advlib

advlib

Library for wireless advertising packet decoding. Currently supports the following protocols:

• Bluetooth Smart (BLE)
• reelyActive RFID

For a live, interactive version of advlib visit reelyactive.github.io/advlib.

Installation

npm install advlib

Hello advlib

var advlib = require('advlib');

var rawHexPacket = '421655daba50e1fe0201050c097265656c79416374697665';
var processedPacket = advlib.ble.process(rawHexPacket);

console.log(JSON.stringify(processedPacket, null, " "));

The console output should appear as follows:

{
  type: "ADVA-48",
  value: "fee150bada55",
  advHeader: { 
    type: "ADV_NONCONNECT_IND",
    length: 22,
    txAdd: "random",
    rxAdd: "public" 
  },
  advData: {
    flags: [ "LE Limited Discoverable Mode", "BR/EDR Not Supported" ],
    completeLocalName: "reelyActive" 
  } 
}

Bluetooth Smart (BLE) Advertising Packet Library

Process a raw packet (as a hexadecimal string) with the following command:

advlib.ble.process(rawHexPacket);

The library is organised hierarchically so that the separate elements of a packet can be processed individually. Refer to the index below for details on each element:

• Header
• Address
• Data (GAP)
  • Flags
  • UUID
  • Local Name
  • Tx Power
  • Slave Connection Interval Range
  • Solicitation
  • Service Data
  • Manufacturer Specific Data
  • Generic Data
• Data (GATT)
  • Member Services
  • Standard Services

Header

Process a 16-bit header (as a hexadecimal string) with the following command:

advlib.ble.header.process(rawHexHeader);

For reference, the 16-bit header is as follows (reading the hexadecimal string from left to right):

Bit(s)	Function
15	RxAdd: 0 = public, 1 = random
14	TxAdd: 0 = public, 1 = random
13-12	Reserved for Future Use (RFU)
11-8	Type (see table below)
7-6	Reserved for Future Use (RFU)
5-0	Payload length in bytes

And the advertising packet types are as follows:

Type	Packet	Purpose
0	ADV_IND	Connectable undirected advertising
1	ADV_DIRECT_IND	Connectable directed advertising
2	ADV_NONCONN_IND	Non-connectable undirected advertising
3	SCAN_REQ	Scan for more info from advertiser
4	SCAN_RSP	Response to scan request from scanner
5	CONNECT_REQ	Request to connect
6	ADV_DISCOVER_IND	Scannable undirected advertising

For example:

advlib.ble.header.process('4216');

would yield:

{
  rxAdd: "public",
  txAdd: "random",
  type: "ADV_NONCONNECT_IND",
  length: 22
}

Address

Process a 48-bit address (as a hexadecimal string) with the following command:

advlib.ble.address.process(rawHexAddress);

For reference, the 48-bit header is as follows (reading the hexadecimal string from left to right):

Bit(s)	Address component
47-40	xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:##
39-32	xx:xx:xx:xx:##:xx
31-24	xx:xx:xx:##:xx:xx
23-16	xx:xx:##:xx:xx:xx
15-8	xx:##:xx:xx:xx:xx
7-0	##:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.address.process('0123456789ab');

Would yield:

{
  type: "ADVA-48",
  value: "ab8967452301"
}

which can alternatively be represented as ab:89:67:45:23:01.

Data (Generic Access Profile)

Process GAP data (as a hexadecimal string) with the following command:

advlib.ble.data.process(rawHexData);

For reference, the structure of the data is as follows:

Byte(s)	Data component
0	Length of the data in bytes (including type and data)
1	GAP Data Type (see table below)
2 to length	Type-specifc data

The Generic Access Profile Data Types are listed on the Bluetooth GAP Assigned Numbers website. The following table lists the Data Types, their names and the section in this document in which they are described.

Data Type	Data Type Name	See advlib section
0x01	Flags	Flags
0x02	Incomplete List of 16-bit UUIDs	UUID
0x03	Complete List of 16-bit UUIDs	UUID
0x04	Incomplete List of 32-bit UUIDs	UUID
0x05	Complete List of 32-bit UUIDs	UUID
0x06	Incomplete List of 128-bit UUIDs	UUID
0x07	Complete List of 128-bit UUIDs	UUID
0x08	Shortened Local Name	Local Name
0x09	Complete Local Name	Local Name
0x0a	Tx Power Level	Tx Power
0x0d	Class of Device	Generic Data
0x0e	Simple Pairing Hash C-192	Generic Data
0x0f	Simple Pairing Randomizer R-192	Generic Data
0x10	Security Manager TK Value	Generic Data
0x11	Security Manager OOB Flags	Generic Data
0x12	Slave Connection Interval Range	SCIR
0x14	16-bit Solicitation UUIDs	Solicitation
0x15	128-bit Solicitation UUIDs	Solicitation
0x16	Service Data 16-bit UUID	Service Data
0x17	Public Target Address	Generic Data
0x18	Random Target Address	Generic Data
0x19	Public Target Address	Generic Data
0x1a	Advertising Interval	Generic Data
0x1b	LE Bluetooth Device Address	Generic Data
0x1c	LE Bluetooth Role	Generic Data
0x1d	Simple Pairing Hash C-256	Generic Data
0x1e	Simple Pairing Hash Randomizer C-256	Generic Data
0x1f	32-bit Solicitation UUIDs	Solicitation
0x20	Service Data 32-bit UUID	Service Data
0x21	Service Data 128-bit UUID	Service Data
0x3d	3-D Information Data	Generic Data
0xff	Manufacturer Specific Data	Mfr. Specific Data

UUID

Process a UUID assigned to the device with any of the following commands:

advlib.ble.data.gap.uuid.nonComplete16BitUUIDs(payload, cursor, advertiserData);
advlib.ble.data.gap.uuid.complete16BitUUIDs(payload, cursor, advertiserData);
advlib.ble.data.gap.uuid.nonComplete128BitUUIDs(payload, cursor, advertiserData);
advlib.ble.data.gap.uuid.complete128BitUUIDs(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

var payload = '16074449555520657669746341796c656572';
advlib.ble.data.gap.uuid.complete128BitUUIDs(payload, 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	16	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	07	GAP Data Type for Complete 128-bit UUID
2 to 16	4449555520657669746341796c656572	reelyActive's 128-bit UUID

Which would add the following property to advData:

complete128BitUUIDs: "7265656c794163746976652055554944"

Local Name

Process the device's local name, complete or shortened, with the following commands, respectively:

advlib.ble.data.gap.localname.completeLocalName(payload, cursor, advertiserData);
advlib.ble.data.gap.localname.shortenedLocalName(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.localname.completeLocalName('12097265656c79416374697665', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	12	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	09	GAP Data Type for Complete Local Name
2 to 12	7265656c79416374697665	ASCII representation of 'reelyActive'

Which would add the following property to advData:

completeLocalName: "reelyActive"

Flags

Process the flags with the following command:

advlib.ble.data.gap.flags.process(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

For reference, the flags are as follows:

Bit	Description
0	LE Limited Discoverable Mode
1	LE General Discoverable Mode
2	BR/EDR Not Supported
3	Simultaneous LE and BR/EDR to Same Device Capable (Controller)
4	Simultaneous LE and BR/EDR to Same Device Capable (Host)
5	Reserved

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.flags.process('020104', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte	Hex String	Description
0	02	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	01	GAP Data Type for flags
2	04	See table above

Which would add the following property to advData:

flags: [ "BR/EDR Not Supported" ]

Manufacturer Specific Data

Process manufacturer specific data with the following command:

advlib.ble.data.gap.manufacturerspecificdata.process(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.manufacturerspecificdata.process('03ff8c00', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	03	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	ff	GAP Data Type for manufacturer specific data
2-3	8c00	Gimbal company identifier code (bytes reversed)

Which would add the following property to advData:

manufacturerSpecificData: {
  companyIdentifierCode: "008c",
  data: ""
}

iBeacon

A specific case of manufacturer specific data is the iBeacon:

var payload = '26ff4c000215b9407f30f5f8466eaff925556b57fe6d294c903974';
advlib.ble.data.gap.manufacturerspecificdata.process(payload, 0, {});

For reference, the iBeacon payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	26	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	ff	GAP Data Type for manufacturer specific data
2-3	4c00	Apple company identifier code (bytes reversed)
4-5	0215	Identifier code for iBeacon
6-21	b9407f30f5f8466eaff925556b57fe6d	UUID (assigned by Apple)
21-22	294c	Major
23-24	9039	Minor
25	74	TxPower (see TxPower section)

Which would add the following property to advData:

manufacturerSpecificData: {
  iBeacon: {
    uuid: "b9407f30f5f8466eaff925556b57fe6d",
    major: "294c",
    minor: "9039",
    txPower: "116dBm",
    licenseeName: "Estimote"
  }
}

StickNFind

A specific case of manufacturer specific data is that of StickNFind. The following proprietary payloads are supported:

• V2 Single Payload
• SNS Motion

TX Power Level

Process Tx Power Level with the following command:

advlib.ble.data.gap.txpower.process(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.txpower.process('020a7f', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	02	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	0a	GAP Data Type for TxPower
2	7f	TxPower (see table below)

TxPower is a two's complement value which is interpreted as follows:

Hex String	Power dBm
7f	127 dBm
00	0 dBm
ff	-128 dBm

Which would add the following property to advData:

txPower: "127dBm"

Slave Connection Interval Range

Process the Slave Connection Interval Range with the following command:

advlib.ble.data.gap.slaveconnectionintervalrange.process(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.slaveconnectionintervalrange.process('061200060c80', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	06	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	12	GAP Data Type for Slave Connection Interval Range
2-6	00060c80	Min and max intervals (see table below)

And the intervals are intepreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0-1	0006	Min interval = 6 x 1.25 ms = 7.5 ms
2-3	0c80	Max interval = 12128 x 1.25 ms = 15160 ms

Which would add the following property to advData:

slaveConnectionIntervalRange: "00060c80"
  

Service Solicitation

Process a Service Solicitation UUID with any of the following commands:

advlib.ble.data.gap.solicitation.solicitation16BitUUIDs(payload, cursor, advertiserData);
advlib.ble.data.gap.solicitation.solicitation128BitUUIDs(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.uuid.solicitation16BitUUIDs('0314d8fe', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	03	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	14	GAP Data Type for 16-bit Service Solicitation UUID
2-3	d8fe	Google's UriBeacon UUID (bytes reversed)

Which would add a property to advData as follows:

solicitation16BitUUIDs: "fed8"

Service Data

Process service data assigned to the device.

advlib.ble.data.gap.servicedata.process(payload, cursor, advertiserData);

This is best illustrated with an example:

advlib.ble.data.gap.servicedata.process('09160a181204eb150000', 0, {});

For reference, the example payload is interpreted as follows:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	09	Length, in bytes, of type and data
1	16	GAP Data Type for service data
2-3	0a18	UUID (bytes reversed)
4-9	1204eb150000	Service Data

Which would add the following properties to advData:

serviceData: {
  uuid : "180a",
  data : "1204eb150000",
  specificationName: "Device Information"
}

In this case, the service UUID represents one of the GATT Standard Services and is processed as such.

Additional examples for service UUIDs among the GATT Member Services are given in that section below.

Data (Generic Attribute Profile)

Process GATT service data (as a hexadecimal string) with the following command:

advlib.ble.data.gatt.process(advData);

Where advData contains a serviceData object (see Service Data), for instance:

advData: {
  serviceData: {
    uuid: "fed8",
    data: "00f2027265656c7961637469766507"
  }
}

Based on the UUID, the serviceData will be parsed as either a member service or a standard service, as applicable. Note that not all services are yet implemented.

Member Services

Based on a pilot program for members which allows the SIG to allocate a 16-bit Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) for use with a custom GATT-based service defined by the member.

UUID	Member	Description
0xfed8	Google	UriBeacon (Physical Web)
0xfeaa	Google	Eddystone

Google

Supports Eddystone (UID, URL & TLM) and the UriBeacon of the Physical Web.

UriBeacon

Process UriBeacon data (UUID = 0xfed8).

advlib.ble.data.gatt.services.members.process(advData);

This is best illustrated with an example using the following input:

advData: {
  serviceData: {
    uuid: "fed8",
    data: "00f2027265656c7961637469766507"
  }
}
   

For reference, the example serviceData.data is interpreted as follows, based on the UriBeacon Advertising Packet Specification:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	00	UriBeacon flags
1	f2	UriBeacon TxPower level
3	02	Uri Scheme Prefix (http://)
4-15	7265656c7961637469766507	Encoded Uri (reelyactive.com)

Which would add the following properties to advData:

serviceData: {
  uuid: "fed8",
  data: "00f2027265656c7961637469766507",
  companyName: "Google​",
  uriBeacon: {
    invisibleHint: false,
    txPower: "-14dBm",
    url: "http://reelyactive.com"
  }
}

Eddystone-UID

Process Eddystone-UID data (UUID = 0xfeaa).

advlib.ble.data.gatt.services.members.process(advData);

This is best illustrated with an example using the following input:

advData: {
  serviceData: {
    uuid: "feaa",
    data: "00128b0ca750095477cb3e770011223344550000"
  }
}
   

For reference, the example serviceData.data is interpreted as follows, based on the Eddystone-UID specification:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	00	Eddystone-UID Frame Type
1	12	Calibrated TxPower at 0m
2-11	8b0ca750095477cb3e77	10-byte ID Namespace
12-17	001122334455	6-byte ID Instance
18-19	0000	Reserved for Future Use

Which would add the following properties to advData:

serviceData: {
  uuid: "feaa",
  data: "00128b0ca750095477cb3e770011223344550000",
  eddystone: {
    type: "UID",
    txPower: "18dBm",
    uid: {
      namespace: "8b0ca750095477cb3e77",
      instance: "001122334455"
    }
  }
}

Eddystone-URL

Process Eddystone-URL data (UUID = 0xfeaa).

advlib.ble.data.gatt.services.members.process(advData);

This is best illustrated with an example using the following input:

advData: {
  serviceData: { 
    uuid: "feaa",
    data: "1012027265656c7961637469766507" 
  }
}
   

For reference, the example serviceData.data is interpreted as follows, based on the Eddystone-URL specification:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	10	Eddystone-URL Frame Type
1	12	Calibrated TxPower at 0m
2	02	URL Scheme (http://)
3-14	7265656c7961637469766507	Encoded URL (reelyactive.com)

Which would add the following properties to advData:

serviceData: {
  uuid: "feaa",
  data: "1012027265656c7961637469766507",
  eddystone: {
    type: "URL",
    txPower: "18dBm",
    url: "http://reelyactive.com"
  }
}

Eddystone-TLM

Process Eddystone-TLM data (UUID = 0xfeaa).

advlib.ble.data.gatt.services.members.process(advData);

This is best illustrated with an example using the following input:

advData: {
  serviceData: { 
    uuid: "feaa",
    data: "20000bb81800000000010000000a"  
  }
}
   

For reference, the example serviceData.data is interpreted as follows, based on the Eddystone-TLM specification:

Byte(s)	Hex String	Description
0	20	Eddystone-TLM Frame Type
1	00	TLM Version
2-3	0bb8	Battery Voltage (mV)
4-5	1800	Temperature (8:8 fixed point)
6-9	00000001	Advertising PDU Count
10-13	0000000a	Uptime (0.1s resolution)

Which would add the following properties to advData:

serviceData: {
  uuid: 'feaa',
  data: '20000bb81800000000010000000a',
  eddystone: {
    type: "TLM",
    version: "00",
    batteryVoltage: "3000mV",
    temperature: "24C",
    advertisingCount: 1,
    uptime: "1s"
  }
}

Standard Services

The following GATT Services, assigned in the GATT Specification are identified but not parsed:

• Alert Notification Service
• Automation IO
• Battery Service
• Blood Pressure
• Body Composition
• Bond Management
• Continous Glucose Monitoring
• Current Time Service
• Cycling Power
• Cycling Speed and Cadence
• Device Information
• Environmental Sensing
• Generic Access
• Generic Attribute
• Glucose
• Health Thermometer
• Heart Rate
• Human Interface Device
• Immediate Alert
• Indoor Positioning
• Internet Protocol Support
• Link Loss
• Location and Navigation
• Next DST Change Service
• Phone Alert Status Service
• Pulse Oximeter
• Reference Time Update Service
• Running Speed and Cadence
• Scan Parameters
• TX Power
• User Data
• Weight Scale

reelyActive RFID Library

Process a raw packet (as a hexadecimal string) with the following command:

advlib.reelyactive.process(rawHexPacket);

What's next?

This is an active work in progress. Expect regular changes and updates, as well as improved documentation!

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2015 reelyActive

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.