As with other home lab experiments, there are tons of methods to convert an ESP32 into a Bluetooth Proxy. Since I want to use it with my Home Assistant server, I used the ESPHome add-on method.

Using Bluetooth on a desktop computer is now such a seamless process; it’s something built-in and just works. Behind that ubiquity is a protocol layer called HCI, or Host Controller Interface… ...

Take the ESP32-CAM, a board that started appearing on the market in early 2019. On paper, the thing is amazing: an ESP32 with support for a camera and an SD card, all for less than $10.

The Bluetooth Low Energy stack consumes a lot of RAM on the ESP32 as well, so you may run into issues when adding this to your already-in-use devices.