Feature request: Allow forcing cached GATT services (Bleak/WinRT)

[RubenIxorigue]

Given our use case, it would be very helpful if smpmgr’s Windows BLE transport could optionally force using cached GATT services instead of always triggering a full service discovery.

In our environment:

• All our devices have a fixed, stable GATT layout (same firmware, same services/characteristics).

• We operate in a very busy BLE environment (200–300 devices seen during scan).

• The intermittent failures we see happen during GATT service discovery, as shown by logs like:

  • getting services (service_cache_mode=None, cache_mode=None)...
  • followed by Transport error: connection timeout

This looks like the Bleak/WinRT backend running into timeouts while trying to perform a fresh service discovery.

Since our GATT does not change, it would be ideal if smpmgr could:

• Either always use Bleak’s cached services mode on WinRT, or
• Expose an option/flag (or environment variable) to choose a cached mode (e.g. passing cache_mode=CACHED or equivalent when calling get_services).

The goal is to avoid unnecessary full GATT discovery in this high-density BLE environment and rely on Windows’ existing GATT cache instead, which should reduce the likelihood of these intermittent connection timeouts.

[JPHutchins]

Good idea! Tracking here: intercreate/smpclient#90