by What are BLE Beacons?
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, also known as Bluetooth Smart beacons, are small transmitters that broadcast their identifier to nearby compatible smartphones and devices. BLE beacons use very low energy Bluetooth signals to broadcast their presence along with additional information like unique identifiers, battery level, and telemetry data. Most beacons are coin-cell battery powered and can transmit signals for months or years on a single battery.
How do BLE Beacons Work?
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacon regularly broadcast small packets of information, usually every second, that includes a universally unique identifier (UUID). iOS and Android devices with Bluetooth enabled can detect these beacon signals from nearby beacons using specialized beacon monitoring apps. When in range, the phone receives the beacon’s unique ID and measures the received signal strength (RSSI) which correlates to distance. Apps can then trigger location-based actions and notifications based on proximity to the beacon.
Real-time Location Services
One of the biggest uses of BLE beacons is for indoor positioning and navigation services. Retail stores deploying beacons can pinpoint the location of customers within a few meters and deliver personalized offers, information or navigation as they browse different areas of the store. Airport operators use beacons to guide travelers to their gates. Museums place beacons throughout exhibits to provide contextual information to visitors as they move between displays. BLE beacons enable new location-based and proximity-aware experiences never possible with traditional indoor positioning technologies.
Contactless Payments and Ticketing
BLE beacons are being used to enable contactless payments, ticketing and access control. Stores allow customers to pay for items by tapping their phones on a beacon-enabled POS terminal. Public transport operators distribute digital tickets over beacon signals that riders can pay for and store on their phones for entry/exit verification. Sports venues and attractions employ beacon-based mobile ticketing to reduce queues and speed up entry processing. With the global pandemic emphasizing the need for touchless interactions, beacon technology is playing a key role in modernizing payment processes.
Beacon-based content delivery
By detecting beacon signals, apps can deliver tailored content, notifications and promotions to visitors. Museums present corresponding digital exhibits and audio/visual content on visitor phones as they browse physical displays. Conference organizers send schedules, meeting reminders and venue maps to attendees. Universities notify students of campus alerts and events near their locations. Hotels place beacons in rooms to allow guests to control services like lighting, temperature, room service through their phones. Beacons effectively enrich real-world experiences with contextual virtual information.
Inventory management
BLE beacons have found many industrial applications like asset tracking and logistics. Manufacturers place beacons on equipment, tools or components to monitor their location within facilities in real-time. Hospitals deploy beacon tags on medical devices, supplies and patient belongings to optimize asset utilization as well as quickly locate critical items when needed. Retailers monitor stock levels on shelves and in backrooms by associating beacons with different product lines. The mining industry uses ruggedized beacons to track movement of vehicles and personnel underground. The location data from beacons allows enterprises to improve operational efficiency, optimize workflows and enhance safety.
Challenges and Future Outlook
While BLE beacon technology promised much regarding location-based use cases, several challenges held back wider commercial adoption initially. Interoperability between devices from different manufacturers was limited due to the lack of common standards. Ranging accuracy varied significantly based on beacon hardware quality. Reliance on always-on Bluetooth scanning drained phone batteries quickly. However, these issues are being addressed as the beacon ecosystem matures.
Standardization efforts through bodies like the Bluetooth SIG have improved cross-vendor compatibility. Newer beacon chipsets with ultra-low power consumption are extending battery lives to over 5 years. The ability to wake beacons on demand for bidirectional communication enables higher accuracy with less scanning. Massive location data from deployment is training advanced algorithms for more precise ranging. Cloud-based beacon platforms provide centralized management of large-scale rollouts. As 5G networks make low-latency indoor services feasible, expect beacon technology to become even more ubiquitous enabling immersive experiences across sectors in the coming years. With the ongoing digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic, BLE beacons are poised to stay at the forefront of powering innovative contactless and location-based applications long into the future.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
