Connecting the iPad to the SOS Server via Bluetooth

In SOS version 4.3 we added the ability to connect an iPad to the SOS server over a bluetooth connection. Until this time all iPad/SOS server connections were over wifi. The iPad bluetooth connection replaced the Wii remotes in SOS version 5.0.

Sites with SOS version 4.1 or higher will have Bluetooth USB adapters installed with their systems. If you do not have Bluetooth USB adapters or have a version of SOS prior to 4.1, please email [email protected].

The iPad supports Bluetooth connections over a range of 10m so the SOS computers will need to be close to the sphere. The range may be reduced by walls, electromagnetic interference or other obstructions.

In testing we have discovered that occasional re-pairing may be required. Fortunately, re-pairing the computer and iPad is trivial to do.

This will need to be done on both SOS computers.

1. Make sure that the Bluetooth USB adapter is plugged in

2. Click on the left-most bluetooth icon in the menu bar along the top of the screen

   

3. In the drop-down that appears, select “Local Services”

   
4. In the “Local Services” window, select the “Network” option on the left
5. In the “Services” section, check the “Network Access Point” option
6. Modify the IP Address in the “NAP Settings” section. (Typically we delete and re-type the “1”.) Once this is done, the “Apply” button will no longer be greyed out. Write down the IP Address in this field. You will need it later on the iPad
7. Click “Apply”
8. Close the “Local Services” program

1. Open the “Settings” app
2. Select the “Wi-Fi” section and disable the wifi by moving the “Wi-Fi” slider to the left
3. Select the “Bluetooth” section and enable Bluetooth by moving the slider to the right

1. Click the Bluetooth menu bar icon

2. Select “Setup New Device”

   

3. In the window that appears, click Next until you get to the “Device” screen below. Select your iPad by clicking on it. Then click Next

   
4. If the iPad doesn’t appear in the “Device” screen, open the Settings app on the iPad and select the “Bluetooth” tab. Then, click on the search icon (magnifying glass) in the lower left corner of the “Device” screen

5. In the “Pairing” screen, select “Pair Device”. For this next part you may need the iPad, have it nearby and unlock the screen

   

6. Choose to connect to the iPad as an “Audio Source”

   

7. On your iPad, you should see a dialog asking if you would like to pair the SOS computer with your iPad. A similar dialog should appear on the SOS computer. When the screen appears on the SOS computer, click on Accept. Then tap Pair on the iPad. If you don't see the pop up on the SOS computer and you aren't able to pair your iPad, try opening a terminal and entering: gsettings set org.blueman.general notification-daemon false. Then restart your computer and try pairing again

   

8. You should then see the “Finished” screen below. However, there are a few more steps

   
9. Close the “Bluetooth Devices” window

10. Click on the bluetooth icon in the menu bar again and select Devices

    

11. In the “Bluetooth Devices” window that opens, click to select your iPad and mark it as “trusted” by clicking the star icon

    
12. On the iPad, open the “Settings” app

13. In the “SOS Remote” section, put the IP address from step 6 of “Preparing the SOS Server” in the “Name or IP” field

    
14. If you see two linked rings in the upper left corner of the iPad’s menu bar, your iPad should now be ready to control the Sphere
15. If the linked rings are not present, open the “Settings” app, go to the Bluetooth tab and select the computer you would like to connect to

On the iPad:

1. Open the “Settings” app
2. Select the “Bluetooth” section
3. Tap on the SOS computer you have previously paired and need to connect to