Bluetooth Proxy

📡 Bluetooth Proxy & Plant Care

SmartDisplay includes ESPHome's passive Bluetooth Proxy (bluetooth_proxy: active: false), turning the device into a localized Bluetooth antenna for Home Assistant.

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Why Passive Mode?

• Active BLE Mode: Establishes active connections, consuming massive RAM and causing 2.4GHz Wi-Fi/Bluetooth coexistence interference (resulting in stuttering TTS audio).
• Passive BLE Mode: Passively listens to broadcast advertisement packets. Captures 100% of telemetry data from beacons and sensors with zero RAM overhead and zero audio stuttering.

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Real-World Example: Xiaomi Mi Flora (Plant Care)

The author created this setup specifically to monitor indoor houseplants:

1. Xiaomi Mi Flora Probes: Inserted into plant pots, broadcasting soil moisture, fertilizer conductivity, sunlight lux, and temperature over BLE advertisements.
2. SmartDisplay Proxy: Sitting on a desk nearby, it captures the weak BLE signals and relays them over Wi-Fi directly to Home Assistant.
3. Automated Notification: When soil moisture drops below 20%, Home Assistant pushes a notification card directly to the SmartDisplay:

   action: esphome.smartdisplay_send_notification
   data:
     message: "Ficus lyrata needs water! Soil moisture is at 15%."
     icon: "home"
     text_color: "green"
     timeout: 60

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Other Supported BLE Peripherals

• Smart Lighting: Philips Hue BLE, Yeelight BLE, Tuya BLE bulbs.
• Climate Sensors: Xiaomi Mijia E-Ink thermometers (LYWSD03MMC), Qingping Air Monitors, ThermoPro BLE sensors, and BTHome beacons.
• Security & Motion: Shelly BLU door/window contacts, Shelly BLU motion detectors.
• Room Presence: iBeacon keychains and smartwatch proximity beacons.