Bluetooth Gateway

Hardware
1

For a couple of years now I have HA running on my server and everything works great.
I would like to make use of some passive BLE devices like the xiaomi sensors. However I don’t have the option to place bluetooth stations everywhere. (I guess that is needed for a mesh network).

I could place a device in about the center of my house but I don’t know how I will get the signals to my server and if the range will be big enough.

Going short my questions are;

  • What is the best way to create the option to allow passive bluetooth devices
  • What is the range of a BLe gateway
  • Any recommendations for a gateway?
2

Read about ESP32 Bluetooth Proxies here: ESPHome Bluetooth Proxy

Someone’s practical experience with it here:
Peering Xiaomi BLE Thermometer with ESP32 BLE proxy - no clue - Configuration - Home Assistant Community (home-assistant.io)

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3

Seconding ESP32 and BT Proxy. I have a number of them in my house, but only 1 is a ‘dedicated’ device, the rest are just piggy-backing on other ESPHome devices I already made.

As far as range, I find them to be reasonably short (at least compared to the BT dongle I have physically plugged into my HA server). For just passively collecting temp/rh data I find a couple of walls and maybe 10 meters of distance is the max; for an active connection, closer/fewer walls is needed.

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4

TO Question one
In my opinion, the most effective solution could be the creation of a BLE Network consisting of two principal layers:

  1. The Bluetooth gateway and the server running HA are on the same network, communicating directly through a wired or wireless.
  2. Passive Bluetooth devices use the BLE protocol to communicate with the BLE Gateway.

Advantages:
Increased flexibility in installation. You can select the installation location based on your needs, allowing optimal results.

Disadvantages:
An additional consideration is the requirement to purchase an extra Bluetooth gateway.

TO Question Two
From my personal experience, Bluetooth gateways based on (EFR32BG21 BLE Module）can achieve a transmit power of 19.5dBm, allowing for coverage of up to 100 meters in an open range. However, it’s worth noting that the signal is absorbed when passing through two walls!

To Question Three
Just open Google and type ‘Bluetooth gateway’ into the search box. And Make sure to select a gateway in the SERP that supports programmability, as you’ll need to configure the gateway’s MQTT to point to your server.