Introduction: How To: Connect Your Wiimote to Your Computer Via Bluetooth

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About: Handyman, tech-nerd, and traveler. I love to explore new ways of thinking about problems, and then find easy ways to solve them. I've been a part of the Instructables community for almost 7 years, though I was…

Did you know the Wiimote's capabilities reach far beyond the uses Nintendo is limiting it to? It's true, and in this tutorial I will show you how to connect your Wiimote to your computer and open up a limitless range of opportunities.

Most people don't know that the Wiimote communicates with the Wii via a Bluetooth wireless link. The Bluetooth controller is a Broadcom 2042 chip, which is designed to be used with devices which follow the Bluetooth Human Interface Device (HID) standard, such as keyboards and mice. The Bluetooth HID is directly based upon the USB HID standard, and much of the same documentation applies.

The Wiimote is capable of transmitting huge amounts of data to the Wii (Nintendo just isn't utilizing it's capabilities thus far). By using the internal Bluetooth wireless link, you can connect your Wiimote to your PC (any OS), and use it with a wide range of applications already made for the Wiimote.

So check out the next step and I will show you what you need to do.

Note: If any of you are having difficulties with this, just send me a message here. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Step 1: What You Are Going to Need

First, you need to find out if your computer has an internal Bluetooth adapter. While some desktop computers have an internal Blutooth adapter, most require an external Bluetooth dongle. Most recent laptops come with a built-in Bluetooth adapter. To check if you have a built-in adapter, look at your PC specifications.

Note, if you need a Bluetooth adapter, I recommend buying one here. That's the exact same one that I use, it's cheap and it comes with the BlueSoleil driver on an installation disk.

If you don't have BlueSoleil already installed, you can download the latest BlueSoleil drivers and software from Softonic.

Also, you're obviously going to need a Wiimote to connect to your computer!

Step 2: Connecting Your Wiimote

First, start up your BlueSoleil Software and activate your Bluetooth adapter if needed.

Then press the 1+2 buttons on your Wiimote simultaneously and click on the center of the orange circle. It will take a few seconds to find it. You need to make sure that the LEDs on the Wiimote are blinking the whole time, you can either press them the whole time or every couple seconds.

Note: If BlueSoleil does not detect your device on the first attempt, unplug your Bluetooth device (or shut it off) and plug it back in. Then press the center orange circle and try again.

When the Wiimote is recognized, it's name will be NINTENDO-RVT-CNT-01. When that shows up on the screen, press the 1+2 buttons again and then right click the Wiimote icon and choose Refresh Services .

You will now see that the Human Interface Device icon at the top of the window is in a box and highlighted yellow. Click that HID icon at this point. The Wiimote icon and Bluetooth HID button should now be highlighted green, and there should be a dotted green line going from the Wiimote icon to the center orange circle (this means it is connected).

You are done! You can now use your Wiimote with programs such as GlovePIE , WiinRemote , and Wiinstrument .

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and have fun with your Wiimotes!

Step 3: Some Fun Extras

Now I'll show you just some cool stuff you can do with your Wiimote connected to your computer.

I have done this one myself over the past couple weeks (lots and lots of fun!), Johnny Chung Lee is really a genius and his Wiimote Projects are well worth a look.


You can download the software for this at Johnny Chung Lee's Wiimote Project page just like every other one of his Wiimote Projects.


This is the Wiinstrument, it's still in beta but it's coming along nicely and you can download the first versions here.


Neat little project to use with NASA World Wind.


While this isn't practical, it's still neat.