Using BLEShark Nano as a Presentation Controller

A presentation clicker is a single-function Bluetooth device that does one thing: advances slides. It usually does this one thing fine, but it is also a dedicated piece of hardware that needs to be in your bag, charged, and occasionally fails to pair at the worst time. The BLEShark Nano ($36.99+) does everything a clicker does and more, while also being useful for the other 23 hours when you are not presenting.

This article covers how to set up the Nano as a presentation remote, what controls you get, how the Bluetooth HID layer works, and what practical advantages a programmable device has over a fixed-function clicker.

Table of Contents

• How Presentation Clickers Work
• Using the BLEShark Nano as a Clicker
• Configuring for Slides
• Per-Application Configurations
• Beyond Slide Navigation
• Practical Setup Guide
• Range and Reliability

How Presentation Clickers Work

Standard presentation clickers use one of two connection methods: a USB receiver dongle (2.4GHz proprietary protocol) or Bluetooth. Dongle-based clickers pair to the specific receiver - swap dongles or lose it and you have a problem. Bluetooth clickers pair to the OS Bluetooth stack the same way a keyboard does.

Under the hood, presentation clickers present as Bluetooth HID devices. When you press "next slide," the clicker sends either a keyboard HID report for the right arrow key or Page Down key, or it sends a consumer control HID report for the "Next Track" or "Presentation Forward" consumer key code. Different presentation software responds to different inputs, which is why some clickers work better with specific apps.

The BLEShark Nano also presents as a Bluetooth HID device. It can send any key code the HID standard supports - not just the two or three a fixed clicker supports. That flexibility is the core advantage.

Using the BLEShark Nano as a Clicker

The BLEShark Nano has two relevant apps for presentation control: Mini Keypad and Media Controls.

Mini Keypad maps the Nano's three physical buttons to arbitrary key combos. Short press and long press detection on each button gives six total macro slots. This is the most flexible option - configure any key combination for any presentation software.

Media Controls maps the buttons to standard consumer HID codes: play/pause, next track, previous track, volume up, volume down. If your presentation software responds to media keys (PowerPoint does, Keynote does), this app requires zero configuration beyond pairing.

For most presentation setups, Mini Keypad with a configured slide layout is the better choice. It gives you explicit control over exactly what key each button sends, which eliminates uncertainty about which media key code your specific software version responds to.

sequenceDiagram
    participant USER as Presenter
    participant NANO as BLEShark Nano
(BLE HID Device)
    participant OS as Laptop OS
(HID Host)
    participant APP as Presentation App
(PowerPoint/Keynote/Reveal.js)

    Note over NANO,OS: Initial Pairing
    NANO->>OS: BLE advertising
(HID service UUID)
    OS->>NANO: Connection request
    NANO->>OS: HID Report Descriptor
(keyboard profile)
    OS->>OS: Register as keyboard device

    Note over USER,APP: Presentation Mode
    USER->>NANO: Press button (next slide)
    NANO->>OS: HID Report: Right Arrow key down
    NANO->>OS: HID Report: Right Arrow key up
    OS->>APP: Keyboard event: Right Arrow
    APP->>APP: Advance to next slide

    USER->>NANO: Press button (previous)
    NANO->>OS: HID Report: Left Arrow key down/up
    OS->>APP: Keyboard event: Left Arrow
    APP->>APP: Go to previous slide

    USER->>NANO: Press button (blank screen)
    NANO->>OS: HID Report: 'B' key down/up
    OS->>APP: Keyboard event: 'B'
    APP->>APP: Toggle black screen

    Note over NANO: DuckyScript engine maps
physical buttons to keystrokes

BLE HID presentation flow - the Nano registers as a Bluetooth keyboard and translates button presses into keystrokes that the presentation app interprets as slide commands.

Configuring for Slides

The most common presentation key assignments across major presentation software:

A basic three-button configuration for cross-software compatibility:

BUTTON_1_SHORT: ARROW_RIGHT
BUTTON_1_LONG: ARROW_LEFT
BUTTON_2_SHORT: F5
BUTTON_2_LONG: ESCAPE
BUTTON_3_SHORT: SPACE
BUTTON_3_LONG: B

The B key is a common "black screen" shortcut in PowerPoint and Keynote - pressing it during a slideshow blanks the screen without ending the presentation, useful when you want to pause and address the audience without distraction. Assigning it to a long press keeps it accessible without accidentally triggering it.

graph TD
    subgraph INPUT["BLEShark Nano Buttons"]
        B1["Button 1
(Primary)"]
        B2["Button 2
(Secondary)"]
        B3["Button 3
(Tertiary)"]
    end

    subgraph SCRIPT["DuckyScript Mapping Layer"]
        DS["Bad-BT Engine
Configurable per profile"]
    end

    B1 --> DS
    B2 --> DS
    B3 --> DS

    subgraph PPTX["PowerPoint"]
        P1["Right Arrow = Next"]
        P2["Left Arrow = Previous"]
        P3["B = Black screen"]
        P4["Escape = End show"]
    end

    subgraph KEYNOTE["Keynote"]
        K1["Right Arrow = Next"]
        K2["Left Arrow = Previous"]
        K3["B = Black slide"]
        K4["Escape = Exit"]
    end

    subgraph WEB["Reveal.js / Google Slides"]
        W1["Right/Space = Next"]
        W2["Left = Previous"]
        W3["F = Fullscreen"]
        W4["Escape = Overview"]
    end

    subgraph CUSTOM["Custom Profiles"]
        C1["Media controls"]
        C2["Zoom meeting mute"]
        C3["OBS scene switch"]
        C4["Any HID keystroke"]
    end

    DS --> PPTX
    DS --> KEYNOTE
    DS --> WEB
    DS --> CUSTOM

Configurable key mapping - the DuckyScript engine lets you create different profiles for each presentation app or repurpose the Nano for media controls, meeting mute, and more.

Per-Application Configurations

The six macro slots let you tune the configuration to your specific software and workflow. For technical presentations where you are live-coding or switching between a terminal and slides, a more complex layout might look like:

BUTTON_1_SHORT: ARROW_RIGHT
BUTTON_1_LONG: ARROW_LEFT
BUTTON_2_SHORT: ALT+TAB
BUTTON_2_LONG: CTRL+ALT+T
BUTTON_3_SHORT: F5
BUTTON_3_LONG: ESCAPE

Here, button 2 short gives you Alt+Tab to switch between applications (from slides to terminal, for example), and button 2 long opens a new terminal. Useful for presentations that involve live demonstrations rather than slides-only delivery.

For remote presentations (screen sharing over Zoom, Teams, Meet), you might add a mute toggle:

BUTTON_1_SHORT: ARROW_RIGHT
BUTTON_1_LONG: ARROW_LEFT
BUTTON_2_SHORT: CTRL+D
BUTTON_2_LONG: CTRL+SHIFT+M
BUTTON_3_SHORT: SPACE
BUTTON_3_LONG: ESCAPE

Ctrl+D is the Zoom mute/unmute shortcut. Ctrl+Shift+M is the Teams mute shortcut. Adjust for whichever platform you use. Having mute on a physical button means you can mute without moving focus away from the presentation window.

Beyond Slide Navigation

Laser Pointer Triggering

Software laser pointers are controlled by holding a specific key in some presentation apps. PowerPoint's laser pointer mode activates while you hold Ctrl during slideshow mode. This can be mapped to a long press on one of the Nano's buttons - hold the button to activate the pointer, release to deactivate.

Annotation Mode

PowerPoint and Keynote support annotation shortcuts during presentations (pen, highlighter). Triggering annotation mode, picking a color, and switching back to pointer can all be assigned to the Nano's buttons for presentations where you actively draw on slides.

Volume Control During Video Clips

Presentations that include video clips often need volume adjustments in the moment. Mapping volume up and volume down to the Nano's buttons (using consumer HID codes VOLUME_UP and VOLUME_DOWN) eliminates fumbling with keyboard volume controls mid-presentation.

Speaker Notes Toggle

Many presentation apps have keyboard shortcuts to show or hide presenter notes. In PowerPoint, Ctrl+Shift+H shows/hides the presenter notes pane during full slideshow mode. In Keynote, similar toggles exist. Mapping this to a long press gives you discreet access to notes without audience visibility.

Practical Setup Guide

1. Configure key assignments: Via the file portal, upload your presentation key configuration. Use the layout above as a starting point and adjust for your specific software.
2. Navigate to Mini Keypad on the Nano: From the main menu, select the Mini Keypad app. The device begins BLE advertising.
3. Pair on your laptop: Open Bluetooth settings, find "BLEShark Nano" (or your configured device name), and pair. The pairing process is the same as any Bluetooth keyboard - your OS may ask you to confirm a numeric code.
4. Test before presenting: Open your presentation software in slideshow mode and run through all six button actions. Confirm each does what you expect on that specific machine and that specific software version.
5. Note the battery level: The Nano shows battery percentage on its OLED. Charge via USB-C before important presentations.

Pairing takes under a minute and the Nano reconnects automatically on subsequent uses. If you present from multiple machines, pair the Nano to each one in advance. On the day of the presentation, start the Mini Keypad app and the Nano connects to whichever paired host is in range.

Venue Considerations

Most conference rooms and lecture halls have significant 2.4GHz traffic from projectors, the audience's phones, and venue WiFi. BLE connections are generally robust in this environment - BLE uses frequency hopping across 40 channels to minimize interference - but it is worth testing in the specific venue when possible.

The Nano's BLE 5.0 radio at standard TX power gives reliable range around 10 meters. For larger rooms where you might stand far from the podium or move around the stage, this is sufficient for most setups. The host laptop would typically be within 5-7 meters of the presenter.

Range and Reliability

BLE 5.0 in the 2.4GHz band reaches approximately 10 meters indoors under typical conditions. This covers most presentation setups - you would rarely need to be more than 10 meters from your own laptop during a presentation.

The connection is maintained passively once established. No button press is needed to keep it alive. If you briefly step out of range (unlikely but possible in very large rooms), the connection drops and re-establishes automatically when you return to range. The Nano's OLED shows connection status, so you can see at a glance whether you are live.

Battery consumption in Mini Keypad mode is modest - BLE in connected HID mode draws around 10-25mA from the 500mAh battery. Realistically, a fully charged Nano lasts through a full day of use, including time when it is connected and idle between presentations. Charging takes an hour or so over USB-C.

Compared to a dedicated Logitech clicker or similar: the Nano costs about the same or less, does the same job, and also does security research, IR blasting, WiFi scanning, and everything else the platform supports. The tradeoff is setup time for the initial configuration - a fixed clicker works out of the box with no configuration. For anyone already using the BLEShark Nano for other purposes, using it as a presentation remote adds no additional cost and takes a few minutes of configuration.

Get the BLEShark Nano