ST / Mbed OS mbed-os-example-ble-Beacon

BLE Beacon example

This example is a fork of the following mbed-os example:

https://developer.mbed.org/teams/mbed-os-examples/code/mbed-os-example-ble-Beacon/

Please read the documentation in this page.

readme.md@0:66b59f6860ed, 2016-07-26 (annotated)

Committer:
Vincent Coubard
Date:
Tue Jul 26 14:35:32 2016 +0100
Revision:
0:66b59f6860ed
Child:
1:2fd54f1254fe
Update example at tag mbed-os-5.0.1-rc1

Who changed what in which revision?

UserRevisionLine numberNew contents of line
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 1 This example creates a BLE beacon: a method of advertising a small amount of information to nearby devices. The information doesn't have to be human-readable; it can be in a format that only an application can use.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 2
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 3 Beacons are very easy to set up: the code for all beacons is the same, and only the information you want to advertise - the beacon payload - needs to change.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 4
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 5 This example advertises a UUID, a major and minor number and the transmission strength. The major and minor numbers are an example of information that is not (normally) meaningful to humans, but that an application can use to identify the beacon and display related information. For example, if the major number is a store ID and the minor number is a location in that store, then a matching application can use these numbers to query a database and display location-specific information.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 6
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 7 # Running the application
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 8
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 9 ## Requirements
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 10
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 11 The sample application can be seen on any BLE scanner on a smartphone. If you don't have a scanner on your phone, please install :
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 12
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 13 - [nRF Master Control Panel](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.nordicsemi.android.mcp) for Android.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 14
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 15 - [LightBlue](https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/lightblue-bluetooth-low-energy/id557428110?mt=8) for iPhone.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 16
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 17 Hardware requirements are in the [main readme](https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbed-os-example-ble/blob/master/README.md).
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 18
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 19 ## Building instructions
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 20
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 21 Building instructions for all samples are in the [main readme](https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbed-os-example-ble/blob/master/README.md).
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 22
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 23 ## Checking for success
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 24
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 25 **Note:** Screens captures depicted below show what is expected from this example if the scanner used is *nRF Master Control Panel* version 4.0.5. If you encounter any difficulties consider trying another scanner or another version of nRF Master Control Panel. Alternative scanners may require reference to their manuals.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 26
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 27 1. Build the application and install it on your board as explained in the building instructions.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 28 1. Open the BLE scanner on your phone.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 29 1. Start a scan.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 30
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 31 ![](img/start_scan.png)
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 32
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 33 **figure 1** How to start scan using nRF Master Control Panel 4.0.5
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 34
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 35 1. Find your device; it should be tagged as an `iBeacon` and observe its advertisements (there is no need to connect to the beacon).
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 36
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 37 ![](img/discovery.png)
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 38
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 39 **figure 2** Scan results using nRF Master Control Panel 4.0.5
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 40
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 41 1. View the beacon's details; the exact steps depend on which scanner you're using.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 42
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 43 ![](img/beacon_details.png)
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 44
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 45 **figure 3** Beacon details using nRF Master Control Panel 4.0.5
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 46
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 47
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 48 **Tip:** If you are in an area with many BLE devices, it may be difficult to identify your beacon. The simplest solution is to turn your board off and on, initiate a new scan on your BLE scanner every time, and look for the beacon that appears only when your board is on.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 49
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 50 If you can see the beacon and all its information, the application worked properly.
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 51
Vincent Coubard 0:66b59f6860ed 52 For more information, see the [mbed Classic version of this application](https://developer.mbed.org/teams/Bluetooth-Low-Energy/code/BLE_iBeacon/).