What the difference between SMP request and pairing request?

[YS Kim]

Hi guys,

I am really confused to distinguish SMP request from pairing request.

1. Could you kindly what the difference?
2. Device(nRF51822) can send SMP reqeust? If yes, what function(API) is supposed to do?

Could you?

Best regards, YS Kim

[Ole Morten]

I'd recommend you to take a close look at the MSCs contained in the SDK documentation, primarily this and this.

As you can see, the Security Request is something that the Peripheral can send, to ask the Central device to initiate pairing/bonding. The Pairing request is then the packet that the Central device will send to actually start the pairing sequence.

Even though it is possible to send a Security Request from the S110 side, it is normally not recommended. The reason is primarily that Apple in their Bluetooth Accessory Design Guidelines recommends that a Peripheral instead just returns an error code when the Central tries to read (or write) to a characteristic that requires bonding. This will then make iOS send a pairing request and then retry the read.

[Paul]

Hi Ole, I found an old thread may be helpful :-D Can you repost the correct link for the two SDK document?