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Simple Indoor iBeacon Positioning Method

New research Using iBeacon Components to Design and Fabricate Low-energy and Simple Indoor Positioning Method (PDF) focuses on developing an effective indoor positioning system using iBeacon. The authors propose an enhanced triangulation technique using signal strength signatures for improved indoor positioning precision.

This system integrates a ‘blind’ device and multiple base stations using iBeacon components to form virtual digital electronic fences, effectively receiving signals from moving devices or tags in a targeted area. The proposed method divides the positioning area into rectangular or triangular subareas and establishes a loss value database for improved location estimation.

The system shows high accuracy, with an average error of less than 0.5 m in the worst-case scenario, making it suitable for various environments. The paper covers the architecture of the system, development phases and experimental results demonstrating the system’s effectiveness. The research offers significant insights into low-cost, high-precision indoor positioning methods suitable for diverse applications such as healthcare, smart cities, and industrial settings.

Using Beacons with Smartphone Apps

Bluetooth beacons are a powerful tool for creating personalised experiences through mobile apps. They work by transmitting signals that can be detected by all smartphones. When a user comes within range, the app detects the beacon’s signal and identifies the user’s proximity to a specific location.

This enables the delivery of contextually relevant content, such as detailed information or reviews when a customer approaches a product in a retail store. It also allows for personalised recommendations based on a user’s location and past behaviour, offering tailored suggestions that match their interests.

Interactive experiences are another feature made possible by Bluetooth beacons. They can trigger app-specific actions based on user location, such as providing wait times and virtual queuing options in an amusement park. Additionally, they assist in wayfinding and navigation within large venues by providing directions and highlighting points of interest.

Utilising Bluetooth beacons for personalised experiences benefits businesses in numerous ways. They enable enhanced engagement with customers by delivering timely content, fostering a stronger connection and loyalty. They improve customer satisfaction by providing tailored information and recommendations, making customers feel more valued. Sales and conversion rates are also boosted by offering targeted promotions when customers are near specific products.

Bluetooth beacons gather valuable data that provides insights into customer preferences and behaviour, helping businesses optimise operations and make data-driven decisions to enhance their offerings and marketing strategies.

Android and iOS use included operating system APIs to detect Bluetooth beacons. When an Android application detects a beacon, it gets a callback to a function including the signal level (RSSI), where developers can specify the app’s operation. On iOS the framework includes classes to represent beacons and beacon regions, enabling monitoring and ranging, i.e., determining the approximate distance to a beacon. When an app registers to monitor a specific beacon region, iOS notifies the app if the device enters or exits that region. This happens even if the app isn’t running at the time. Furthermore, if the app is currently in use, it can continually receive updates about nearby beacons and their relative distance.

In both Android and iOS, the apps don’t connect with the beacons. Instead, they detect the Bluetooth signals that the beacons broadcast. Also, both systems require the user’s permission for the app to access Bluetooth and location services.

Novel iBeacon Localisation Algorithm Modelling

Recent research A Novel Optimized iBeacon Localization Algorithm Modeling by Jiajia Shi et al, addresses the challenges in achieving high accuracy in indoor object localisation or tracking using iBeacon systems. These systems, which use Bluetooth sensors, are appealing due to their low cost and ease of setup but there can be challenges with accuracy and they can sometimes be susceptible to interference and environmental noise.

To overcome these challenges, the study focuses on developing error modeling algorithms for signal calibration, uncertainty reduction and noise elimination. The novel approach is based on the Curve Fitted Kalman Filter (CFKF) algorithms. The research demonstrates that the CFKF algorithms significantly improve the accuracy and precision of iBeacon localisation.

The paper discusses the limitations of current indoor localisation technologies, including the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) method, which is affected by multipath fading in indoor environments.

The authors propose a novel CFKF error modelling approach to enhance the estimation accuracy of iBeacon systems in field experiments. This approach includes a developed Kalman Filter (KF) state estimate algorithm based on the modified Least Squares Algorithm (LSA), a system calibration process for the RSSI and estimated distance and the CFKF error modelling for improved accuracy.

Understanding the Impact of Settings on Bluetooth Beacon Battery Life

A common concern that frequently surfaces is the beacon’s battery life. It’s often overlooked that the device’s settings play a crucial role in battery consumption.

The Influence of Advertising Period on Battery Life

One of the most critical settings that impact a beacon’s battery life is the advertising period, also known as the advertising interval. This setting determines how frequently the beacon broadcasts its signal. The principle here is straightforward: the more often a beacon transmits, the more battery power it consumes.

For optimal battery performance, it is suggested to set the advertising period to around 600 milliseconds when the use is detection by smartphones. This interval strikes a balance between battery efficiency and effective communication with smartphones in the vicinity.

However, if the beacon is primarily detected by a gateway rather than smartphones, consider setting the advertising interval to one second or more. Gateways are not powered by batteries so are are scanning more intensively and so don’t require as frequent broadcasting as mobile devices do.

Tailoring Beacon Advertising for Specific Needs

Bluetooth beacons can support various types of advertising protocols, such as iBeacon, Eddystone, and others. A common mistake is to have multiple protocols enabled simultaneously, which can unnecessarily drain the battery. To optimise battery usage, it’s essential to configure your beacon to only advertise the type of protocol(s) needed for your specific application.

Reducing Power Consumption Through Transmission Power Settings

Another aspect to consider is the transmission power setting of your beacon. This setting determines the strength of the signal emitted by the beacon. A higher transmission power means a stronger signal and a longer physical range, but it also leads to quicker battery drainage.

Evaluate your use case to determine if a lower transmission power would suffice. For instance, in smaller indoor spaces, a lower power setting can be more than adequate, significantly extending the battery life of your beacon.

Conclusion

In summary, the longevity of your Bluetooth beacon’s battery is not solely dependent on the hardware but is significantly influenced by the right configuration settings. By understanding and optimising these settings, you can greatly enhance your beacon’s battery life. Using these tips, in some circumstances, beacon battery life can be extended to 10+ years which is longer than the useful life of some projects.

An Enhanced Triangulation Technique

Researchers from universities in Taiwan have developed a simple Bluetooth low-energy indoor positioning method using iBeacon components. The system aims to be lightweight, low-cost, and highly precise. The paper, Using iBeacon Components to Design and Fabricate Low-energy and Simple Indoor Positioning Method (PDF), introduces an enhanced triangulation technique using strength signatures of transmitted signals to improve positioning precision in planar locations.

The physical system consists of an observation (they call blind) device and multiple base stations using iBeacon components. These base stations can form virtual digital electronic fences and receive signals from blind devices, such as wearable devices or equipment tags. The positioning area is divided into rectangular or triangular subareas and the location of a blind device can be accurately located in real time using the measured strength of received signals and topology analysis.

The proposed method has an average error of less than 0.5 meters in the worst scenario and can be easily used in various environments. It integrates an STSS database and a triangulation method by evaluating the power values of received directional signals. Compared to traditional triangulation technologies, this method offers better positioning accuracy with simpler implementation procedures, reducing the overall cost of deployment.

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New MST01 Industrial Temperature and Humidity Sensors

We have two new industrial temperature and humidity and sensors with built-in displays.

The Minew MST01-02 and MST01-03 are similar except that the latter has the probe on a 1m cable and has a slightly higher maximum 80C temperature rather than 70C for the MST01-02.

Multiple temperature and humidity thresholds can be set. When values are exceeded, there is an audio alarm and a visual indication shown on the screen.

Bluetooth Localisation for Large Industrial Areas with Limited Infrastructure

The recent study Bluetooth Low Energy Indoor Localization for Large Industrial Areas and Limited Infrastructure discusses the use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in industrial applications, particularly in Smart Factory and Smart Farming settings. Bluetooth systems are beneficial for their low-power operation and are widely used for asset monitoring, management, tracking and localisation. The focus of this paper is on BLE-based localisation systems, which typically use radio propagation models and multi-lateration, or radio fingerprinting, to achieve high accuracy and precision. These methods rely on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements and its dependency on the distance between the transmitter and the receiver.

However, the paper highlights the challenges in achieving high localisation accuracy due to the inaccuracy of RSSI measurements and susceptibility to radio propagation phenomena. In industrial environments, where radio propagation is complex and the number of anchors (fixed reference points) is limited, achieving high accuracy is difficult. The paper proposes a set of localisation algorithms that require limited infrastructure, have low complexity, and can provide valuable location information at low costs. These algorithms were tested in a Smart Farming application for monitoring the well-being of farm animals, demonstrating reliable operation despite system-level constraints and varying propagation conditions.


The proposed algorithms are based on signal strength measurement. They allow for localising animals in a cowshed of 1600m² using only 10 anchors with an average positioning error below 8 meters.


The paper also discusses the applicability of RSSI-based localisation to different radio technologies and the limitations of these methods. The proposed approaches are designed to enable location-based services in existing systems at minimal additional costs, benefiting from the already available infrastructure, mechanisms and procedures.

New Human Presence Sensors

We have new, innovative, Minew human occupancy sensors in stock that use millimeter wave radar sensor to detect numbers of people as opposed to just human presence. They both look similar:

The MSR01-A tracks the location (x,y,z) of individual people with a limit of 15 people. The MSR01-B provides information on the number of people entering or leaving the area.

A self-learning function detects the environment state to identify and eliminate interference sources. Statistics are provided via Bluetooth advertising, with a range of up to 150m, for detection via a gateway or app.

How Much is iBeacon?

There are different beacon models that contain different battery sizes that mainly determine the beacon cost. Beacons with small coin cell batteries cost of the order of €10, $10, or £10. Larger battery beacons with sensors cost up to €30, $30, or £30 or more.

It’s possible to get lower cost beacons direct from China but hidden shipping, money transfer, import duty, import tax and carrier import disbursements inflate the cost. Most brands work ‘just in time’, only manufacturing once they have received payment thus delaying order by weeks or months during holiday periods. Furthermore, they all use freight forwarders, through Hong Kong, that take up to an extra 10 days.

New MG4 Rechargeable Gateway

We now have the new MG4 Rechargeable Gateway available. This gateway collects advertising data from iBeacon, Eddystone, Bluetooth LE sensor and other Bluetooth LE devices and then sends it to your server by HTTP(S) or MQTT using WiFi (2.4GHz only).

A unique aspect of this gateway is that it has a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours so that it can operate during a power outage. The in-built memory stores up to 1080 records avoiding data loss during power and/or network loss.