Here’s Everything You Need to know about Smart Beacon

Posted by Ajinkya on January 28th, 2021

Beacons are small, wireless transmitters that use low-energy Bluetooth technology to send signals to other smart devices nearby. Beacons are one of the latest developments, connecting and transmitting info to smart devices making location-based search and interaction easy and accurate. A beacon is designed to attract attention to a specific location. It is more like a lighthouse, repeatedly transmit a signal that other devices can see. Instead of emitting visible light, the beacon transmits a radio signal that is formed by a combination of numbers and letters transmitted at fixed intervals of around 1/10th of a second. Beacons can also be used to provide vital information by the color and rotational pattern, such as weather is indicated on a weather beacon located at the top of a tall building or similar site.

A smart beacon transmits a signal with the help of the low energy proximity sensing technology using a compatible application or operating system. When a tablet or smartphone is in the range of a beacon, it detects the physical location of the device and tracks the customer, as well as triggers allocation based information on the device. For instance, smart beacons used in retail stores send a notification to the consumers about special offers. Beacon technology has come a long way since its debut and is expected to continue growing. The two most significant protocols used in smart beacons are Eddystone and iBeacon. iBeacon is developed by Apple and is iOS compatible. In 2013, iBeacon was activated in around 254 stores in the United States, while in 2015, Google launched Eddystone (for Android users) and is now highly adopted in the market.

iBeacon technology is used for applications from various domains, for instance, the Launch Here application allows automating tasks on mobile devices. If several beacons are placed around the house, the launch app triggers the relevant application linked to that beacon, when approaching a particular beacon. For example, on approaching the beacon that is placed near the TV, a TV remote app can launch. Launch Here app is one of the fastest ways to activate an app associated with a spot in indoor places.

The beacon has a radio, CPU, and battery, and it works by broadcasting an identifier (a unique ID number that the smartphone identifies). Then a tablet or smartphone picks up that identifier and when a dedicated app recognizes it, it associates it with an action or piece of content stored in the cloud and displays it to the user. Some of the features that you can expect to find in the modern beacons are built-in databases that store user information such as the current location of the bearer, past bearers’ location, and even the activities of other bearers in the same area. They also allow the use of Bluetooth technology, which makes it easy for people with iBeacon enabled devices to communicate with each other. Many high-end models also provide access to real-time traffic information. You need at least three things to make a beacon-based system work, such as at least one more beacon device, mobile app, and user’s permission.