a closer look at how this Raspberry Pi project works and what it's like in action, check out the official project page over at Hackster. Be sure to follow Bandini, as well for more cool projects as well as any future updates on this one.

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Ash Hill
Ash Hill
Contributing Writer

Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.

10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • derekullo
    When the robots take over at least now I will know of a way to distract them!
    Reply
  • Piddidle
    Bandini little knows he’s trading healing frequencies for a jarring buzz that only his brainwaves can hear! Tech that reggae! I love reggae, especially from analog sources :)
    Reply
  • Geef
    Once you hack the blutooth speaker, find a porno to start playing at max volume. That will stop the neighbors from doing it ever again. :fearscream:
    Reply
  • PEnns
    Very nifty but: "Bandini was able to train the Pi to listen for music and more specifically identify whether the song playing is classifiable as reggaeton or not."

    Annoyingly very loud music is still annoyingly very loud music, and it doesn't matter to me if it was reggae, super cool jazz or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony!!
    Reply
  • atomicWAR
    Geef said:
    Once you hack the blutooth speaker, find a porno to start playing at max volume. That will stop the neighbors from doing it ever again. :fearscream:
    I can't approve of that message outright but I can sure laugh heartily over it....
    Reply
  • evdjj3j
    I'm so glad my nearest neighbor's wall is several hundred feet away. I don't know how people can live in apartments or townhouses.
    Reply
  • otterknow
    I live in Jamaica and built a much simpler version. People here, and get upset if you like, actually have an average IQ of 75 (it's noted in the local paper) and act like unsupervised children so I broadcast static or the frequency that prohibits any bluetooth speaker or device from being able to connect over at least 500 feet. Otherwise, I had to wake up and have my coffee/news sessions at 5am before the neighbors get up. Works great and coat 130 bucks total.
    Reply
  • yuba
    Piddidle said:
    Bandini little knows he’s trading healing frequencies for a jarring buzz that only his brainwaves can hear! Tech that reggae! I love reggae, especially from analog sources :)
    It's not reggae music but reggaeton music, which is very different and light years away from being good at all. It's probably the worst music to ever come from Puerto Rico, or anywhere, and I say that being a Puerto Rican.
    Reply
  • russell_john
    There are several problems with this. First and foremost it is an FCC violation in the US (and like most other countries) and secondly Bluetooth shares the same frequencies as WiFi and other 2.4 GHz narrowband devices and thus will cause problems with any devices that share these frequencies like all devices with WiFi, thermostats, cameras, home automation devices, lighting etc. You cannot interrupt one without interrupting all the others. Plus jamming signals by nature put out a ton of harmonics that will affect frequency bands above 2.4 GHz

    You simply cannot intentionally cause interference on any of the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) bands
    Reply
  • Tsimoes
    Indeed is a dangerous device to be used near hospitals, health clinics and such places, but those people who thinks that everybody in the whole world wants to listen the same music doesn't deserve our patience. (to not use any other aggressive word).
    I got here because I want to do similar device, to be used in beaches, parks or whatever I'm and a piece of s*** arrives with a Bluetooth speaker to annoy people...
    Reply