nRF Connect: Multiple Connections to Same Peripheral

[awneil]

Developing a peripheral which supports multiple connections.

It's a pain to have to use loads of devices as centrals - is it possible for nRF Connect (Android) to make multiple connections to one peripheral ?

[awneil]

So nRF Connect Desktop seems to work for 2 connections, but fails on the 3rd:

[Kenneth]

Haven't really tested that scenario, but an alternative can be that each time the peripheral start advertising you change the gap address, this will make the device appear as a completely different device.

1.  read current gap addr
https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/topic/com.nordic.infocenter.s132.api.v7.0.1/group___b_l_e___g_a_p___f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_s.html#ga0d859904dea45d4f0f4d5a95d9d65e78 

2. Increment byte 3 of gap addr (or other byte)
https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/topic/com.nordic.infocenter.s132.api.v7.0.1/structble__gap__addr__t.html 

3. Write updated gap addr
https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/topic/com.nordic.infocenter.s132.api.v7.0.1/group___b_l_e___g_a_p___f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_s.html#gaef69dc212534adf4b78d211edce2267b 

4. Start advertisement.

[awneil]

But that would be modifying the production code simply to get around a limitation in the test tool ?

[Kenneth]

I can check with the mobile apps team, an alternative may also be to use the pc-ble-driver with an nRF52-DK:

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/44603/how-to-connect-multiple-peripherals-to-one-central-by-using-pc-ble-driver-py-binding

Update: I checked with the mobile apps team; Android (or iOS) system manages the physical connection to a device. It only allows one. Apps can have multiple "virtual connections" to the same peripheral. Physical link is disconnected when the last virtual connection closes.

[awneil]

Thanks.

I can get by with 2 connections on desktop, plus 2 phones.

But these points remain:

1. Is it intended that the Android app should support multiple connections?
   If not, please add this as a feature request.
    
2. Is it intended that the desktop app should support > 2 connections?
   If it is, there's a problem - because it doesn't work;
   If it isn't, the UX is poor - it should give a better indication that ">2 connections is not supported"