Re: [PATCH] mgmt-api: add read Tx power level command

[Marcel Holtmann <marcel@holtmann.org>]

Hi Arik,

> >> This command reads the Tx power level for a given connected device
> >> ---
> >>  doc/mgmt-api.txt |   28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >>  1 files changed, 28 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
> >>
> >> diff --git a/doc/mgmt-api.txt b/doc/mgmt-api.txt
> >> index 4ede43d..8dae2b4 100644
> >> --- a/doc/mgmt-api.txt
> >> +++ b/doc/mgmt-api.txt
> >> @@ -815,6 +815,34 @@ Unblock Device Command
> >>       or failure.
> >>
> >>
> >> +Read Tx Power Level Command
> >> +======================
> >> +
> >> +     Command Code:           0x0028
> >
> > how is this suppose to work. This command and Set Device ID are suppose
> > to have the same command code?
> 
> Ah you're right I missed that. I'll put 0x29 then.
> 
> >
> >> +     Controller Index:       <controller id>
> >> +     Command Parameters:     Address (6 Octets)
> >> +                             Address_Type (1 Octet)
> >> +                             Type (1 Octet)
> >> +     Return Parameters:      Address (6 Octets)
> >> +                             Address_Type (1 Octet)
> >> +                             Status (1 Octet)
> >> +                             Level (1 Octet)
> >> +
> >> +     Possible values for the Address_Type parameter:
> >> +             0       BR/EDR
> >> +             1       LE Public
> >> +             2       LE Random
> >> +
> >> +     Possible values for the Type parameter:
> >> +             0       Current Transmit Power Level
> >> +             1       Maximum Transmit Power Level
> >
> > Which ones do you care about? And why not just read both and return both
> > at the same time.
> >
> > I think that I made this pretty clear multiple times already. The mgmt
> > API is not for stuffing random HCI commands into it. Please explain your
> > usage pattern of the results clearly.
> >
> > Who is triggering this command and who is consuming the results?
> 
> Well the proximity reporter and proximity monitor profiles are the
> ones using this (with LE connections only). The proximity monitor can
> query the reporter for the Tx power level. The spec claims there's no
> point in polling for this, as the value doesn't change during an LE
> connection.

so why are we not just reading that value when creating a LE connection?
What is the penalty for doing it on every LE connection?

> Both profiles only care about the current Tx power level. I added the
> type for flexibility. It can be removed of course.
> 
> In the proposed implementation the reporter reads this value when a
> device connects and caches it. When a remote device asks for this
> value (via an ATT read as part of the TPS profile), we return the
> cached value.

So it gets always read anyway.

Regards

Marcel