Unable to Get RSSI from Flic 2 Using fliclib-linux-hci on Raspberry Pi

Wand7698

I’m working with a Flic 2 button and a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, using the fliclib-linux-hci Git SDK.

I successfully built my own Debian package from the SDK and installed it on the Pi:

Package:
flicd_1.0-1_arm64.deb

The daemon installs and runs correctly. Below is the systemd service I’m using:

cat /etc/systemd/system/flicd.service

[Unit]
Description=Flic Button Daemon
After=bluetooth.target
Requires=bluetooth.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/bin/flicd -f /var/lib/flicd/flic.sqlite3
Restart=always
RestartSec=3
User=root

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Pairing and button events work fine, so communication with the button is confirmed.

Issue

I’m trying to read RSSI (signal strength) from the Flic 2 button, or otherwise estimate distance between the Pi and the button.

I’ve tried multiple code variants (both modifying the SDK and external BLE approaches), but I’m unable to retrieve:

RSSI values

Any distance-related data

It seems like RSSI is either not exposed through the SDK, or not available during normal operation.

Questions

Is RSSI data available at all from Flic 2 via fliclib-linux-hci?

If not, is there an alternative supported way to estimate proximity or distance?

Does the Flic firmware intentionally block RSSI access for power or privacy reasons?

Has anyone successfully retrieved RSSI from a Flic 2 on Linux/Raspberry Pi?

Any guidance, confirmation, or examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Wand7698

@Emil Ya it be a great help write now i am using a python progame on pi to run 24/7 to recive signal for flic device i have provide the code below

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import fliclib
from datetime import datetime

button_rssi = {}

def now_ts():
    return datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S.%f")[:-3]

# Advertisement RSSI (best-effort)
def on_advertisement_packet(scanner, bd_addr, name, rssi, is_private,
                           already_verified, already_connected_to_this_device,
                           already_connected_to_other_device):
    button_rssi[bd_addr] = rssi
    print(f"{now_ts()} ADV {bd_addr} RSSI={rssi} dBm")

def on_button_event(channel, click_type, was_queued, time_diff):
    click_name = str(click_type).split(".")[-1]
    rssi = button_rssi.get(channel.bd_addr, "N/A")
    print(f"{now_ts()} BUTTON {channel.bd_addr} {click_name} RSSI={rssi}")

def got_button(bd_addr):
    print(f"{now_ts()} Found verified button {bd_addr}")
    cc = fliclib.ButtonConnectionChannel(bd_addr)
    cc.on_button_single_or_double_click_or_hold = on_button_event
    client.add_connection_channel(cc)

# ---- MAIN ----
client = fliclib.FlicClient("localhost")
#scanner = fliclib.ButtonScanner(client)
scanner = fliclib.ButtonScanner()
scanner.on_advertisement_packet = on_advertisement_packet
client.add_scanner(scanner)
client.on_new_verified_button = got_button
client.handle_events()
dietpi@DietPi:~$

Emil

If you want to get the RSSI value on a connected button, we must send a HCI command to the Bluetooth controller and ask to get the latest value. Do you have a suggestion for how such an API should look like from the client side?