nRF Connect for Mobile vs NearSight

nRF Connect is a powerful generic tool that allows you to scan and explore your Bluetooth Low Energy (henceforth Bluetooth LE, also called Bluetooth Version 4.0+ of the Bluetooth specification) devices and communicate with them. nRF Connect also allows your iOS device to advertise as a peripheral, with full support of many of Bluetooth SIG adopted profiles. Additionally, nRF Connect supports Nordic Semiconductor’s Device Firmware Update profile (DFU) capabilities, allowing you to update compatible peripherals! + Features: • Supports DFU on all Nordic Semiconducto-powered devices. • Supports Nordic Thingy™ from Nordic Semiconductor. • Scan and discover nearby Bluetooth LE peripherals. • Filter Scanned Peripherals by Name, Manufacturer, Services (Advertised & Connected) and RSSI Level. • Parsing Multiple Formats of Bluetooth LE Advertisement Data. • Live RSSI Chart of Scanned Bluetooth LE Peripherals. • Complete iPad Support, including Multi-Tasking and Mouse Support as of 13.4. • Logs: Including BLE Function calls, and Export Function as CSV and Text. • Privacy-Oriented: Full-Disclosure of Scanned Data, Advertised Data, and User-Performed Actions held by nRF Connect. • Connecting to Any Connectable Bluetooth LE Smart Device. • Discovery of Services, Characteristics and Descriptors. • Read and Write Characteristics and Descriptors. • Enable and Disable Notifications and Indications. • Advertising as a Bluetooth LE Peripheral. • Setting up a Bluetooth LE (Peripheral) Server and Notifying/Indicating back to connected Central(s). • Low-Fat: nRF Connect for iOS is Very Small, so You Can Always Keep Us With You! >= Requirements: • iOS 16.0 and above. - Notes: nRF Connect also works with our Development Kits, which you may acquire online here: https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/buy-online

See the hidden world around you. NearSight listens for the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals that nearby devices are constantly broadcasting and decodes what they actually are. Earbuds, watches, fitness trackers, beacons, smart-home sensors, item trackers, and more turn from anonymous radio noise into a clear, readable list right on your iPhone. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Scan live. Watch nearby devices appear in real time, sorted by how close they are. • Know what's there. NearSight recognizes a growing catalog of device types and shows make, model, and what each signal means, not just a cryptic address. • Notice the unexpected. Surface unknown or unfamiliar devices around you and decide for yourself what belongs. • Go deeper. Open any device to inspect its raw advertisement, signal strength, and parsed technical details. OPTIONAL AI INSIGHTS Turn on AI to get plain-language explanations of what NearSight is seeing. Bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key, or run a compact model entirely on your device. Your choice. AI is completely optional and stays off until you enable it. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Scanning happens on your iPhone. NearSight works fully offline and shows what it sees to no one but you. AI insights and anonymous telemetry are strictly opt-in and off by default. Nothing leaves your device unless you turn it on. No ads, no third-party tracking, no account required. WHAT NEARSIGHT CAN (AND CAN'T) SEE NearSight decodes the Bluetooth signals that devices broadcast but it can't see everything: • Not every device is recognized. New or niche hardware may show up as Unknown until we've researched it and added support. • Some devices are intentionally excluded. We don't surface certain safety-sensitive devices (for example personal panic buttons), because revealing someone's private safety equipment could put them at risk. However, AI Insights may identify such devices. • It only sees Bluetooth. Devices that are powered off, not currently broadcasting, or that use other radios (Wi-Fi-only cameras, wired, or cellular devices) are invisible to NearSight. NearSight is a Bluetooth explorer, not a safety or security device, bug sweeper, or hidden-camera detector. It cannot guarantee it will find every tracker, camera, or listening device near you, and not seeing something here does not mean it isn't there. If you have a real safety concern, use dedicated tools and contact local authorities. Questions, or a device you'd like us to identify? Email hello@nearsight.one.