Scan BLE

scanblue / sbl — BLE Device Scanner 

CMD> sbl

How It Works

sbl performs a passive BLE advertisement scan — the radio listens for advertisement packets that BLE devices broadcast periodically. No pairing or connection is made. Every device found is added to a numbered list.

The scan runs for a fixed window (a few seconds), then displays the results. Devices that don’t broadcast during the window won’t appear — re-scan if you’re looking for a specific device.

Each row in the result table shows:

Column Meaning
Index # Device number — used by bleinfo and trackme
Name Device name from the advertisement packet, or [unknown] if not advertised
MAC 48-bit address. Random addresses (type 1) rotate periodically
RSSI Signal strength in dBm — closer = higher (less negative) value

Keys

Key Action
l / a Next / previous page
q Quit

Results are cached — use show ble to view again without rescanning.

Notes

  • [unknown] name — the device didn’t include its name in the advertisement payload. bleinfo can still connect and read its GATT tree.
  • Random MACs — iPhones, Android phones, and modern laptops rotate their BLE MAC every ~15 minutes. The same physical device may appear with a different MAC on the next scan.
  • Index usage — the index from sbl is used directly by bi (BLE Info) and tm (trackme): bi 3 connects to device at index 3.
  • Antenna sharing — BLE and WiFi share one antenna. Stop any active WiFi scan or attack before running sbl.