An example method for adjusting the range of transmission of advertising packets is disclosed. In particular, method includes receiving, from an application executing on a mobile computing device, a request. The request may include a request to transmit an advertisement packet via a short-range wireless device of the computing device. Additionally, the request may include a power level for the transmission of the advertisement packet via the short-range wireless device. The request may be received via an application programming interface (API) exposed to the application. Additionally, the method may include causing the transmission, via the short-range wireless device, of the advertisement packet. The short-range wireless device may be configured to transmit the advertisement packet at a transmission power level less than or equal to the requested power level. Further, the requested power level may be less than or equal to a nominal power level for the short-range wireless device.