Getting Reach coordinates on Android via BT

Overview#

This guide demonstrates how to get precise coordinates from Reach on an Android device over Bluetooth.

Some of the GIS apps for Android used with Reach:

Mobile Topographer Pro
PointMan
ESRI ArcGIS Collector
Mapit GIS
LandStar
Autocad360
QField

Video guide#

The video below covers the process of connecting Reach to an Android device for data collection.

Text guide#

Make sure your Android device provides Bluetooth connectivity.

tip

To output a centimeter accurate position, Reach should be in RTK mode. Refer to the article How RTK works to learn more.

Configure the Reach unit to act as a rover in RTK.

Getting corrections from the Reach RS+ base on the Reach RS+ rover

Set up RTK communication between 2 Reach RS+ units over LoRa radio following this video guide.

Getting corrections from NTRIP/CORS

Configure NTRIP/CORS network as a source of positioning corrections for the Reach RS/RS+ rover following this guide.

Pairing Reach with an Android device#

Access Reach rover using ReachView 3

Connecting to Reach with iOS/Android device

Get the app from Google Play or App Store
Go to Wi-Fi settings on your device
Connect to Reach hotspot. It appears as reach:XX:XX
Enter password emlidreach
Launch the ReachView 3 app
Choose Reach from the list
Open the Bluetooth configuration screen, enable Bluetooth connection and set on Always discoverable

note

Reach name is displayed just above its MAC. In this guide, we used the unit named as Reach.

Access an Android device

Navigate to the Bluetooth configuration screen. Activate the Bluetooth connection
Wait for Reach to be listed as an available device

tip

Keep Reach within a few meters from your Android device.

Tap the name of your Reach in the list of available devices on the Android device
You should receive a pairing request from Reach
Enter the PIN code of your Reach unit and confirm it

Reach and Android device are now paired:

Position output from Reach to Android#

In the ReachView 3 app, navigate to the Position output screen
Activate Output 1, set it to BT and select solution output format to NMEA. After that, click the Apply button

note

You might see the "Write error" message in some cases. This is fine as long as there is no client connected to the NMEA stream yet.

Android mock location#

We provide a guide on how to use Reach with Lefebure NTRIP Client.

Besides being an NTRIP Client, this app also allows NMEA data input via Bluetooth and supports Android feature called mock location. This feature allows substituting your device's built-in GPS receiver with an external location provider.

note

Lefebure NTRIP Client allows GIS apps in the Android device to use accurate coordinates from Reach.

Install the app Lefebure NTRIP Client in your Android device
Open Developer Options on your Android device and choose Lefebure NTRIP Client in the Select mock location app field

note

It is recommended to switch off the power-saving mode on your phone as it may limit background data usage for the Lefebure NTRIP client app.

Launch the Lefebure NTRIP Client app and tap on the settings icon (gear in the upper right corner)

Go to Receiver Settings

Inside the receiver settings:

Configure Receiver Connection as External via Bluetooth
Change Bluetooth device to the Reach you are paired with
Change Bluetooth Connection Method to Secure via Reflection
Enable GPS Mock Locations

Go back to the main screen and hit the Connect button

tip

Check the log messages to confirm the Bluetooth connection got established and the information about satellites is updated.

From this moment on, all apps in the Android device that use location services will automatically have access to the positional data streamed from Reach. You can just open a GIS app you want to use and start surveying.

note

Tapping the Disconnect button in the Lefebure NTRIP Client will revert back to the Android built-in GNSS.

Collecting Data with Reach and ArcGIS#

We provide a video tutorial explaining how to use Reach with ArcGIS.