ACR Reactive Beacons Plugin for Xamarin & Windows

Scans for iBeacons

SUPPORT THIS PROJECT

PLATFORMS

Platform	Version
iOS	8+
Android	4.3+
Windows UWP	16299+

FEATURES

100% Managed Code
Range Beacons
Monitor for beacon regions in the background
Complete RX based API

SETUP

Install the following nuget package to all of your platform code and PCL/Core libraries

Android - add the following to your Android app manifest

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN"/>

<!--this is necessary for Android v6+ to get the device name and address-->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />

iOS - add the following to your Info.plist if monitoring Add the following for iBeacon background scanning

<key>NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
<string>The beacons always have you!</string>

<array>
<string>bluetooth-central</string>
</array>

<!--To add a description to the Bluetooth request message (on iOS 10 this is required!)-->
  
<key>NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription</key>
<string>YOUR CUSTOM MESSAGE</string>

HOW TO USE

Request Permissions

var result = await CrossBeacons.Current.RequestPermission();

Ranging for Beacons

var scanner = CrossBeacons
    .Current
    .WhenBeaconRanged(new BeaconRegion 
    (
        Identifier = "Whatever",
        Uuid = <Valid Guid>,
        Major = 1-65535, // optional
        Minor = 1-65535  // optional
    ))
    .Subscribe(scanResult => 
    {
        // do something with it - FYI: this will not be on the main thread, so if you are displaying to the UI, make sure to invoke on it
    });
// NOTE: you can range multiple regions, but you will have to merge in another call to the BeaconManager

scanner.Dispose(); // to stop scanning

Background Monitoring for Beacons

CrossBeacons
    .Current
    .WhenRegionStatusChanged()
    .Subscribe(regionArgs => 
    {
        regionArgs.IsEntering
        regionArgs.Region // your register
    });

CrossBeacons.Current.StartMonitoring(new BeaconRegion(...));

// To stop monitoring
CrossBeacons.Current.StopMonitoring(YourBeaconRegion);
// OR
CrossBeacons.Current.StopAllMonitoring();

FAQ

Q) Why is everything reactive instead of events/async

I wanted event streams as I was scanning devices. I also wanted to throttle things like characteristic notification feeds. Lastly, was the proper cleanup of events and resources.

Q) Why can't I scan for all beacons (no uuid)

Because this isn't really how beacons are intended to work, so I haven't exposed this functionality intentionally (nor will I take a FR/PR for it)!

Q) How many region configurations can I scan for at a time.

On iOS, 20 max. You shouldn't really ever go beyond this on other platforms either

Q) Can I scan for Eddystones with this library

No, as the title of this library says, it is currently for iBeacons only!

ROADMAP

Beacon Advertising
Beacon Region registration can setup prefilters for notifying on entry and/or exit

kiranvnv / beacons