node-red-contrib-victron-ble 2.0.0

node-red node to parse Instant Readout advertisement data from Victron BLE devices

npm install node-red-contrib-victron-ble

Victron BLE for Node.js & Node-RED

A modern TypeScript/Node.js library to parse Victron Instant Readout BLE advertisements, inspired by the excellent keshavdv/victron-ble Python library.

What does this library do?

• Parses Victron Energy BLE advertisements (Instant Readout) from Victron devices (SmartShunt, Smart Battery Sense, Solar Charger, etc.)
• Decrypts and decodes the data using your device's unique encryption key
• Works out-of-the-box as a Node.js library, a CLI tool, and a Node-RED node
• No Python or extra dependencies required—runs natively on Node.js, including on Victron GX, Ekrano, and similar devices

Usage

1. CLI Tool

After installing dependencies and building the project, you can use the CLI to scan and read Victron BLE devices:

# Discover Victron BLE devices
npx victron-ble discover

# Discover with a specific BLE backend
npx victron-ble discover --bluetooth noble

# Read data from a device (replace ADDRESS and KEY)
npx victron-ble read <DEVICE_ADDRESS> <ENCRYPTION_KEY>

2. Node-RED Node

• Install via the Node-RED Palette Manager (search for victron-ble)
• Drag the Victron BLE node into your flow
• Enter your device's BLE address and encryption key (see below)
• The node will emit parsed data as messages

Getting Your Victron Device's Encryption Key

To decrypt BLE advertisements, you need the device's unique encryption key. You can find this in the official VictronConnect app:

1. Pair with your device in the VictronConnect app
2. Go to the device's Product Info section
3. Find the Instant Readout via Bluetooth area
4. Click Show next to Instant Readout Details to reveal the encryption key
5. Copy the MAC address and the key

Note: The key is required for both the CLI and Node-RED node to decode data.

Why this library?

This project is inspired by keshavdv/victron-ble, but is written in TypeScript/Node.js for:

• Native Node-RED integration (no Python or extra installation)
• Easy deployment on Victron GX, Ekrano, and similar embedded systems
• Modern, type-safe codebase

BLE Backend Selection

This library supports three different BLE backends:

1. BlueZ via DBus (default on Linux when available):

   • The library first attempts to use BlueZ directly through the system DBus API.
   • This avoids the root access requirement of noble and avoids parsing terminal output from bluetoothctl.
   • It reads Victron Instant Readout advertisement data from BlueZ Device1.ManufacturerData updates.
   • Note: This backend is only available on Linux systems with BlueZ and DBus access.

2. bluetoothctl terminal output parsing (fallback):

   • If the DBus backend is unavailable or fails to start, the library attempts to use a custom adapter that parses the terminal output of the bluetoothctl command.
   • This approach is necessary to support Victron GX, Ekrano, and similar devices, as well as most Linux systems where noble may not function, because noble needs to run as root.
   • The adapter runs bluetoothctl as a subprocess, parses its output in real time, and emits BLE advertisement events.
   • Note: This method does not work on macOS or Windows, as bluetoothctl is not available there.

3. noble (final fallback):

   • If BlueZ DBus and bluetoothctl are not available or fail to start, the library falls back to the noble BLE library.
   • This is the standard for Node.js BLE access and works on macOS, Windows, and some Linux systems.
   • Important limitation: noble requires root access to access BLE hardware. On Victron GX, Ekrano, and similar devices, Node-RED runs under a non-root user, so noble cannot be used in these environments. This is a key reason for using the BlueZ DBus or bluetoothctl approaches on these platforms.

Note: We previously attempted to use the node-ble library, but found its performance and CPU usage unacceptable for production use, especially on embedded hardware.

The CLI selects the backend automatically by default in this order: BlueZ DBus, bluetoothctl, then noble. Use --bluetooth auto, --bluetooth bluez, --bluetooth bluetoothctl, or --bluetooth noble with discover or read to choose a backend explicitly.

License

MIT

Credits

• Inspired by keshavdv/victron-ble
• Not affiliated with or supported by Victron Energy