SDK 16: Get Device Name from Advertising Data

[awneil]

This seems to have changed in recent SDKs, so that none of the examples or techniques mentioned in previous posts is relevant any more.

I am using the SDK v16.0.0 ble_app_blinky_c_pca10040_s132 example on a PC10040 board.

I have added code in the ble_evt_handler() in main.c to handle the BLE_GAP_EVT_ADV_REPORT event:

static void ble_evt_handler(ble_evt_t const * p_ble_evt, void * p_context)
{
    ret_code_t err_code;

    // For readability.
    ble_gap_evt_t const * p_gap_evt = &p_ble_evt->evt.gap_evt;

    switch (p_ble_evt->header.evt_id)
    {
        case BLE_GAP_EVT_ADV_REPORT:
        {
            //sprintf( buf, )
            NRF_LOG_INFO("Adv Rep: %02X %02X %02X %02X %02X %02X",
                            p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.peer_addr.addr[5],
                            p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.peer_addr.addr[4],
                            p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.peer_addr.addr[3],
                            p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.peer_addr.addr[2],
                            p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.peer_addr.addr[1],
                            p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.peer_addr.addr[0]
                             );

            ;
            NRF_LOG_HEXDUMP_INFO(p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.data.p_data, p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.data.len);

            char * p_msg = "Full  Name: '%s'";
            uint8_t *device_name = ble_advdata_parse(p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.data.p_data, p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.data.len, BLE_GAP_AD_TYPE_COMPLETE_LOCAL_NAME);
            if( NULL == device_name )
            {
                char * p_msg = "Short Name: '%s'";

                device_name = ble_advdata_parse(p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.data.p_data, p_gap_evt->params.adv_report.data.len, BLE_GAP_AD_TYPE_SHORT_LOCAL_NAME);
            }
            if( NULL == device_name )
            {
                NRF_LOG_INFO( p_msg, device_name );
            }
            else
            {
                NRF_LOG_INFO( "No Name" );
            }
            

It should

1. Log the device address from the Advertising Report;
2. Log the entire Advertising Data;
3. Extract the Device Name from the Advertising Data, and log it

Logging the Device Address works;

Logging the entire Advertising Data shows that the Device Name is present;

But Extracting the Device Name does not work.

eg, from a Thingy:52:

[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.093 2020] <info> app: Adv Rep: C6 1A BD D5 43 2E
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.100 2020] <info> app:  02 01 06 11 06 42 00 74|.....B.t
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.102 2020] <info> app:  A9 FF 52 10 9B 33 49 35|..R..3I5
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.108 2020] <info> app:  9B 00 01 68 EF 09 08 54|...h.	.T
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.111 2020] <info> app:  68 69 6E 67 79 3A 35   |hingy:5 
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.117 2020] <info> app: No Name
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.120 2020] <info> app: Adv Rep: C6 1A BD D5 43 2E
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.124 2020] <info> app:  07 FF 59 00 14 42 71 53|..Y..BqS
[Tue Jan 14 14:59:04.128 2020] <info> app: Full  Name: ''

C6:1A:BD:D5:43:2E is, indeed, the address of the Thingy; and the "Thingy:5" text can clearly be seen in the 1st dump.

But why is it giving two BLE_GAP_EVT_ADV_REPORT events - where each one only seems to have part of the Advertising Data, and neither finds the Name properly?

Even in the old threads, it is never clearly explained how the "extracted" Name can be used. Some show it being printed (as above),  but I don't think that can be right - as it does not seem to be a valid NUL-terminated 'C' string.

[awneil]

awneil said:

This seems to have changed in recent SDKs, so that none of the examples or techniques mentioned in previous posts is relevant any more.

For example:

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/33994/device-name/130734#130734

shows the use of adv_report_parse() and references the ble_app_multilink_central example - but that example in SDK v16 and v15  contains no such function!

There are more recent threads asking the same question, but it is not answered; eg,

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/53088/get-device-name-in-advertise-data - 3 months ago

focuses on transmitting serial data - but doesn't actually say anything about getting the device name from the Advertising Report.

The code there is pretty much what I did in the OP - it doesn't work.

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/49146/get-device-name-from-filter-match-event - 7 months ago

is a different case, where the Name isn't actually in the Advertising Data.

But the code, again, looks the same - so why doesn't it work when the Name is in the Advertising Data?

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/47806/getting-name-and-id-from-advertisers - 8 months ago

the part of the question about getting the device name is not answered.