Bluetooth wrongly identifies a gadget as a known device, blocks further communications

Hi, I'm looking for help from Garmin Developers, as this is most likely related to firmware.

We have an app that connects to WOO sensor over Bluetooth. WOO is a proprietary gadget that measures jump height and it doesn't support any standard protocols (like heart rate).

Unfortunatelly some devices (like Fenix 6) ocasionally recognise WOO as some known sensor - Vectronix. There is a pop-up window asking to connect to it, and if user mistakenly agrees, the watch BT occupies connection channel and effectively blocks our app from ever connecting to WOO. It is solved by deleting Vetronix sensor, but most users don't know that.

Can this be reviewed and possibly fixed by Garmin team?

Top Replies

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago in reply to MobileDriveway +2

MobileDriveway said:
Identifying WOO sensor as Vectronix IS a bug

But is it that the WOO is advertising incorrectly? Sounds to me that the WOO might be using the incorrect UUID.
Brandon.ConnectIQ over 5 years ago +1

We have a firmware fix in review that should address this problem. I can't speak to the timeline, but this should be addressed in a future firmware release.

All Replies

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago

This has been the case for years. If something is connected with ANT or BLE by the FW, you can't connect to it with a CIQ app. Only one connection at a time.

MobileDriveway over 5 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

The question is why Garmin firmware discovers and chooses to connect to an unknown device and how to fix that. You are describing the consequences of that problem - they are already explained in the question itself.

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago in reply to MobileDriveway

That too has been the case for years. It will look around and offer to connect it is something new is found. The problem is that some users say yes.

MobileDriveway over 5 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

Exactly. Shouldn't it be fixed if it was known for years?! Though years is probably an exageration - BLE SDK came out just 1.5 years ago ...

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago in reply to MobileDriveway

It's the same with ANT devices, so yes, years. It's something you need to mention in your app's description.

if you're doing a data field, the main activity is likely recording data for it, so it's not like a CIQ DF can just take it over.

MobileDriveway over 5 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

The firmware bug should be fixed in the firmware, not in the app description.

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago in reply to MobileDriveway

It's not a FW bug. The FW owns the device at that point.

With BLE, it get's more interesting in that that is typically 1 to 1, where if watch A is connected to it by way of the FW or a CIQ app, watch B can't connect to it at all

MobileDriveway over 5 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

Identifying WOO sensor as Vectronix IS a bug. Resulting connection issues are the consequences of this bug. And there is no watch B - the same watch A looses ability to connect to a sensor if a single BT connection channel of that sensor is occupied by Firmware.

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago in reply to MobileDriveway

Instruct your users to say "no" when the FW asks if it should be paired. As I've said, this has been the case with HRMs, dog trackers, etc, etc. Only once connection at a time, and if paired, that will be the firmware.

jim_m_58 over 5 years ago in reply to MobileDriveway

MobileDriveway said:
Identifying WOO sensor as Vectronix IS a bug

But is it that the WOO is advertising incorrectly? Sounds to me that the WOO might be using the incorrect UUID.