Sniffing Bluetooth Signal

[seatac]

Hi, 

I would like to know if you can sniff BLE packets with really low transmission power, for example can you sniff a -35 db signal with any average bluetooth receiver? Would you need more advanced equipment to sniff the packets? 

Thank you,

Crystal

[FormerMember]

Whether or not a sniffer can sniff a BLE packet depends on the signal strength when received at the sniffer, and the RX sensitivity of the radio being used (nRF52832).

To test, you can use the nRF Sniffer. The nRF Sniffer should be able to sniff a signal of -35 dBm without any problems. With nRF Sniffer v.2.1 you can use one of the following kits:

• nRF51 Development Kit (PCA10028) v1.0 or later and a micro USB cable
• nRF51 Dongle (PCA10031)
• nRF52 Development Kit (PCA10040) and a micro USB cable