Troubleshooting
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. No special SDKs from us are needed. Any standard beacon scanning library will work with our beacons.
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. ESPs are also very popular these days.
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.
Please click the link on the bottom menu of this page to visit the Battery Replacement instruction page.