This brief introduction is to answer basic questions about how bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons works well as their capabilities and limitations. The technology behind these.
What is Beacon
Beacon devices is also referred to as ‘’Bluetooth beacon’’, ‘’Smart Beacon’’,“Proximity Beacon”,“Eddystone Beacon”.
Beacons are sometimes misunderstood as instruments of “surveillance”’,capable of tracking smart phone owner’s movements. This is incorrect.
Beacons transmit a low-energy signal that can be picked up by nearby bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, including smart phones. Beacons themselves don’t collect data. They broadcast signals that can be detected by apps on mobile devices .Then the smart phone within beacon’s working area will received the notifications.
Application of Beacons
Retail-store beacons can helps owners attract local traffic, grow customer engagement, encourage repeat business and increase sales for small and medium businesses.
Museum beacons can show detail information about the artist.
Library beacons can be used to remind users about overdue books.
Beacons signals will be received when user’s cellphone has already turn it is bluetooth on .
For Eddystone (URL/UID) broadcast, user can use free Nearby/Physical Web for receiving notifications.
For iBeacon broadcast, users need Physical Web or a mobile app for receiving notifications.
Application of Beacons on Android
Android phone system comes with nearby,therefore Eddystone (URL/UID) broadcast will be received directly by android cellphone but iBeacon broadcast will be received when user already install Physical Web or mobile app.
By the way Nearby only scan beacons when the users turn on their smart phone’s screen. Therefore the notification might not appear until the user interacts with their android smart phone. If your notification is not performing well (users rarely tap on it, or ignore it, which can be interpreted as the notification being not that useful), Nearby Notifications might stop delivering it to the users.
Application of Beacons on IOS
iOS cellphone users need install Physical Web or mobile app for receiving all kinds notifications :Eddystone (URL/UID) broadcast and iBeacon broadcast.
And Device owners must also have enabled use of Bluetooth.
