Dongl firmware v0.2.0: complete advertisements and Secure Connections

TLDR: Dongl N-Series firmware v0.2.0 is out. It reports every service UUID and service data entry in an advertisement, adds LE Secure Connections pairing on request, and fixes two ways the Dongl could stop answering. It requires SimpleBLE 1.4. Full release notes: Dongl v0.2.0.

Complete advertisements

Scan results used to carry at most four service UUIDs and service data entries per packet. The Dongl now reports all of them. This changes how the Dongl sends advertisements to SimpleBLE, so update both together: with SimpleBLE 1.3 or older, service UUIDs that come without service data are missing from scans.

Secure Connections on request

Some devices wait for the central to start pairing. Call secure_connection() after connecting to pair with LE Secure Connections and a 128-bit key. Set mitm to also authenticate the device through the passkey or numeric comparison callbacks. The Dongl disconnects if pairing fails, ends up weaker than requested, or takes longer than 30 seconds. This pairing is not stored as a bond.

Fixes

• The Dongl no longer stops answering when its port closes while it sends data. Before, it took a replug to recover.
• A message that failed to encode no longer blocks every message after it.
• Starting a scan that is already running, or stopping one that is already stopped, now succeeds.

Get v0.2.0

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.