The configuration of a Bluetooth beacon can vary depending on the manufacturer and the specific use case. However, in general, the configuration includes iBeacon settings such as the beacon’s UUID (Universally Unique Identifier), major and minor values, transmit power, advertising interval, and other parameters that define the behaviour of the beacon.
- UUID: This is a 128-bit value that uniquely identifies the beacon. It can be used by an application to identify a beacon among many others in the vicinity.
- Major and Minor values: These are 16-bit values that can be used to group beacons into different categories or to identify specific beacons within a group.
- Transmit power: This setting determines the strength of the signal transmitted by the beacon. A higher transmit power will increase the range of the beacon, but will also consume more battery power.
- Advertising interval: This setting determines how often the beacon broadcasts its signal. A shorter interval will provide more frequent updates on the beacon’s location, but will also consume more battery power.
These settings are configured using smartphone apps. These use Bluetooth GATT (Generic Attribute Profile), a protocol used to define the way that data is exchanged between Bluetooth devices. Some beacon manufacturers also publish how they use Bluetooth GATT’s services and characteristics to update these settings so that you can also update them via your own apps or from other Bluetooth devices.