altbeacon / android-beacon-library

Allows Android apps to interact with BLE beacons

Android Beacon Library

An Android library providing APIs to interact with beacons. Please visit the project website for how to use this library.

IMPORTANT: By default, this library will only detect beacons meeting the AltBeacon specification.

If you want this library to work with proprietary or custom beacons, see the BeaconParser class.

What does this library do?

It allows Android devices to use beacons much like iOS devices do. An app can request to get notifications when one or more beacons appear or disappear. An app can also request to get a ranging update from one or more beacons at a frequency of approximately 1Hz.

Documentation

The project website has full documentation

Downloads

Binary

You may download binary releases here.

Maven

Add Maven Central to your build file's list of repositories.

repositories {
   mavenCentral()
}

to use the Maven Central Repository

dependencies {
    ...
    implementation 'org.altbeacon:android-beacon-library:${altbeacon.version}'
    ...
}

replacing ${altbeacon.version} with the version you wish to use.

How to build this Library

This project uses an AndroidStudio/gradle build system and is known working with Android Studio Flamingo | 2022.2.1 Patch 1 and Gradle 8.0

Key Gradle build targets:

./gradlew test # run unit tests. To see results: `open lib/build/reports/tests/testDebugUnitTest/index.html`
./gradlew build # development build
./gradlew release # release build

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.

This software is available under the Apache License 2.0, allowing you to use the library in your applications.

If you want to help with the open source project, contact [email protected]

Publishing to Maven

The following instructions are for project administrators.

1. Prerequisites: https://getstream.io/blog/publishing-libraries-to-mavencentral-2021/

2. Configure your ~/.gradle/gradle.properties with:

    signing.keyId=<my key id>
    signing.password=<my passphrase>
    signing.secretKeyRingFile=<path to exported gpg file>
    signing.password=<my passphrase>
    ossrhUsername=<sonotype server username>
    ossrhPassword=<sonotype server password>
   

3. Run the build and upload

    git tag <version>
    git push --tags 
    ./gradlew release
    ./gradlew mavenPublish # Wait 10 mins before using the next command
    ./gradlew closeAndReleaseRepository
   

4. Keep checking for a half hour or so at https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/altbeacon/android-beacon-library/ to see that the new release shows up.

android-beacon-library's Issues

Null pointer in BeaconManager.java

I want to bind beacon identifying service with my service.

In my service in onStartCommand i have bind beacon service using below command.
beaconManager.bind(this);

But its giving null pointer on 239 no line in this class
https://github.com/AltBeacon/android-beacon-library/blob/master/src/main/java/org/altbeacon/beacon/BeaconManager.java

On description of bind(BeaconConsumer consumer) method you have written below line.
Binds an Android Activity or Service to the BeaconService.

So I am trying to bind your service on my service.

Can you please help me,

Use it in fragment

Hi
Can i Use it in fragment
If it can how to use
thanks！

BeaconService remains active but scan return zero beacons

Hi,
thanks for share this awesome library. I have an issue and I don't know how to fix it.

I implemented a service that it is waked up every 5 mins, bind BeaconManager, start ranging for beacon and after first beacons list is received, I stop ranging and unbind manager.
Everythings works great but randomly BeaconService remains active (I can see it under Settings-Apps->Running) and I obtain always 0 beacons from scan although I have a lot of beacon around me.
If I kill this service from Settings it return to work.

How can I fix it?
Thanks

Giulio

Can't find model-distance-calculations.json

As reported by @jessolo on #47:

InputStream stream = ModelSpecificDistanceCalculator.class.getResourceAsStream("/"+path);
if (stream == null) {
this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("/"+path);
}
if (stream == null) {
throw new RuntimeException("Cannot load resource at "+path);
}
Pls refer to the code snippet from ModelSpecificDistanceCalculator. It could be a probable miss here. The stream is not assigned when stream is from class loader.Even if the file is readable from classloader stream, it will still throw a RuntimeException.

But the above exception is definitely not because of this. It is possible to load from the web and the file is getting saved. But unable to read from the file.

Region.clone() creates identifiers with a null string instead of null identifiers

The problem seems to be in the Region(Region otherRegion) copy constructor:

    for (int i = 0; i < otherRegion.mIdentifiers.size(); i++) {
        mIdentifiers.add(new Identifier(otherRegion.mIdentifiers.get(i)));
    }

This means that for each position that the original region had no identifier, as in the basic example:

new Region("myRangingUniqueId", null, null, null);

the cloned copy (for example, produced when calling startRangingBeaconsInRegion()) will have an Identifier with a null string instead.

A possible fix would be to change the copying loop into:

    for (int i = 0; i < otherRegion.mIdentifiers.size(); i++) {
        Identifier otherIdentifier = otherRegion.mIdentifiers.get(i);
        mIdentifiers.add(otherIdentifier != null ? new Identifier(otherIdentifier) : null);
    }

BeaconService.onDestroy() not fired when BeaconManager.unbind()

Calling BeaconManager.unbind() will work properly in normal case. However when I unplugged USB and then plug it back, onDestroy() log will not show any more.

Reproduce steps:

1. Use USB and device to run test application

2. Click unbind from actionbar menu, the service will unbind successfully

   D/BeaconManager﹕ Unbinding
   I/BeaconService﹕ unbinding
   I/BeaconService﹕ onDestroy called. stopping scanning
   D/BluetoothAdapter﹕ stopLeScan()
   D/BluetoothAdapter﹕ stopLeScan()

3. Click bind again to re-bind the service

4. Unplug USB, re-plug it back

5. Repeat step 2, but now onDestroy will not fired. LeScan will not stop as well

D/BeaconManager﹕ Unbinding
I/BeaconService﹕ unbinding
D/BluetoothAdapter﹕ stopLeScan()
D/BluetoothAdapter﹕ startLeScan(): null
D/BluetoothAdapter﹕ onClientRegistered() - status=0 clientIf=4
D/BluetoothAdapter﹕ onScanResult()

Activity used for testing:

public class MyActivity extends Activity implements BeaconConsumer {

    BeaconManager beaconManager;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_my);
    }

    @Override
     protected void onResume()
    {
        super.onResume();
        beaconManager = BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(this);

        //Set custom layout
        beaconManager.getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().setBeaconLayout("m:2-3=0215,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24"));
        beaconManager.bind(this);
    }


    @Override
    public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
        // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
        getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.my, menu);
        return true;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
        int id = item.getItemId();
        if (id == R.id.action_bind) {
            beaconManager.bind(MyActivity.this);
            return true;
        }
        if (id == R.id.action_unbind) {
            beaconManager.unbind(MyActivity.this);
            return true;
        }
        return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
    }

    @Override
    public void onBeaconServiceConnect() {
        try {
                beaconManager.startRangingBeaconsInRegion(new Region("Zone", Identifier.parse("887e36a8-3216-48af-8556-ac44dfdf447f"), Identifier.parse("3"), null));
        } catch (RemoteException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Device used in test is Sony Xperia TX running Android 4.3

Background scanning in deep sleep

Currently the BeaconService scans every 5 minutes in the background. It "waits" by doing a handler.postDelayed() every second. This mechanism stops when the device enters deep sleep, so it will not detect beacons in that case.
Maybe it is an idea to use the AlarmManager to schedule background-scans in deep sleep?

How to load a Maven dependency

It would be nice if I could include your library through maven

Is there any tool to calculate the coefficient A,B and C for formula 'd=A*(r/t)^B+C'?

we just have done RSSI measurements on Xiaomi3/2s/4, and want to know how to calculate the coefficient, so that we can add the results to model-distance-calculations.json.

BeaconService throws StackOverflowError

Hi,

I tried to test how Altbeacon library is reacting when application is killed by user. When a beacon enters the region after killing the application BeaconService throws following exception on Logcat. I am using android-l-apis branch.

java.lang.RuntimeException: An error occured while executing doInBackground()
        at android.os.AsyncTask$3.done(AsyncTask.java:300)
        at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.finishCompletion(FutureTask.java:355)
        at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.setException(FutureTask.java:222)
        at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:242)
        at android.os.AsyncTask$SerialExecutor$1.run(AsyncTask.java:231)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1112)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:587)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:818)
 Caused by: java.lang.StackOverflowError: stack size 1036KB
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:76)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java:92)
        at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats.newSampleInterval(Stats.java

11-07 02:31:14.261 26524-26548/? D/Error﹕ ERR: exClass=java.lang.StackOverflowError
11-07 02:31:14.261 26524-26548/? D/Error﹕ ERR: exMsg=stack size 1036KB
11-07 02:31:14.261 26524-26548/? D/Error﹕ ERR: file=Stats.java
11-07 02:31:14.261 26524-26548/? D/Error﹕ ERR: class=org.altbeacon.beacon.service.Stats
11-07 02:31:14.261 26524-26548/? D/Error﹕ ERR: method=newSampleInterval line=76

startRangingBeaconsInRegion kills WiFi on Moto G, perhaps

It appears that as soon as I beaconManager.startRangingBeaconsInRegion, wifi becomes broken on a Moto G. I realise this may be a Moto G thing rather than an AltBeacon thing - but I would be interested to hear your thoughts...

Nexus 4 still needs scan restart

I've been testing the android-l branch with my recently updated Nexus 4 and it appears that the scanning still needs to be restarted. After it reports seeing a beacon the first time, it doesn't report it again.
Have you tested the library with this device? Is this something particular for me that I shouldn't be experiencing or is just that the new API is somehow incompatible with the Nexus 4?

Another matter is that I couldn't replicate the results described here http://developer.radiusnetworks.com/2014/10/28/android-5.0-scanning.html regarding the Typical time between detections in the low latency mode, as the detections were nowhere near 100ms for beacons transmitting at 20ms. In many cases, some of the beacons were reported more than a second after started ranging.
Again, since you report different results, I don't know if this situation is particular for this device.

BuildConfig could not be resolved

Hi All,

I am not able to resolve BuildConfig file in Design time.
i have created a project in Eclipse.

BeaconService references BuildConfig but not able to resolve that.
import statement says org.altbeacon.beacon.BuildConfig. But i don't see the file inside that.
Is the problem because i don't have gradle enabled which could have resolve this class ?

cheers,
Saurav

Changing setBackgroundBetweenScanPeriod while running

I'm trying to change the background between scan period when you're entering / exiting a geofence perimeter to save extra battery life but it seems that changing the scan period while it's running doesn't actually apply.

Is there otherwise a way to turn background on and off as a whole?

The library reference issue

i add a library and import the reference project , then i run the project , there is the issue.
what i do wrong ? please help!!!!

android beacon library import into Eclipse (via gradle import)

Hello, I have tried to import the android beacon library a number of times into Eclipse (v4.4) (with gradle plugin latest version installed. Every attempt failed with the error reported below. Please note that the Android support repository and the Android support library are both installed.

Thanks for your help,

Alex Donnini

fatal: Not a git repository (or any parent up to mount point /home)
Stopping at filesystem boundary (GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM not set).
Can't get version from git: org.gradle.process.internal.ExecException: Process 'command 'git'' finished with non-zero exit value 128

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

• What went wrong:
  A problem occurred configuring root project 'android-beacon-library'.

  Could not resolve all dependencies for configuration ':_debugTestCompile'.
  Could not find com.android.support:support-v4:19.0.1.
  Required by:
  org.altbeacon:android-beacon-library:adhoc > org.robolectric:robolectric:2.3
  Could not find any version that matches com.android.support:support-v4:19.1.+.
  Required by:
  org.altbeacon:android-beacon-library:adhoc > com.squareup:fest-android:1.0.8

• Try:
  Run with --stacktrace option to get the stack trace. Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output.

BUILD FAILED

Total time: 2.348 secs

Beacon library does not scale for multiple apps

If multiple apps are using this library for beacon-detection in the background they will interfere with each others 5 minute schedule.
Worst case the device will continuously scan for beacons.
A possible "solution" might be to have only one BeaconService running that all the apps will use (using a remote service with aidl?). However in this case the service must be deployed in a separate Beacon-app that the other apps depend on.
What are your thoughts about this?

ModelSpecificDistanceCalculator

Hi, Currently the ModelSpecificDistanceCalculator uses only Nexus 4 and 5. How should I get the coefficients for Samsung devices?

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

Am I doing something wrong?

[janitor@datenhaufen android-beacon-library]$ java -version
java version "1.8.0_11"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_11-b12)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.11-b03, mixed mode)
[janitor@datenhaufen android-beacon-library]$ ./gradlew test
WARNING: Dependency commons-logging:commons-logging:1.1.1 is ignored for debugTest as it may be conflicting with the internal version provided by Android.
         In case of problem, please repackage it with jarjar to change the class packages
WARNING: Dependency org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient:4.0.3 is ignored for debugTest as it may be conflicting with the internal version provided by Android.
         In case of problem, please repackage it with jarjar to change the class packages
Creating properties on demand (a.k.a. dynamic properties) has been deprecated and is scheduled to be removed in Gradle 2.0. Please read http://gradle.org/docs/current/dsl/org.gradle.api.plugins.ExtraPropertiesExtension.html for information on the replacement for dynamic properties.
Deprecated dynamic property: "destinationDir" on "task ':testDebugClasses'", value: "/home/janitor/android-...".
:preBuild
:preDebugBuild
:checkDebugManifest
:prepareDebugDependencies
:compileDebugAidl
:compileDebugRenderscript
:generateDebugBuildConfig
:mergeDebugAssets
:generateDebugResValues
:generateDebugResources
:packageDebugResources
:processDebugManifest
:processDebugResources
:generateDebugSources
:compileDebugJava
Note: /home/janitor/android-beacon-library/src/main/java/org/altbeacon/beacon/service/BeaconService.java uses unchecked or unsafe operations.
Note: Recompile with -Xlint:unchecked for details.
:compileTestDebugJava
Note: /home/janitor/android-beacon-library/src/test/java/org/altbeacon/beacon/org/altbeacon/beacon/simulator/BeaconSimulatorTest.java uses or overrides a deprecated API.
Note: Recompile with -Xlint:deprecation for details.
:processTestDebugResources UP-TO-DATE
:testDebugClasses
:testDebug

org.altbeacon.beacon.IdentifierTest > testToStringNormalizesCase FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.IdentifierTest > testEqualsNormalizationIgnoresCase FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.AltBeaconTest > testCanSerializeParcelable FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.AltBeaconTest > testRecognizeBeacon FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.AltBeaconParserTest > testRecognizeBeacon FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.AltBeaconParserTest > testDetectsDaveMHardwareBeacon FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.AltBeaconParserTest > testDetectsAlternateBeconType FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testCanSerializeParcelable FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testBeaconsWithDifferentId3AreNotEqual FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testCalculateAccuracyWithRssiEqualsPower FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testCalculateAccuracyWithRssiGreaterThanPower FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testCalculateAccuracyWithRssiLessThanPower FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testCalculateAccuracyWithRssiEqualsPowerOnInternalProperties FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testCalculateAccuracyWithRssiEqualsPowerOnInternalPropertiesAndRunningAverage FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testAccessBeaconIdentifiers FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testBeaconsWithSameIdentifersAreEqual FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testBeaconsWithDifferentId1AreNotEqual FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconTest > testBeaconsWithDifferentId2AreNotEqual FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testCanSerializeParcelable FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testBeaconMatchesRegionWithSameIdentifier1 FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testBeaconMatchesRegionWithSameIdentifier1And2 FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testBeaconMatchesRegionWithDifferentIdentifier1 FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testToString FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testConvenienceIdentifierAccessors FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.RegionTest > testBeaconMatchesRegionWithSameIdentifiers FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParserTest > testRecognizeBeacon FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParserTest > testSetBeaconLayout FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParserTest > testLongToByteArray FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParserTest > testRecognizeBeaconCapturedManufacturer FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.org.altbeacon.beacon.simulator.BeaconSimulatorTest > testSetBeacons FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.org.altbeacon.beacon.simulator.BeaconSimulatorTest > testSetBeaconsEmpty FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

org.altbeacon.beacon.org.altbeacon.beacon.simulator.BeaconSimulatorTest > testSetBeaconsNull FAILED
    java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

33 tests completed, 32 failed
:testDebug FAILED

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':testDebug'.
> There were failing tests. See the report at: file:///home/janitor/android-beacon-library/build/test-report/debug/index.html

* Try:
Run with --stacktrace option to get the stack trace. Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output.

BUILD FAILED

Total time: 6.596 secs

Correct comment and error message in BeaconParse.java

The method comment for setBeaconLayout() has an incorrect example:
"m:2-3:beac,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24,d:25-25"
The colon following the "2-3" should be an equals:
"m:2-3=beac,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24,d:25-25"

The missing "i" modifier message incorrectly suggests the "m" modifier and has a typo:
"You must supply a matching beacon type code offset withh a prefix of 'm'"
should read:
"You must supply a matching beacon type code offset with a prefix of 'i'"

It would be an improvement if the method's comment stated that one "m" is required, one "p" is required and at least one "i" is required.

Not seeing beacons after App is killed - ACTION_POWER_CONNECTED

Hi,

I have read this on StackOverflow :

1. The app has been installed but never launched
2. The app has been launched once but since rebooted
3. The app has been killed from the task switcher
   Using the code above, here is the expected behavior in each case:

The app will not be running and cannot auto-launch the Activity.
The app will start scanning for beacons periodically after boot and will launch the Activity when one is detected.
The app will not be running and cannot auto-launch until charger connect/disconnect or reboot. After that time, behavior is as in (2). More details on this case are available here.

And my current behavior is in case (3), and when the app is killed, and the charger is disconnected and reconnected, it doesnt start the app again, nor does it re-detect the beacons.

I looked through the logcat,

10-21 15:00:21.013 W/ActivityManager( 951): Scheduling restart of crashed service /org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService in 1000ms
10-21 15:00:22.133 I/BeaconService(11088): beaconService version 2.0-beta3 is starting up'

And the logcat stopped showing any more logs from BeaconService.

isBound is not reliable

Hi,

Maybe I am not using the library as intended, but I am having issues with the isBound method.

I am binding to the service using the application context from within a Fragment that is set to retain instance state. If this isn't the correct approach let me know.

The issue I am seeing is that everything appears to work as expected the first time around. I call getInstanceForApplication(applicationContext) in my fragment's onCreate method.

Next I press the back button which calls beaconManager.unbind. The BeaconService logs show "unbinding" and "onDestory called. stopping scanning"

If I relaunch my app it again calls getInstanceForApplication in the fragment's onCreate method. The difference this time is that the serviceMessenger is not null so if I call isBound immediately after Bind, I will get true. Inspecting the mAltBeaconManager reveals that the consumer is there but isConnected is false. We don't appear to have access to the isConnected.

Is this working as intended? It seems to me that one solution could be setting the serviceMessenger to null when the service is destroyed because the last consumer has unboud.

Build failed - missing com.android.support:support-v4:19.1.+.

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

What went wrong:
A problem occurred configuring root project 'AndroidBeaconLibrary'.
Could not resolve all dependencies for configuration ':_debugTestCompile'.
Could not find any version that matches com.android.support:support-v4:19.1.+.
Required by:
org.altbeacon:AndroidBeaconLibrary:2.0-beta1-2-gfce0d2a > com.squareup:fest-android:1.0.8

Try:
Run with --stacktrace option to get the stack trace. Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output.

BUILD FAILED

Total time: 3.11 secs

An error occured while executing doInBackground()

I downloaded the binary archive and when I start transmitting beacons from my Mac my Android app crashes with;

D/BtGatt.GattService( 1457): onScanResult() - address=B8:F6:B1:11:A5:6A, rssi=-67
D/BluetoothAdapter(27151): onScanResult() - Device=B8:F6:B1:11:A5:6A RSSI=-67
D/BluetoothAdapter( 4913): onScanResult() - Device=B8:F6:B1:11:A5:6A RSSI=-67
W/QuickConnect( 4913): BleHelper.getSConnectDataFromBLE - can not resolve length info
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): java.lang.RuntimeException: An error occured while executing doInBackground()
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at android.os.AsyncTask$3.done(AsyncTask.java:300)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.finishCompletion(FutureTask.java:355)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.setException(FutureTask.java:222)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:242)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at android.os.AsyncTask$SerialExecutor$1.run(AsyncTask.java:231)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1112)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:587)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:841)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParser.fromScanData(BeaconParser.java:244)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParser.fromScanData(BeaconParser.java:203)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService$ScanProcessor.doInBackground(BeaconService.java:610)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService$ScanProcessor.doInBackground(BeaconService.java:602)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at android.os.AsyncTask$2.call(AsyncTask.java:288)
E/AndroidRuntime(27151): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:237)

Here are code snips;

activity = context.getActivity();

verifyBluetooth();
beaconManager = org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(activity.getApplicationContext());
beaconManager.getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().
           setBeaconLayout("**THIS STRING REDACTED SEE COMMENT BELOW**"));
beaconManager.bind(this);

....

@OverRide
public boolean bindService(android.content.Intent intent, android.content.ServiceConnection connection, int code) {
Log.d(TAG, "bindService");
Toast.makeText(activity.getApplicationContext(),
"bind service called", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
return activity.getApplicationContext().bindService(intent, connection,code);
}

Use Android L BLE APIs when available

We've been playing with iBeacons on iOS and Android and notice that iBeacons wake iOS devices pretty quickly (a couple seconds), even after long periods of inactivity/sleep, and without a huge battery life hit.
I think Apple may have pushed iBeacon scanning into another chip such that the CPU could sleep while another chip constantly watches for iBeacons/BLE devices.

It sounds like Android L might've added this (or something similar) as well, from this video:
https://www.google.com/events/io/io14videos/0b3fe228-89c5-e311-b297-00155d5066d7

And not just for iBeacons, but all BLE scanning. It looks like the new APIs are in the android.bluetooth.le package, especially BluetoothLeScanner#startScan (List<ScanFilter> filters, ScanSettings settings, ScanCallback callback). ScanSettings supports a ScanMode property which can be set to one of:

• SCAN_MODE_BALANCED: Perform Bluetooth LE scan in balanced power mode.
• SCAN_MODE_LOW_LATENCY: Scan using highest duty cycle. It's recommended only using this mode when the application is running in foreground.
• SCAN_MODE_LOW_POWER: Perform Bluetooth LE scan in low power mode. This is the default scan mode as it consumes the least power.

Here's the API of ScanFilter.Builder():

Does Android BLE scanner ask scan response by default?

Hi~I'm using Nexus 5 to test AltBeacon and I find that the length of byte[] scanRecord is 62. The BLE spec says that max length of advertisement data is 31 bytes. Does it mean that Android ask scan response by default when it is scanning?

Thank you~

Not seeing any beacons

What am I doing wrong? I have 2 Radius Networks beacons sitting on my desk. iOS and the Estimote Android SDK sees them beacons but AltBeacon reports 0 beacons.

07-28 16:56:13.109    3541-3541/com.w I/BeaconService﹕ beaconService version 2.0-beta1-2-gfce0d2a is starting up
07-28 16:56:13.149    3541-3541/com.w I/BeaconService﹕ binding
07-28 16:56:13.279    3541-3541/com.w I/BeaconService﹕ start monitoring received
07-28 16:56:13.319    3541-3541/com.w I/BeaconService﹕ start ranging received
07-28 16:56:14.439    3541-3541/com.w D/Callback﹕ attempting callback via intent: ComponentInfo{com.w/org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconIntentProcessor}
07-28 16:56:14.469    3541-3853/com.w I/BeaconHelper﹕ Got beacons for ok: []
07-28 16:56:15.569    3541-3541/com.w D/Callback﹕ attempting callback via intent: ComponentInfo{com.w/org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconIntentProcessor}
07-28 16:56:15.599    3541-3946/com.w I/BeaconHelper﹕ Got beacons for ok: []
07-28 16:56:16.699    3541-3541/com.w D/Callback﹕ attempting callback via intent: ComponentInfo{com.w/org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconIntentProcessor}
07-28 16:56:16.709    3541-4036/com.w I/BeaconHelper﹕ Got beacons for ok: []
07-28 16:56:17.839    3541-3541/com.w D/Callback﹕ attempting callback via intent: ComponentInfo{com.w/org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconIntentProcessor}
07-28 16:56:17.849    3541-4089/com.w I/BeaconHelper﹕ Got beacons for ok: []
...

Here's my code:

public class BeaconHelper {
    private final Region region = new Region("ok", null, null, null);
    private Context context;
    private BeaconManager beaconManager;
    private ShowController showController;

    public BeaconHelper(ShowController showController, Context context) {
        this.showController = showController;
        this.context = context;
    }

    public void start() {
        beaconManager = BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(context);

        BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(context).bind(new BeaconConsumer() {
            @Override
            public void onBeaconServiceConnect() {
                okStartReally();
            }

            @Override
            public Context getApplicationContext() {
                return context.getApplicationContext();
            }

            @Override
            public void unbindService(ServiceConnection serviceConnection) {
                context.unbindService(serviceConnection);
            }

            @Override
            public boolean bindService(Intent intent, ServiceConnection serviceConnection, int i) {
                return context.bindService(intent, serviceConnection, i);
            }
        });
    }

    private void okStartReally() {
        beaconManager.setRangeNotifier(new RangeNotifier() {
            @Override
            public void didRangeBeaconsInRegion(Collection<Beacon> beacons, Region region) {
                Log.i("BeaconHelper", "Got beacons for " + region.getUniqueId() + ": " + beacons);
                for (Beacon beacon : beacons) {
                    Log.i("BeaconHelper", "Identifiers: " + beacon.getIdentifiers());
                    Log.i("BeaconHelper", " ^-- RSSI: " + beacon.getRssi() + " - dist: " + beacon.getDistance());
                }
            }
        });
        try {
            beaconManager.startMonitoringBeaconsInRegion(region);
            beaconManager.startRangingBeaconsInRegion(region);
        } catch (RemoteException e) {
            Log.e("BeaconHelper", "Error ranging", e);
        }
    }

    public void stop() {
        if (beaconManager != null) {
//            beaconManager.disconnect();
            try {
                beaconManager.stopRangingBeaconsInRegion(region);
            } catch (RemoteException e) {
                Log.e("BeaconHelper", "Error ranging", e);
            }
            beaconManager = null;
        }
    }
}

Build failed: The project is using an unsupported version of the Android Gradle plug-in (0.10.4)

Build with: Android Studio 0.8.2 and gradle 1.12

What went wrong:
When we import the project from github, a problem occurred after gradle build.
The error said: The project is using an unsupported version of the Android Gradle plug-in (0.10.4)

After change the file"build.gradle" from:
dependencies {
classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:0.10.+'
classpath 'com.jakewharton.sdkmanager:gradle-plugin:0.10.+'
classpath 'org.robolectric.gradle:gradle-android-test-plugin:0.10.+'
}

to:

dependencies {
classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:0.12.+'
classpath 'com.jakewharton.sdkmanager:gradle-plugin:0.12.+'
classpath 'org.robolectric.gradle:gradle-android-test-plugin:0.10.+'
}

Occurred error: Cause: "com.android.build.gradle.AppPlugin"

onBeaconServiceConnect() not being called

Hi David,

I'm trying to implement a basic iBeacon monitor based off your iBeaconReferenceAndroid example application.

However either the BeaconManager doesn't manage to bind the implemented BeaconConsumer, or the Overrided onBeaconServiceConnect() is never being called.

However when I destroy the activity I get the following LOG, but other than that, nothing:
08-05 12:58:28.260: D/BeaconManager(19022): Unbinding

I've included my code below, just in case I've done something silly, but I think it should be all correct.

Using Eclipse as my IDE, and created the library project using the src, and the files found inside scripts/eclipse-support. Phone is Galaxy S4 running KitKat.

import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconConsumer;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParser;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.MonitorNotifier;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.Region;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.RemoteException;
import android.util.Log;

public class BeaconActivity extends Activity implements BeaconConsumer {
    public static String TAG = "BeaconActivity";

    private BeaconManager beaconManager;
    private Region region = new Region("myMonitoringUniqueId", null, null, null);

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState){
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_beacon);

        beaconManager = org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(this);
        beaconManager.getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().
                setBeaconLayout("m:2-3=0215,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,d:25-25"));
        beaconManager.bind(this);
    }

    @Override
    public void onBeaconServiceConnect() {
        Log.i(TAG, "Beacon Service Connected");

        beaconManager.setMonitorNotifier(new MonitorNotifier() {
            @Override
            public void didEnterRegion(Region region) {
                Log.i(TAG, "I just saw a beacon named "+ region.getUniqueId() +" for the first time!" );
            }

            @Override
            public void didExitRegion(Region region) {
                Log.i(TAG, "I no longer see a beacon named "+ region.getUniqueId());
            }

            @Override
            public void didDetermineStateForRegion(int state, Region region) {
                Log.i(TAG, "I have just switched from seeing/not seeing beacons: "+state);
            }

        });

        try {
            beaconManager.startMonitoringBeaconsInRegion(region);

        } catch (RemoteException e) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Remote Exception Error: ");
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onDestroy(){
        super.onDestroy();
        beaconManager.unbind(this);
    }

}

EDIT:
I set debugging to true inside BeaconManager.java, and it appears to be binding fine.

08-05 13:16:16.802: D/BeaconManager(1494): This consumer is not bound.  binding: co.makelight.BeaconActivity@429b8778
08-05 13:16:16.802: D/BeaconManager(1494): consumer count is now:1

AltBeacon/android-beacon-library-reference app hang on my MX4 device

I just started to play with AltBeacon library. I downloaded sample app from AltBeacon/android-beacon-library-reference and added the library reference to android-beacon-library-2.0.tar.gz . When I ran it on my MX4 device (MeiZu made in China) with Android 4.4, I saw the main activity but it behaved very slow. I clicked start ranging button, the new activity view was not responding as the same; it took many seconds to go back to previous view if I clicked back button. I'm curious about if the library is scanning too much on main thread causing the non-responsiveness, or because it's the device model itself not good fit for the beacon library implementation. Thanks!

ps. I added the iBeacon parser and still didn't see any output in the app, not sure if it's related with the problem above.

I followed the advice from David to enable BeaconManager.setDebug:true and attached logcat logs especially filtered for verbose, debug and info levels. I clicked "Start Ranging" button about 10:33:00.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dp41jrq3whzichv/logcat_verbose.txt?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8x5shm2o72bpmb6/logcat_debug.txt?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f2esuuo6vb72gwd/logcat_error.txt?dl=0

btw, I'm a Android novice. :)

does not support Android studio beta

I hate to say, but it does not Android studio beta(0.8.6)
Google changes Gradle quickly and is real a suck. However, since beta version is to indicate it will not change the Gradle rapidly as before, so I believe we should support Android Studio beta.

didEnterRegion access beacon that triggered it?

Is it possible to access the minor from the beacon that triggered the region event even if that region does not have the minor specified?

I know this works for ranging, but I want to know which beacon triggered the region.

Class not found

Hi,
I'm currently working on a project which requires the use of your library. I developped a service extending BeaconConsumer which runs the ranging process.

The app is running well if I compile it on linux but I don't know why, the app doesn't work anymore when the app is compiled whith Eclipse on Windows.

The logcat displayed is this one :

11-28 18:14:20.909: I/dalvikvm(18349): Failed resolving Lcom/eirb/projets9/scanner/RangingService; interface 772 'Lorg/altbeacon/beacon/BeaconConsumer;'
11-28 18:14:20.909: W/dalvikvm(18349): Link of class 'Lcom/eirb/projets9/scanner/RangingService;' failed
11-28 18:14:20.909: E/dalvikvm(18349): Could not find class 'com.eirb.projets9.scanner.RangingService', referenced from method com.eirb.projets9.MainActivity.onCreate
11-28 18:14:20.909: W/dalvikvm(18349): VFY: unable to resolve const-class 673 (Lcom/eirb/projets9/scanner/RangingService;) in Lcom/eirb/projets9/MainActivity;
11-28 18:14:20.909: D/dalvikvm(18349): VFY: replacing opcode 0x1c at 0x000f
11-28 18:14:20.949: D/AndroidRuntime(18349): Shutting down VM
11-28 18:14:20.949: W/dalvikvm(18349): threadid=1: thread exiting with uncaught exception (group=0x41569ba8)
11-28 18:14:20.959: E/AndroidRuntime(18349): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
11-28 18:14:20.959: E/AndroidRuntime(18349): Process: com.eirb.projets9, PID: 18349
11-28 18:14:20.959: E/AndroidRuntime(18349): java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: com.eirb.projets9.scanner.RangingService
11-28 18:14:20.959: E/AndroidRuntime(18349):    at com.eirb.projets9.MainActivity.onCreate(MainActivity.java:56)
11-28 18:14:20.959: E/AndroidRuntime(18349):    at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:5231)
11-28 18:14:20.959: E/AndroidRuntime(18349):    at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1087)

RangingService is my background service started from MainActivity. I have no idea why the app is working diffenrently according to the OS.

Thanks in advance

Update : I can't launch the android-beacon-library-reference neither when I compile it from windows ( no problem with linux )

Change beacon IDs ?

Is it possible to update, say, a beacon's Id2 or Id3 using this library? I've been trying to find a way, but to no avail...

Missing quick start & link to tar.gz?

Hi team,

I'm looking got switch from your previous Android iBeacon library to this, but as an Eclipse based developer (at least for now) I need access to the tar file referenced in this text from this project's readme: "Eclipse users may download the latest release binary as a tar.gz file, which may then be imported as an Eclipse Library Project. See the quick start on the project website for more information."

I may just be having a bad day, but I can't find the quick start or the link to the tar file, could you please enlighten me?

Many thanks,
Justin

doInBackground error

I have had this error many times. It happens with the app running and the screen locked about several minutes. Then when I unlocked the screen and tried to use the app I got this error.

java.lang.RuntimeException: An error occured while executing doInBackground()
at android.os.AsyncTask$3.done(AsyncTask.java:299)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.finishCompletion(FutureTask.java:352)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.setException(FutureTask.java:219)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:239)
at android.os.AsyncTask$SerialExecutor$1.run(AsyncTask.java:230)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1080)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:573)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:841)
Caused by: java.util.ConcurrentModificationException
at java.util.ArrayList$ArrayListIterator.next(ArrayList.java:573)
at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService$ScanProcessor.doInBackground(BeaconService.java:639)
at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService$ScanProcessor.doInBackground(BeaconService.java:632)
at android.os.AsyncTask$2.call(AsyncTask.java:287)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:234)
            at android.os.AsyncTask$SerialExecutor$1.run(AsyncTask.java:230)
            at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1080)
            at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:573)
            at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:841)

beacon.getDataFields().get(0).byteValue() returns same value on subsequent ranging callbacks

When I query a beacon advertising packet data field on two different devices, I get a different value for the same beacon.

I initialise the beacon...

beaconManager.getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().setBeaconLayout("m:2-3=redacted,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24,d:25-25"));

and then...

beacon.getDataFields().get(0).byteValue()

which gives me different values.

I am running the same binary on a Nexus 5 and a Motorola Moto G (with wifi switched off) both running Android 4.4.4 and I'm monitoring the same beacon at the same time. I'm using 2.0 AltBeacon library. The beacon is advertising at 1 Hz.

As it goes, byte 25 encodes the battery power level of the beacon. On the moto the byteValue() is returned as 98 and on the nexus 100. But I'm sure what the byte represents is irrelevant.

The only difference I can see is the device itself.

Any ideas?

Difference Between Monitoring and Ranging

Hi, I would like to know about the difference between Beacon Monitoring and ranging. In both the cases the scanning is done. If ranging is stopped, will it save up on battery. Also the didRangeBeacons method is getting called multiple times even if the ranging is stopped. Can you pls give a lifecycle approach for didEnterRegion, didExitRegion, didRangeBeaconsInRegion() and onServiceConnect().

Throw exception from BeaconManager if service not declared

A common project setup problem is to forget to enable manifest merging. This causes the service to not start up.

A way to make this obvious for folks is too detect this automatically using one of the techniques described here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6529069/how-to-programmatically-check-if-a-service-is-declared-in-androidmanifest-xml and throw a Runtime exception with instructions on what to do.

Null pointer exception after executing stop ranging

Null pointer exception is randomly raised after executing stop ranging (possibly after stop monitoring as well) when using 2.0-beta3 binary library. This occurs on synchronized (rangeState), line 596, of processBeaconFromScan method from BeaconService.java file. The exception seems to be triggered by a race condition after the region was removed from rangedRegionState map after the region was included in the matchedRegions but before retrieving it from rangedRegionState for the code indicated above. The exception occurs randomly and could be reproduced by executing in a quick succession start/stop ranging/monitoring methods.

Please find below the debug messages captured when the error was reported:
08-20 10:39:23.151: D/BeaconService(22993): beacon detected multiple times in scan cycle :id1: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa id2: 1 id3: 1
08-20 10:39:23.151: D/BeaconService(22993): beacon detected :id1: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa id2: 1 id3: 1
08-20 10:39:23.151: D/BeaconService(22993): looking for ranging region matches for this beacon
08-20 10:39:23.151: D/BeaconService(22993): matches ranging region: id1: aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa id2: null id3: null
08-20 10:39:23.151: I/BeaconService(22993): stop ranging received
08-20 10:39:23.151: D/BeaconService(22993): Currently ranging 0 regions.
08-20 10:39:23.151: W/dalvikvm(22993): threadid=24: thread exiting with uncaught exception (group=0x4153bba8)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): FATAL EXCEPTION: AsyncTask #3
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): Process: …, PID: 22993
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): java.lang.RuntimeException: An error occured while executing doInBackground()
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at android.os.AsyncTask$3.done(AsyncTask.java:300)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.finishCompletion(FutureTask.java:355)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.setException(FutureTask.java:222)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:242)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at android.os.AsyncTask$SerialExecutor$1.run(AsyncTask.java:231)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1112)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:587)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:841)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService.processBeaconFromScan(BeaconService.java:596)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService.access$400(BeaconService.java:64)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService$ScanProcessor.doInBackground(BeaconService.java:617)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at org.altbeacon.beacon.service.BeaconService$ScanProcessor.doInBackground(BeaconService.java:602)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at android.os.AsyncTask$2.call(AsyncTask.java:288)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:237)
08-20 10:39:23.151: E/AndroidRuntime(22993): ... 4 more

BeaconParser for iBeacon

Quick and obvious question: What's the parsing string for iBeacons?

I'd like to use this library, but I need to support iBeacons as well, and I'm currently using the previous iBeacon library.

MainActivity has leaked ServiceConnection org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager that was originally bound here

Hi,

this is the problem, I'm facing. I'm using AltBeacon from a class in a library. The class is getting passed a Context element at instantiation. The class implements BeaconConsumer and the overrides are acting like shown below:

@Override
public Context getApplicationContext() {
    return mContext.getApplicationContext();
}
@Override
public boolean bindService(Intent intent, ServiceConnection connection, int mode) {
    return mContext.bindService(intent, connection, mode);
}

@Override
public void unbindService(ServiceConnection connection) {
    mContext.unbindService(connection);
}
@Override
public void onBeaconServiceConnect() {
         // do things
}

The bindService works, but because there is no onDestroy in the library (and finalize() is never called either), unbindService will never be called. This leads to the leak mentioned above.

How can I recover from that?

Any pointer welcome.
Regards

Not scanning on 4.3 and 4.4 devices

In the android-l-apis branch, the backward compatibility for android 4.3 and 4.4 scanning isn't working anymore, the library doesn't start scanning for BLE packets.

I think the bug is in the deferScanIfNeeded method from CycledLeScanner, you might have switched the return true/false statements, at least, this is what I derive from commit 01ea302

Application does not work in background immediately

Hi
i have a problem with background mode. When i install application on my mobile my app when i go on my home page. But it starts background mode when i plug it into charger...immediately starts scanning ang working in background mode and then i can unplug it and it works. Can you tell me how to fix this isue or somebody else occured this situation ? Also when i tested my app on samsung note 2 and samsung galaxy s3 my app had tendency to kill background mode during few hours. But when i run it on sony xperia sp app does not kill background mode. Som strange behaviour anyway. Can you somehow help me ?

I can't detect iBeacon in Background using AltBeacon library in Android app

I have an app which I use to get some adverts from concrete iBeacon. I'm doing it right and the bluetooth works great. The problem is that now I pretend to promt or launch something when the user enters a concrete region having the app in background, so I decided to use AltBeacon lib.

I haven't implemented a service, I just do what the tutorial says to start an activity having the app in background:
http://altbeacon.github.io/android-beacon-library/samples.html

As I see in the example (the last one) what I did was to set the manifest like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.example.googlebeacon"
    android:versionCode="1"
    android:versionName="1.0" >

    <uses-sdk
        android:minSdkVersion="18"
        android:targetSdkVersion="18" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN"/>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.bluetooth_le" android:required="true"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>

    <application
        android:name="com.example.googlebeacon.MyRegionApp"
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
        <activity
            android:name="com.example.googlebeacon.MainActivity"
            android:label="@string/app_name" 
            android:launchMode="singleInstance">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
    </application>

</manifest>

Once I did that I decided to create another Java class as the advice:

 package com.example.googlebeacon;

    import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconConsumer;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconParser;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.Identifier;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.RangeNotifier;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.Region;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.powersave.BackgroundPowerSaver;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.startup.BootstrapNotifier;
    import org.altbeacon.beacon.startup.RegionBootstrap;

    import android.app.Application;
    import android.content.Intent;
    import android.util.Log;
    import android.widget.Toast;

    public class MyRegionApp extends Application implements BootstrapNotifier {
        private final String DebugTag="HOLAREGION";
        private RegionBootstrap regionBootstrap;
        private BackgroundPowerSaver backgroundPowerSaver;
        private BeaconManager mBeaconManager;
        private static final String UUID = "0112234-4556-6778-899a-abbccddeeff0";

        @Override
        public void onCreate() {
            super.onCreate();
            Log.d(DebugTag, "App started up");


            //Region region = new Region("allbeacons", null, null, null);
            Region region = new Region("allbeacons", Identifier.parse(UUID) , null, null);
            backgroundPowerSaver = new BackgroundPowerSaver(this);

            regionBootstrap = new RegionBootstrap(this, region);
            BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(this).getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().setBeaconLayout("m:0-3=4c000215,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24"));
         // set the duration of the scan to be 1.1 seconds
            //mBeaconManager.setBackgroundScanPeriod(1100l);
         // set the time between each scan to be 1 minute (60 seconds)
            //mBeaconManager.setBackgroundBetweenScanPeriod(60000l);
        }



        @Override
        public void didDetermineStateForRegion(int arg0, Region arg1) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

        }

        @Override
        public void didEnterRegion(Region arg0) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub


            Log.d(DebugTag, "Got a didEnterRegion call");

            regionBootstrap.disable();

            Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "ENTRA EN LA REGION!!!",
                       Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();

            Intent intent = new Intent(this, MainActivity.class);
            intent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
            this.startActivity(intent);

        }

        @Override
        public void didExitRegion(Region arg0) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            Log.d(DebugTag, "Got a didExitRegion call");
        }




    }

Do I need to call something in the MainActivity or use a service? I'm a bit lost right now.

I don't understand what I'm missing but it never enters in didEnterRegion or in didExitRegion methods, why?
I tried many things into the onCreate methods, here you can see the onCreate with all the commenteds things I tried:

@OverRide
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
Log.d(DebugTag, "App started up");
//BeaconManager beaconManager = BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(this);
//BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(this).getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().setBeaconLayout("m:0-3=4c000215,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24"));
//beaconManager.setBackgroundScanPeriod(1100l);
//beaconManager.setBackgroundBetweenScanPeriod((60000l);
//Region region = new Region("allbeacons", Identifier.parse(UUID) , null, null);
Region region = new Region("allbeacons", null , null, null);
//backgroundPowerSaver = new BackgroundPowerSaver(this);

    regionBootstrap = new RegionBootstrap(this, region);
    BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(this).getBeaconParsers().add(new BeaconParser().setBeaconLayout("m:0-3=4c000215,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24"));
}

Any help will be very appreciated.
I'm very novice in Android programming, please be a bit patient, I'm doing my best.

Regards.

Iván

Can not find device using sample code, Please Help!!!!!!!

Hi All,
I copy the sample code looks as below, and i have two ibeacon devices , but when i run the program, i got this :

why the size is 0?
Please help !!!!

Region permanence

Hi everyone,
Is it possible to control the amount of time that a device stays in a certain region? I mean, from 'didEnterRegion' to 'didExitRegion' calls, but only for specific regions.
Thanks in advance!

Beacon still ranged and NaN set for distance

The following scenario triggers in many cases a beacon that should not be ranged, since it is off, to still be reported as being ranged and the distance field of the beacon to be set to NaN. Although, the focus of the scenario is on a particular region/beacon there were other beacons broadcasting that did not match the ranged region at the time when the scenario was executed.

Scenario (Nexus 5 – Android 4.4.2 – AltBeacon 2.0):

1. Launch app.
2. Start ranging a region defined with all identifiers set (uniqueId, id1/2/3). At this point the beacon is off (not broadcasting).
3. Wait till at least once didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with an empty beacons collection.
4. Switch the app to background.
5. Turn on the beacon that should be ranged. At this point, the app is waiting to start next Bluetooth scan for another X milliseconds.
6. After the next background scan, didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with the beacons collection containing the ranged beacon.
7. After the waiting for the next Bluetooth scan starts, turn off the beacon.
8. In many cases, after the next background scan, didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with the beacons collection still containing the ranged beacon and the distance field is set to NaN.

Sometimes, continuing with the following steps, the beacon is still ranged when it is off and the distance field of the beacon is set to NaN.
9. Wait till the next scan is performed. At this point, didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with an empty beacons collection.
10. After the waiting for the next Bluetooth scan starts, turn on the beacon.
11. Wait till the next scan is performed. At this point, didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with the beacons collection containing the ranged beacon.
12. After the waiting for the next Bluetooth scan starts, turn off the beacon.
13. Sometimes, after the next background scan, didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with the beacons collection still containing the ranged beacon and the distance field is set to NaN.

Some captured log entries right before didRangeBeaconsInRegion is invoked with the beacon having the distance set to NaN:
D/RangedBeacon(19592): Running average mRssi based on 0 measurements: NaN
D/BeaconService(19592): Calling ranging callback
D/RangedBeacon(19592): calculated new runningAverageRssi:NaN
D/RangeState(19592): Dumping beacon from RangeState because it has no recent measurements.
D/Callback(19592): attempting callback via intent: ComponentInfo{.../org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconIntentProcessor}
D/RangingData(19592): writing RangingData
D/Beacon(19592): serializing identifiers of size 3
D/CurveFittedDistanceCalculator(19592): calculating distance based on mRssi of NaN and txPower of -57
D/CurveFittedDistanceCalculator(19592): avg mRssi: NaN distance: NaN
D/RangingData(19592): done writing RangingData
...
D/BeaconService(19592): Restarting scan. Unique beacons seen last cycle: 2 Total beacon advertisement packets seen: 14
D/BeaconService(19592): Waiting to start next bluetooth scan for another 60000 milliseconds
D/BeaconParser(19592): index is 0
D/BeaconParser(19592): calculatedValue for position 0 with positionValue 1 and byteValue 88 is 88
D/BeaconParser(19592): index is 1
D/BeaconParser(19592): calculatedValue for position 1 with positionValue 256 and byteValue 2 is 512
D/BeaconParser(19592): Byte array is size 2
D/BeaconIntentProcessor(19592): got an intent to process
D/RangingData(19592): parsing RangingData
D/RangingData(19592): parsing RangingData
D/BeaconParser(19592): index is 0
D/BeaconIntentProcessor(19592): got ranging data
D/BeaconParser(19592): calculatedValue for position 0 with positionValue 1 and byteValue 41 is 41
...
D/MyApp(19592): Discovered beacon: id1: id2: id3: Distance: NaN RSSI: -16

didExitRegion() followed immediately by didEnterRegion() for the same region

I'm using almost the latest sources (from Aug 27th) and I'm experiencing this problem, testing with a single beacon. With everything stationary and a while ranging a single monitored region, every couple of minutes I get exit/enter events for it.

Is this a known issue with the library? How can/should I investigate this problem?

Indoor location application

Hi David,

This is not an issue but a request for advice.

I have an indoor locatiion application implemented using WiFi AP locations to determine where a user is. The application uses only the APs' RSSI readings.

I would like to extend the application to use beacons location in the same way I currently use WiFi AP location. This should be possible since using your library I can retrieve a beacon's RSSI level.

To start with I assumeI should add to my application "implements BootstrapNotifier, RangeNotifier" and the related methods (i.e. didEnterRegion, etc., etc.). Is this right?

If my understanding is correct, I should add my application specific code to these methods, right?

However, I wonder whether in my case I should use RegionBootstrap since the core location processing code in my application is a background service. If I were to use RegionnBootstrap would I call it from didEnterRegion? I don't think this is correct but I am not sure where I would call it, at OnCreate time?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know what you think and if you need additional information.

Thanks,

Alex Donnini