Bluetooth Mesh might not be the solution you need in your use case. Bluetooth mesh nodes use broadcasting to transmit messages and the way to save power for the node that is powered by a battery is to stay in a power saving mode most of the time. It is similar to a BLE device but the difference is the low-power node requires a friend node to receive and cache messages for the LPN when it is sleeping.

For your use case we suggest using one or more central devices like a hub for your devices to communicate through:

• The central device sends out periodic advertisements
• All peripheral devices are in the EM2 mode with receiving periodic advertisements
• All peripheral devices synchronize messages via the periodic advertisements and receive user data from the central device
• A peripheral device can send user data via legacy/extended advertisements to the central device or to all other peripheral devices through the central device
• The central device scans for legacy/extended advertisements and sends user data to peripheral devices

Please see https://docs.silabs.com/bluetooth/2.13/general/adv-and-scanning/periodic-adv-bt5 for the periodic advertising concept.

Thank you, Matt Ji.

About 1) I will install as a software component Stack Classes/Test to avoid the issue. But, I read in that software component: "Enables Bluetooth Mesh Test Utilities (Only for development, do not use them in production)."

Why that warning? So for the final production solution, I should set relay and proxy with the mobile app provisioning, not the node itself.

I saw to set proxy in the firmware node more secure to avoid that a disconnection during the provisioning process could leave me a node provisioned but with proxy disabled.  

About 2) I didn't explain it well. I referred that the relay or hop was working correctly without the relay feature enabled at any of the nodes. The three nodes are light examples. The activation is from the mobile app. How is that possible?

Hi,

Unfortunately, the Health Client is not supported in the ADK as of now so you might need to think of a workaround such as custom vendor model.

If you would like me to create a request for implementation of this model you may create a private support ticket. This way our management will get an indication that one of our Customers is willing to use that part of Bluetooth Mesh and might consider that during future planning sessions.

Regards,
Adam

Hello. I need to receive fault errors from my devices reading its health server model.

The device will use: sl_btmesh_health_server_set_fault(element, error)

How can I read that from the Android App?

I need to clear faults too from the App. (sl_btmesh_health_server_clear_fault() on the device)

What library functions should be used? Do you have any examples? 

11.03mA with BLE Mesh active.     3.98mA in LPN mode.    7.42mA on average.

It's curious to see how current consumption smooths when BLE GATT connection is established.

What future problems can I find with this implementation? Does IV renew procedure or other processes fail with this? Do you have any option to reduce more the consumption?

Hello,

we are designing an application with clients with groups of 5-50 industrial machines. Now, it's possible to configure and control the machines with BLE.

We are adding BLE Mesh functionality. Working with: Gecko SDK Suite v3.1.1 Bluetooth Mesh 2.0.1 Bluetooth 3.1.1

BLE Mesh will allow to power up all the machines with one command, to be notified about alarms, and gives more coverage to control and list all devices available through a proxy connection in one node. 

Industrial machines have a cranking battery that in the idle state only supports the BGM13P32F512GE. Once the machine power-up the battery can be recharged. All the nodes in the network are equal. All have the relay and proxy features enabled. The 11mA consumption of the BLE Mesh is excessive. With only BLE we had good consumption in EM2, EM3 modes.  All the nodes would be LPN and any of them Friend. 

Is there any idea to improve the Mesh consumption?

The network does not need any functionality when no user it's present with a mobile, only Gatt Support for BLE.

My suggestion is: 

Keep the nodes in EM3 Mode with advertising and without Mesh (<1mA).

Periodically, and probably synchronized between the other nodes in the network, rise the Mesh network for a short period (11mA about less than  X seconds).

All the nodes are subscribed to a common address to be alerted if a phone is connected to any node, all are proxies and they publish that information if that happens (on/off). If not all the nodes return to EM3 disabling Mesh functionality. 

If a phone is connected all the Mesh remains active since the phone leaves the proxy node and a timeout.

Is that possible? Can you give a few instructions to implement?  Init/Deinit Mesh? or enable/disable LPN without a friend? Time to be off? Do keys renew in that mode operation?

Thank you in advance.

Hello,

we are designing an application with clients with groups of 5-50 industrial machines. Now, it's possible to configure and control the machines with BLE.

We are adding BLE Mesh functionality. Working with: Gecko SDK Suite v3.1.1 Bluetooth Mesh 2.0.1 Bluetooth 3.1.1

BLE Mesh will allow to power up all the machines with one command, to be notified about alarms, and gives more coverage to control and list all devices available through a proxy connection in one node. 

Industrial machines have a cranking battery that in the idle state only supports only the BGM13P32F512GE. Once the machine power-up the battery can be recharged. All the nodes in the network are equal. All have the relay and proxy features enabled. The 11mA consumption of the BLE Mesh is excessive. With only BLE we had good consumption in EM2, EM3 modes.  All the nodes would be LPN and any of them Friend. 

Is there any idea to improve the Mesh consumption?

The network does not need any functionality when no user it's present with a mobile, only Gatt Support for BLE.

My suggestion is: 

Keep the nodes in EM3 Mode with advertising and without Mesh (<1mA).

Periodically, and probably synchronized between the other nodes in the network, rise the Mesh network for a short period (11mA about less than  X seconds).

All the nodes are subscribed to a common address to be alerted if a phone is connected to any node, all are proxies and they publish that information if that happens (on/off). If not all the nodes return to EM3 disabling Mesh functionality. 

If a phone is connected all the Mesh remains active since the phone leaves the proxy node and a timeout.

Is that possible? Can you give a few instructions to implement?  Init/Deinit Mesh? or enable/disable LPN without a friend? Time to be off? Do keys renew in that mode operation?

Thank you in advance.

Hello,

we are designing an application with clients with groups of 5-50 industrial machines. Now, it's possible to configure and control the machines with BLE.

We are adding BLE Mesh functionality. Working with: Gecko SDK Suite v3.1.1 Bluetooth Mesh 2.0.1 Bluetooth 3.1.1

BLE Mesh will allow to power up all the machines with one command, to be notified about alarms, and gives more coverage to control and list all devices available through a proxy connection in one node. 

Industrial machines have a cranking battery that in the idle state only supports only the BGM13P32F512GE. Once the machine power-up the battery can be recharged. All the nodes in the network are equal. All have the relay and proxy features enabled. The 11mA consumption of the BLE Mesh is excessive. With only BLE we had good consumption in EM2, EM3 modes.  All the nodes would be LPN and any of them Friend. 

Is there any idea to improve the Mesh consumption?

The network does not need any functionality when no user it's present with a mobile, only Gatt Support for BLE.

My suggestion is: 

Keep the nodes in EM3 Mode with advertising and without Mesh (<1mA).

Periodically, and probably synchronized between the other nodes in the network, rise the Mesh network for a short period (11mA about less than  X1 seconds).

All the nodes are subscribed to a common address to be alerted if a phone is connected to any node, all are proxies and they publish that information if that happens (on/off). If not all the nodes return to EM3 disabling Mesh functionality. 

If a phone is connected all the Mesh remains active since the phone leaves the proxy node and a timeout.

Is that possible? Can you give a few instructions to implement?  Init/Deinit Mesh? or enable/disable LPN without friend?

Thank you in advance.

Hello JaakkoV.

cmd_mesh_test_set_relay   is a test command and is not recommended for production (like tmonte indicates here: https://www.silabs.com/community/wireless/bluetooth/forum.topic.html/how_to_enable_relayduringself-provisioning-5clt)

sl_btmesh_test_get_relay(&enabled, &count, &interval);  //  Returns 6, 197, 26
      sc = sl_btmesh_test_set_relay(1, 197, 26);    // Iget FAILED  0x00f = SL_STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED feature not supported

      sl_btmesh_test_set_relay(1, 5, 5);    // I get FAILED  0x00f = SL_STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED feature not supported

1) Is it possible to set relay and set proxy features in a correct way (Bluetooth Mesh 2.0.1) ? Or it is mandatory to entrust that to the provisioner?

2) I tested a 3 nodes mesh (Light demo firmware) without relay feature enabled. Default state of nodes after provisioning with Silicon Labs app. I had proxy access to the first device and I control the second and third device without direct vision whit them from my mobile. Node 1 has no direct vision to node 3. I could make on/off correctly.   Mobile --- 1 ---- 2 --- 3

Is relay mode only used for unicast messages and broadcast are always relayed? I don't remember if I used in the app the master control (group address) or device control (unicast). I think unicast addressing but it worked without relay feature enabled.  Can you explain that?

3) In the app appears "retransmission" in the configuration tab, disabled by default and during my tests.  What is the difference between relay and retransmission?  Retransmission is only if frame fails? How is determined a fail? Is only for frames with ack?

Hello,

Is KBA_BT_0516  available? I can't find it in the forum.

Thank you in advance.