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Bluetooth

Beta

Bluetooth connectivity is currently in beta support and may undergo changes prior to general availability.

Bluetooth is a wireless personal area network (PAN) protocol used for short-range low power communication. Unlike other protocols, devices cannot directly connect to the Golioth platform over Bluetooth, but must instead leverage a gateway device to bridge to another connectivity protocol. Golioth Connectivity simplifies this process dramatically with pouch, our custom end-to-end encrypted transport that allows for customers to write Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) applications that work across a wide range of gateways, from microcontroller-based devices to end-user smartphones. Golioth Connectivity enables Bluetooth devices to roam across networks, making it possible to remain connected to the cloud while devices are in motion.

Managed Connectivity​

Customers that use pouch for their Bluetooth LE devices are leveraging Golioth Connectivity's managed Bluetooth connectivity. While customers are welcome to develop their own gateway solutions to bridge Bluetooth devices to Golioth, managed connectivity is strongly recommended due to the network management, visibility, and security benefits it offers.

All communication over pouch is encrypted end-to-end, meaning that any gateway devices that sit in between Bluetooth devices and Golioth are unable to introspect data traveling to and from the platform. In order to start using pouch in a project on Golioth, customers must complete the following steps.

  1. Ensure that Gateway Proxying is enabled under Project Settings.
  2. Upload any CA certificates used for issuing device certificates under Certificates (read more about PKI).

At least two devices will be required to connect to Golioth.

  1. A gateway device that is capable of acting as a Bluetooth LE central and is equipped with at least one other connectivity channel (e.g. cellular, Wi-Fi, etc.).
  2. A device that is capable of acting as a Bluetooth LE peripheral.

Gateway Setup​

While customers are welcome to implement their own gateway firmware, Golioth provides a reference implementation that leverages the Golioth Firmware SDK for communication with the Golioth platform, and pouch for communication with Bluetooth LE peripherals. pre-compiled binaries are available for the following hardware.

  • NXP FRDM-RW612
    • Wi-Fi / Ethernet and Bluetooth LE in a development kit form factor.
  • Nordic Thingy:91 X
    • Cellular and Bluetooth LE in a compact prototyping platform form factor.
  • Nordic nRF9160 DK
    • Cellular and Bluetooth LE in a development kit form factor.

Follow the instructions in the README.md to setup the gateway hardware of your choosing and connect to Golioth.

Bluetooth Low Energy Peripheral Setup​

Bluetooth LE peripherals use pouch to communicate with the Golioth platform via one or more gateways. Devices leveraging pouch must use certificates to authenticate with the platform. After generating a private key and issuing a certificate for the device, follow the instructions in the pouch BLE GATT example to get started.

The example application will periodically request that the gateway proxy data on its behalf. Upon the first successful delivery of data to the Golioth platform, the device will be automatically created via zero-touch provisioning.

Network Inspection​

Because Bluetooth connectivity is enabled by Golioth Connectivity, the Golioth platform is aware of relationships between gateways and peripherals. These relationships, and other network insights, can be found under Networks in the Golioth console. Network relationships are also visible on the individual device pages for both gateways and peripherals. Currently, a network for Bluetooth devices is synonymous with a gateway and its peripheral devices. However, networks may evolve to encompass multiple gateways in the future. Learn more about networks on Golioth in the documentation.