How to get the battery level from Kontakt.io beacons using AltBeacon API

Question

I need to get the battery level from the kontakt.io beacons. I have set the layout as below and the DataFields are empty when I read the beacons in RangingBeaconsInRegion.

I was expecting I could read the battery level from the last bit as described in the Kontakt.io documentation.

This is my current code:

private BeaconManager InitializeBeaconManager()
{
    BeaconManager bm = BeaconManager.GetInstanceForApplication(Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Context);

    var iBeaconParser = new BeaconParser();
    iBeaconParser.SetBeaconLayout("m:2-3=0215,i:4-19,i:20-21,i:22-23,p:24-24,d:25-25");
    bm.BeaconParsers.Add(iBeaconParser);

    _rangeNotifier.DidRangeBeaconsInRegionComplete += RangingBeaconsInRegion;

    bm.Bind((IBeaconConsumer)Xamarin.Forms.Forms.Context);

    return bm;
}

void RangingBeaconsInRegion(object sender, RangeEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Beacons.Count > 0)
    {
        var beacon = e.Beacons.FirstOrDefault();

        var data = beacon.DataFields.FirstOrDefault();
        // here DataFields is empty!

    }
}

I am using Xamarin Forms and this is the code for the Android Version.

Is this possible? or do I need to use the Kontakt.io API?

UPDATE

I have removed all parsers before apply the new layout and I am able to read the dataFields. However, I am getting a value 8 which I have no idea what this value means.

Answer 1

I am not positive the syntax on Xamarin, but try removing all existing beacon parsers before adding your custom one. I suspect the built in iBeacon parser is still active And it is matching first.

Answer 2

The battery level in Kontakt.io beacons are part of their "scan response packet", not part of the iBeacon structure, you'll have to use CoreBluetooth to read Characteristic 1, Service 5.

A quick breakdown of how this works is also described here, and the recently launched Xamarin component uses the same CoreBluetooth approach.