Android Question Can Bluetooth HID mode act like SPP mode?

[StillLearning]

It seem that the current device selling specification standard is to list Bluetooth capacity as:

Bluetooth Ver 2.1 +EDR OR Bluetooth 4.0

That sure doesn't tell me what profiles the device supports and in my opinion a pointless spec without the profile list.

I have run into a rather large problem that I hope can be resolved (easily)

Code was written on a Nexus 7 (ver.1) and works perfectly using SPP mode

Nexus 7 Spec
Bluetooth 4.0

Customer Bought
Asus Memo HD 7 ME173x

Asus 7 Spec
Bluetooth 4.0

This item is the "same" as the Nexus 7 ( like sisters) Except... Surprise

Asus ME173x does not seem to support SPP mode, so that Bluetooth 4.0 spec doesn't mean you can expect the profiles to exist.

I have not found any profile list on the Asus 7 and Asus support does not reply to any emails on this subject.

I have searched and don't seem to be able to find an app that will report all of a devices supported Bluetooth profiles.

Does anyone know of an app that exists?


Is there a way in code to have the HID profile appear to act like SPP mode?

I need to read the keyboard input without edittext boxes or the like.

It needs to work the same as the SPP mode input.

Thank you for any productive comments.

 

[Erel]

Are you sure that the Asus device doesn't support SPP profile? Can you post the error message you get when you try to open a connection with the serial library?

 

[StillLearning]

I have been working on this Asus "problem".

I've gotten the Asus system to see the scanner now and pair it.

If I run the program on the Nexus 7, it works like a champ.

The Asus will randomly work and then crash or it might give me the following error:

java.lang.SecurityException: Need BLUETOOTH_ADMIN permission:Neither user 10113 nor current process has android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN

This only occurs when running the Release version compile. It doesn't give any error when run under Debug.

I get maybe 3 scans and then crash under debug. Of course it gives no location or cause so that's a lot of help.

Why would it work perfectly under the Nexus 7 and not under the Asus?

Doing anything I suppose must mean that the SPP profile is present but it sure isn't working the same way as the Nexus 7.

I have no other Android devices to try it on.

Thank You for your time.

 

[Erel]

The BLUETOOTH_ADMIN permission should be added automatically when you create a Serial object. Have you set the manifest file to be read-only?

 

[StillLearning]

Not to my knowledge.

Plus it works on the Nexus 7 perfectly.

Same file just bridge downloaded to the Asus

I downloaded a app call Bluetooth SPP Pro from Google Story.

Sometimes it finds the device sometimes not, but then to reports SPP connection failure.

On the Nexus 7... Bingo it works perfectly

 

[Erel]

Have you tried to run the Bluetooth Chat example on the Asus device and connect to it with the other device?

 

[StillLearning]

I ran Bluetooth Chat on both units Nexus 7 (1 gen) and Asus ME173X

( not using prefix of course )

Two different scanners on each machine (same scanners)

Nexus 7 - scans finds both - chat works on both

Asus - scans finds both - chat then send this error message: java.io.IOException: [JSR82] accept: Connection is not created (failed or aborted)

Thank you for your time in this matter as resolving it is a tad bit important to me.

I receive this same error message when I run my program on the Asus also except it just keeps repeating it. I guess the serial link must keep trying to connect. Just as a matter of information how do I stop that?

 

[Erel]

(You can use prefix mode in this case)

It sounds like a bug in your Asus device. Bluetooth is not reliable on all Android devices.

You can try to disable and reenable the Bluetooth adapter.

 

[StillLearning]

Well that is the worse news I can hear right now.

I've enabled-disabled the bluetooth far too many times.

This leads me to believe that the Asus just does not properly support SPP mode, if at all.

Need a proper work connect at all times. In as far as possible.

So back to my original question.

HID seems to work just fine as far as connecting.

I can't have a visible box with scanner information coming in.

Is there a way to get the scanner information from a HID interface WITHOUT an edittext box or the like.

Can I get information using some kind of invisible edit box or keyboard intercept?

I also need the keyboard to work at the same time.

I know full of questions, but the drowning will grasp at straws!

Thank you for your time and help

 

[Erel]

HID is managed by the OS. You cannot control it.

You can however position an EditText out of the screen boundaries and handle its TextChanged event.

I believe that you will not be able to show the soft keyboard as the OS will treat the HID device as an external keyboard.

 

[StillLearning]

Now that out of screen boundaries idea may have done the trick,BUT losing the keyboard kills that plan.

This is why the SPP profile not working correctly or at all is spelling my doom.

So I don't run into this again, a few more questions.

1). Is there and App or code that I can run to display what Bluetooth profiles the devices support?

2). During the discovery can the list just display HID or SPP devices? I guess Android would know them as input devices?

Thank you for your time

 

[Erel]

I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with such code. All the features in the Serial library are only relevant for the SPP profile (which all Android devices support).