Access layer

The access layer is the application’s interface to the Bluetooth mesh network. The access layer provides mechanisms for compartmentalizing the node behavior into elements and models, which are implemented by the application.

Mesh models

The functionality of a mesh node is represented by models. A model implements a single behavior the node supports, like being a light, a sensor or a thermostat. The mesh models are grouped into elements. Each element is assigned its own unicast address, and may only contain one of each type of model. Conventionally, each element represents a single aspect of the mesh node behavior. For instance, a node that contains a sensor, two lights and a power outlet would spread this functionality across four elements, with each element instantiating all the models required for a single aspect of the supported behavior.

The node’s element and model structure is specified in the node composition data, which is passed to bt_mesh_init() during initialization. The Bluetooth SIG have defined a set of foundation models (see Foundation models) and a set of models for implementing common behavior in the Bluetooth Mesh Model Specification. All models not specified by the Bluetooth SIG are vendor models, and must be tied to a Company ID.

Mesh models have several parameters that can be configured either through initialization of the mesh stack or with the Configuration Server:

Opcode list

The opcode list contains all message opcodes the model can receive, as well as the minimum acceptable payload length and the callback to pass them to. Models can support any number of opcodes, but each opcode can only be listed by one model in each element.

The full opcode list must be passed to the model structure in the composition data, and cannot be changed at runtime. The end of the opcode list is determined by the special BT_MESH_MODEL_OP_END entry. This entry must always be present in the opcode list, unless the list is empty. In that case, BT_MESH_MODEL_NO_OPS should be used in place of a proper opcode list definition.

AppKey list

The AppKey list contains all the application keys the model can receive messages on. Only messages encrypted with application keys in the AppKey list will be passed to the model.

The maximum number of supported application keys each model can hold is configured with the CONFIG_BT_MESH_MODEL_KEY_COUNT configuration option. The contents of the AppKey list is managed by the Configuration Server.

Subscription list

A model will process all messages addressed to the unicast address of their element (given that the utilized application key is present in the AppKey list). Additionally, the model will process packets addressed to any group or virtual address in its subscription list. This allows nodes to address multiple nodes throughout the mesh network with a single message.

The maximum number of supported addresses in the Subscription list each model can hold is configured with the CONFIG_BT_MESH_MODEL_GROUP_COUNT configuration option. The contents of the subscription list is managed by the Configuration Server.

Model publication

The models may send messages in two ways:

When publishing messages with bt_mesh_model_publish(), the model will use the publication parameters configured by the Configuration Server. This is the recommended way to send unprompted model messages, as it passes the responsibility of selecting message parameters to the network administrator, which likely knows more about the mesh network than the individual nodes will.

To support publishing with the publication parameters, the model must allocate a packet buffer for publishing, and pass it to bt_mesh_model_pub.msg. The Config Server may also set up period publication for the publication message. To support this, the model must populate the bt_mesh_model_pub.update callback. The bt_mesh_model_pub.update callback will be called right before the message is published, allowing the model to change the payload to reflect its current state.

By setting bt_mesh_model_pub.retr_update to 1, the model can configure the bt_mesh_model_pub.update callback to be triggered on every retransmission. This can, for example, be used by models that make use of a Delay parameter, which can be adjusted for every retransmission. The bt_mesh_model_pub_is_retransmission() function can be used to differentiate a first publication and a retransmission. The BT_MESH_PUB_MSG_TOTAL and BT_MESH_PUB_MSG_NUM macros can be used to return total number of transmissions and the retransmission number within one publication interval.

Extended models

The Bluetooth mesh specification allows the mesh models to extend each other. When a model extends another, it inherits that model’s functionality, and extension can be used to construct complex models out of simple ones, leveraging the existing model functionality to avoid defining new opcodes. Models may extend any number of models, from any element. When one model extends another in the same element, the two models will share subscription lists. The mesh stack implements this by merging the subscription lists of the two models into one, combining the number of subscriptions the models can have in total. Models may extend models that extend others, creating an “extension tree”. All models in an extension tree share a single subscription list per element it spans.

Model extensions are done by calling bt_mesh_model_extend() during initialization. A model can only be extended by one other model, and extensions cannot be circular. Note that binding of node states and other relationships between the models must be defined by the model implementations.

The model extension concept adds some overhead in the access layer packet processing, and must be explicitly enabled with CONFIG_BT_MESH_MODEL_EXTENSIONS to have any effect.

Model data storage

Mesh models may have data associated with each model instance that needs to be stored persistently. The access API provides a mechanism for storing this data, leveraging the internal model instance encoding scheme. Models can store one user defined data entry per instance by calling bt_mesh_model_data_store(). To be able to read out the data the next time the device reboots, the model’s bt_mesh_model_cb.settings_set callback must be populated. This callback gets called when model specific data is found in the persistent storage. The model can retrieve the data by calling the read_cb passed as a parameter to the callback. See the Settings module documentation for details.

API reference

group bt_mesh_access

Access layer.

Defines

BT_MESH_ADDR_UNASSIGNED
BT_MESH_ADDR_ALL_NODES
BT_MESH_ADDR_PROXIES
BT_MESH_ADDR_FRIENDS
BT_MESH_ADDR_RELAYS
BT_MESH_KEY_UNUSED
BT_MESH_KEY_ANY
BT_MESH_KEY_DEV
BT_MESH_KEY_DEV_LOCAL
BT_MESH_KEY_DEV_REMOTE
BT_MESH_KEY_DEV_ANY
BT_MESH_ADDR_IS_UNICAST(addr)
BT_MESH_ADDR_IS_GROUP(addr)
BT_MESH_ADDR_IS_VIRTUAL(addr)
BT_MESH_ADDR_IS_RFU(addr)
BT_MESH_IS_DEV_KEY(key)
BT_MESH_APP_SEG_SDU_MAX

Maximum size of an access message segment (in octets).

BT_MESH_APP_UNSEG_SDU_MAX

Maximum payload size of an unsegmented access message (in octets).

BT_MESH_RX_SEG_MAX

Maximum number of segments supported for incoming messages.

BT_MESH_TX_SEG_MAX

Maximum number of segments supported for outgoing messages.

BT_MESH_TX_SDU_MAX

Maximum possible payload size of an outgoing access message (in octets).

BT_MESH_RX_SDU_MAX

Maximum possible payload size of an incoming access message (in octets).

BT_MESH_ELEM(_loc, _mods, _vnd_mods)

Helper to define a mesh element within an array.

In case the element has no SIG or Vendor models the helper macro BT_MESH_MODEL_NONE can be given instead.

Parameters
  • _loc – Location Descriptor.

  • _mods – Array of models.

  • _vnd_mods – Array of vendor models.

BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_CFG_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_CFG_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_HEALTH_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_HEALTH_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_ONOFF_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_ONOFF_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_LEVEL_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_LEVEL_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_DEF_TRANS_TIME_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_DEF_TRANS_TIME_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_POWER_ONOFF_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_POWER_ONOFF_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_POWER_ONOFF_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_POWER_LEVEL_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_POWER_LEVEL_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_POWER_LEVEL_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_BATTERY_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_BATTERY_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_LOCATION_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_LOCATION_SETUPSRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_LOCATION_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_ADMIN_PROP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_MANUFACTURER_PROP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_USER_PROP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_CLIENT_PROP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_GEN_PROP_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SENSOR_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SENSOR_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SENSOR_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_TIME_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_TIME_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_TIME_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SCENE_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SCENE_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SCENE_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SCHEDULER_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SCHEDULER_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_SCHEDULER_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_LIGHTNESS_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_LIGHTNESS_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_LIGHTNESS_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_CTL_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_CTL_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_CTL_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_CTL_TEMP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_HSL_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_HSL_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_HSL_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_HSL_HUE_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_HSL_SAT_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_XYL_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_XYL_SETUP_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_XYL_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_LC_SRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_LC_SETUPSRV
BT_MESH_MODEL_ID_LIGHT_LC_CLI
BT_MESH_MODEL_OP_1(b0)
BT_MESH_MODEL_OP_2(b0, b1)
BT_MESH_MODEL_OP_3(b0, cid)
BT_MESH_LEN_EXACT(len)

Macro for encoding exact message length for fixed-length messages.

BT_MESH_LEN_MIN(len)

Macro for encoding minimum message length for variable-length messages.

BT_MESH_MODEL_OP_END

End of the opcode list. Must always be present.

BT_MESH_MODEL_NO_OPS

Helper to define an empty opcode list.

BT_MESH_MODEL_NONE

Helper to define an empty model array

BT_MESH_MODEL_CB(_id, _op, _pub, _user_data, _cb)

Composition data SIG model entry with callback functions.

Parameters
  • _id – Model ID.

  • _op – Array of model opcode handlers.

  • _pub – Model publish parameters.

  • _user_data – User data for the model.

  • _cb – Callback structure, or NULL to keep no callbacks.

BT_MESH_MODEL_VND_CB(_company, _id, _op, _pub, _user_data, _cb)

Composition data vendor model entry with callback functions.

Parameters
  • _company – Company ID.

  • _id – Model ID.

  • _op – Array of model opcode handlers.

  • _pub – Model publish parameters.

  • _user_data – User data for the model.

  • _cb – Callback structure, or NULL to keep no callbacks.

BT_MESH_MODEL(_id, _op, _pub, _user_data)

Composition data SIG model entry.

Parameters
  • _id – Model ID.

  • _op – Array of model opcode handlers.

  • _pub – Model publish parameters.

  • _user_data – User data for the model.

BT_MESH_MODEL_VND(_company, _id, _op, _pub, _user_data)

Composition data vendor model entry.

Parameters
  • _company – Company ID.

  • _id – Model ID.

  • _op – Array of model opcode handlers.

  • _pub – Model publish parameters.

  • _user_data – User data for the model.

BT_MESH_TRANSMIT(count, int_ms)

Encode transmission count & interval steps.

Parameters
  • count – Number of retransmissions (first transmission is excluded).

  • int_ms – Interval steps in milliseconds. Must be greater than 0, less than or equal to 320, and a multiple of 10.

Returns

Mesh transmit value that can be used e.g. for the default values of the configuration model data.

BT_MESH_TRANSMIT_COUNT(transmit)

Decode transmit count from a transmit value.

Parameters
  • transmit – Encoded transmit count & interval value.

Returns

Transmission count (actual transmissions is N + 1).

BT_MESH_TRANSMIT_INT(transmit)

Decode transmit interval from a transmit value.

Parameters
  • transmit – Encoded transmit count & interval value.

Returns

Transmission interval in milliseconds.

BT_MESH_PUB_TRANSMIT(count, int_ms)

Encode Publish Retransmit count & interval steps.

Parameters
  • count – Number of retransmissions (first transmission is excluded).

  • int_ms – Interval steps in milliseconds. Must be greater than 0 and a multiple of 50.

Returns

Mesh transmit value that can be used e.g. for the default values of the configuration model data.

BT_MESH_PUB_TRANSMIT_COUNT(transmit)

Decode Publish Retransmit count from a given value.

Parameters
  • transmit – Encoded Publish Retransmit count & interval value.

Returns

Retransmission count (actual transmissions is N + 1).

BT_MESH_PUB_TRANSMIT_INT(transmit)

Decode Publish Retransmit interval from a given value.

Parameters
  • transmit – Encoded Publish Retransmit count & interval value.

Returns

Transmission interval in milliseconds.

BT_MESH_PUB_MSG_TOTAL(pub)

Get total number of messages within one publication interval including initial publication.

Parameters
  • pub – Model publication context.

Returns

total number of messages.

BT_MESH_PUB_MSG_NUM(pub)

Get message number within one publication interval.

Meant to be used inside bt_mesh_model_pub::update.

Parameters
  • pub – Model publication context.

Returns

message number starting from 1.

BT_MESH_MODEL_PUB_DEFINE(_name, _update, _msg_len)

Define a model publication context.

Parameters
  • _name – Variable name given to the context.

  • _update – Optional message update callback (may be NULL).

  • _msg_len – Length of the publication message.

BT_MESH_TTL_DEFAULT

Special TTL value to request using configured default TTL

BT_MESH_TTL_MAX

Maximum allowed TTL value

Functions

int bt_mesh_model_send(struct bt_mesh_model *model, struct bt_mesh_msg_ctx *ctx, struct net_buf_simple *msg, const struct bt_mesh_send_cb *cb, void *cb_data)

Send an Access Layer message.

Parameters
  • model – Mesh (client) Model that the message belongs to.

  • ctx – Message context, includes keys, TTL, etc.

  • msg – Access Layer payload (the actual message to be sent).

  • cb – Optional “message sent” callback.

  • cb_data – User data to be passed to the callback.

Returns

0 on success, or (negative) error code on failure.

int bt_mesh_model_publish(struct bt_mesh_model *model)

Send a model publication message.

Before calling this function, the user needs to ensure that the model publication message (bt_mesh_model_pub::msg) contains a valid message to be sent. Note that this API is only to be used for non-period publishing. For periodic publishing the app only needs to make sure that bt_mesh_model_pub::msg contains a valid message whenever the bt_mesh_model_pub::update callback is called.

Parameters
  • model – Mesh (client) Model that’s publishing the message.

Returns

0 on success, or (negative) error code on failure.

static inline bool bt_mesh_model_pub_is_retransmission(const struct bt_mesh_model *model)

Check if a message is being retransmitted.

Meant to be used inside the bt_mesh_model_pub::update callback.

Parameters
  • model – Mesh Model that supports publication.

Returns

true if this is a retransmission, false if this is a first publication.

struct bt_mesh_elem *bt_mesh_model_elem(struct bt_mesh_model *mod)

Get the element that a model belongs to.

Parameters
  • mod – Mesh model.

Returns

Pointer to the element that the given model belongs to.

struct bt_mesh_model *bt_mesh_model_find(const struct bt_mesh_elem *elem, uint16_t id)

Find a SIG model.

Parameters
  • elem – Element to search for the model in.

  • id – Model ID of the model.

Returns

A pointer to the Mesh model matching the given parameters, or NULL if no SIG model with the given ID exists in the given element.

struct bt_mesh_model *bt_mesh_model_find_vnd(const struct bt_mesh_elem *elem, uint16_t company, uint16_t id)

Find a vendor model.

Parameters
  • elem – Element to search for the model in.

  • company – Company ID of the model.

  • id – Model ID of the model.

Returns

A pointer to the Mesh model matching the given parameters, or NULL if no vendor model with the given ID exists in the given element.

static inline bool bt_mesh_model_in_primary(const struct bt_mesh_model *mod)

Get whether the model is in the primary element of the device.

Parameters
  • mod – Mesh model.

Returns

true if the model is on the primary element, false otherwise.

int bt_mesh_model_data_store(struct bt_mesh_model *mod, bool vnd, const char *name, const void *data, size_t data_len)

Immediately store the model’s user data in persistent storage.

Parameters
  • mod – Mesh model.

  • vnd – This is a vendor model.

  • name – Name/key of the settings item. Only SETTINGS_MAX_DIR_DEPTH bytes will be used at most.

  • data – Model data to store, or NULL to delete any model data.

  • data_len – Length of the model data.

Returns

0 on success, or (negative) error code on failure.

int bt_mesh_model_extend(struct bt_mesh_model *extending_mod, struct bt_mesh_model *base_mod)

Let a model extend another.

Mesh models may be extended to reuse their functionality, forming a more complex model. A Mesh model may extend any number of models, in any element. The extensions may also be nested, ie a model that extends another may itself be extended.

A set of models that extend each other form a model extension list.

All models in an extension list share one subscription list per element. The access layer will utilize the combined subscription list of all models in an extension list and element, giving the models extended subscription list capacity.

Parameters
  • extending_mod – Mesh model that is extending the base model.

  • base_mod – The model being extended.

Return values

0 – Successfully extended the base_mod model.

bool bt_mesh_model_is_extended(struct bt_mesh_model *model)

Check if model is extended by another model.

Parameters
  • model – The model to check.

Return values

true – If model is extended by another model, otherwise false

struct bt_mesh_elem
#include <access.h>

Abstraction that describes a Mesh Element

Public Members

uint16_t addr

Unicast Address. Set at runtime during provisioning.

const uint16_t loc

Location Descriptor (GATT Bluetooth Namespace Descriptors)

const uint8_t model_count

The number of SIG models in this element

const uint8_t vnd_model_count

The number of vendor models in this element

struct bt_mesh_model *const models

The list of SIG models in this element

struct bt_mesh_model *const vnd_models

The list of vendor models in this element

struct bt_mesh_model_op
#include <access.h>

Model opcode handler.

Public Members

const uint32_t opcode

OpCode encoded using the BT_MESH_MODEL_OP_* macros

const ssize_t len

Message length. If the message has variable length then this value indicates minimum message length and should be positive. Handler function should verify precise length based on the contents of the message. If the message has fixed length then this value should be negative. Use BT_MESH_LEN_* macros when defining this value.

int (*const func)(struct bt_mesh_model *model, struct bt_mesh_msg_ctx *ctx, struct net_buf_simple *buf)

Handler function for this opcode.

Param model

Model instance receiving the message.

Param ctx

Message context for the message.

Param buf

Message buffer containing the message payload, not including the opcode.

Return

Zero on success or (negative) error code otherwise.

struct bt_mesh_model_pub
#include <access.h>

Model publication context.

The context should primarily be created using the BT_MESH_MODEL_PUB_DEFINE macro.

Public Members

struct bt_mesh_model *mod

The model the context belongs to. Initialized by the stack.

uint16_t addr

Publish Address.

uint16_t key

Publish AppKey Index.

uint16_t cred

Friendship Credentials Flag.

uint16_t send_rel

Force reliable sending (segment acks)

uint16_t fast_period

Use FastPeriodDivisor

uint16_t retr_update

Call update callback on every retransmission.

uint8_t ttl

Publish Time to Live.

uint8_t retransmit

Retransmit Count & Interval Steps.

uint8_t period

Publish Period.

uint8_t period_div

Divisor for the Period.

uint8_t count

Transmissions left.

uint32_t period_start

Start of the current period.

struct net_buf_simple *msg

Publication buffer, containing the publication message.

This will get correctly created when the publication context has been defined using the BT_MESH_MODEL_PUB_DEFINE macro.

BT_MESH_MODEL_PUB_DEFINE(name, update, size);

int (*update)(struct bt_mesh_model *mod)

Callback for updating the publication buffer.

When set to NULL, the model is assumed not to support periodic publishing. When set to non-NULL the callback will be called periodically and is expected to update bt_mesh_model_pub::msg with a valid publication message.

If the callback returns non-zero, the publication is skipped and will resume on the next periodic publishing interval.

When bt_mesh_model_pub::retr_update is set to 1, the callback will be called on every retransmission.

Param mod

The Model the Publication Context belogs to.

Return

Zero on success or (negative) error code otherwise.

struct k_work_delayable timer

Publish Period Timer. Only for stack-internal use.

struct bt_mesh_model_cb
#include <access.h>

Model callback functions.

Public Members

int (*const settings_set)(struct bt_mesh_model *model, const char *name, size_t len_rd, settings_read_cb read_cb, void *cb_arg)

Set value handler of user data tied to the model.

Param model

Model to set the persistent data of.

Param name

Name/key of the settings item.

Param len_rd

The size of the data found in the backend.

Param read_cb

Function provided to read the data from the backend.

Param cb_arg

Arguments for the read function provided by the backend.

Return

0 on success, error otherwise.

int (*const start)(struct bt_mesh_model *model)

Callback called when the mesh is started.

This handler gets called after the node has been provisioned, or after all mesh data has been loaded from persistent storage.

When this callback fires, the mesh model may start its behavior, and all Access APIs are ready for use.

Param model

Model this callback belongs to.

Return

0 on success, error otherwise.

int (*const init)(struct bt_mesh_model *model)

Model init callback.

Called on every model instance during mesh initialization.

If any of the model init callbacks return an error, the Mesh subsystem initialization will be aborted, and the error will be returned to the caller of bt_mesh_init.

Param model

Model to be initialized.

Return

0 on success, error otherwise.

void (*const reset)(struct bt_mesh_model *model)

Model reset callback.

Called when the mesh node is reset. All model data is deleted on reset, and the model should clear its state.

Note

If the model stores any persistent data, this needs to be erased manually.

Param model

Model this callback belongs to.

struct bt_mesh_mod_id_vnd
#include <access.h>

Vendor model ID

Public Members

uint16_t company

Vendor’s company ID

uint16_t id

Model ID

struct bt_mesh_model
#include <access.h>

Abstraction that describes a Mesh Model instance

Public Members

const uint16_t id

SIG model ID

const struct bt_mesh_mod_id_vnd vnd

Vendor model ID

struct bt_mesh_model_pub *const pub

Model Publication

uint16_t keys[CONFIG_BT_MESH_MODEL_KEY_COUNT]

AppKey List

uint16_t groups[CONFIG_BT_MESH_MODEL_GROUP_COUNT]

Subscription List (group or virtual addresses)

const struct bt_mesh_model_op *const op

Opcode handler list

const struct bt_mesh_model_cb *const cb

Model callback structure.

void *user_data

Model-specific user data

struct bt_mesh_send_cb
#include <access.h>

Callback structure for monitoring model message sending

Public Members

void (*start)(uint16_t duration, int err, void *cb_data)

Handler called at the start of the transmission.

Param duration

The duration of the full transmission.

Param err

Error occurring during sending.

Param cb_data

Callback data, as passed to the send API.

void (*end)(int err, void *cb_data)

Handler called at the end of the transmission.

Param err

Error occurring during sending.

Param cb_data

Callback data, as passed to the send API.

struct bt_mesh_comp
#include <access.h>

Node Composition

Public Members

uint16_t cid

Company ID

uint16_t pid

Product ID

uint16_t vid

Version ID

size_t elem_count

The number of elements in this device.

struct bt_mesh_elem *elem

List of elements.