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Connection Methods: SPP Direct vs Serial (COM/USB) Indirect ​

If your device uses SPP (Classic Bluetooth Serial / RFCOMM), desktop setups typically fall into two approaches:

  • Option A: SPP direct (recommended): HiBean connects to the device directly via SPP/RFCOMM
  • Option B: Serial indirect: the OS maps the device to a serial port (often COM on Windows), and HiBean connects via that serial port

Both can work, but they differ in setup steps, failure modes, and overall user experience. This page explains the differences and when to choose each.

TL;DR (Which one should I use?) ​

  • Prefer SPP direct: fewer steps, fewer things to misconfigure, better first-time experience
  • Consider Serial indirect when:
    • SPP direct is unstable on your device/OS combo, but serial works reliably
    • you explicitly want a serial workflow (e.g., debugging with serial tools, controlling a fixed COM port)
    • your model offers a Serial option in HiBean and you can identify the correct port

Differences (User Perspective) ​

1) Setup Steps ​

  • SPP direct:
    • Windows: pair in Windows → bind in HiBean → auto-connect
    • macOS: keep the device discoverable → bind in HiBean; if pairing is required, follow PIN / numeric confirmation prompts
  • Serial indirect:
    • ensure the OS has created a serial port mapping (often COM on Windows)
    • in HiBean, select Serial and pick the correct port (if available for your model)

2) Typical Failure Points ​

  • SPP direct: pairing/discoverability/device-in-use issues
  • Serial indirect: wrong port selection, port number changes, driver/mapping issues, port-in-use issues

3) User Experience ​

  • SPP direct: you pick a “device” (name/address)
  • Serial indirect: you pick a “port” (COMx / USB serial), which requires more user knowledge

Why HiBean Prefers SPP Direct ​

From both usability and maintainability perspectives, SPP direct is usually better:

  • Fewer manual steps: users don’t need to understand or pick COM ports
  • Lower misconfiguration risk: avoids the common “picked the wrong port” problem
  • Matches HiBean’s device binding model: you bind a device, not a port

That said, serial indirect can be more stable or controllable in some setups, so it’s kept as an alternative (when the model supports Serial in HiBean).

Platform Notes ​

  • Windows: both approaches may exist depending on the device and OS behavior
  • macOS: SPP direct is recommended; COM-style mapping is not typical on macOS (unless it’s a USB-serial device)