Having DIY numerous popular BP1 and BLEDongle-1M units, we sought to advance further by exploring BLE proxy functionality via direct POE and Ethernet connections. Test results proved remarkably refined, demonstrating exceptional stability and efficiency. POE power supply enables a more streamlined design, allowing placement anywhere. This, I believe, will significantly enhance Home Automation's Bluetooth capabilities to a new level.

In design, we employed the powerful ESP32-S3 development board as the main controller. By integrating POE power supply while retaining the USB Type-C programming port, this module has captured our interest.

It supports multiple operational configurations:

• 100Mbps Ethernet port + Type-C power supply
• POE power supply + 100Mbps Ethernet port

We've incorporated extensive interface displays showing operational data, ensuring it doesn't function as a black box.

Additionally, we've implemented a dedicated switch for active scanning mode. This helps reduce power consumption for low-power devices that shouldn't be constantly scanned.

In summary! We hope you enjoy this exploration! Have a splendid time.

We are now accepting the first batch of orders. As this is the initial manufacturing phase, dispatch will take 3-5 days while we finalise the enclosure design and refine production processes.

Buy It

Release date: 23 January 26

Currently available for purchase at SCREEK's DIY shop

https://shop.screek.io/products/bp2-poe

News

Sensor Appearance

HA interface

Usage Instructions

Plug the device into the port of the router on the same network as HA, using either POE or Type-C for power supply.

HA will automatically detect the device; simply click 'Add' to proceed.

FAQ

• How do I connect and use BP2?

Unlike BP1, BP2 does not require any online configuration tool to set up Wi-Fi.

Simply connect the Ethernet port of BP2 to a router that is on the same network as Home Assistant. The device will automatically obtain an IP address via DHCP and broadcast its presence using mDNS.

Home Assistant’s auto-discovery mechanism will detect BP2 and display it on the Devices page. You only need to click “Add” to complete the setup.

• Does BP2 have better performance compared to BP1?

Based on our testing, BP2 shows very good responsiveness and is able to capture more BLE advertising packets.

From a design perspective, BP1—like most Wi-Fi-based Bluetooth proxies—must share the same wireless system for both Wi-Fi communication and BLE scanning. This means that within each second, only part of the time is available for scanning BLE advertisements, while the remaining time is spent handling Wi-Fi traffic. As a result, some BLE advertising packets may be missed.

Fortunately, many low-power BLE devices broadcast their advertisements multiple times. Even if a packet is missed once, it may be captured during the next scan window and then forwarded to Home Assistant.

BP2, on the other hand, uses wired Ethernet for network communication. This allows the system to dedicate more resources to BLE scanning, potentially resulting in better capture performance and faster response times.

• Can I use BP2 with Ethernet only, without deploying PoE?

BP2 supports power input via a USB Type-C port while using Ethernet for network connectivity.

With this setup, you do not need a PoE switch or PoE power source in order to use BP2.

So yes, this is absolutely supported.

• What scenarios is BP2 best suited for?

If your environment contains a large number of BLE devices, or if you rely on BLE for presence detection, distance estimation, or proximity tracking, BP2 can provide better overall performance and faster response times.

• How many devices can BP2 connect to in connection mode?

In connection mode (GATT connections), BP2 can connect to up to four devices simultaneously.

The current firmware limits this capability to ensure system stability and consistent performance.

• What do the BP2 configuration options do?
• BLE Active Mode represents active scanning. For certain devices that indicate additional available data in their advertising packets (due to BLE advertising payload size limitations), BP2 will actively request more information from the device.It is important to note that, due to the current design of Home Assistant, this active querying may be repeatedly triggered for some low-power devices, which can increase their power consumption. Whether to enable this mode should be carefully considered based on your use case.
• Scan Interval and Scan Window are key parameters that affect BLE advertising reception performance. They define how much time per second the BLE receiver spends listening on the three advertising channels. By default, both parameters are set to 1100 ms, which means nearly continuous scanning with no idle time, maximizing advertisement capture performance.
• Identify LED turns on the indicator LED on the BP2 device. This is typically used to help locate the correct physical device when multiple BP2 units are deployed in the same environment.
• Factory Reset restores all settings to their default values. This operation does not remove the device from Home Assistant; it only resets the internal configuration of BP2.
• Reboot Device immediately restarts the device. Once triggered, BP2 will perform a full reboot cycle.