5 replies to this topic

[rog8811]

Newbie heading for the deep end here, I am working on a project where a number of students will use smart phones to connect via bluetooth to sensors placed around a woodland.  It has occurred to me that with 20 or so phones looking for the correct bluetooth to connect too could be a bit confusing.

I am thinking that NFC smart tabs may be the way to aid connection, so my questions are
How can I find out which makes and models of smart phone are, at present, capable of reading smart tabs?
Is it becoming a standard fitment on new phones?
Is there an App that can enable a phone to work with them?
Can the scan tags be used for the same purpose?

So many questions...... and I am sure I will think of more but any help appreciated.

Edited by rog8811, 21 January 2013 - 06:54 PM.

[alicechong7789]

Here is a list of all the NFC phones:http://www.nfcworld.com/nfc-phones-list/

Yes, most new phones have NFC in them.

Android, Blackberry, and Windows phones have NFC Apps that you can download.

It depends on type of data you store onto the tag. Some data types are more universal and the same tag can be used by different phones. However, if you are doing something with bluetooth, I dont think that is universal and may not work with other NFC phones..

[rog8811]

Thank you for the information and especially for the link, I had been googling all over and not finding what I needed.

I was thinking that it may be possible to use a smart tab as a quick connect to a blue tooth device but the more I have read the less likely it seems....though I have an iron or two in the fire on this one.
It may be simpler to use QR tags with the correct bluetooth address in text form so that the students know which one to connect too.

It does raise another question, can more than one phone connect to another blue tooth device at one time?

Told you I was a newbie... it is all new to me.

Edited by rog8811, 18 January 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[rog8811]

An update from my further googlings.
I have read that a blue tooth device can connect to up to 8 other devices at a time, I have contacted the sensor builders to find out how the sensor device hand shakes with an interrogating phone and whether the above applies, I await a response.
I have also been in contact with a smart tag developer and he has indicated that there are ways to get them to control blue tooth connection.

Getting there slowly.

[rog8811]

Ok, another try to get some interest here. The sensor device can only connect with one mobile device at a time, a suggestion has been made that it could be possible to use one phone to blue tooth connect to the sensor then relay the information to other blue tooth connected phones.....
 blue tooth con 01.jpg   125.97K   2 downloads
Somewhat like the above.... add in a smart tag to connect student phones to the first mobile. *EDIT* I believe I am talking about making the first phone a bluetooth hot spot????

What do you think, can that be done? Is there a better way to do it?

Edited by rog8811, 21 January 2013 - 06:16 PM.

[rog8811]

I don't seem to be making any headway here so I have a few forum related questions...

Should I be posting this somewhere else on the MoDaCo forum? If so where?
Or is it in fact not the sort of problem that members can help me with here?
Is there a better place to be asking about this elswhere on the web?

Regards Rog8811