L2CAP Channels

Overview

L2CAP Connection-Oriented Channels (CoC) provide a streaming socket-like channel over BLE, suitable for transferring large blobs or high-throughput data without the overhead of GATT characteristic reads/writes.

In Shiny.BluetoothLE the central role exposes L2CAP through the optional ICanL2Cap capability on IPeripheral. The peripheral must have published a PSM (e.g. via Shiny.BluetoothLE.Hosting.OpenL2Cap(...)) — see BluetoothLE Hosting → L2CAP.

Capability Detection

Not every backend supports L2CAP. Use the helpers in FeatureL2Cap to feature-detect at runtime:

using Shiny.BluetoothLE;

if (peripheral.IsL2CapAvailable())
{
    // Backend supports L2CAP
}

Or call the safe extension that returns an empty observable on unsupported platforms:

peripheral
    .TryOpenL2CapChannel(psm: 0x0083, secure: false)
    .Subscribe(channel => { /* ... */ });

Opening a Channel

When the peripheral implements ICanL2Cap, you can open a channel directly:

if (peripheral is ICanL2Cap l2cap)
{
    l2cap
        .OpenL2CapChannel(psm: 0x0083, secure: false)
        .Subscribe(channel =>
        {
            // channel.Psm           — the PSM the channel was opened on
            // channel.Identifier    — the remote peer identifier
            // channel.DataReceived  — IObservable<byte[]> of incoming bytes
            // channel.Write(bytes)  — IObservable<Unit> that completes when bytes are queued
        });
}

The returned L2CapChannel is an IDisposable record. Disposing it closes the underlying streams (Apple) or socket (Android) and releases platform resources.

Reading Data

DataReceived is a hot observable. Each emission is a right-sized byte[] payload as bytes become available from the remote endpoint. It completes when the remote endpoint closes the channel (Apple EndEncountered, Android InputStream EOF) and surfaces I/O errors via OnError.

channel.DataReceived.Subscribe(
    payload => Console.WriteLine($"Got {payload.Length} bytes"),
    ex      => Console.WriteLine($"Channel error: {ex.Message}"),
    ()      => Console.WriteLine("Channel closed")
);

Writing Data

Write is a Func<byte[], IObservable<Unit>> that returns a single-shot observable completing when the bytes have been queued to the platform write buffer. Await it (via ToTask()) or chain via Rx.

using System.Reactive.Threading.Tasks;

await channel.Write(payload).ToTask();

For larger transfers, batch writes through your own back-pressure strategy — the underlying buffer may apply flow control (Apple HasSpaceAvailable).

Closing the Channel

Dispose the L2CapChannel to close the channel and release resources:

using (var channel = await peripheral
    .TryOpenL2CapChannel(0x0083, secure: false)
    .FirstAsync()
    .ToTask())
{
    // Use the channel
}

Platform Notes

Platform	API	Notes
iOS / Mac Catalyst / macOS	CBPeripheral.OpenL2CapChannel	The secure flag is ignored — security is determined by how the peripheral published the channel.
Android	BluetoothDevice.CreateL2capChannel / CreateInsecureL2capChannel	Requires API 29+. Opening throws InvalidOperationException on older versions. The secure flag selects between the two APIs.
Linux	AF_BLUETOOTH / BTPROTO_L2CAP / SOCK_SEQPACKET socket	BlueZ does not expose CoC over D-Bus, so the implementation opens the kernel socket directly. Peer BD-address and address type are read from org.bluez.Device1.Address / AddressType. secure=true sets BT_SECURITY_MEDIUM via setsockopt(SOL_BLUETOOTH, BT_SECURITY); secure=false sets BT_SECURITY_LOW. LE dynamic PSMs (≥ 0x80) do not require CAP_NET_RAW — unprivileged users can open channels.
Blazor WASM / Windows	—	Not supported. Web Bluetooth does not expose L2CAP; WinRT has no public LE CoC surface.

File Upload & Download

SendFile (below) just pushes bytes — the peer has to already know what it is receiving. The upload/download helpers add a small framed protocol on top of the channel so both peers agree on the file name and the exact byte count before a single body byte moves. That agreement is what makes percent-complete and ETA real on both ends.

The peripheral must be serving the same protocol — see BluetoothLE Hosting → L2CAP File Server.

One-Shot Transfers

UploadFile / DownloadFile on IPeripheral open a channel, run the transfer, and close the channel again:

using Shiny.BluetoothLE;

var result = await peripheral.UploadFile(
    psm: 0x0083,
    localFilePath: "/path/to/reading.csv",
    remoteFileName: "reading.csv",   // optional - defaults to the local file name
    secure: false,
    onProgress: p => Console.WriteLine(
        $"{p.PercentComplete:P0} {p.BytesPerSecond / 1024} KB/s, ETA {p.EstimatedTimeRemaining}"
    ),
    cancellationToken: ct
);

Console.WriteLine($"Sent {result.BytesTransferred} bytes in {result.Elapsed} ({result.BytesPerSecond / 1024} KB/s)");

var result = await peripheral.DownloadFile(
    psm: 0x0083,
    remoteFileName: "firmware.bin",
    localFilePath: Path.Combine(FileSystem.AppDataDirectory, "firmware.bin"),
    onProgress: p => Console.WriteLine($"{p.PercentComplete:P0}")
);

The download path is created (and overwritten) for you, and truncated to the received length. If the transfer fails, the partial file is deleted rather than left behind.

Rx Variants

UploadFileWithProgress / DownloadFileWithProgress return IObservable<TransferProgress> — progress emissions as the body streams, a final 100% emission, then completion. Disposing the subscription cancels the transfer and closes the channel.

peripheral
    .DownloadFileWithProgress(0x0083, "firmware.bin", localPath)
    .Subscribe(
        p  => this.Percent = p.PercentComplete,
        ex => Console.WriteLine($"Failed: {ex.Message}"),
        () => Console.WriteLine("Done")
    );

Several Files Over One Channel

The one-shot methods open and close a channel per file. To move several files over a single channel, open it yourself and call the same helpers on the L2CapChannel:

using var channel = await peripheral.OpenL2CapChannelAsync(psm: 0x0083, secure: false, cancellationToken: ct);

await channel.UploadFile("/path/to/a.bin", cancellationToken: ct);
await channel.UploadFile("/path/to/b.bin", cancellationToken: ct);
await channel.DownloadFile("config.json", localConfigPath, cancellationToken: ct);

OpenL2CapChannelAsync is the awaitable form of ICanL2Cap.OpenL2CapChannel — it throws NotSupportedException on platforms without L2CAP rather than returning an empty observable.

Stream overloads exist on both sides for non-file sources. Uploads require the exact length up front — the peer preallocates against it and uses it for percent-complete:

await channel.UploadFile(sourceStream, "reading.csv", length: sourceStream.Length, cancellationToken: ct);
await channel.DownloadFile("config.json", destinationStream, cancellationToken: ct);

Caution

Transfers are sequential on a given channel — run one at a time, and do not subscribe to channel.DataReceived yourself while a transfer is in flight. The helpers consume that stream to read the protocol frames.

Serving Requests

A central can also be the serving side — useful when the peripheral drives the exchange. ReadFileRequest waits for the peer’s next request and hands back an L2CapFileRequest to accept or reject:

var request = await channel.ReadFileRequest(cancellationToken: ct);
if (request == null)
    return; // peer closed the channel

if (request.Type == L2CapTransferType.Upload)
{
    // peer wants to send us request.FileName (request.Size bytes)
    await request.AcceptUpload(Path.Combine(inboxDir, "inbound.bin"), cancellationToken: ct);
}
else
{
    // peer wants request.FileName from us
    await request.AcceptDownload("/path/to/local.bin", cancellationToken: ct);
}

Every request must be answered — with one of the accept methods or Reject(...) — before the next one is read; the peer is blocked waiting on the answer.

await request.Reject(L2CapTransferError.NotPermitted, "Not accepting uploads right now");

request.FileName comes straight off the wire — treat it as untrusted input and never hand it to the filesystem unresolved.

L2CapFileRequest member	Description
Type	Upload (the peer wants to send you a file) or Download (it wants one from you)
FileName	The name the peer asked for — untrusted
Size	Bytes the peer intends to send; 0 on a download request, where you supply the size
PeerIdentifier	The remote peer identifier
Psm	The PSM the channel is running on
IsAnswered	Whether the request has already been accepted or rejected

Tuning

L2CapTransferOptions is accepted by every transfer method:

Member	Default	Description
BufferSize	4096	Bytes read/written per chunk. Larger values mean fewer syscalls but coarser progress
ProgressInterval	2 seconds	How often onProgress fires while the body streams. A completion event always fires regardless
IdleTimeout	30 seconds	How long a read may stall before the transfer is abandoned. Use Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan to wait forever

var options = new L2CapTransferOptions
{
    BufferSize = 16 * 1024,
    ProgressInterval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500),
    IdleTimeout = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2)
};

await peripheral.DownloadFile(psm, "firmware.bin", localPath, options: options);

Results & Errors

A completed transfer returns an L2CapTransferResult:

Member	Description
Type	Upload or Download, as named by the peer that initiated it — both peers report the same value
FileName	The file name agreed with the peer
BytesTransferred	Total bytes moved
Elapsed	Wall-clock duration
BytesPerSecond	Average throughput across the whole transfer

A refusal or failure throws L2CapTransferException (a BleException) carrying an L2CapTransferError:

Error	Meaning
NotFound	The requested file does not exist on the peer
NotPermitted	The peer refused it — uploads/downloads disabled, or the name was rejected
TooLarge	The upload exceeds what the peer will accept
IoError	The peer hit an IO error reading or writing the file
ProtocolError	The peers fell out of sync, or the channel is not speaking this protocol
Cancelled	The peer cancelled the transfer
Unknown	No cause was reported

try
{
    await peripheral.DownloadFile(psm, "firmware.bin", localPath);
}
catch (L2CapTransferException ex) when (ex.Error == L2CapTransferError.NotFound)
{
    Console.WriteLine("The peripheral doesn't have that file");
}

A rejection leaves the channel usable for further requests. A ProtocolError does not — open a new channel.

Raw Streaming

L2CapChannelExtensions.SendFile streams a file (or any Stream) over the channel with HTTP-transfer-style progress metrics — bytes-per-second, bytes-transferred, percent-complete, estimated time remaining. There is no handshake and no framing: the receiver gets raw bytes on DataReceived and is responsible for knowing what they mean. Use the upload/download helpers when you want the peers to agree on a name and length.

using Shiny.BluetoothLE;

await channel.SendFile(
    "/path/to/file.bin",
    bufferSize: 4096,
    onProgress: p => Console.WriteLine(
        $"{p.PercentComplete:P0} ({p.BytesTransferred}/{p.BytesToTransfer}) " +
        $"{p.BytesPerSecond / 1024} KB/s, ETA {p.EstimatedTimeRemaining}"
    ),
    cancellationToken: ct
);

The onProgress callback fires roughly every two seconds during the transfer (with BytesPerSecond computed from the window of bytes written since the last emission) and once more on completion with BytesPerSecond = 0 and BytesTransferred = BytesToTransfer.

A Stream overload is available for non-file sources:

await channel.SendFile(
    source: networkStream,
    totalBytes: contentLength,     // pass null when the length is unknown
    onProgress: p => ...
);

When totalBytes is null, TransferProgress.IsDeterministic is false, PercentComplete returns -1, and EstimatedTimeRemaining returns TimeSpan.Zero.

TransferProgress

Every progress callback on this page — SendFile, the upload/download helpers, and the hosting file server — reports the same record, which mirrors Shiny.Net.Http.TransferProgress:

Member	Description
BytesPerSecond	Throughput in the most recent ~2s window
BytesToTransfer	Total bytes expected, or null when unknown
BytesTransferred	Bytes written so far
IsDeterministic	true when BytesToTransfer is known
PercentComplete	0.0–1.0, or -1 when not deterministic
EstimatedTimeRemaining	TimeSpan based on current throughput; Zero when unknown

Naming collision: if you reference both Shiny.BluetoothLE and Shiny.Net.Http in the same compilation, both expose a TransferProgress type. Use a file-level using alias or fully-qualified name to disambiguate.

Complete Example

using System.Reactive.Linq;
using System.Reactive.Threading.Tasks;
using Shiny.BluetoothLE;

async Task RunSession(IPeripheral peripheral, ushort psm)
{
    if (!peripheral.IsL2CapAvailable())
        throw new PlatformNotSupportedException("L2CAP not supported on this platform.");

    var channel = await peripheral
        .TryOpenL2CapChannel(psm, secure: false)
        .FirstAsync()
        .ToTask();

    using (channel)
    {
        var receiveSub = channel.DataReceived.Subscribe(payload =>
            Console.WriteLine($"<< {payload.Length} bytes")
        );

        await channel.Write(new byte[] { 0x01, 0x02, 0x03 }).ToTask();
        await channel.Write(new byte[] { 0xAA, 0xBB, 0xCC }).ToTask();

        await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5));
        receiveSub.Dispose();
    }
}