Switch to bleak for reliable BLE scanning with RSSI

- Replace hcitool-based BT scanning with bleak Python library
- Bleak provides reliable RSSI values via D-Bus/BlueZ
- BLE scan now finds devices that hcitool missed
- Update project docs to reflect resolved BT RSSI blocker
- Add bleak>=0.21.0 to dependencies

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

PROJECT.md

@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ Understanding the RF environment around you is useful for:
 ┌─────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────┐
 │                    System Tools                              │
 │  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐                   │
-│  │    iw    │  │ hcitool  │  │bluetoothctl│                  │
+│  │    iw    │  │  bleak   │  │  SQLite  │                   │
-│  │  (WiFi)  │  │   (BT)   │  │   (BLE)  │                   │
+│  │  (WiFi)  │  │  (BLE)   │  │(History) │                   │
 │  └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └──────────┘                   │
 └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
 ```
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ Understanding the RF environment around you is useful for:
 - Flask - Web framework
 - PyYAML - Configuration
 - dataclasses - Data structures
+- bleak - BLE scanning with RSSI
 
 ### Frontend
 - Leaflet.js - 2D maps

ROADMAP.md

@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 - [x] Live BT tracking mode
 - [x] Moving device detection (purple markers)
 - [x] Filter-aware scanning (WiFi/BT toggle)
-- [ ] Reliable RSSI acquisition for movement tracking
+- [x] Reliable RSSI acquisition for movement tracking (bleak)
 - [ ] Position smoothing/averaging
 - [ ] Device trails/history visualization
 

TASKS.md

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 | Status | Task | Notes |
 |--------|------|-------|
-| [-] | Fix Bluetooth RSSI acquisition | `hcitool rssi` only works for connected devices; `bluetoothctl` doesn't expose RSSI for cached devices |
+| [x] | Fix Bluetooth RSSI acquisition | Switched to `bleak` Python library for reliable BLE scanning with RSSI |
 
 ---
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 | [x] | Live BT tracking mode | 4-second scan interval |
 | [x] | Moving device detection | Purple markers for RSSI changes |
 | [x] | Filter-aware scanning | Skip WiFi/BT based on toggle |
-| [~] | Improve BT discovery reliability | Try alternative scanning methods |
+| [x] | Improve BT discovery reliability | Using bleak library for BLE scanning |
 | [ ] | Document API endpoints | docs/API.md |
 | [ ] | Create CHEATSHEET.md | Quick reference guide |
 
@@ -78,28 +78,28 @@
 | Live tracking button | 2026-01-31 |
 | Purple moving indicators | 2026-01-31 |
 | Smart scanning (filter-aware) | 2026-01-31 |
+| SQLite historical database | 2026-02-01 |
+| Bleak BLE scanning (reliable RSSI) | 2026-02-01 |
+| Auto-start live BT tracking | 2026-02-01 |
 
 ---
 
 ## Blockers
 
-### BT RSSI Acquisition
+*No current blockers*
+
+### ~~BT RSSI Acquisition~~ (RESOLVED)
 **Problem:** Cannot get reliable RSSI values for Bluetooth devices
 - `hcitool rssi <addr>` - Only works for connected devices
 - `bluetoothctl info` - No RSSI for cached devices
-- `btmgmt find` - Not providing output
-- BLE scan (`hcitool lescan`) - I/O errors on this adapter
 
-**Potential Solutions:**
+**Solution:** Switched to `bleak` Python BLE library which provides reliable RSSI via D-Bus/BlueZ.
-1. Use D-Bus BlueZ API directly (needs dbus-python)
-2. Keep devices paired/connected for RSSI polling
-3. Focus on WiFi-based tracking instead
-4. Use dedicated BLE beacon hardware
 
 ---
 
 ## Notes
 
-- Bluetooth scanning is unreliable on Raspberry Pi 5 with built-in adapter
+- BLE scanning now uses `bleak` Python library (reliable RSSI via D-Bus)
 - WiFi scanning works well with `iw` command
-- Consider external USB Bluetooth adapter for better BLE support
+- Live BT tracking auto-starts on page load (3-second scan interval)
+- Historical data stored in SQLite database with auto-cleanup

TODO.md

@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@
 - [x] Device labeling and favorites
 - [x] New device alerts
 - [x] Automatic data retention/cleanup
+- [x] Reliable BLE scanning with bleak library
 
 ---
 

pyproject.toml

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ classifiers = [
 dependencies = [
     "flask>=3.0.0",
     "pyyaml>=6.0",
+    "bleak>=0.21.0",
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]

src/rf_mapper/web/app.py

@@ -814,61 +814,32 @@ def create_app(config: Config | None = None) -> Flask:
 
     @app.route("/api/scan/bt", methods=["POST"])
     def api_scan_bt():
-        """Quick Bluetooth-only scan for real-time tracking using hcitool"""
+        """Quick Bluetooth-only scan for real-time tracking using bleak (BLE)"""
-        import subprocess
+        import asyncio
-        import re
+        from bleak import BleakScanner
 
         bt = []
         try:
-            # Use hcitool inq for classic BT (more reliable)
+            async def do_scan():
-            result = subprocess.run(
+                devices = await BleakScanner.discover(timeout=3.0, return_adv=True)
-                ['sudo', 'hcitool', 'inq', '--flush'],
+                results = []
-                capture_output=True,
+                for addr, (device, adv) in devices.items():
-                text=True,
+                    rssi = adv.rssi if adv else -70
-                timeout=12
+                    name = device.name or '<unknown>'
-            )
+                    results.append({
-
-            for line in result.stdout.split('\n'):
-                # Parse: "	E0:03:6B:FE:24:A1	clock offset: 0x15c7	class: 0x08043c"
-                m = re.match(r'\s*([0-9A-Fa-f:]+)\s+clock offset.*class:\s*0x([0-9A-Fa-f]+)', line)
-                if m:
-                    addr = m.group(1)
-                    device_class = m.group(2)
-
-                    # Get device name
-                    name = '<unknown>'
-                    try:
-                        name_result = subprocess.run(
-                            ['sudo', 'hcitool', 'name', addr],
-                            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5
-                        )
-                        if name_result.stdout.strip():
-                            name = name_result.stdout.strip()
-                    except:
-                        pass
-
-                    # Get RSSI (only works if device is connectable)
-                    rssi = -70  # Default
-                    try:
-                        rssi_result = subprocess.run(
-                            ['sudo', 'hcitool', 'rssi', addr],
-                            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=3
-                        )
-                        rssi_match = re.search(r'RSSI return value:\s*(-?\d+)', rssi_result.stdout)
-                        if rssi_match:
-                            rssi = int(rssi_match.group(1))
-                    except:
-                        pass
-
-                    bt.append({
                         'address': addr,
                         'name': name,
                         'rssi': rssi,
-                        'device_class': device_class
+                        'device_class': 'BLE'
                     })
+                return results
+
+            # Run async scan in sync context
+            bt = asyncio.run(do_scan())
+            print(f"[BT] Bleak scan found {len(bt)} devices")
 
         except Exception as e:
-            print(f"[BT] hcitool scan error: {e}")
+            print(f"[BT] Bleak scan error: {e}")
             bt = []
 
         # The scanner already does auto-identification if enabled