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Direct Bluetooth connection now live in the iParcelBox app
We’ve added a new way for the iParcelBox app to talk to your box.
Every command sent from the app currently travels over the internet: from your phone, through your Wi-Fi or mobile signal, up to our cloud servers, and back down to your iParcelBox via your home network. This works reliably for the vast majority of the time, but it depends on your phone having a solid connection.
In practice, it’s usually your phone’s signal that’s the weak link, not your iParcelBox. A patchy mobile signal at the front door or a Wi-Fi dead spot in the garden can slow down a cloud-based command from your phone, even though your iParcelBox itself is online and working normally.
There’s a second scenario too: if your home Wi-Fi goes down completely, your iParcelBox loses its connection to the cloud along with everything else on your network. Until now, that meant no app control until Wi-Fi was restored. Direct Bluetooth connection solves both problems, giving you a way to control your iParcelBox even when Wi-Fi is offline.
How it works
The app detects when your phone is within Bluetooth range of your iParcelBox and connects directly over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) instead of routing the command through the cloud. How that connection starts depends on your box’s power state:
- Mains-powered, charging, or above 95% battery, and awake: BLE connects automatically as soon as you open the app.
- Battery-powered below 95%, or asleep: press the button on your iParcelBox to initiate the BLE connection.
This mirrors how battery-powered devices already behave elsewhere in the app: waking the box briefly when needed, rather than keeping it in constant listening mode.
You’ll know when it’s active: a small Bluetooth icon appears next to the green ‘Online’ pill at the top of the app, confirming you’re on a direct link rather than the cloud connection.
Available on v3.1 hardware, as part of our ongoing v3 investment
Direct Bluetooth connection requires iParcelBox v3.1 hardware. Devices on earlier ranges, v1, v2 or v3.0, do not support this feature due to hardware limitations.
This is part of the continued development programme behind our latest generation v3.1 hardware. Since launch, we’ve added: Curfew Mode, enhanced battery life, Wi-Fi range extenders, Power over Ethernet (PoE) connectivity, and now direct BLE connectivity, each delivered as a software and firmware update for all v3.1 customers.
We also continue to add features across earlier models where we can do so without a hardware upgrade, such as app localisation and multi-device support. If you have a v2 or v3.0 iParcelBox, you can also upgrade to v3.1 using our PCB upgrade pack (£44.99), available from our shop: v3.1 PCB upgrade.
Update your app and check your firmware version to get direct Bluetooth connection, or get in touch at support@iparcelbox.com with feedback and suggestions.
And looking further ahead, iParcelBox Parcel & Letter Box, combining our parcel delivery technology with a traditional key-operated letterbox compartment, is coming soon. Launch date is to be confirmed as we are still finalising development and testing, but you can join the waitlist here: COMING SOON: iParcelBox Parcel & Letter Box
Visit www.iparcelbox.com for more information.