Welcome to RelayKeys’s documentation!

Getting Started with RelayKeys

RelayKeys is a software and hardware solution to send keystrokes, text and mouse commands from one computer to another. It makes use of lowcost electronics and open source software to do this Some common reasons for doing this are:

  • For people with disabilities to send text to a secondary computer - for example to demonstrate their writing ability
  • For people who use a assistive technology device on one system to control another; for example eyegaze users have to use Windows devices right now RelayKeys enables them to use this access method to then control a different device; an iPad, a Work computer, a Apple Mac
  • To control a second device from the command line - or from a on-screen app; whether thats to type emails on a phone or control a machine remotely

RelayKeys is an open solution for Assitive Technology organisations to use within their own code - we hope to provide examples. We have provided a Windows solution - an installer and a series of documentation to get commercial AAC software to work with RelayKeys. In the long-term it is suggested that AAC software talks natively to the RelayKeys daemon.

Quick start video

This screencast will help you get started or you can read our guide below.

Quick start to use RelayKeys

  1. Purchase a currently supported Electronics board and configure the board correctly.
  2. Install the daemon.
  3. Connect your second device to the dongle. You should find “RelayKeys” available via your bluetooth settings on the second device.
  4. Send text or mouse commands. You can do this either using the command line tool or the GUI.

Installing RelayKeys (Windows)

Command Line reference

If you are communicating with the daemon on the command line it is useful understanding the commands you can use

Using with Smartbox Grid3 Software

Using with MindExpress

Using with Tobii Communicator 4/5

Architecture of RelayKeys

RelayKeys consists of: 1. A hardware dongle that communicate in Bluetooth lE 2. A daemon (server) that talks directly to the hardware. Currently this over a serial connection. This could be a wired or wireless serial connection 3. A client that talks to the daemon. This could be either a GUI, a command line app or directly from a dedicated piece of software

Daemon reference

Supported Electronics Boards

Indices and tables