Developing for BLE windows 8.1

Question

I've found scatterings around the web but no concise answer. Everyone talks about developing BLE for Android and iOS, but how does one develop for Windows in C# (.NET)?

I've found this http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsapps/en-US/2f236b71-a6ac-4c42-aef3-723c3691cbf8/how-to-discover-connectdisconnect-and-reconnect-to-bluetooth-low-energy-device-from-windows-81?forum=wdk

I've tried the C# example, but I don't have any devices with health profiles (and I don't know how to set searching for a generic device). I did try modifying the code but it didn't help

I have a sensor tag and also a generic BLE HM-10 module useful for arduino projects. My iPhone can find both of these devices using the SensorTag application or LightBlue.

I also found this http://orcs.sebsoft.com/openvision/index.php/8-vision/37-how-to-acquire-data-by-c-from-bluetooth-4-bluetooth-low-energy-ti-ble-keyfob-ti-sensor-tag

I tried starting it up and scanning, but it didn't find any BLE devices. I don't even know if what I'm doing it right.

I have a BT 4.0 USB dongle.

How on earth do I detect a bluetooth device?

Thanks

Answer 1

Here is a two-part blog post about enumerating and configuring BLE devices in Windows 8.1.

• BLE for developers in Windows 8.1 Part I
• BLE for developers in Windows 8.1 Part II

After reading this, the documentation on MSDN seemed to make a lot more sense.

Answer 2

This is just a guess, but if you're using a generic HM-10 BT module, you might need to program it first to be discoverable and pairable.

You do that using AT commands which you can find in the HM-10 datasheet. The way to send those commands to the module is up to you, you can either use a microcontroller, Arduino for example, or via a serial console.