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How to determine that iBeacon is enabled?

valikvalik
in iOS
I understand I can do 





[self.device.iBeacon setBeaconOn:YES]; or [self.device.iBeacon setBeaconOn:NO]; to enable or disable iBeacon mode, but how can I determine whether the iBeacon mode is enabled or disabled







Comments

  • LauraLaura
    valik,
    Use an iBeacon sniffing app such as the Radius Network app or this Ray Wenderlich iBeacon tutorial app here:http://www.raywenderlich.com/66584/ios7-ibeacons-tutorial

    By default, the MetaWear will advertise the following beacon message so this is what you must "sniff" (search) for using the app:
    16 Byte UUID, Default: MetaWear Service UUID: 326A9000-85CB-9195-D9DD-464CFBBAE75A
    Default major: 0x0000
    Default minor: 0x0000
  • LauraLaura
    It is possible the bytes are reversed so you will need to sniff for this UUID: 5AE7BAFB-4C46-DDD9-9591-CB8500906A32
  • blairhadfieldblairhadfield
    I was wondering if anyone has had success detecting the iBeacon signal using the UUIDs above?

    I am working with the IOS Sample app to turn on iBeacon using the interface, and then I use the Radius "Locate"  app to see if I can locate the MetaWear iBeacon. 

    So far no luck.  

    I have reset my MetaWear.

    I am wondering if there are any additional settings required, and which of the two UUID orders listed above is the one to use?

    (I currently have the Radius app scanning for both)

    Has anyone had any luck?

    Thanks in advance.

  • blairhadfieldblairhadfield
    Well, after wrestling for several hours before posting my last post, it only took a few more minutes and another reset of the Metawear board (via the button) to get iBeacon to come to life! 

    This is so cool!

    Anyway I am noting a giant amount of variability in the distance measurements given by the Radius Locate app, and am wondering if others are seeing the same thing.   I believe that IOS only provide "Near" or "Far" as the measurements - I'm presuming that's because of this variability.

    Anyway just to help anyone who might run into it, it seems that the UUID that the Radius app is "UUID: 326A9000-85CB-9195-D9DD-464CFBBAE75A" - (not the reverse)

    Thanks!

  • LauraLaura
    Sweet thanks blairhadfield
  • GuarneriGuarneri
    Hi blairhadfield,

    iOS actually has a library function in CoreLocation that does perform measurements of how far a BLE device is based on the signal strength (RSSI). It can provide a number and is not limited to only providing "near" or "far".

    However, that being said, since distance calculation is based on RSSI, and RSSI is a measurement of the signal's "strength" not "distance", the results can vary drastically based on the environment. If the phone and the BLE device is 10 feet away in open space, it will most likely have a stronger RSSI than if they were 10 feet away in two walled off rooms. The "distance" calculations are based on a proprietary algorithm/equation that Apple has created, but based on the inherent limitations of the RSSI data, the calculations can only provide a best guess, not an exact measurement.

    Thanks,
    Yu
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