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Any method to 'fool' programs into using a Bluetooth GPS

We all know the Tilt's GPS is slow, uses a lot of battery, and often continues to use battery after exiting all programs using it unless you soft reset. So I use my bluetooth GPS.
Works great, for programs which have a com port setting. There are some which do not, some are on the todo list, but some other programs are no longer under development.
What I'd like to be able to do is to 'fool' any program into using the Bluetooth's com port. I have GPSGate listening to the bluetooth GPS and outputting to com1 so that I can run whatever number of programs using the GPS data on com1, but I can't get several Wifi scanners to use com1, can't get the camera's GPS feature to use com1, etc.
I've tried a few things like messing with the built-in GPS settings and changing them to com1 hoping programs might then access com1, tried setting GPSGate to com4 to see if programs would access it instead of the built-in, but I think when programs access the built-in device they don't access it on com4, they access it on GPD4 or such.. Anyway.
So again, how to make programs which you cannot specify a com port use GPSGate's com port? Or another program if necessary..
Thanks!

Bumping in case anyone missed it.
Thanks!

SOLVED! But not for the faint of heart.
The developer of BasicGPS pointed me to this URL when I was asking him if he could implement selecting the com port for the GPS, since I use GPSGate with a Bluetooth GPS, not the built-in one:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb202089.aspx
From this, following these steps, I was able to make the Intermediate Driver use COM1, therefore using GPSGate/Bluetooth! So far this works in BasicGPS and I'm pretty sure it works in the camera too, so probably works in every program! Good news for people who hate the built-in GPS as much as I do!
Here are the basic steps, but you'll want to read the URL above. It's really written for developers, which I am not, but it made enough sense for me.
I used Resco Explorer to browse into this registry key. I made a copy of the whole key, then browsed in.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\GPS Intermediate Driver\Drivers
There is a key named CurrentDriver, which was set to GPSOneDevice, which is apparently my built-in GPS. So I made a copy of the whole GPSOneDevice registry key, named it GPSGate. Then went into that key, changed the InterfaceType from POLL to COMM and added a string called CommPort and set it to COM1: where GPSGate outputs its info. I also modified the FriendlyName to "GPSGate Bluetooth". Finally, I changed the CurrentDriver to reference my new GPSGate registry key, and voila!
I'm not 100% sure it's working, as the built-in GPS is warmed up and would respond fairly quickly, but in a few days I'm going to try the camera in GPS mode and see if it immediately gets a fix from my Bluetooth unit vs 5+ minutes with the built-in GPS.
That said, I've tried GPSTest, BasicGPS, camera, etc, all get a fix immediately and update with the Bluetooth GPS on. If I turn the Bluetooth GPS off, they all stop getting updates. Previously when I was trying to figure out how to do this, I would discover the built-in GPS was still being used because I'd turn off the Bluetooth GPS and programs would continue to get new GPS data. So this tells me it's working! I'll follow up again in a few days to say for absolute sure.
Yay!

Just a followup here.. I think it's working, but if I monitor the data on COM9 (bluetooth) or COM1 (GPSGate re-distributing COM9 data), the data streams in at a reasonable pace.. Perhaps 6k of data in 10 or so seconds.. I didn't measure it closely.
But when I monitor data on COM4 the data is very fast, after about 10s it was up to 60k and when I left a few different programs open for a while they either crashed, never got a real lock, or locked up.
So not sure why, but the string of bluetooth->gpsgate->intermediate driver is causing a LOT more data to be produced.
I wasn't planning on using the intermediate driver for applications, I am still going to use the COM1 port for that when possible, but I wonder about the stability of using the camera and/or other programs which can't change the com port with this configuration.
Oh well! So far the camera seems to pick up a coordinate very quickly and probably disconnects from the GPS, so it's probably fine.
I suppose if I were truly curious I could capture the NMEA data and compare between the two. If anyone can do that who is also curious, I can do it and attach the data. I wouldn't know what to look for.

Hi,
ok, perhaps I know the Problem why my intermediate driver doesn't do his job. I can find this key in my reg:
Code:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\GPS Intermediate Driver\Drivers
But that is all. This key hasn't any values or subkeys. But why?
I'll try to find out the default Settings...
So. I've created following settings:
Code:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\GPS Intermediate Driver
CurrentLogFile="\Temp\gps.log"
IsEnabled=dword:00000001
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\GPS Intermediate Driver\Drivers
CurrentDriver="TestFile"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\GPS Intermediate Driver\Drivers\TestFile
File1="\Temp\test.nmea"
FriendlyName="File Test #1"
InterfaceType="File"
After creating settings I "rebooted" my device. Then I start my GoogleMaps-App and configured it to use "managed GPS".
Result: GoogleMaps didn't get data from test-file and I cannot find the log-file in Temp-Folder. What the hell is going wrong here?
YFI: If I configure GoogleMaps to use GPS an COM4 (115200 Baud) then all works fine.

(REQ) Remote Control for Garage door

I just run on the following site
http://dailymobile.se/2009/01/07/op...ith-your-blackberry-garageshadow-application/
And I wondered if its possible to have something like that on my diamond.

Most are using infrared which isn't really available in current devices anymore. And afaik infrared in mobile devices will only have a range of at most 1 meter (optimistic guess).
Does the blue flashing light indicate that bluetooth is on?

there is a special remote which can connect to a comp. you can send signals to whatever you like... BUT, it's problematic.
As i stated like a year ago in a guide i wrote about bluetooth services,
the only bluetooth service working with AD controllers is the GXP port.. which you don't have on windows mobile.. it's not software related.. sorry.

You could use NetRemote via WiFi (and configure MortScript to connect to Your home WiFi network automatically if it approaches a certain mobile cell tower so if You are near home You are already connected to NetRemote server) and use an IR repeater from the server for the door. This is a theoretical concept which I haven't tried but in theory - why shouldn't it work?

You would probably want to use gps, not a cell tower id, and yes it is theoretically possible to make your phone trigger something to open your garage... but i think the questions was can you use your phone to open your garage door.

you can't use GPS as GPS can only send signals.. not receive...
you would be able to connect to your comp using wifi but then you'd have to be able to send signals through your home network to the garage door. the problem is not the sending of the signals but the receiving by the door.
of course it's "possible" but it's somewhat of a project to have the receiver operate the door... at least the way i see it.

Joel - wouldn't the outcome be the same, meaning using your phone to open garage door? Of course, the simplest way would be to buy a gsm controller, insert a SIM there with a number and hook the controller up with the door, so when you call the controller it opens the door. That solution is expensive tho and you can't use it for other stuff like with NetRemote - you can practically control anything with IR or ZWave repeaters.

lol, $100-200 for a gsm controller, then a $40 monthly plan for the gsm? i say just go buy a remote. they sell keychain sized garage door remotes at home depot for like $20 and last about a year for the cell battery opening the door about twice a day.

I have a suggestion tho.
try searching for a bluetooth controller.
someone here would have to write the application for you..
but if you manage to find a bluetooth controller, you might (you need to know how) be able to connect it to the engine.. and give it the what... 10mA trigger it needs?

What about a radio (funk) controller ? Can our handhelds do that ?

cellular radio?

untrueparadox - although with your solution doesn't let him open the door with phone, it's definitely the best and cheapest so far

my last year project might just be developing a straight current independent bluetooth controller. i'll give you the prototype for a symbolic price if you want

so what do you do when you happen to be near your home but dont want to or can't park in the garage? You know, those rare but plausible times when it so happens you are parking on the street. OH wait, there goes your door again!
Just hoping you thought it through all the way.

Look into zwave and MControl for your pc

How To?: Use Fuze as external GPS to Laptop over Bluetooth

I cannot believe how difficult it has been to find a solution to this problem.
My, seemingly basic, need is to use the internal gps of my fuze as an external gps on my laptop. I already have my laptop teathered to my phone over a bluetooth PAN and use this as my primary internet connection seeing as I live out of my truck.
I have found GPS2Blue which seems like it was made for exactly what I need, but I can't get it to work and there are virtually no instructions provided. I have seen other people say they got it to work, but without explanation.
I have also found GPSProxy, which claims to do what I need but isn't free. I would be willing to pay for this solution, but their instructions say you can't share your GPS and also have other bluetooth activity, which means my internet connection would go down.
I think, but am unsure, that the heart of my problem is that I need to "Create Outgoing Port" on the Com Ports page of the Bluetooth settings page. However, there is no such buttton on that screen.
Can anyone please help if you have successfully shared your Raphael internal GPS with a laptop over bluetooth.
Thanks

Bluetooth GPS Receiver

Will it ever be possible for Android to be able to interface to a Bluetooth GPS Receiver for use in programs like Google Maps?
What sounds like such a simple thing which would give me some respite on my Samsung Galaxy S.
Cheers
Simon

I am curious also.

i need that too

I know that most of the Bluetooth GPS receivers use a simulated Comm port. As long as Android can use the Comm port and receive position data through ASCII sentences, then it should be fine.

i'm gonna try BlueNMEA (it's on the market)
i'll report back
edit: the app seems to be broken :\

If there is an app for NMEA data, that is a good sign. NMEA uses ASCII text strings to send data. To be honest, I know that Garmin's Bluetooth receivers will send NMEA data to the phone.
Sent from my Garminfone using XDA App

Any news on this topic?
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

Look for "Bluetooth GPS Provider" or "Bluetooth GPS mouse" in the market...

I didn't want to pay for something like that and I did not understand why I should give phone call or network access for such an application...
So I've have developed mine:
it' free,
it's open-source (you can verify what it's really doing and you can improve it!),
it just asks for needed permissions.
The application allows to use an external bluetooth GPS on Android devices:
The application starts a service, then connects to a Bluetooth device (NMEA GPS) and creates a mock GPS provider which can be used to replace the internal GPS.
It's also possible to log the external GPS NMEA data in a file on the device.
The app need the following permissions:
bluetooth and bluetooth admin (connection to the GPS device),
location and mock location (replace the GPS location provider by a new one using the bluetooth GPS device),
write external storage (if you want to log the NMEA data into a file on the sdcard).
It should run on all android devices (2.0 and above) and NMEA bluetooth devices.
I have tested it with a GlobalSat BT-338 bluetooth GPS (SiRF III), a Galaxy S (I9000) and a HTC Sapphire (Froyo CM-6).
It works with Google Maps, Wikitude, GoPenS and my own personal navigation app. It should work with all applications that use Android official location API.
Note: in order to install the app:
enable Settings/Applications/Unknown sources,
enable Settings/Applications/Development/Allow mock locations,
download and install the apk.
Project page:
Bluetooth GPS for Android on SourceForge
BlueGPS4Droid apk: BlueGps4Droid_1.0.apk

herbert1 said:
I didn't want to pay for something like that and I did not understand why I should give phone call or network access for such an application...
So I've have developed mine:
it' free,
it's open-source (you can verify what it's really doing and you can improve it!),
it just asks for needed permissions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, went from zero of these to three or more.. More is good I guess! Does yours reconnect to the GPS when the connection is lost (walk away from the GPS, GPS accidentally gets turned off in pocket, etc)? What happens if you turn off the phone (hit power button.. standby), does it disconnect? Reconnect? What happens to apps while running, do they pick back up, or reconnect to the internal GPS?
EDIT: It disconnects. You should have it reconnect, especially if the signal was just lost watch for the device to become available again, and it'd also be really nice if it could do it automatically even if not just used; ie I get in the car, fire up the Holux 236 and a few seconds later your program connects to it.
Very very nice start, worked as well as the Bluetooth GPS Mouse program I've been using for a few weeks.. No sat or fix info, but that's a limitation of the Mock interface of course. Not much to be done there.

And it will be great if supports usb gps too. I have an android device with usb host and a usb gps, so will be great if we can attach a serial port to the mock gps in your app.
Thanks.
Corvus.

I actually have stopped using this, as about 50% of the time my phone is freezing when entering Waze with it enabled, 0% of the time without it or using Bluetooth GPS Mouse.
But it is a new program, it has room to grow.

khaytsus said:
Wow, went from zero of these to three or more.. More is good I guess! Does yours reconnect to the GPS when the connection is lost (walk away from the GPS, GPS accidentally gets turned off in pocket, etc)? What happens if you turn off the phone (hit power button.. standby), does it disconnect? Reconnect? What happens to apps while running, do they pick back up, or reconnect to the internal GPS?
EDIT: It disconnects. You should have it reconnect, especially if the signal was just lost watch for the device to become available again,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have this kind of problems in my car, so I haven't planned anything for that. For now, I have preferred that, in case of problems, everything stops properly. However I will verify what I can do (if I can find a simple way to do this).
and it'd also be really nice if it could do it automatically even if not just used; ie I get in the car, fire up the Holux 236 and a few seconds later your program connects to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A priori, no good way for doing this with the sdk. If we have a background task, which runs looking for the GPS mouse to often it won't be good for the battery.
Generally you have to switch on the GPS, so It should not really be a problem to start the service at the same time, especially if, as I do, you plug the android device in a car dock...
Very very nice start, worked as well as the Bluetooth GPS Mouse program I've been using for a few weeks.. No sat or fix info, but that's a limitation of the Mock interface of course. Not much to be done there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use the extra info in the location to have the number of sat used.
However, if Google has made a better Mock API, we should be able to use GPS Test directly...
Thanks for your comments,
Herbert

Hello,
I downloaded the file but that is not apk but zip and does not include any apy files.
Where can i download the bluegps4droid.apk file from? or How can I use the zip file in the android unit?
Thanks for the help
Sandor

Any Hope for Android 1.6?
I just tried Bluetooth GPS for Android but sadly found out it won't work with Android 1.6 such as used by my Archos 5 Internet Tablet.
Any hope for 1.6 support? Is it even possible?
I imagine the other two solutions suggested here were not found in my Market because they are 2.x only as well. Boo. I was so looking forward to this solving all my problems of the craptastic GPS in that device.

herbert1 said:
I didn't want to pay for something like that and I did not understand why I should give phone call or network access for such an application...
So I've have developed mine:
it' free,
it's open-source (you can verify what it's really doing and you can improve it!),
it just asks for needed permissions.
The application allows to use an external bluetooth GPS on Android devices:
The application starts a service, then connects to a Bluetooth device (NMEA GPS) and creates a mock GPS provider which can be used to replace the internal GPS.
It's also possible to log the external GPS NMEA data in a file on the device.
The app need the following permissions:
bluetooth and bluetooth admin (connection to the GPS device),
location and mock location (replace the GPS location provider by a new one using the bluetooth GPS device),
write external storage (if you want to log the NMEA data into a file on the sdcard).
It should run on all android devices (2.0 and above) and NMEA bluetooth devices.
I have tested it with a GlobalSat BT-338 bluetooth GPS (SiRF III), a Galaxy S (I9000) and a HTC Sapphire (Froyo CM-6).
It works with Google Maps, Wikitude, GoPenS and my own personal navigation app. It should work with all applications that use Android official location API.
Note: in order to install the app:
enable Settings/Applications/Unknown sources,
enable Settings/Applications/Development/Allow mock locations,
download and install the apk.
Project page:
Bluetooth GPS for Android on SourceForge
BlueGPS4Droid apk: BlueGps4Droid_1.0.apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any way you could port this to android 1.6 ? everyone with an archos needs this app cause the gps that is in it is terrible . Please please please port it to android 1.6 .

I've been in touch with a developer of one of these programs and unfortunately it is not possible to port these apps to 1.6 since 1.6 lacks some of the Bluetooth APIs/libraries needed for the functionality. Without a whole lot of messy programming it isn't possible for these apps to work on 1.6.

Can I use an USB GPS receivier instead of a Bluetooth one?

Stefem said:
Can I use an USB GPS receivier instead of a Bluetooth one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure that such app exists...
Some devices (some tablets for example) have usb host capabilities, but not all of them.
If you can read the NMEA sentences from the USB GPS, it should be feasible (At least to adapt one of the app used with bluetooth GPS).

Thanks for this great App!
Wow!
Thanks Herbert1, this was exactly what I was looking for. I am using you app with a Samsung Galaxy S and a Columbus v900 BT GPS reciever. The reciever does the logging and is WAY faster and more accurate then the internal GPS android gives me.

[Q] USB/Bluetooth GPS

Hi there,
I'm loving my Surface so far (Had it for two weeks) and would like to know if anyone has managed to pair it with a USB or Bluetooth GPS unit?
If yes, does it work well with the included Bing maps? Or are there any other good apps for use with a GPS?
I potentially have two uses for the device with GPS enabled.
1) As a navigation device
2) As a GPS logger that can log my position and export the data to be used in Photoshop Lightroom to geotag my photos.
If anyone has done this can they please share with GPS device you have tried and how your experiences have been?
I was hoping that using my Android phone as a WiFi hotspot would allow Bing maps access to the GPS location of my phone...but I don't think it works.

I was able to pair it with my BT GPS but no luck actually getting any apps to work with it...
--Chris

christr said:
I was able to pair it with my BT GPS but no luck actually getting any apps to work with it...
--Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same result here.
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

Do you guys have the Windows location platform enabled? I think it may be off by default, which prevents apps from getting your location even when the OS has it.
Open Start, type "location", and look under Settings.