[Smart Beekeeping Dev Log Part 3] Building a Real-World NFC Reader/Writer App with .NET MAUI

 A Sincere Apology for the Delay First, I want to apologize for missing my scheduled post last Wednesday. I’ve spent the past week battling a severe illness that kept me completely away from my computer. It was a tough reminder that health truly is wealth. I’m finally back on my feet and excited to share the next chapter of this project. Stay healthy, everyone!

In this third installment, we dive into the "brain" of the app: NFC communication. I’ll also discuss a major architectural pivot I made mid-stream that completely changed the trajectory of the development.


1. Taming Android's Core: Intent and NFC Adapter

While .NET MAUI provides a cross-platform framework, controlling hardware like NFC requires deep-diving into Android’s native APIs: NfcAdapter and Intent.

The first hurdle was configuring the MainActivity to intercept the OnNewIntent broadcast whenever an NFC tag is detected. The goal was to make the app react instantly. Getting this "handshake" right, while ensuring robust exception handling for various tag types, was a challenging but rewarding technical puzzle.


2. Branding the Beehives: Implementing NFC Write

Reading tags is only half the battle; we needed a way to "commission" new beehives by writing data directly onto NFC stickers.

NdefMessage Composition: I implemented the logic to create NDEF records and transmit them to the tag.

The "Dual-ID" Strategy: A key architectural decision was separating the NFC Tag’s Unique ID (UID) from my Internal Hive ID. Since NFC tags are consumables that can be damaged or lost, this dual-ID mapping ensures that if a tag is replaced, the beehive's entire inspection history (the Primary Key) remains safe in the database.


3. Troubleshooting: When the Hardware is the Culprit

During testing, I hit a wall where my "write" logic kept failing. After hours of debugging code, I discovered the problem wasn't software at all.

Faulty Tags: A quick cross-check with the NFC Tools app revealed that a batch of my NFC stickers was simply defective. It was a stark reminder for any dev: Always verify your hardware before rewriting your code.

Real-World UX: Beekeeping happens in the field, often with heavy gloves. I spent significant time enlarging buttons, adding haptic feedback (vibration) for successful scans, and optimizing the interface for rugged, outdoor use.


4. The Big Pivot: From MAUI Native to Razor Hybrid

This was the most significant turning point in the project. I initially started with a pure XAML-based MAUI approach, but I eventually decided to switch to Razor Hybrid (Blazor).

The rigidity of XAML’s data binding was slowing down productivity. By moving to a Hybrid model, I kept the heavy-lifting of NFC control in Android Native (C#) while utilizing the flexibility of web technologies (Razor/HTML/CSS) for the UI. The result? A much more responsive and maintainable interface.

Coming Up Next: Part 4 – Field Testing in the Apiary

Now that the foundation is stable, it’s time to get our hands dirty. In Part 4, I’ll be taking the app out of the lab and into the actual apiary for Field Testing and Installation.


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