"N/A" Device name on Eddystone Android

[leehong]

Hi there,

I'm currently building a custom app for detecting eddystone/ble peripherals in both iOS and Android, and am using the same hardware to test. On Android, I'm getting "N/A" for my device name (and so does MCP). I understand that on Android, it looks for Complete Local Name instead if Device Name Characteristics? If so, then its true that my Complete Local Name on MCP is shown as "N/A". How should I set my Complete Local Name on the nRF firmware then?

[ovrebekk]

Pure beacons never connect (only broadcast), and as such the Device Name Characteristic is not available (you can't read characteristics unless you connect to a device).

Beacons typically don't have a Complete Local Name either, because there is little room left in the advertise packet after including the beacon payload. Beacons usually signal their intent and meaning by the URL or ID that they contain, and don't really need a local name.

If you do want to include a local name you do this like normal in the SDK:

Set advdata.name_type to either BLE_ADVDATA_SHORT_NAME or BLE_ADVDATA_FULL_NAME in advertising_init(), and set the name by calling sd_ble_gap_device_name_set(..).
For an example of this just have a look at any of the other examples in the ble_peripheral folder.

[leehong]

I'm using the sdk eddystone firmware with the above settings, and it shows "N/A" for device name on the MCP for Android (Device name is picked up on iOS)

[Aleksander Nowakowski]

Hi, could you place a screenshot from nRF Master Control Panel with expanded row of your device? You can also check it the Complete or Shortened Local Name is included in the RAW advertising data. The app should show a device name it such is advertised.

On iOS the device name may be cached. If your device was advertising with this name once the name could have been cached. If you have the nRF MCP for iOS you can expand the row of your device and check the actual Local Name. The device name written in bold as a title is the one taken from a Device object (which could have been cached), the one on expanded area is taken from the adv packet.

[leehong]

Screen with Complete Local Name:

[Wojtek]

Sorry for offtopic, but it seems someone did screenshot too literally :O