Understanding and Using iBeacon - BLE and IoT

Still a bit confused about iBeacon?
What it is – what it does – how it works – and why it’s relevant for us – for everyone who like to merge online and offline?

Well – let me explain it.
iBeacon is a new technology that extends Location Services which allows Mobile Apps (running on both iOS and Android devices) to listen for signals from beacons in the real world and respond e.g. offering services. iBeacon went live in early January 2014, in more than 150 U.S.Giant Eagle and Safeway supermarkets and is increasing from month to month.



In essence, iBeacon technology allows Mobile Apps to understand their position on a micro-local scale, and deliver hyper-contextual content to users based on location.
The iBeacon technology can alert apps when a customer approaches or leaves a location with an iBeacon. In addition to monitoring location, an app can estimate customer’s proximity to an iBeacon (for example, a display or checkout counter in a retail store).
Bluetooth Low Energy BLE is the underlying communication technology. BLE is a wireless personal area network technology by the Bluetooth SIG. Compared to the ‘Classic Bluetooth’, BLE is intended to provide considerably reduced power consumption and cost while maintaining a similar communication range.



PassKit not only developed this great visual guide explaining the technology and how it works. PassKit created the following video to demonstrate not only how iBeacon works but also where it can be used:


With an iBeacon or other proximity technology network, any brand, retailer, app, or platform will be able to understand exactly where a customer is in the real world environment. Proximity technology offers a new way to send customers highly contextual, hyper-local, meaningful messages and advertisements on customers’ devices.

In this context I would like to share another video about iBeacon and the Internet of Things IOT.




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