1.What Is Bluetooth Beacon?

The Bluetooth Beacon is Bluetooth wireless radio transmitter with samll size.Bluetooth Beacon use low-energy Bluetooth technology to send signals to other smart devices nearby,and it need to be powered by batteries.

The Bluetooth enabled smartphones can scan and display these signals.They are one of the nesest developments in positioning technology and proximity marketing.

 

Simply put, they connect and transfer information to smart devices, making location-based search and interaction easier and more accurate.

Based on this feature, beacons can be deployed in storefronts, real estate, amusement parks, events and other public places to broadcast relevant advertisements and notifications.

 

We mentioned the words: Bluetooth Beacon use low-energy technology, and its abbreviation is BLE.

We need to know what is different between classic Bluetooth and BLE?

Classic Bluetooth consumes a lot of power,which is transmitted to a long distance for Bluetooth headsets and speakers.

However, BLE transfer less data in a smaller range and therefore consumes less power. BLE beacons transmit small amounts of data at regular intervals.

The BLE beacon application is also more widely used, and today he is an important branch of IOT beacon devices.

 

2.How do Bluetooth Beacon work？

The beacon device construction is very simple. Each device consists of a CPU, radio and battery.

The CPU has an antenna attached to it, which broadcasts electromagnetic waves with specific length and frequency.

It works by broadcasting identifier repeatly.This identifier is received by your device (usually a mobile device) and marks important locations in your environment.

The identifier is a unique ID number that the smartphone recognizes as a unique beacon. Once connected, the beacon will perform any function that has been programmed to execute.

 

 

We can take an example of a coffee shop with beacon deploymen

 

Firstly, beacons are deployed at the entrance to the coffee shop, and we ensure that these beacons transmit signals between 20 and 300 meters.

Then, we have a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, which is in the range of beacons. The smartphone then sends the ID number attached to the signal to the cloud server

The smartphone then sends the ID number attached to the signal to the cloud server.

The server responds with an action linked to the beacon ID. This could be a notification such as introducing a new appetizer in the cafe.

Finally, these notifications drive customers to a webpage, a form, a phone number or whatever you plan to do.

 

3. What is the Benefit of BLE Beacon Technology

BLE Beacon Technology has lots of applications and potential, and it has slowly changed some industries.

When we use the devices based on BLE Beacon Technology, we can increase productivity and save on operating costs. Because of its low power consumption, we can also save more power.

 

4.The type of BLE Beacon

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons - there are several types available including Eddystone,AltBeacon, iBeacon, and they have their own standards and advantages. Some are open and free, some are closed and cost money.

To make iBeacon devices, a manufacturer license from Apple is needed, as well as a license requirement for the logo of iBeacon.

AltBeacon is another type of iBeacon, known as AltBeacon, which was designed by Radius Networks a few years ago

Eddystone is developed by Google.It is an open beacon format, and has an Apache Open License, which make it easy to work with. Google allows businesses to manage their beacons using the Proximity Beacon Application Programming Interface (API).

 

5.The application of BLE Beacon

 

BLE Beacon has become the main development direction of the proximity market, and he has a wide range of application scenarios:

RETAIL

From in-store coupons delivered via beacons to customer phones, to collecting data to run personalized loyalty programs and ad campaigns, retailers are the good market for beacons.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Expect beacons to be deployed all over airports, train stations, and urban transit hubs to alert travelers of delays, changes, and weather conditions.


Asset Tracking

Bluetooth beacon can tell you where is asset at any given time. You can tracking any moving asset. The Company can be easily track high-value assets, improve business efficiency and reduce operating costs resulting from misplaced assets.


Indoor Positioning tracking

When multiple Bluetooth beacons are used simultaneously with the gateway, we can view location information in real time via the software app.

 

Temperature monitoring

Bluetooth beacon integrate high accuracy temperature sensors, which can monitor the temperature real-time.

We can use the software app to view the temperature trajectory curve, measure its changes, and cache more temperature data to entangle some behaviors to manage.

 

6.The future of beacons in marketing

The potential of beacon technology in proximity marketing and location-based technologies is enormous. As a data collection tool, beacons provide Google with a better understanding of the businesses that use its services and the users themselves in order to improve their algorithms.

Beacon technology will link mobile phones to social media.The logistics and transportation industry is one of the main benefactors of improved location-based technology. Bluetooth low energy beacons can be used for more accurate asset tracking,especially indoors.

In addition to tracking the objects ,beacons can be used to track patients or doctors in a hospital during emergency. The focus may have initially been on the retail industry.