FAQ
What are beacons?
Beacons are small wireless devices that broadcast signals using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Mobile apps on compatible devices are able to listen for signals from beacons placed in the physical world and then trigger an experience via the app. By experiences we mean things like sending a notification, coupon, video, form, URL or other forms of media that are relevant to a person's exact location.
Beacon enabled apps are notified when the device enters or exits the range of a beacon, and are also able to monitor the distance from the beacon as it changes, often referred to as 'ranging'. This is in contrast to GPS, which uses latitude and longitude to define a devices location.
We don't always have to trigger an experience when a device enters or exits the range of a beacon, in some instances we may just like to collect data for the purposes of generating real world analytics and insights.
The range of a beacon varies depending on the manufacturer, hardware settings and physical surroundings, but can typically be configured anywhere from 5 centimeters to 50 meters, creating a wide range of use cases. Each beacon broadcasts a set of unique IDs which means that a mobile app can tell them apart from each other.
What is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)?
BLE or Bluetooth Smart is an intelligent and power friendly version of Bluetooth wireless technology and exchanges data over short distances using radio transmissions. The power of BLE is in its ability to work with an app on a smartphone, tablet or any other compatible mobile device. The technology itself is simple, secure and featured in billions of devices ranging from mobile phones and computers to medical devices and home entertainment products. It is intended to replace the cables that connect devices, while maintaining high levels of security. It is highly likely that BLE will be one of the key technologies behind the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) - a network of physical objects that can exchange data via the existing Internet infrastructure.
What is iBeacon?
iBeacon is simply Apple's trademarked term for its location aware system that uses beacons to notify nearby iOS 7 or 8+ devices of their presence. In order to use the term iBeacon, hardware manufacturers must enroll to become an iBeacon Licensee and use the iBeacon Proximity Specification. This is Apple's way of ensuring a reliable and consistent experience for its customers. It's important to note that all recent Android, Windows and Blackberry devices support BLE too.
What are the benefits of using beacon technology?
High degree of accuracy
Beacon technology allows a mobile device to understand its exact position, even indoors where smartphones are typically not able to pick up GPS signals from satellites. This means beacon technology offers a high level of accuracy when compared to other geo-location technologies.
Low impact on battery life
Bluetooth technology is designed to have very low power consumption, which means that beacon powered apps have minimal impact on the devices battery life. GPS on the other hand, demands a significant amount of power to run and therefore significantly impacts battery life when in use.
App engagement / wake-up
Mobile devices automatically wake-up when they come within ranges of beacons, even if the mobile app that is listening is fully closed. This unique feature of beacons offers a powerful way to drive engagement with your mobile app at exactly the right time and place. It's also a great to drive repeat usage of your app.
No Internet connection required
Mobile apps can pick up beacon signals without an Internet connection and store data locally on the device. This means beacons are a great proximity trigger in areas where a stable Internet connection is not available. It's worth noting that typically an Internet connection is required to trigger content such as push notifications. However, there are ways around this such as developing local notifications and caching content within the app. It is technically possible to run an entire beacon experience without an Internet connection.
Low cost of entry
Setting up and taking advantage of a beacon network is relatively low cost when compared to other technologies such as Wi-Fi. Unless you are deploying a large network of beacons, most of the costs are likely to be associated with the development of a beacon enabled mobile app. Unless of course you already have one, in which case the barriers to entry are even lower.
What do you need to use beacon technology?
In order to use beacon technology you need to have a beacon enabled mobile app. Existing apps need to be updated to be beacon enabled, however this is typically a very straightforward process for an app developer.
If you don't have your own app and are not planning on building one, check out our App Suggestions page on the top menu of this webpage.
If you have made the beacon unconnectable, just tap the button once, and the LED will begin to flash. During this 30 second period. The beacon will be connectable.
Another simple fix is the quit the app and restart it. Sometimes the app gets "stuck" and won't show any BLE devices, including the one you are trying to see. In that case, hard close the app (iPhone: pull up the app partially on the screen to view the various apps, then swipe the app up to hard close it. Android: use the little square box and swipe up the app on Android). Then reopen the app.
If you have tied it into even more complicated knots than that, here's the ultimate recovery steps:
Remove the battery and then replace it. The LED will flash once.
Next, tap the button one time. If the LED begins to flash, that confirms the beacon is ON (if not, see next paragraph). You should then use the KBeacon app to connect to it within 30 seconds of reinstalling the battery. Be sure to tap SCAN on the app screen and swipe down the screen to refresh the scan. Also be sure to check the list carefully as sometimes your beacon will be far down the list. This requires some fast work, but you can always restart the timer by reinstalling the battery and starting over.
If the beacon flashes once after reinstalling the battery but then doesn’t flash after another button click, then the beacon is OFF. Hold down the button for 8 seconds until the beacon beeps (BC021 only) and the LED begins to flash; the beacon is now ON. Then use the KBeacon app to connect within 30 seconds of reinstalling the battery. This requires some fast work, but you can always restart the timer by reinstalling the battery and starting over.
Once connected, go through the settings and put them back to defaults (according to the chart on the quick start page). Most important is the Adv Flags menu: you should check Connectible and uncheck Power Always On.
No. Beacons are never paired for any reason. In fact, pairing will usually fail or will cause the beacon to stop functioning properly until it is unpaired or the phone is restarted.
As for connecting to the beacon (not the same as pairing), iBeacons only need to be connected during configuration, i.e. when you use our configuation app to input your settings (beacon name, UUID, broadcast power, etc.). Afterwards, you NEVER need to connect to your beacon again. In fact, beacons will typically STOP broadcasting while you are connected to them. So unless you are configuring your beacon, don't connect to it ever. Just let it broadcast as it was designed to do.
The simplest way is to use our configuration app:
Please find the configuration app that corresponds to your beacon model on the Quick Start Guide page.
Be sure that Bluetooth is active on your phone, then just open the configuration app and wait for it to scan. You will then see your beacon on the main screen. This confirms that it is broadcasting. Of course, be sure your beacon is turned on.
Another option is to use one of the other free apps available for Android or iPhone. Check out the list of apps that we have compiled a bit lower down on this FAQ page.
In the past, there was an app built into all Androids called Nearby that reacted to Eddystone URL beacons. That app would allow beacons to pop up messages on the screen of nearby Androids. Unfortunately, spammers figured this out quickly and abused the service by bombarding Android owners with unwanted advertising.
So, the bad news is that system has been TOTALLY SHUT DOWN now by Google. As of Dec 6, 2018, no Android phones receive these notifications anymore. iPhones never received these notifications in the first place (except for some custom setups which are now defunct as well). Without Google supplying the "engine" for that system to work, it does not work at all anymore. (Note: there are plenty of websites on the internet filled with exciting OUTDATED information on that system. Please don't be misled. That system is dead and gone).
Of course, there are still many many other usage cases for beacons. In general, we can break them down into these broad categories:
Smart Home Automation: iBeacons can be used to trigger actions in a home or office when a person or vehicle enters or leaves a specific room or area. Typically, these use a central system such as Home Assistant or Hubitat. But these type of automations are also possible using smartphone apps such as PushCut, Tasker, or Automate.
Asset Tracking: Recently gaining momentum in the business world, iBeacons can be used to track the location of valuable assets, such as equipment or vehicles or even work-in-progress bins, within a production or storage facility. In these usage cases, a BLE gateway is used for the scanning function, with the data captured often being uploaded in real time to the cloud for business managers to use in decision-making and daily management.
Indoor Navigation: iBeacons can be placed in different locations within a building to help people navigate through indoor spaces, such as malls, museum, or airports. Custom apps are required on the smartphones of each user/visitor.
Personalized Experiences: iBeacons can be used to provide personalized experiences for customers in various settings, such as museums or theme parks. Custom apps are required on the smartphones of each user/visitor.
Healthcare and Elderly Care Facilities: iBeacons can be used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to track equipment, monitor patient activity, and provide location-based information. In some cases, beacons are installed in fixed locations, and smartphones with custom apps act as the scanner. In other cases, the patients or doctors carry beacons with them, and BLE scanners keep track of their movement and locations.
Do smartphone owners need to have any special app installed on their phone to receive notifications?
Yes, both Android and iPhone owners do need an app to be installed to receive beacon notifications (i.e. to react in some way to being within range of a beacon). There are quite a few free versions available in the Play Store and App Store which I will introduce in a different section of this FAQ.
Of course, you can also create your own app that will react to the presence of your beacon. We highly recommend the app-creating platform, MIT AI2, for anyone interested in learning how to create their own app.
Finally, you don't necessarily even need to use a smartphone to work with iBeacons (other than to configure them). Arduino and Raspberry Pi are two great hardware-based platforms that can be used for working with iBeacons. They do require a Bluetooth card to be connected to them to do so, but there are many low cost options available. For example, the HM-10 is the most popular Bluetooth beacon module for Arduino. You can use it to make your Arduino scan for and react to being within range of specific beacons.
The Blue Charm BC-037 will reliably broadcast up to 50 meters (165 feet) at its default settings. Of course, as with all Bluetooth equipment, obstacles will shorten this distance.
The Blue Charm BC-011 will reliably broadcast up to 90 meters (295 feet) at its default settings if your scanner/smartphone is BLE 5.0 compatible. If your scanner/smartphone is only BLE 4.0 compatible, then it will broadcast up to 50 meters (165 feet). Of course, as with all Bluetooth equipment, obstacles will shorten this distance.
BC-011 MultiBeacon battery will last for 16 months @ 1second interval and 0dBm TX power setting.
The BC08 MultiBeacon battery will last for 4 years @ 1second interval and 0dBm TX power setting.
BC-037 iBeacon battery will last for 10 months @ 1second interval and 0dBm TX power setting.
The BC063 iBeacon battery will last for 4 years @ 1second interval and 0dBm TX power setting.
Battery Life Matrix for the BC011 Beacon at various intervals and TX settings
Battery Life Matrix for the BC08 Beacon at various intervals and TX settings
iBeacons only need to be connected during configuration, i.e. when you use our configuration app to input your settings (beacon name, UUID, broadcast power, etc.). Afterwards, you NEVER need to connect to your beacon again. Beacons are NOT like Bluetooth headphones or other such Bluetooth devices which require connections in order to function. In fact, beacons will typically STOP broadcasting while you are connected to them. So unless you are configuring your beacon, don't connect to it.
While this sorta works, it's actually the wrong way to achieve this goal. What you instead need to do is to set the minimum level for the RSSI reading within the app that you will create.
When an app "sees" a beacon, it measures the strength of the broadcast signal from the beacon. The numbers are negative numbers, which are lower and lower as the beacon is farther and farther way. You just need to set a minimum RSSI reading for the app to activate (i.e. do whatever it is supposed to do when close enough to a target beacon).
So you app will "see" the beacon, maybe even from quite far away, but the RSSI strength of the beacon's signal will be too low, so the app will know to ignore the beacon. Once the beacon gets close enough so that the RSSI signal measured by the app is ABOVE the minimum level set within the app specs, the app will then activate and do what it is programmed to do.
Please click the link on the bottom menu of this page to visit the Battery Replacement instruction page.