sniff mode - GSM-Forum

gechu · 04-05-2013, 14:50

Widcomm 5.x stack contained a function to set the bluetooth device in a low power mode referred to as "sniff mode".

However, that function was removed in the 6.x release of the stack which was targeted for Vista.

I have managed to enable the 5.x stack in Windows 8 x64, but it is old and doesnt´work with all my bluetooth devices.

I have checked the Toshiba SDK for similar functions but found none.

Perhaps the posibility to set a device in the mentioned state simply isnt´available in any post Vista OS...

But what if I bought a bluetooth dongle whch was based on a Broadcom chip, would it then be possible to use the latest bluetooth stack release targeted for Windows XP without any patching in Windows8?

I assume the very latest release for XP works a lot better than the 5.x stack since one release of it I saw was dated as late as 2011.

Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Gecko_UK · 04-06-2013, 01:11

I'm not sure whether you're trying to sniff or to interface with bluetooth low energy devices only? if you're trying to interface why not use newer stack? if windows isn't important you can use bluez API

if you want to sniff without expensive tricks you can still flash broadcom (external or flash) with frontline fw using dfutool to get into RAW mode, but that's an older method- Project Ubertooth - Ubertooth One is probably the better option nowadays

Quote:

But what if I bought a bluetooth dongle whch was based on a Broadcom chip, would it then be possible to use the latest bluetooth stack release targeted for Windows XP without any patching in Windows8?

windows 8 bt stack support Bluetooh low energy : Bluetooth Low Energy Functions (Windows Drivers)

Q and A - Windows Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Generic Attribute (GATT) Profile Drivers sample in C++ for Visual Studio 2012

gechu · 04-10-2013, 14:11

Thanks Gecka_UK for trying to help me out.

Bluetooth 4 seems to bring a lot of new power saving features to the table integrated into Windows.

The bluetooth device I want to use is Sony PS3 Media/Blu-ray Disc Remote Control. It is an updated version of the original (released 2007) which was released in 2011.

Without much knowledge, I think the PS3 remote uses some earlier version of the bluetooth standards (pre version 4 at least) which relies on other ways to save power than what is available in version 4.

The way to save power that I think I muse use is the "sniff mode". Sort of a like a sleep mode. Read more about it here: Bluetooth Sleep Modes

From what I´ve read version 4 power saving features isn´t backwards compatible.

In the widcomsdk.dll available in the widcomm 5.1.x stack there is a C function which I can call from Python. Would it be wise to buy a Broadcom based USB bluetooth dongle only to use the latest Windows XP bluetooth stack from Broadcom (former Widcomm I think) in Windows 8 x64 in order to access the sniff function available in the SDK and have a more bug-free experience (than 5.x)?

04-05-2013, 14:50	#1 (permalink)
gechu Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 3 Member: 1742929 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 0	sniff mode Widcomm 5.x stack contained a function to set the bluetooth device in a low power mode referred to as "sniff mode". However, that function was removed in the 6.x release of the stack which was targeted for Vista. I have managed to enable the 5.x stack in Windows 8 x64, but it is old and doesnt´work with all my bluetooth devices. I have checked the Toshiba SDK for similar functions but found none. Perhaps the posibility to set a device in the mentioned state simply isnt´available in any post Vista OS... But what if I bought a bluetooth dongle whch was based on a Broadcom chip, would it then be possible to use the latest bluetooth stack release targeted for Windows XP without any patching in Windows8? I assume the very latest release for XP works a lot better than the 5.x stack since one release of it I saw was dated as late as 2011. Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

04-10-2013, 14:11	#3 (permalink)
gechu Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 3 Member: 1742929 Status: Offline Thanks Meter: 0	Thanks Gecka_UK for trying to help me out. Bluetooth 4 seems to bring a lot of new power saving features to the table integrated into Windows. The bluetooth device I want to use is Sony PS3 Media/Blu-ray Disc Remote Control. It is an updated version of the original (released 2007) which was released in 2011. Without much knowledge, I think the PS3 remote uses some earlier version of the bluetooth standards (pre version 4 at least) which relies on other ways to save power than what is available in version 4. The way to save power that I think I muse use is the "sniff mode". Sort of a like a sleep mode. Read more about it here: Bluetooth Sleep Modes From what I´ve read version 4 power saving features isn´t backwards compatible. In the widcomsdk.dll available in the widcomm 5.1.x stack there is a C function which I can call from Python. Would it be wise to buy a Broadcom based USB bluetooth dongle only to use the latest Windows XP bluetooth stack from Broadcom (former Widcomm I think) in Windows 8 x64 in order to access the sniff function available in the SDK and have a more bug-free experience (than 5.x)?