nrfutil on Raspberry Pi

[Anviori]

Hello,

I'm trying to find a way to run the nrfutil executable on a Raspberry Pi. None of the available downloads here https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-tools/nRF-Util/Download?lang=en#infotabs work for that architecture (aarch64 - Cortex-A72). Is there another source available that I can use, or could you possibly provide a version compiled for that architecture?

It does not need to be the latest version. I just need to be able to use the ble-sniffer command that it provides. I need a way to sniff BLE packets via CLI and nrfutil seems to be the only way to do that and allows for filtering of devices directly.

Thank you

[Michal]

Hello,

For now the newest version of nRF Util is unfortunately not supported on ARM.

Since you just want to use the sniffer, I think It should be possible to install the nRF Sniffer for Bluetooth LE Wireshark plugin.

Wireshark has a terminal version called tshark. I have not tested that myself, but I think it should work, as it should be using the same plugins etc. as Wireshark (GUI).

Best regards,

Michal

[Anviori]

Yes, I've been mainly using that plugin for that last few years. I just have a test setup that needs a way to do the filtering provided by the plugin on the RPI CLI. I've been tinkering with tshark for the last few days and can't get the plugin to work in the same way (Wireshark forums hasn't been very helpful either, unfortunately). I guess I'll just do what I need on a Mac for now.

Thanks for your help, though.

[Michal]

Ah, I understand, that is unfortunate.

I have asked my colleagues if they have any experience with running the plugin from command line just in case, but it could be that it is only fully supported in GUI.

Best regards,

Michal

[Anviori]

So, I've been trying to use the nrfutil sniffer in the same way on a Mac, and I'm having trouble following a specific device. This is how I'm running the command:

nrfutil ble-sniffer sniff --follow "xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx" --port /dev/tty.usbmodem2101

The output of this results in no or random packets not associated with the device given. Do I need different firmware for the nrf5840 dongle to get this to work with nrfutil?

[Michal]

I will do some testing with the ble-sniffer and I'll come back do you.

What kind of firmware do you have on the dongle currently? Is it the same as in the Wireshark-based sniffer?

Best regards,

Michal

[Anviori]

Yes, I currently have the latest version (4.1.1) in the nrf52840 dongle.

[Anviori]

Any updates on this? I actually re-flashed the dongle using the provided firmware from nrfutil:

nrfutil device program --firmware /User/user-name/.nrfutil/share/nrfutil-ble-sniffer/firmware/sniffer_nrf52840dongle_nrf52840_4.1.1.zip --serial-number DBCE43BA03D5

Same result.

When I try to sniff without the --follow "...." flag, the LED on the dongle blinks and captures the BLE logs; but when I try to follow a specific device address or the device name (using --follow-by-name), the LED blinks for a second then stops completely; no packets are captured.

Using the same filter parameters in Wireshark work as expected so I don't believe it's the dongle FW but the ble-sniffer utility that's at fault.

[Michal]

Hi, I did some testing with the -follow flag and I may be getting some errors as well.

Standard sniffing works without any issues for me though.

I am going to talk with the developers about it as well.

Best regards,

Michal

[Michal]

The developer did not see that issue, so I will have to set up more tests to see if it is maybe about the usage of the sniffer.

How is the setup on your side? What are you actually measuring?

Best regards,

Michal

[Anviori]

I'm just trying to sniff the traffic of an ESP32, on a MacBook Pro (M2).

This is the command I'm running to try and track, but it's failing:

nrfutil ble-sniffer sniff --follow "<ESP_DEVICE_ADD>" --port /dev/tty.usbmodem2101

Is there any way to run this in a way to capture debug logs for the CLI utility? --log-level trace doesn't seem to do anything.

[Michal]

Is the ESP32 connected to anything, or are you just sniffing the advertising packets?

[Anviori]

I'm trying to sniff both the advertising and connection packets. ESP32 ⇿ Phone App.