Configure Beacons with CoreBluetooth

Introduction#

Hot to read and write data to a bluetooth low energy device.

Remarks#

Some important points

• No capabilities are needed.
• iPhone store bytes in Little Endian format, so check if bluetooth accessory use Little Endian too. Example:
  • intel CPU usually use little endian.
  • The ARM architecture was little-endian before version 3 when it became big-endian.
• After a single or batch operation the connection will be lost, so you have to reconnect before continue.

Scan for SERVICE UUID

func SearchBLE(){
    cb_manager.scanForPeripherals(withServices:[service_uuid], options: nil)
    StopSearchBLE()
}

How to discover SERVICE UUID without documentation

func centralManager(_ central: CBCentralManager, didConnect peripheral:             
CBPeripheral) {
        peripheral.delegate = self
        peripheral.discoverServices(nil)
}

func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didDiscoverServices error: Error?) {
    for service in peripheral.services! {
        print("Service: \(service)\n error: \(error)")
    }
}

• discoverServices(nil) - NIL means that all services will be returned, which is not a good option.( READ Remarks 3)
• If you haven’t found the SERVICE UUID run your code and looking for in console

• I found have 3 services: Battery, Device information (Firmware) and FFF0
• This uuid service isn’t a standard one, a list with standards can find here
• FFF0 is the SERVICE UUID in this case

Convert data to UInt16 and contrary

Add this extensions to your class

protocol DataConvertible {
    init?(data: Data)
    var data: Data { get }
}

extension DataConvertible {

    init?(data: Data) {
        guard data.count == MemoryLayout<Self>.size else { return nil }
        self = data.withUnsafeBytes { $0.pointee }
    }

    var data: Data {
        var value = self
        return Data(buffer: UnsafeBufferPointer(start: &value, count: 1))
    }
}
extension UInt16 : DataConvertible {
    init?(data: Data) {
        guard data.count == MemoryLayout<UInt16>.size else { return nil }
        self = data.withUnsafeBytes { $0.pointee }
    }
    var data: Data {
        var value = CFSwapInt16HostToBig(self)
        return Data(buffer: UnsafeBufferPointer(start: &value, count: 1))
    }
}

Showing names of all Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

• For this example I have a controlled room with a single BLE device enable.

• Your class should extend CBCentralManagerDelegate.

• Implement the method: centralManagerDidUpdateState(_ central: CBCentralManager).

• Use global queue to not freeze the screen while searching for a device.

• Instantiate CBCentralManager and wait for callback centralManagerDidUpdateState response.

  class BLEController: CBCentralManagerDelegate{

  var cb_manager: CBCentralManager! var bles : [CBPeripheral] = []

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        cb_manager = CBCentralManager(delegate: self, queue: DispatchQueue.global())
    }
  
    func centralManagerDidUpdateState(_ central: CBCentralManager) {
        print("UPDATE STATE - \(central)")
    }

  }

Callback to centralManagerDidUpdateState indicates that CoreBluetooth is ready, so you can search for BLE now. Update centralManagerDidUpdateState code to search for all BLE device when it is ready.

func centralManagerDidUpdateState(_ central: CBCentralManager) {
    print("UPDATE STATE - \(central)")
    SearchBLE()
}

func SearchBLE(){
    cb_manager.scanForPeripherals(withServices: nil, options: nil)
    StopSearchBLE()
}

func StopSearchBLE() {
    let when = DispatchTime.now() + 5 // change 5 to desired number of seconds
    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: when) {
        self.cb_manager.stopScan()
    }
}

• SearchBLE() search for BLE devices and stop searching after 5s

• cb_manager.scanForPeripherals(withServices: nil, options: nil) looks for every BLE in range with you.

• StopSearchBLE() will stop the search after 5s.

• Each BLE found will callback func centralManager(_ central: CBCentralManager, didDiscover peripheral: CBPeripheral, advertisementData: [String : Any], rssi RSSI: NSNumber)

  func centralManager(_ central: CBCentralManager, didDiscover peripheral:
  CBPeripheral, advertisementData: [String : Any], rssi RSSI: NSNumber) { guard let name = peripheral.name else { return } print(name) bles.append(peripheral) }

Connect and read major value

• I’m in a controlled room with a single minew beacon that use IBEACON protocol.

• BLEController needs to extend CBPeripheralDelegate

• I’ll use the first BLE to connect after the search has stop.

• Modify the method StopSearchBLE()

  class BLEController: CBCentralManagerDelegate, CBPeripheralDelegate{ //… func StopSearchMiniewBeacon() { let when = DispatchTime.now() + 5 // change 2 to desired number of seconds DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: when) { self.cb_manager.stopScan() self.cb_manager.connect(bles.first) } } /… }

• In the documention of your BLE device, you should look for the SERVICE UUID and MAJOR UUID CHARACTERISTIC

  var service_uuid = CBUUID(string: “0000fff0-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb”) var major_uuid = CBUUID(string: “0000fff2-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb”) func centralManager(_ central: CBCentralManager, didConnect peripheral:
  CBPeripheral) { peripheral.delegate = self peripheral.discoverServices([service_uuid]) }

  func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didDiscoverServices error: Error?) { print(“Service: (service)\n error: (error)”) peripheral.discoverCharacteristics([major_uuid], for: (peripheral.services?[0])!) }

• Create a variable ‘service_uuid’ and ‘major_uuid’ like code above. ‘-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb’ is part of the standard. ‘fff0’ is my SERVICE UUID, ‘fff2’ is my MAJOR UUID characteristic and ‘0000’ are required to fill the 4 bytes uuid 1º block.

• discoverCharacteristics([major_uuid], for: (peripheral.services?[0])!) will get major characteristic from my device gatt server and it will have NIL as value for now.

• (peripheral.services?[0])! - 0 beacuse will return a single value once I did peripheral.discoverServices([service_uuid])

  func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didDiscoverCharacteristicsFor service: CBService, error: Error?) { for characteristic in service.characteristics! { print(“Characteristic: (characteristic)\n error: (error)”) if(characteristic.uuid.uuidString == “FFF2”){ peripheral.readValue(for: characteristic) } } }

  func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didUpdateValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic, error: Error?) { print(“Characteristic read: (characteristic)\n error: (error)”) let major = UInt16.init(bigEndian: UInt16(data: characteristic.value!)!) print(“major: (major)”) }

• Characteristic value will only be readable after call peripheral.readValue(for: characteristic)

• readValue will result in func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didUpdateValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic, error: Error?) with value in Data type.

Write major value

• You need discover the services and characteristic

• You don’t need read value from the characteristic before writing over it.

• will continue for, for this example, after read value. Modify func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didUpdateValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic, error: Error?)

• Add a variable new_major and reset_characteristic

  var reset_characteristic : CBCharacteristic! func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didDiscoverCharacteristicsFor service: CBService, error: Error?) { for characteristic in service.characteristics! { print(“Characteristic: (characteristic)\n error: (error)”) if(characteristic.uuid.uuidString == “FFF2”){ peripheral.readValue(for: characteristic) } if(characteristic.uuid.uuidString == “FFFF”){ reset_characteristic = characteristic } } } let new_major : UInt16 = 100 func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didUpdateValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic, error: Error?) { print(“Characteristic read: (characteristic)\n error: (error)”) let major = UInt16.init(bigEndian: UInt16(data: characteristic.value!)!) print(“major: (major)”) peripheral.writeValue(new_major.data, for: characteristic, type: CBCharacteristicWriteType.withResponse) }

• iPhone by deafult will send and receive bytes in Little Endian format, but my device MINEW witch chipset NRF51822 have ARM archteture and need bytes in Big Endian format, so I have to swap it.

• BLE Device documentation will say what type of input and output each characteristic will have and if you can read it like above (CBCharacteristicWriteType.withResponse).

  func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didWriteValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic, error: Error?) { print(“Characteristic write: (characteristic)\n error: (error)”) if(characteristic.uuid.uuidString == “FFF2”){ print(“Resetting”) peripheral.writeValue(“minew123”.data(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!, for: reset_characteristic, type: CBCharacteristicWriteType.withResponse) } if(characteristic.uuid.uuidString == “FFFF”){ print(“Reboot finish”) cb_manager.cancelPeripheralConnection(peripheral) } }

• To update a gatt server information you have to reboot it programmatically or save data to it and turn off and turn on manually.

• FFFF is characteristic that do it in this device.

• ‘minew123’ is the default password for reboot o save information in this case.

• run your app and watch you console for any error, I hope none, but you will not see the new value yet.

  func peripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, didUpdateValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic, error: Error?) { print(“Characteristic read: (characteristic)\n error: (error)”) let major = UInt16.init(bigEndian: UInt16(data: characteristic.value!)!) print(“major: (major)”) //peripheral.writeValue(new_major.data, for: characteristic, type: CBCharacteristicWriteType.withResponse) }

• Last step is to comment last line in method didUpdateValueFor and rerun the app, now you will the new value.