Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in Zephyr RTOS

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a cornerstone of modern embedded connectivity, enabling low-power communication between devices across countless applications. While Zephyr RTOS offers a powerful BLE stack, many embedded developers struggle to move beyond simple examples to create robust, real-world BLE applications. This workshop aims to bridge that gap.

In this two-hour workshop, we’ll start with a one-hour lecture introducing BLE fundamentals, the Zephyr RTOS BLE architecture, and how to configure and extend BLE functionality within a Zephyr application. You’ll learn the differences between BLE and Bluetooth Classic, explore the BLE stack layers, and understand how Zephyr enables both standard and custom BLE services.

During the hands-on lab session, you’ll configure a Zephyr application to advertise BLE data, integrate standard BLE services such as the Device Information Service, and develop a custom service to notify data, triggered by onboard hardware like a button. You’ll test functionality using the nRF Connect mobile app and gain practical experience in service definition, characteristic creation, and data synchronization techniques.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the fundamentals of BLE and how it differs from Bluetooth Classic
• Explore Zephyr’s BLE stack and how to configure it using Kconfig and source code
• Learn to integrate standard BLE services like Device Information Service
• Develop and test custom BLE services with read and notify characteristics
• Use the nRF Connect app to validate BLE functionality in real time
• Gain hands-on experience building and testing BLE applications in Zephyr

Join us to gain the skills and confidence to integrate robust BLE capabilities into your Zephyr-based embedded projects!

This workshop uses the Nordic nRF52840 development board. Please purchase one here before attending the workshop if you plan to do the hands-on exercises.