Method for connecting a network receiver with one or more devices while minimizing power usage
The disclosure generally relates to identifying a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) enabled Wi-Fi network receiver and automatically connecting to the BTLE-enabled network receiver via a Wi-Fi signal without using a Wi-Fi scanning operation. In some aspects, an initial connection may be established between the network receiver and a BTLE-enabled device during which the Wi-Fi scanning operation of the device is disabled. Thereafter, the device may automatically detect the BTLE-enabled network receiver via BTLE signal and automatically connect to the network receiving using a Wi-Fi signal without using the Wi-Fi scanning operation. In this way, the battery life of the device may be conserved by disabling the Wi-Fi scanning operation. Although the electronic device may be within the Wi-Fi range of the network receiver, the device may not search for or connect to the network receiver if it is outside of the BTLE range of the network receiver.
1. A method of connecting a device to a network receiver using Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) comprising:
preconfiguring the device to pair with the network receiver via a Bluetooth protocol, wherein the preconfigured pairing comprises storing exchanged data for future auto-connection between the device and the network receiver;
in response to preconfiguring the device to pair with the network receiver, automatically disabling a Wi-Fi scanning operation of the device;
while the Wi-Fi scanning operation is disabled and based on the preconfigured pairing, automatically connecting to the network receiver via the Bluetooth protocol; and
establishing a Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
when the device is within a geographic range of the BTLE signal, automatically establishing the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises one of: a portable device, a tablet, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a gaming console.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network receiver comprises one of: a wireless router, an Ethernet router, a network adapter, a router/modem combination device, a Miracast device, a Chromecast device, a wireless dock, and an AirPlay device.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the geographic range for pairing the device to the BTLE signal can be adjusted.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver is maintained when the device exceeds the geographic range of the BTLE signal.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver is terminated when the device exceeds the geographic range of the BTLE signal.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein terminating the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver occurs while the device is within a range of a Wi-Fi signal of the network receiver and outside the geographic range of the BTLE signal of the network receiver.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein multiple devices connect to the network receiver.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the multiple devices pairs with the network receiver using the BTLE signal.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the multiple devices connects to the network receiver using a Wi-Fi signal.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the BTLE signal of the network receiver is disabled, further comprising:
connecting to the network receiver via a Wi-Fi signal using a Wi-Fi scanning operation.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a BTLE capability of the device is disabled, further comprising:
connecting to the network receiver via a Wi-Fi signal using a Wi-Fi scanning operation.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a selection to enable the Wi-Fi scanning operation of the device.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically establishing the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver further comprises first establishing a BTLE connection between the device and the network receiver.
16. A device for connecting to an auto-connect capable network receiver using a low energy signal comprising:
at least one processing unit; and
at least one memory encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to perform a method comprising:
preconfiguring the device to pair with a network receiver via the low energy signal, wherein the low energy signal of the network receiver is associated with a geographic range, and wherein the preconfigured pairing comprises storing exchanged data for future auto-connection between the device and the network receiver;
in response to preconfiguring the device to pair with the network receiver, automatically disabling a Wi-Fi scanning operation of the device;
while the Wi-Fi scanning operation is disabled and based on the preconfigured pairing, automatically connecting to the network receiver via the low energy signal; and
establishing a Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the device comprises a stored list of at least one Bluetooth-compatible paired device.
18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:
maintaining the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver when the device exceeds the geographic range of the low energy signal of the network receiver.
19. A computer storage device encoding computer executable instructions that when executed by at least one processor, perform a method comprising:
preconfiguring a device to pair with a network receiver via a low energy signal, wherein the low energy signal of the network receiver is associated with a geographic range, and wherein the preconfigured pairing comprises storing exchanged data for future auto-connection between the device and the network receiver;
in response to preconfiguring the device to pair with the network receiver, automatically disabling a Wi-Fi scanning operation of the device;
while the Wi-Fi scanning operation is disabled and based on the preconfigured pairing, automatically connecting to the network receiver via the low energy signal; and
establishing a Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver.
20. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:
terminating the Wi-Fi connection between the device and the network receiver when the device exceeds the geographic range of the low energy signal.