Simplifies Wireless On Set with SimpleBLE

Moonlighting Industries’ main goal is to enhance creative freedom by removing technical problems from filmmaking, so that crews can fully focus on what matters the most: telling great stories. Moon Smart Focus (moonsmartfocus.com), their main product, tackles a critical challenge in film production: achieving precise focus in an era of larger sensors, higher resolutions, and light-sensitive lenses. Modern cameras deliver stunning images with a detailed depth of field, which is great for visual impact, but exceptionally demanding when it comes to keeping actors or objects sharp, especially under tight deadlines and high expectations for usable footage.

Moon Smart Focus operates as a smart, precision rangefinder, as it combines 3D depth sensing, advanced AI, and computer vision to track actors and objects in real time, often measuring distance right down to the eyes. This data gives focus pullers the flexibility to dial in focus manually using precise distance readings or hand control over to the system for smooth, automated pulls. As a dependable on-set assistant, Moon Smart Focus takes much of the guesswork out of focusing, helps prevent missed shots, and eases the pressure of demanding productions. Thus, it allows filmmakers to concentrate on their creative vision while giving producers more usable footage.

The tool is being used across major film cities and hubs in the US, Canada, England, Spain, France, Japan, India, and Australia and has already found its way onto big productions like Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Foundation, Stranger Things, and Emily in Paris.

The wireless nightmare every set knows

Film sets are wireless war zones. Devices like lights, video transmitters, monitors, comms, and camera control systems all compete for the same airwaves, and networks can get crowded fast. Moonlighting Industries’ main controller app ran over onboard Wi-Fi, which worked well until systems were congested. As a result, they needed a dependable backup to keep Moon Smart Focus connected when it mattered most.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) became that second layer, which allowed them to connect external devices such as focus puller hand units, introduce physical Bluetooth buttons for quicker control on set, and create a low-bandwidth fallback when Wi-Fi was under pressure.

The BLE solution had to be easy to implement, compatible with their custom Linux environment, and capable of supporting core Bluetooth functionalities like scanning, connecting, and data streaming, while allowing flexibility for future experimentation, such as acting as a peripheral.

Why SimpleBLE was the right solution

Moonlighting Industries chose SimpleBLE, a cross-platform BLE library with multiple language bindings (currently using C++), for its ease of use and strong compatibility with BlueZ. The high-level API allowed the team to quickly implement core Bluetooth features while still giving them access to lower-level controls whenever more precision was required. This balance made a real difference as this company focused on building cinematography tools rather than navigating the complexities of wireless protocols.

What they actually built with it

SimpleBLE was integrated into Moon Smart Focus to support multiple Bluetooth functionalities, such as:

• Automatically scanning for nearby BLE devices (like focus puller hand units), connecting to them, and reading the relevant services.
• Real-time data streaming via notifications: delivery of continuous updates like hand unit positions and other measurements
• Bluetooth hardware buttons that provide instant access to key functions during a take
• A backup low-bandwidth BLE channel that helps maintain connectivity when Wi-Fi is congested.
• Early experiments with peripheral mode are preparing Moon Smart Focus to operate as a BLE peripheral and support new interaction models.

SimpleBLE’s ergonomic design and high-level interface allowed the team to focus on two key areas: business logic and product improvements. In other words, the team didn’t have to waste time with low-level Bluetooth complexity. At the same time, its flexibility gave engineers access to deeper controls when needed, ensuring they had full control over the implementation.

What changed on set and in development

Connectivity became noticeably more reliable, even in heavily crowded wireless environments. Features once stuck in the Bluetooth backlog started shipping, and operators gained physical buttons and a reliable fallback connection. The result? A system crews could trust, even under pressure.

Development sped up as well: new Bluetooth ideas no longer required major architectural workarounds and could be implemented quickly. Thanks to this faster cycle, Moonlighting Industries is able to deliver updates faster and keep evolving the product in line with real production needs.

Moon Smart Focus is now a more reliable tool for focus pullers and directors of photography, letting them focus on creativity instead of troubleshooting technology. For Moonlighting Industries, SimpleBLE removed a major development obstacle, allowing the team to focus on what matters most: building tools that help storytellers do their best work.