Multi Link demo application

Overview

This application allows connecting to many devices by writing their addresses to characteristic.

Features:

• The application uses both Central and Peripheral role.
• It starts up advertising and another central device may connect to it. After a successful connection, this central device is considered the main device.
• If the main device disconnects, advertising is started again. The next device that connects will become the main device.
• Event and connection information is printed to UART.
• A connected central can use the Multilink service (see below) to use the device's Central role and command it to connect to other peripheral devices that advertise.
• The main device can write a peer BD address to the Peripheral Address characteristic and the Renesas Multi-link device will initiate a connection procedure to this peer.
• This way it is possible to connect to more than one devices. This application can connect to up to eight devices.

Installation procedure

The project is located in the projects/dk_apps/demos/ble_multi_link folder.

To install the project follow the General Installation and Debugging Procedure.

Eclipse method

Using 'SmartSnippets Studio' import the project and build it. Then press the Run program_qspi_win button (it is under Run > External Tools > External Tool Configurations) to download the demo to the QSPI flash.

PTS testing

Application can be used for executing PTS. It does not require any user intervention during testing.

Manual testing

Multilink service UUID: {3292546e-0a42-4348-aa38-33aab6f9af93}

Peripheral Address characteristic UUID: {3292546e-0a42-4348-aa38-33aab6f9af94} (properties=Write Without Response)

• Run a serial communication terminal to see application's console output. Connection settings: 15200 8n1.
• Run the application.
• Connect to the application. Name of device shall be "Renesas Multi-link". After a successful connection, your device will become the main device: the main device controls which peers the Renesas Multi-link shall connect to.

• Find the Peripheral Address characteristic and write one or more BD addresses of peripheral devices which you would like Renesas Multi-link to connect to. The first octet of data written to Peripheral Address characteristic is the address type, either public (0x00) or private (0x01). The next 6 octets represent the BD address. In order to connect to a device with public address AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF, the data written to the characteristic should be:

  [0x00 0xff 0xee 0xdd 0xcc 0xbb 0xaa]

  When the connection is established, the following output will be printed on the console:

  handle_evt_gap_connected: conn_idx=1 peer_address=AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
   
  Nr | Index | Address
   1 |     1 | AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
   2 |     0 | 1C:4D:70:D7:18:0A

  After every successful connection, active connection information will be printed on the console.

• To disconnect one of the peripheral devices, you can initiate disconnection from that device, reset or shut it down.
• To connect to Renesas Multi-link from another central device, you should first disconnect from the current main device first.
• After the message "Advertising is on again" is printed on the console, you can try to connect from another central device, which will become the new main device after a successful connection.
• You can then write more addresses of peripheral devices to which Renesas Multi-link should connect.