Dongl firmware v0.1.0: pairing and dependable connections

TLDR: Dongl N-Series firmware v0.1.0 is out. It adds pairing and bonding, makes connections more dependable, and reads long values in full. It requires SimpleBLE 1.2. Full release notes: Dongl v0.1.0.

Pairing and bonding

The Dongl can now pair with peripherals that ask for it, including Just Works, passkey entry, and numeric comparison. Bonds are stored on the Dongl and survive power cycles, so a paired device reconnects without pairing again. SimpleBLE exposes the paired devices and lets you unpair them.

Connections the Dongl owns

Each connection attempt now runs to completion on the Dongl. It gives up after 10 seconds, retries links that fail while being established, and discovers services only after the MTU exchange. SimpleBLE waits for that result instead of retrying on its own, so the host and the Dongl no longer disagree about what is connected.

A few more changes

• Values up to 512 bytes are read in full.
• Active scanning reports scan responses and 16-, 32-, and 128-bit service data.
• Negotiated MTU and vendor-specific descriptor UUIDs are reported.
• Bursts of scan results no longer drop events.

Get v0.1.0

Download the firmware from the Dongl page. The package includes update instructions for boards already running Dongl firmware. Then upgrade SimpleBLE:

pip install --upgrade simplepyble

The N-Series firmware is free for prototyping, testing, and non-commercial validation. If you are building Bluetooth into a commercial product and need help with the integration, get in touch.