Summary

The website content provides a concise guide on how to connect to a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) device using a MacBook and Python programming language with the help of the Bleak library.

Abstract

The provided content serves as a quickstart guide for individuals looking to establish a Bluetooth LE connection between a MacBook and a Bluetooth LE device using Python. It assumes prior knowledge of Python programming and Bluetooth LE basics, recommending an in-depth article for novices. The guide outlines two main steps: first, installing the Bleak library via pip, and second, using Bleak to scan for nearby Bluetooth devices and connect to a specific device using its UUID or MAC address. It includes sample Python scripts for scanning (scanner.py) and connecting (connect.py) to a Bluetooth LE device, emphasizing the use of AsyncIO for handling asynchronous Bluetooth communication. The guide concludes with instructions for the full connection script and invites readers to reach out with questions or feedback, as well as to support the authors.

Opinions

The authors believe that readers will benefit from a concise, step-by-step guide to connecting to Bluetooth LE devices with Python.
They suggest that using AsyncIO is crucial for managing Bluetooth communication efficiently without causing code pauses or errors due to timeouts.
The authors encourage readers to engage with them for further questions or feedback, indicating a commitment to community support and continuous improvement.
By providing a link to an extended version of the article, the authors acknowledge the need for more comprehensive information for those less familiar with the subject matter.
The mention of donating a coffee implies that the authors appreciate community support for their work and are likely to be independent content creators or a small organization.
The recommendation of the Bleak library indicates the authors' endorsement of it as a reliable tool for Python Bluetooth LE development.

TLDR: How to Connect to a Bluetooth Device with a MacBook and Python

A quickstart version of our popular article on Python for Bluetooth LE.

This article assumes you know the basics of Bluetooth LE and writing Python code on a Mac. If not, check out our in-depth article here.

Requirements

A Mac OS computer (12.x+)
Python 3
Bleak (a Python Bluetooth LE library)
A Bluetooth LE device (smart watch, smart lightbulb, etc.)

Step 0: Install Bleak

Bleak is a Bluetooth LE library for Python.

Install with pip install bleak.

Step 1: Scan for Nearby Bluetooth Devices

This step is optional if you already know your device’s MAC address or UUID.

Put the code below in a file called scanner.py and run it.

# scanner.py

import asyncio
from bleak import BleakScanner

async def main():
    devices = await BleakScanner.discover()
    for device in devices:
        print(device)

asyncio.run(main())

The output will be a list of nearby devices, with their UUIDs and names.

A list of Bluetooth devices found by scanner.py

Copy the UUID of your device. If we want to connect to the first Xsens DOT listed, we’ll have to use address 338312FA-C3D1–183F-325A-0726AFDBEB78.

AsyncIO is a Python library that helps our code wait to hear from Bluetooth devices. That way, however long it takes for Bluetooth devices to send our computer a message, this won’t pause our code or causes errors for taking too long.

Step 2: Connect to the Device

Now that we know our device’s address, we can connect to it with BleakClient().

In a new file, connect.py, put the following:

# connect.py

import asyncio
from bleak import BleakClient

async def main():
    address = "ABCDEFG1-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXX"

    async with BleakClient(address) as client:
        print(client.is_connected) # prints True or False

asyncio.run(main())

Replace ABCDEFG1-XXXX-etc… with the address of your Bluetooth device.

For example, for the Xsens DOT, that line will be:

address = "338312FA-C3D1–183F-325A-0726AFDBEB78"

The Full Script

This is the full script for connecting to a Bluetooth device.

# connect.py

import asyncio
from bleak import BleakClient

async def main():
    address = "ABCDEFG1-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXX"

    async with BleakClient(address) as client:
        print(client.is_connected) # prints True or False

asyncio.run(main())

The output will be True if we have successfully connected to the device.

That is all you need to connect to a Bluetooth LE device with Python and Bleak.

Questions and Feedback

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