iBeacon tracking permits you to measure and target micro-locations using iBeacon and Low Energy Bluetooth. Since Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon technologies are developing, innovative and new ways to use their capability to track people and assets, its use in the workplace is being evident. The most common use of iBeacon is for tracking purpose. It is very critical to have a track of the physical location of people in real-time in various fields. In manufacturing and transport, the managers need to know the exact location of goods as they can need that at any time. By using beacons, managers can get the information of the current as well as even of the previous days or weeks.
BLE technology is much more famous than any other technologies like WiFi, NFC, etc., for indoor tracking. A beacon is a device that facilitates such tracking. BLE Beacons are used for indoor tracking in various places. In logistics and manufacturing, it is used for dispatch tracking, indoor positioning, micro-location. In the banking sector, beacons detect nearby customers. In the retail industry, beacons are used for advertising, promoting special offers, interactive suggestions, etc. In events, beacons can be used for providing an interactive experience to the guests. In health care, they are used for micro-location. Some of the usage cases are detailed below:
iBeacon Tracking in Asset Management
One of the most facets of your business is tracking and management of your assets. If you do not consider it as valuable then the result can be inaccurate or wrong data or lost equipment, which further can prove to be costly for your company. Employing iBeacon is a good option in this case as beacons can be an effective system of communication in between your data tracking system and equipment. How many finished products are dispatched every day can be monitored using iBeacon.
iBeacons can also help in asset management as its use helps you track materials and parts throughout your manufacturing procedure, which can help avoid difficulties and useless delays in the production line. Besides that, beacon technology can also be utilized to delegate a particular worker a task based on their nearby location to a task. A lot of costs is saved by using the Bluetooth technology and its use has also transformed the process of tracking and managing the assets. Earlier only retail sector was known to use the beacon technology but nowadays other businesses have also started adopting it for enjoying its various benefits.
iBeacon Tracking in Hospital
In hospitals, every patient and nurse has a beacon, which shows their individuality or identity. Receivers are placed in different areas of the hospital such as ICU, wards, doctor’s cabin, etc. so that it is easy to navigate and track patients. Tracking patients is very important as doctors and nurses can reach to the patient easily and quickly in case of any emergency and patient can be treated without any delay. In large hospitals, new visitors or patients face problem in searching for the doctor’s cabin, emergency room, and many other different areas. With the iBeacon tracker, patients can navigate through a doctor office, wardrooms, emergency room or Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Hospital staff can also look for the number of beds vacant instantly by seeing at beacon’s (patients with beacon) real-time location. The costly equipment placed in a laboratory that requires monitoring for safety reasons can be tracked using iBeacon tracking. A control room is made in a hospital where all the information regarding each and every beacon is maintained and is displayed in a web app. There is a local server and WiFi compatible server also. All the information is saved on Local Server as well as Cloud Server. When any new patient is registered or admitted and allotted a new beacon, information about it gets updated on the Server and the persons authorized can access the information through the web app. Due to this process, the people who visit the hospital have easy access to all the hospital locations and therefore, the noise-free environment is maintained in the hospital.
iBeacon Tracking in Gym
The use of fitness trackers, Bluetooth earphones, and Smartwatches has gained great popularity. Bluetooth beacons have become a good solution for fitness centers or gyms. The reason behind this is Bluetooth beacons broadcast campaign to nearby smartphones by using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Beacons not only help the customers to know their location in the gym but they are also helpful in gaining insight into the behavior of gym members. The data obtained is useful in increasing the effectiveness of the trainers and the gym. The attendance of the gym members, increase in their numbers and the busy and free hours of the day can be tracked easily with the help of beacon.
Working of Beacon Tracking (also refer iBeacon Tracking Solution Apps Company)
The working of beacon tracking involves the following steps:
- Map the Building: Creating a map of the building is the first step in setting a tracking system based on a beacon. This can be done by either walking around the boundary of every room with a smartphone along with particular mapping software or using an instrument for illustrating 2D plans of a building such as Google SketchUp and then uploading the map to a dashboard.
- Beacons Tuning: There must be a proper configuration of the Beacons. You need to set the frame type, power levels, and broadcast intervals. You have to set an appropriate Tx power considering that it will influence the battery’s life. Shorter broadcasting distance (2 m up to 70 m) is good as its battery lasts for a longer time. Also, it is essential to configure the beacon advertising interval. It is mostly between 600 or 700 ms. The advertising interval could be extended depending on the requirements of your project.
- Install Beacons: Fix the beacon in the building or a room and turn it on so that it can send a signal.
- Mark Beacons on the Map: Mark the beacons on the map and for marking the location of every beacon make use of specific software.
- Track an Object: As the beacon is fixed and turned on it begins to publicize its identifier. Now any smart device like a smartphone can find out this ID and identify the beacon’s position utilizing the internal database of the mapped building or room. The smart device can transmit the data to the server and the server estimates the location of the device concerning the BLE nodes recognized locations.
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