Multiple BT ESP32 Proxy but connected devices do not choose nearest one?

ESPHome
1

I have two Bluetooth ESP32 Proxy devices connected via WiFi.
Additionally I have multiple bluetooth devices from Shelly (window/door sensors as well as motion sensors).

It seems like all those Shelly Bluetooth devices are connect via only one ESP32 device.

This causes some of the Shelly bluetooth devices to have very bad signal since they connect to the furthest ESP32 device instead of the one close to them.

Additionally if I check in Settings → Devices → Bluetooth → Connection Slots Allocation Monitor:
Both bluetooth devices (=ESP32 devices) show 0% used connection slots.
This can’t be correct either?

Thanks!

2

Are you positive your other BT Proxy is setup and operating correctly? These all sound like passive BT devices, so the BT Proxies aren’t actually connecting to them but rather listening for broadcasts and just passing the data on to HA.

This makes sense for passive devices, as mentioned above. Only devices that require a back and forth connection (think a door lock or a window covering, where you actually send data and commands to the BT device) require a connection and use one of the ‘slots’.

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3

@brooksben11 well I flashed the BT proxy firmware via the web installer. Plugged the esp to a USB cable and connected it to my wifi.

Then I added it as integration to HA.

There is nothing else to do or anything else I could do differently?

4

You need to check what kinds of connections your devices need. If they are just broadcasting their data, then all is fine. Your BT proxies will pick up those broadcasts and the signal strength you see is more or less that of the proxy that was slowest to relay them to HA.

If they need an active connection, there should be some kind of connection step, e.g. pairing. Only for those types of connections does it matter which proxy the device is connected to.

You can test this also by taking BT proxies offline. Take all but one down, see if you still get data from a device. Then take that last proxy down and power up another one. You still get data from the device? Then it’s the first type of connection.

Now, Shelly is well-known stuff, but I have no idea how the connections there work. I have all of my Shelly devices set up to connect via Wifi and be BT proxies for HA…

5

Are they the exact same hardware? That would be the only other thing I can think of.

6

@HenryLoenwind Ye that seems to have worked:
I have two esp32 bt proxies.

I disconnected one and all Bluetooth connected devices still show status. Also their signal strength changed to something worse (for the ones which are further away from that one remaining proxy).

I then re-plugged that proxy and disconnected the other one. Same outcome.

So that basically means both esp32 bt proxies work fine and my bluetooth devices will automatically connect to which ever has the best signal?

7

Yep, both are the same hardware.

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They will not “connect”. That kind of Bluetooth “connection” is like a TV signal. The sender sends it out blindly and every receiver can receive it. That’s unlike the usual Bluetooth connection you know from stuff like mice, headsets, or car stereos, where two devices are paired to each other and establish a secure 2-way connection that acts like plugging in a cable.

Ths, btw, also means that everyone within Bluetooth radio range can do the same. So better set a password on those Shelly devices…

9

Thank you for the hint regarding password! I thought I set it (because thats usually the first thing I do) but for Shelly Blu devices it is a bit different. One has to do the “encryption” mode. So I missed that.

Thanks again!

@Edit: Although to connect to any Shelly Blu devices you need to pair it which requires pressing a physical button. So without that, no one can simply read the Shelly Blu devices?

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Sorry, as I said, I’m using wifi with my Shellys, so I have no idea how security works for them. I know that there’s nothing needed when connecting the very first time and that when using wifi the web interface is open to everyone.

11

Yep that is true with the wifi ones. That is why I also instantly set a password for those.

With the Shelly Blu devices you need to press a button to pair them.
But anyway, encryption might still not be a bad idea.

Thanks again!

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