Using iPhones for BLE

Configuration
1

Is ANYONE successfully using an iPhone (mine is a 14) for BLE tracking on Home Assistant. I already have IRK string for both phones, but the results are less than useable. I understand that problems like this are usually iphone related. Any help, or comparing of notes would be extremely welcome…

Thanks
-Gil

2

I found this last week, maybe you can get some inspiration from it.
https://github.com/wonderslug/esphome-ancs

3

What are you trying to use iphone BLE tracking to do? Whole house Home/Away presence detection? BLE triangulation room presence detection? This is HA so there’s a solid probability that I’m missing some options that you can do with Bluetooth and an iPhone so that’s why I’m asking. What are you trying to do?

#8

4

Just trying to use BLE to track who’s home and who’s not. I have it working with Shelly beacons on the cars themselves, but we often go for long walks. I’d just like the option to track who is physically home and who’s out and about. I had a difficult enough time getting the IRK codes from the phones so I didn’t have to deal with Apple’s MAC address switching. Now, I’m just not seeing the consistancy that I’m getting with the Shelly beacons. I thought I’d ask out here to see if there might be something I’m missing.

5

Thanks. I just took a quick look and I’m going to stumble along with that in a day or so. Looks like some fun options… Thanks again…

-Gil

6

@gil1 , I am about to release (later tonight, v1.0.4 is available now) version 2.0.0 of HALP!, which includes very heavily detailed documentation on the very best way to track location in HA with phones, iPhone and Android, including BLE.

HALP! allows MORE ACCURATE (enhanced) location tracking of people than the built in HA person.location. v1.0.4 is was primarily Home vs. Away; v2.0.0 includes any and all zones you set up in HA (unlimited number of locations (zones)).