nrf connect for desktop can not detect nrf52840 dongle

[liuzong]

Hi,

I couldn't grab BLE 2M packets using wireshark and nrf52840 dongle, so I switched to using  the nRF connect for desktop. But it can not detect the dongle. 

 

The nRF connect for desktop version is v5.2.0. The linetool and the jlink version as shown. 

C:\Users\26769>nrfjprog -v
nrfjprog version: 10.24.2 external
JLinkARM.dll version: 8.18

The application quick start log as shown.

2025-06-05T03:39:20.426Z INFO Initialising the bundled nrfutil device
2025-06-05T03:39:20.476Z DEBUG Started watching devices
2025-06-05T03:39:22.249Z INFO Using the bundled core version for nrfutil device: 8.0.0
2025-06-05T03:39:22.301Z INFO Using nrfutil-device version: 2.10.2
2025-06-05T03:39:22.301Z INFO Using nrf-device-lib version: 0.17.71
2025-06-05T03:39:22.301Z INFO Using nrf-probe version: 0.38.0
2025-06-05T03:39:22.301Z INFO Using JLink version: JLink_V8.18

I want to known if I have other necessary steps not to do.

Thanks all. Best wishes!

[Edvin]

Hello,

The Quick Start app doesn't work with the nRF52840 dongle, unfortunately. This is why it doesn't pop up when you open that app.

I couldn't grab BLE 2M packets using wireshark and nrf52840 dongle,

Are you trying to use the nRF52840 dongle together with nRF Sniffer for Bluetooth LE?

If so, are you able to pick up any packets?

If not, did you program the dongle with the sniffer FW?

Best regards,

Edvin

[liuzong]

Hi,

Yes, before that I have successfully installed nRF Sniffer for Bluetooth LE and nrf52840 dongle to capture 1M broadcast packets and display them in real time using wireshark. The reason why I try to use nrf52840 dongle with nRF connect for desktop is because I found that nrf52840 dongle can't capture 2M broadcast packets, and I saw on the official page that the dongle supports 2M broadcast packet capture, so I want to use it in nRF connect for desktop. So I want to flash the firmware in nRF connect for desktop to support 2M broadcast packet capture.

I wonder if my thinking is feasible? If not, how can I make the nrf52840 dongle capture 2M broadcast packets?

Best wishes,

Liuzong.

[Edvin]

liuzong said:

I wonder if my thinking is feasible? If not, how can I make the nrf52840 dongle capture 2M broadcast packets?

what sort of 2M packets do you want to capture? Yes, it can capture 2M packets, but the sniffer works this way:

It listens for advertisements, all at 1MBPS PHY (because all BLE devices uses this in their advertising packets. 

If two devices connect, and you want to continue capturing these packets, you need to select that specific advertising device from the drop down menu in Wireshark before (!) they enter a connection. If you do, the sniffer will follow that particular advertising peripheral, and filter out everything that is not related. When the peripheral receives a connection packet, the sniffer will pick it up, and start sniffing in that connection instead of on the advertising channels.

If the sniffer detects that the connected devices decides to move onto the 2MBPS PHY, the sniffer will do so as well, and continue to pick up the packets in the connection, now being on 2M instead of 1M. 

It is, however, not possible, in the sniffer FW to say: "show me all 2MBPS packets". It is designed to capture advertising packets, and to follow a peripheral into a connection. Since no connections are entered on 2MBPS, you will not be able to see them before the devices connect and change from 1M to 2M.

If this is not what you are looking for, perhaps you can describe what you are trying to do, and we can look into that.

Best regards,

Edvin