Summary
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology that allows broadcasting the data over specific Bluetooth channels.
There are 40 unique bands (channels) and each band has a 2 MHz separation. 37, 38, and 39 channels are used for primary advertising, and 0-36 are used for data transmission.
During the advertising process, the BLE advertising packet is broadcasted. This packet contains the Preamble, Access Address, PDU and CRS fields.
The Preamble and Access Address fields help the receiver detect frames. CRS field is used to check errors. PDU consists of PDU Header and PDU Payload. PDU defines the packet itself.
PDU Header contains information about the PDU type. Based on the type, the payload fields may differ.
For example, when PDU type is ADV_NONCONN_IND → PDU Payload consists of "AdvA" (a field that contains information about the advertiser's address) and "AdvData" (a field that contains data information) fields:
1 octet = 1 byte = 8 bits
| Preamble | 1 octet |
| Access-Address | 4 octets |
| PDU |
|
| CRS | 3 octets |
There are different PDU types:
- ADV_IND (where payload consists of AdvA [6octets] + AdvData [0-31 octets] and which is used for connectable, scannable undirected advertising);
- ADV_NOCONN_IND (where payload consists of AdvA [6octets] + AdvData [0-31 octets] and which is used for non-connectable, non-scannable undirected advertising);
- ADV_SCAN_IND (where payload consists of AdvA [6octets] + AdvData [0-31 octets] and which is used for scannable, undirected advertising);
- SCAN_REQ (where payload consists of ScanA [6octets] + AdvA [6octets], where ScanA field contains scanner's address and AdvA contains advertiser's address, and which is used for requesting SCAN_RSP response);
- SCAN_RSP (where payload consists of AdvA [6octets] + ScanRspData [0-31 octets], where ScanRspData can contain any data from the advertiser's host and which is used to respond to a SCAN_REQ request);
- ADV_DIRECT_IND (where payload consists of AdvA [6octets] + TargetA [6octets], where TargetA is the device address field to which the PDU is addressed, and which is used for connectable, directed advertising);
- etc
You can find more information about the packet structure over here (Bluetooth specifications).
The main application for the Bluetooth interface in RouterOS is to monitor Bluetooth advertising packets (scanner feature) that are broadcasted by other devices (like for example, Bluetooth tags) or broadcast advertising packets (advertiser feature).
Configuration
Sub-menu: /iot bluetooth
note: iot package is required.
note: Check your device's specifications page to make sure that the Bluetooth is supported by the unit.
IoT package is available with RouterOS version 6.48.3. You can get it from our download page - under "Extra packages".
Devices
In this menu you can check and set general Bluetooth chip parameters:
/iot bluetooth print Columns: NAME, PUBLIC-ADDRESS, RANDOM-STATIC-ADDRESS, ANTENNA # NAM PUBLIC-ADDRESS RANDOM-STATIC-ADD ANTENNA 0 bt1 00:00:00:00:00:00 F4:4E:E8:04:77:3A internal /iot bluetooth set
note: Public address is the IEEE registered, permanent address. This address can not be changed. In the "print" example above, the device does not have a public address assigned (all octets are set to 0).
Configurable settings are shown below:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| antenna (string; Default: internal) | Choose whether to use an internal or an external Bluetooth antenna |
| name (string; Default: ) | Descriptive name of Bluetooth chip/interface |
random-static-address (MAC address; Default: ) | A user-configurable address for the Bluetooth chip |
You can monitor chip stats with the command:
/iot bluetooth print stats Columns: NAME, RX-BYTES, TX-BYTES, RX-ERRORS, TX-ERRORS, RX-EVT, TX-CMD, RX-ACL, TX-ACL # NAM RX-BYTE TX- R T RX-EV TX R T 0 bt1 1857835 235 0 0 46677 45 0 0
Advertisers
In this menu, it is possible to set up the Bluetooth chip to broadcast advertising packets. You can check and set advertiser settings with the commands:
/iot bluetooth advertisers print
Flags: X - DISABLED
Columns: DEVICE, MIN-INTERVAL, MAX-INTERVAL, OWN-ADDRESS-TYPE, CHANNEL-MAP, AD-SIZE
# DEVICE MIN-INTERVAL MAX-INTERVAL OWN-ADDRESS-TYPE CHANNEL-MAP AD-SIZE
0 X bt1 1280ms 2560ms random-static 37 0
38
39
/iot bluetooth advertisers set
Configurable settings are shown below:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| ad-structures (string; Default: ) | Choose a pre-configured structure for the advertisement packets. For more information see the "AD structures" section. |
| channel-map (37 | 38 | 39; Default: 37, 38, 39) | Channels used for advertising. |
disabled (yes | no; Default: yes) | An option to disable or enable the Bluetooth chip to broadcast advertising packets. |
max-interval (integer:20..10240; Default: 2560 ms) | The maximal interval for broadcasting advertising packets. |
min-interval (integer:20..10240; Default: 1280 ms) | The minimal interval for broadcasting advertising packets. |
own-address-type (public | random-static | rpa-fallback-to-public | rpa-fallback-to-random; Default: random-static) | The MAC address that is going to be used in the advertising packet's payload:
|
note: Advertising packets will be broadcasted each min-interval <= X <= max-interval milliseconds.
AD structures
This section allows you to define the payload for the advertising packets that are going to be broadcasted by the Bluetooth chip.
Currently, only 4 types are supported: 0x08 "Shortened Local Name"; 0x09 "Complete Local Name"; 0xFF "Manufacturer Specific Data"; "Service Data"
You can check and set "AD structures" settings with the commands:
/iot bluetooth advertisers ad-structures print Columns: NAME, TYPE, DATA # NAME TYPE DATA 0 test short-local-name TEST /iot bluetooth advertisers ad-structures set
Configurable properties are shown below:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| data (string; Default: ) | Define advertising packet's AdvData part of the payload |
| name (string; Default: ) | Descriptive name of AD structure |
type (complete-local-name | manufacturer-data | short-local-name | service-data; Default: ) | An option to set AD structure's type:
|
If, for example, the "Shortened Local Name" type is chosen and the "data" field is configured with "TEST" → AdvData part of the payload is going to look like this:
05 08 54 45 53 54 (hexadecimal format)
, where the first octet (05) shows the number of bytes to follow (5 bytes) and the second octet (08) shows the type (Shortened Local Name). 3d, 4th, 5th and 6th (and etc) octets are the "data" [54 (hex)=T (ASCII), 45 (hex)=E (ASCII), 53 (hex)=S (ASCII), 54 (hex)=T (ASCII)].
The same applies to the "Complete Local Name" type. Only the second octet in the AdvData payload is going to differ and will be set to 09.
For the "Manufacturer Specific Data" type, you will need to configure the "data" field in the hexadecimal format. The second octet for this type is going to be set to FF.
Connections
Availible starting with v7.12beta9.
Currenetly, only "central" role is supported. "Pheriperal device" role, "pairing" and "encryption" options are not supported.
Availible sections are:
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| async-data | used to view subscribed data. |
| characteristics | used to view all supported characteristics of the device. |
| connect | used to connect to the device that is in the connactable state. |
| disconnect | used to disconnect from the device. |
| read | used to read characteristics values. |
| write | used to write characteristics values. |
| subscribe | used to subscribe to a charasteristic value. |
| unsubscribe | used to unsubscribe from a charasteristic value. |
In order to connect to a Bluetooth device that is in the connactable state, use the command (where pdev is the device address):
/iot bluetooth connections connect pdev=DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D
To connect to TG-BT5-IN/OUT tags, make sure to put it into the connactable state by applying a magnet to the magnetic switch.
To view an already established connection:
/iot bluetooth connections print
To view device characteristics:
/iot bluetooth connections characteristics print Columns: PDEV, NAME, UUID # PDEV NAME UUID 0 DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D Service Changed 2a05 1 DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D Database Hash 2b2a 2 DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D Client Supported Features 2b29 3 DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D Device Name 2a00 4 DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D Appearance 2a01 ... ... ...
To read a specific characteristic, specify the pdev address and the uuid:
/iot bluetooth connections read pdev=DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D uuid=2a00
Scanners
In this menu, you can set up the scanner settings for the Bluetooth chip. When disabled, the device is no longer able to receive advertising reports. When enabled, you can monitor advertising reports in the "Advertising reports" tab (which will be explained later in the guide). You can check and set scanner settings with the commands:
/iot bluetooth scanners print Flags: X - DISABLED Columns: DEVICE, TYPE, INTERVAL, WINDOW, OWN-ADDRESS-TYPE, FILTER-POLICY, FILTER-DUPL ICATES # DEVICE TYPE INTERVAL WINDOW OWN-ADDRESS-TYPE FILTER-POLICY FIL 0 X bt1 passive 10ms 10ms random-static default off /iot bluetooth scanners set
Configurable properties are shown below:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| disabled (yes | no; Default: no) | An option to disable or enable the Bluetooth chip to receive advertising reports. |
| filter-duplicates (keep-newest | keep-oldest | keep-unique | off; Default: off) | An option to discard duplicate advertisements from the same advertiser:
A duplicate advertising report is an advertising report sent from the same device address. The actual data ("AdvData" part of the payload) may change/differ and it is not considered significant when determining duplicate advertising reports. Meaning that, for example, if the Bluetooth interface receives 10 payloads (payload after payload with a 1-second interval) from the same tag:
|
filter-policy (default | whitelist | no; Default: default) | An option to set up a filtering policy (controller-level advertisement filtering):
|
interval (integer:3..10240; Default: 10 ms) | Time after which scanner will start scanning the next advertisement channel. |
own-address-type (public | random-static | rpa-fallback-to-public | rpa-fallback-to-random; Default: random-static) | Address type used in scan requests (if active scanning type is used):
|
type (active | passive; Default: passive) | Defines the scanner's type:
|
| window (integer:3..10240; Default: 10 ms) | The time that the scanner will spend scanning a single advertisement channel. |
For example, if the scanner interval is set to 20ms, it means that only after 20ms, the device will begin scanning the next channel in line. If the scanner window is set to 10ms, it means that the device will scan each channel only during that 10ms window. Meaning, it will scan channel 37 for 10ms (window time) and begin scanning the next channel after 10 more ms (20ms[interval]-10ms[window]). It will take 10ms to scan channel 38, and after 10 more ms, the device will begin scanning channel 39.
Advertising reports
In this section, it is possible to monitor Bluetooth advertising reports (from the nearby broadcasters). The list is limited to 1024 entries (if the list gets full with 1024 entries, each new payload received will overwrite the "oldest" one). You can monitor advertising reports with the command:
/iot bluetooth scanners advertisements print Columns: DEVICE, PDU-TYPE, TIME, ADDRESS-TYPE, ADDRESS, RSSI # DEV PDU-TYPE TIME ADDRES ADDRESS RSSI 0 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/28/2021 09:30:56 public 2C:C8:1B:93:16:49 -24dBm 1 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/28/2021 09:30:56 random 0B:16:17:9E:7B:EF -60dBm
It is possible to set up a filter for the reports with the command:
/iot bluetooth scanners advertisements print where
For example, to print reports that are broadcasted by a specific Bluetooth address, use the command:
/iot bluetooth scanners advertisements print where address=XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX # DEVICE PDU-TYPE TIME ADD... ADDRESS RSSI LENGTH DATA 79 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/28/2021 09:46:38 public XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX -70dBm 30 02010... 80 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/28/2021 09:46:43 public XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX -67dBm 30 02010... 81 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/28/2021 09:46:44 public XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX -70dBm 28 1bff0... 82 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/28/2021 09:46:48 public XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX -75dBm 30 02010...
To show only advertising reports that have RSSI stronger than -30 dBm, use the command:
/iot bluetooth scanners advertisements print where rssi > -30 # DEVICE PDU-TYPE TIME ADDRESS-TYPE ADDRESS RSSI LENGTH DATA 307 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/29/2021 10:11:31 public 2C:C8:1B:93:16:49 -24dBm 22 15ff4f09.> 308 bt1 adv-noconn-ind jul/29/2021 10:11:31 public 2C:C8:1B:93:16:49 -26dBm 22 15ff4f09.>
Possible filters (you can filter the list of advertising reports with the help of the following parameters):
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| address | Bluetooth advertisers address |
| address-type | Advertisers address type (for example, public or random) |
data | Advertisement data in hex format (AdvData payload) |
| device | Bluetooth chip/interface name |
| epoch | Milliseconds since Unix Epoch |
| filter-comment | Comment of the matching whitelist filter |
| length | Advertisement data length |
| pdu-type | Advertisement PDU type |
| rssi | Signal strength |
| time | Time of the advertisement packet reception |
Whitelist
In this tab, it is possible to configure a whitelist that is going to be used in the filter policy in the "Scanners" section. In other words, an option to specify which Bluetooth addresses are going to be scanned (displayed in the "Advertising reports").
You can view the whitelisted entries with the command:
/iot bluetooth whitelist print Columns: DEVICE, ADDRESS-TYPE, ADDRESS # DEVICE ADDRESS-TYPE ADDRESS 0 bt1 any *:*:*:*:*:*
You can add a new whitelist entry with the command:
/iot bluetooth whitelist add
Configurable properties:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| address (MAC address; Default: ) | Advertiser's address |
| address-type (any | public | random; Default: ) | Advertiser's address type |
comment (string; Default: ) | Short description of the whitelisted entry |
| copy-from | An option to copy an entry - for more information check the console documentation |
| device (bt1; Default: ) | Select the Bluetooth interface/chip name |
| disabled (yes | no; Default: ) | An option to disable or to enable the entry |
Starting with 7.14beta8 version, whitelist is no longer limited to 8 entries and address field supports asterisk wildcards.
If, for example, you want to whitelist all MAC addresses that begin with "DC:2C:..." octets, add an entry using wildcard asterisk characters:
/iot bluetooth whitelist add address=DC:2C:*:*:*:*
Wildcard asterisk can not be used in-between specific octets, like "AA:*:*:BB:*:*" (it is an invaldi entry).
Valid entries would be:
AA:BB:CC:DD:*:*AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:*AA:*:*:*:*:*
Peripheral Devices
This section displays decoded Eddystone TLM, Eddystone UID, iBeacon and MikroTik Bluetooth payloads. If the "Peripheral Devices" captures other beacon types, they will not be decoded.
You can view a decoded list with a print detail command:
/iot bluetooth peripheral-devices print detail 0 address-type=public address=60:C0:BF:87:E2:1C name="60:C0:BF:87:E2:1C" persist=no mtik-key="" rssi=-64 last-data="0201041BFFCD0960C0BF87E21C025B1F198B21AC62CDAE0045FAFEFE057D7B" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:20:09 beacon-types="" 1 address-type=public address=DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D name="DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3D" persist=no mtik-key="" rssi=-47 last-data="0303AAFE1716AAFE00E5B2B98DE4C81C47C2B14E7500000000000000" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:20:05 beacon-types=mikrotik,ibeacon,eddystone-uid mtik-version=1 mtik-encrypted=no mtik-acc-x=-0.007G mtik-acc-y=-0.015G mtik-acc-z=-0.007G mtik-temperature=23.808C mtik-battery=100% mtik-uptime=14342160s mtik-flags="" ibeacon-uuid="55555555-5555-5555-5555-222222222222" ibeacon-major=1280 ibeacon-minor=512 ibeacon-rssi-at-1m=-68dBm eddy-rssi-at-1m=-27dBm eddy-namespace="b2b98de4c81c47c2b14e" eddy-instance="750000000000" 2 address-type=public address=DC:2C:6E:F6:54:7D name="DC:2C:6E:F6:54:7D" persist=no mtik-key="" rssi=-74 last-data="0201060303AAFE1116AAFE20000B701549023532D802384F46" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:20:13 beacon-types=eddystone-tlm eddy-version=0 eddy-battery-voltage=2.928V eddy-temperature=21.285C eddy-packet-count=37040856 eddy-uptime=3724474.2s 3 address-type=public address=DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E name="DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E" persist=no mtik-key="" rssi=-72 last-data="15FF4F0901000214FFFF0200FDFF4F1774E00F000064" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:20:06 beacon-types=mikrotik mtik-version=1 mtik-encrypted=no mtik-acc-x=-0.003G mtik-acc-y=0.007G mtik-acc-z=-0.011G mtik-temperature=23.308C mtik-battery=100% mtik-uptime=1040500s mtik-flags="" 4 address-type=public address=60:C0:BF:20:9A:50 name="60:C0:BF:20:9A:50" persist=no mtik-key="" rssi=-66 last-data="0201041BFF4160C0BF209A50FFA4CA8906E48C0377DCFDD2DF7AF02FFC6AC5" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:20:11 beacon-types=""
You can filter the list, for example, based on the "address" of the device (knowing MAC-address of the tag):
/iot bluetooth peripheral-devices print detail where address="DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E"
0 address-type=public address=DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E name="my_tag" persist=yes
mtik-key="" rssi=-60 last-data="15FF4F090100669DFCFF0600FCFF6117F1E50F000064"
last-seen=2023-08-22 11:43:31 beacon-types=mikrotik mtik-version=1
mtik-encrypted=no mtik-acc-x=-0.015G mtik-acc-y=0.023G mtik-acc-z=-0.015G
mtik-temperature=23.378C mtik-battery=100% mtik-uptime=1041905s mtik-flags=""
/iot bluetooth peripheral-devices print value-list where address="DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E"
address-type: public
address: DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E
name: my_tag
persist: yes
mtik-key:
rssi: -71
last-data: 15FF4F0901002AC60400000004004F17D4E90F000064
last-seen: 2023-08-22 12:00:06
beacon-types: mikrotik
mtik-version: 1
mtik-encrypted: no
mtik-acc-x: 0.015G
mtik-acc-y: 0G
mtik-acc-z: 0.015G
mtik-temperature: 23.308C
mtik-battery: 100%
mtik-uptime: 1042900s
mtik-flags:
Or, for example, filter the list based on the beacon type:
/iot bluetooth peripheral-devices print detail where beacon-types=mikrotik 0 address-type=public address=DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E name="my_tag" persist=yes mtik-key="" rssi=-69 last-data="15FF4F0901000747020002000100611778E60F000064" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:45:46 beacon-types=mikrotik mtik-version=1 mtik-encrypted=no mtik-acc-x=0.007G mtik-acc-y=0.007G mtik-acc-z=0.003G mtik-temperature=23.378C mtik-battery=100% mtik-uptime=1042040s mtik-flags="" 7 address-type=public address=2C:C8:1B:4B:BB:0A name="2C:C8:1B:4B:BB:0A" persist=no mtik-key="" rssi=-44 last-data="15FF4F09010077090000FCFFFDFFD519BF9EFF00005B" last-seen=2023-08-22 11:45:53 beacon-types=mikrotik mtik-version=1 mtik-encrypted=no mtik-acc-x=0G mtik-acc-y=-0.015G mtik-acc-z=-0.011G mtik-temperature=25.832C mtik-battery=91% mtik-uptime=16752319s mtik-flags=""
Additionally, you have the option to set "persist=yes", which will make sure that the device/tag stays on the list forever (because devices that stop broadcasting payloads will be timed-out after one minute and removed from the list until new payloads start appearing in the air):
/iot bluetooth peripheral-devices set persist=yes address="DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E"
You can also set a name for the device, so you can easier find it on the list, with the command:
/iot bluetooth peripheral-devices set name="my_tag" address="DC:2C:6E:0F:C0:3E"
Decode-ad
In this menu, you can decode static MikroTik, Eddystone TLM, Eddystone UID and iBeacon payloads.
To decode a payload, just input it into the "data" field:
/iot bluetooth decode-ad data=0201060303AAFE1116AAFE20000B6E158402353AF20238576B
type: eddystone-tlm
version: 0
battery-voltage: 2.926V
temperature: 21.515C
packet-count: 37042930
uptime: 3724682.7s
/iot bluetooth decode-ad data=15FF4F090100032E0100FFFF00004F17C1E80F000064
type: mikrotik
version: 1
encrypted: no
acc-x: 0.003G
acc-y: -0.003G
acc-z: 0G
temperature: 23.308C
uptime: 1042625s
flags:
battery: 100%