ESP32 Gateway #486

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MrUnknownDE · 2026-04-05T17:53:04+02:00

MrUnknownDE commented

2026-04-05 17:53:04 +02:00

Originally created by @Fusseldieb on 10/26/2021

This is rather a suggestion than a bug report.

Coming from an "ESP32 background", where I use them to automate almost everything, let me chime in:

I've seen these trackers being used by some YouTubers now and must say that using WiFi to make it communicate likely isn't the best idea, since 2.4G networks are often crowded, either by neighbors or by the network itself (slow routers, lot of devices talking at once, etc). All of that makes the latency go through the roof, setup is painful and its generally a bad idea imo.

Why don't use the ESP32 bluetooth capability? Connect all of them to a central ESP32 over Bluetooth, which is then plugged directly over USB-C into the PC or Quest. This will likely decrease latency and remove the need for a router. A "gateway", if you wish.

Granted that Bluetooth is still in the 2.4G range, however the gateway is likely much closer to the trackers than any neighbor. Also there's no traffic inside that particular Bluetooth network, which is good.

This also would make pairing a lot easier by simply pressing the button on the gateway, putting it into pairing mode and then turning on the trackers holding a button too. Kinda like WPS used to work. After the initial setup, the gateway would hold the devices paired, and there would be no need to reassign IPs or something like that. It would just work.

I watched the video on ThrillSeeker and found it kinda rushed. "Oh, now you download the Arduino IDE, and compile, and assign IPs and ..." I don't get why this wasn't already set up to review for a YouTuber. It kinda pushed SlimeVR into the mud. With bluetooth pairing this wouldn't have been an issue. Compile it, ship it, tell the people "Press buttons, done".

Yes, the gateway is one more device, but the advantages quickly overrule the disadvantages.

Initially I wasn't going to comment, but since it's completely open-source, I thought why not. I want this to get better than it is, but I don't have time neither focus to make something like this from scratch, so feel free to improve :)

*Originally created by @Fusseldieb on 10/26/2021* This is rather a suggestion than a bug report. Coming from an "ESP32 background", where I use them to automate almost everything, let me chime in: I've seen these trackers being used by some YouTubers now and must say that using WiFi to make it communicate likely isn't the best idea, since 2.4G networks are often crowded, either by neighbors or by the network itself (slow routers, lot of devices talking at once, etc). All of that makes the latency go through the roof, setup is painful and its generally a bad idea imo. Why don't use the ESP32 bluetooth capability? Connect all of them to a central ESP32 over Bluetooth, which is then plugged directly over USB-C into the PC or Quest. This will likely decrease latency and remove the need for a router. A "gateway", if you wish. Granted that Bluetooth is still in the 2.4G range, however the gateway is likely much closer to the trackers than any neighbor. Also there's no traffic inside that particular Bluetooth network, which is good. This also would make pairing a lot easier by simply pressing the button on the gateway, putting it into pairing mode and then turning on the trackers holding a button too. Kinda like WPS used to work. After the initial setup, the gateway would hold the devices paired, and there would be no need to reassign IPs or something like that. It would just work. I watched the video on ThrillSeeker and found it kinda rushed. _"Oh, now you download the Arduino IDE, and compile, and assign IPs and ..."_ I don't get why this wasn't already set up to review for a YouTuber. It kinda pushed SlimeVR into the mud. With bluetooth pairing this wouldn't have been an issue. Compile it, ship it, tell the people "Press buttons, done". Yes, the gateway is one more device, but the advantages quickly overrule the disadvantages. --- Initially I wasn't going to comment, but since it's completely open-source, I thought why not. I want this to get better than it is, but I don't have time neither focus to make something like this from scratch, so feel free to improve :)

MrUnknownDE added the Status: Unlabeled Status: Unlabeled Status: Unlabeled Status: Unlabeled Status: Unlabeled labels 2026-04-05 17:53:04 +02:00

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Reference: github/SlimeVR-Tracker-ESP#486