Minew’s New MWC01 and MBT02 Repeater Beacons

Minew has recently launched two new beacon models, the MWC01 and MBT02, a new type of product that is a repeater. These repeaters are designed to scan for beacons and re-transmit the strongest signal, providing a new approach to locating, and a way of extending Bluetooth communication.

The intended use of these repeaters isn’t entirely clear from the Minew website, so here’s an explanation of how they work and their benefits.

Traditional Beacon Systems

In a conventional setup, multiple gateways detect beacons within an area and server-side software uses trilateration to calculate the position of an asset or person. This method often lacks accuracy due to the fluctuating and imprecise nature of Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements.

Bluetooth Direction Finding

Bluetooth Direction Finding was introduced to improve accuracy. It uses the angle of arrival of Bluetooth signals, requiring complex software and specialised hardware. While very effective, this method can be complicated, time consuming and expensive to implement.

The Role of Repeaters

Minew’s new repeaters offer a middle ground between traditional RSSI-based systems and advanced Bluetooth direction finding. Here’s how they work.

Extra fixed Bluetooth beacons are placed throughout the area. The repeaters, attached to moving assets, detect the beacons and send the strongest signal to a single gateway. This reduces the number of gateways needed and allows for the strategic placement of beacons to enhance accuracy where necessary. It is a simpler and more cost-effective solution than Direction Finding implementations.

Additional Uses

Repeater beacons can also function as fixed repeaters to extend the range of a beacon where it’s insufficient. This is particularly useful for sensing and IoT applications, providing extra range and reliability.

Contact Us

Interested in integrating Minew’s repeater beacons into your solutions? Contact us for more information.

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.

Small, Inexpensive Gateway

Every now and then, we come across a product that’s a bit different. In this case it’s a very small and reasonably priced gateway, the MG3.

It is designed to gather advertising data from iBeacon, Eddystone and other devices. It sends this data to your server in JSON format using either HTTP(S) or MQTT protocols. The device connected to a 2.4GHz WiFi. To indicate its status, there is an RGB LED integrated into its design.

While the marketing materials mention detecting Minew beacons, it can detect any kind of beacon and, more generally, any Bluetooth device that is advertising. It has the capability to process data from up to 70 devices per second. Although its optimal range is 70 meters in an open space, this range is dependent on the power of the beacons being detected.

The device conveniently uses a standard USB connection for power. It consumes approximately 340mA of power, which decreases to 290mA if the LEDs are turned off.

To change the device settings you use a smartphone app. Please note that currently, the app is only available for Android devices. The settings you can configure include the method of data upload (HTTP(S) or MQTT), server URL, upload interval, RSSI filter, MAC address filter (using Regular Expression), raw Bluetooth filter (using Regular Expression), and time zone settings.

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Minew B7 In Stock

We now supply the Minew B7 wearable wristband beacon.

B7

This waterproof (IP67) beacon offers the usual iBeacon and Eddystone advertising as well as acceleration sensing. This can be via x y z in the advertising or for motion triggered broadcast. This beacon is also one of the few that also has an NFC chip for additional RFiD-based sensing. The button can be used for on/off as well as button triggered broadcasting in situations such as lone working or SOS.

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New MBM03 Road Stud Beacon

We have the Minew MBM03 road stud beacon in stock.


The road stud is waterproof to IP68 and shock proof to IK10. It has a very large battery for a long battery life of up to 10 years depending on settings. While it is suitable for vehicle parking, checking in, positioning and tracking it’s also suitable for non-vehicle use where a rugged beacon with a large battery is required.

Minew have a promotional video highlighting the salient features:


While a lorry can roll over the stud, for the longest life it’s recommended the stud not be subjected to continual or repeated pressure.


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New Minew MG3

The MG3 is a new mini USB Bluetooth-WiFi gateway.


It’s a more affordable version of the G1 with slightly less capability:

The MG3 collects advertising data from all Bluetooth LE devices and then sends JSON data to your server by HTTP(S) or MQTT using WiFi.

The MG3 processes up to 70 Bluetooth devices per second. The maximum range is 70 meters in open space but this depends more on the range of beacons being detected.

Configurable data collection settings include the upload method (HTTP(S) or MQTT), server URL, upload interval, RSSI filter, MAC address filter (RegEx), raw Bluetooth filter (RegEx) and the time zone.

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New Minew MBT01 and MVS01 Asset Tracking Beacons

We now sell Minew’s MBT01 and MVS01 Asset Tracking Beacons.

The MBT01 differs from most beacons in that it has a switch at the back that can be used to detect if the beacon has been removed from a surface. It advertises ‘normal’ (every 5 secs) or ‘tamper alarm’ (every 1 sec) depending on the status.

The MVS01 is unique in that it has a vibration sensor with five configurable sensitivity levels. It sends extra advertising when moved.

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