goTenna bluetooth API

New goTenna user here - or soon to be user - very happy to see you have a lively forum! And very much looking forward to using goTenna Mesh for various outdoor - and urban - activities!

As an embedded software developer, I have been searching the forum, but could not find references on whether you are planning to document your Bluetooth Low Energy API (services/characteristics) at some point? This would make it easy to integrate with Raspberry Pis and other computers over BLE. Certainly a bit more effort than going through a higher level Android/iOS SDK but more flexible as well, and would also make it possible to use a larger variety of devices with the goTenna. Thoughts ?

Ed, W6ELA (yes, another Ham :slight_smile: )

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@elafargue we are planning to launch a set of documented Python libraries that will serve as an USB SDK for goTenna Mesh, later this year. We feel this would be far more useful (compared to Bluetooth) to develop goTenna Mesh applications using platforms such as Raspberry PI, PCs etc.
What do you think?

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USB Communications are definitely nice!

Working at the Bluetooth level is not very difficult though - a bit of NodeJS with the very good ‘noble’ library goes a long way on every platform I have tested it on (mostly MacOS and RPi), and also makes it possible to work with super simple systems like the ESP32 and friends, it opens a ton of great possibilities. For instance, quick deployment of simple sensors broadcasting their readings over a GoTenna mesh network. Good also if you want to speak with a GoTenna node installed on top of a pole for better range, where a super long USB cable will just not work…

The cool thing with USB, of course, is that if you want to build a permanent node that uses a GoTenna, USB will also provide power, which BLE won’t do. IMHO both have their use :slight_smile:

Hope this helps?

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