Beacons

What are Beacons and iBeacons? The term iBeacon and b eacon are often used interchangeably. iBeacon is the name for Apple’s technology standard, which allows Mobile Apps (running on both iOS and Android devices) to listen for signals from beacons in the physical world and react accordingly. In essence, iBeacon technology allows Mobile Apps to understand their position on a micro-local scale, and deliver hyper-contextual content to users based on location. The underlying communication technology is Bluetooth Low Energy. Beacons are small devices (barely larger than a pencil) that send out a signal in a small area. The signal can be small (the user needs to be within a couple of feet to get it) or large (close as a football field). We use the signal from the beacon to do something within the app — open a webpage, play a video, check into a location, etc. We manage what the beacon does in our online CMS, and it can be changed on the fly. Our beacons use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to create a wireless personal area network to transmitting data over short distances. The low energy usage allows for long life of the devices (approximately 5-10 years), and they are easy to place using command strips or small screws or nails. The small size of our beacons allow them to be placed in convenient places, yet still stay unobtrusive. How do Beacons Work? BLE send out a small signal repeatedly, which smart phones can detect and trigger something within the app. Usually a beacon sends out the signal every 100 milliseconds — often enough to be detected quickly, yet not so often to run down the battery. There is no communication between the beacon and the smart phone; just simply a broadcasted signal that tells the app to do something programmed within the code. Standard BLE has a broadcast range of up to 100 meters, which make beacons ideal for indoor location tracking and awareness. This distance can be programmed for different ranges, allowing one to be used indoors for an art gallery, another to be used in the outdoors. Remember that a beacon doesn’t do anything itself. It doesn’t keep track of how many times its used or accessed. It just sends out a signal that an app can “he