I have multiple Bluetooth Proxies setup in Home Assistant, can I add the BLE_Client stuff in these proxies. Will i have to add these devices to each proxy ?
Would you also be able to track these devices with HA?btw I get this message when tryping to shut down the beeping: Characteristic 0xFFE2 was not found in service 0xFF01
If you know of any good sources to try to find out the iTag or other devices' bluetooth MAC addresses, please share! This bit doesn't seem to be documented very well anywhere that I can find! Thanks!
I must have skipped that part, while making this video. Finding MAC address wasn't as simple as I thought. As I was configuring ESP32 using esphome anyway, I used "esp32_ble_tracker:" in esphome to scan nearby BLE devices. If config file doesn't have any sensors or other sections utilizing that tracker, it will scan for BLE devices and report found MAC addresses in the log. : esphome.io/components/binary_sensor/ble_presence#esp32-ble-tracker-setting-up-devices
Thanks for the heads up! Many things can go wrong with these. Couple of things I was able to test were that the current consumption drops down to microamps, even while maintaining connection and these won't automatically turn off after 15min/30min/1hr (which would require restarting). There are still many other things that can go wrong and I need to prepare for failing tracker, if I end up using these in home automation applications. No firmware updates and no support from manufacturers are big issues with cheap gadgets. Thanks again for sharing your experience with similar devices!
Automatic power off? Which characteristic? Current consumption? Those are some common questions/problems with different models. -This specific tag stays on (deep sleep consuming some microamps on average) at least over an hour, after which I ended the test. I've heard some models turn off after being disconnected for 15 minutes. This didn't do that. - Characteristic FFE1 in service FFE0 is the button characteristic. Tag writes 1 to that characteristic, when the button is pressed. FFE2 characteristic in that same service controls alarm when connection is lost. Write 0x00 to it to disable the alarm. Characteristic 0x2A19 inside service 0x180F is battery level. These characteristics were found by examining the communication between the tag and smartphone app. Then they were tested using Nordic Semiconductor's NRF Connect app, to confirm my findings were correct. - Current consumption is measured in milliamps after the connection has been made, but will soon drop to microamps (on average), while the connection is still maintained. Battery life should be decent, whether the tag is connected to ESP32 or not.
Sorry for noticing this so late. This probably comes too late for you, but here is the YAML-file, in case you or someone reading the comments needs it: github.com/hugatry/VideoSourceDump/tree/main/iTag%20clicker%20ESPHome
Thanks! Sorry for noticing this so late. This probably comes too late for you, but here is the YAML-file, in case you or someone reading the comments needs it: github.com/hugatry/VideoSourceDump/tree/main/iTag%20clicker%20ESPHome
I have multiple Bluetooth Proxies setup in Home Assistant, can I add the BLE_Client stuff in these proxies. Will i have to add these devices to each proxy ?
Would you also be able to track these devices with HA?btw I get this message when tryping to shut down the beeping: Characteristic 0xFFE2 was not found in service 0xFF01
If you know of any good sources to try to find out the iTag or other devices' bluetooth MAC addresses, please share! This bit doesn't seem to be documented very well anywhere that I can find! Thanks!
I must have skipped that part, while making this video. Finding MAC address wasn't as simple as I thought. As I was configuring ESP32 using esphome anyway, I used "esp32_ble_tracker:" in esphome to scan nearby BLE devices. If config file doesn't have any sensors or other sections utilizing that tracker, it will scan for BLE devices and report found MAC addresses in the log. : esphome.io/components/binary_sensor/ble_presence#esp32-ble-tracker-setting-up-devices
Never had luck with those. I have tried many. They usually fail very quickly or battery dies fast or needs to be reset.
Thanks for the heads up! Many things can go wrong with these. Couple of things I was able to test were that the current consumption drops down to microamps, even while maintaining connection and these won't automatically turn off after 15min/30min/1hr (which would require restarting). There are still many other things that can go wrong and I need to prepare for failing tracker, if I end up using these in home automation applications. No firmware updates and no support from manufacturers are big issues with cheap gadgets.
Thanks again for sharing your experience with similar devices!
Automatic power off? Which characteristic? Current consumption? Those are some common questions/problems with different models.
-This specific tag stays on (deep sleep consuming some microamps on average) at least over an hour, after which I ended the test. I've heard some models turn off after being disconnected for 15 minutes. This didn't do that.
- Characteristic FFE1 in service FFE0 is the button characteristic. Tag writes 1 to that characteristic, when the button is pressed. FFE2 characteristic in that same service controls alarm when connection is lost. Write 0x00 to it to disable the alarm. Characteristic 0x2A19 inside service 0x180F is battery level. These characteristics were found by examining the communication between the tag and smartphone app. Then they were tested using Nordic Semiconductor's NRF Connect app, to confirm my findings were correct.
- Current consumption is measured in milliamps after the connection has been made, but will soon drop to microamps (on average), while the connection is still maintained. Battery life should be decent, whether the tag is connected to ESP32 or not.
cann you post the yaml for this?
Sorry for noticing this so late. This probably comes too late for you, but here is the YAML-file, in case you or someone reading the comments needs it:
github.com/hugatry/VideoSourceDump/tree/main/iTag%20clicker%20ESPHome
Thanks 👍
Very well done! Would it be possible to share your yaml with us?
Thanks! Sorry for noticing this so late. This probably comes too late for you, but here is the YAML-file, in case you or someone reading the comments needs it:
github.com/hugatry/VideoSourceDump/tree/main/iTag%20clicker%20ESPHome
Excelente video. Gracias
Thanks!