These sets of signal strengths are saved in a fingerprint database. One solution to this last problem involves an approach called “fingerprinting.” Beacons, installed in fixed locations, take measurements every few meters to record the signal strengths from each beacon at each spot. If signal strength is low, does that mean the phone is far from the beacon or that there’s a huge pillar between the beacon and the phone? The problem with such an approach, of course, is that signal strength is a poor indicator of distance. They measure the signal strength and convert that signal strength to a distance estimate. Some companies have taken BLE to the next step by using BLE signals to measure distance between a phone and a beacon. However, this still isn’t the same as measuring precise distance or tracking location.
Some of these systems distinguish being “in range” of a beacon and being “close” to a beacon by distinguishing weak and strong signal strengths. Detecting proximity doesn’t necessitate measurement of distance rather, it only requires detecting a steady signal. Proximity sensing is when a device detects that it’s within range of another device, such as when a phone enters range of a beacon.
This file type includes high resolution graphics and schematics when applicable.įirst, it’s important to distinguish iBeacons and their role, namely proximity detection, from the more general problem of measuring location and distance. If Apple is using Bluetooth for indoor location (more specifically, Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE), wouldn’t that be the best approach? Download this article in. Is Wi-Fi or Bluetooth best due to their track records in mobile-device deployments? Or do newer radio technologies hold an advantage? What tradeoffs are involved?īluetooth-based location tracking has received lots of attention since Apple announced its iBeacon technology. The common element among them all is the desire to track their position.ĭesigners making devices that need to track location face the challenge of selecting the right technology. Buzzwords used to describe these devices include Internet of Things, wearable-computing smart devices, smart-home devices, connected appliances, and others. Though best known in smartphone applications, particularly in terms of GPS and now the onset of indoor location, it’s making its way into a wide variety of other devices-from wireless toys to consumer drones, from keychains that want to be found to shopping carts tracked around a store.
More devices being made these days need to track their location as they move around.
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