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City of Luxembourg is Using iBeacons

The City of Luxembourg’s Municipal Office is using Bluetooth beacons to send push notifications through its free smartphone app, cityapp – VDL, alerting users when their bus is about to depart.

The app, available in English, French and German, has several features across different tabs. The “Explore” tab highlights nearby attractions and upcoming events tailored to your preferences, such as parks, playgrounds, museums and sports facilities. The “Transport” tab offers comprehensive travel information, including real-time bus and tram departures, car park availability, cycling infrastructure, taxi ranks and service disruptions. The “Services” tab gives quick access to practical information, such as city department contacts, public toilets, water fountains, the latest city news, your waste collection schedule and forms for reporting issues or making suggestions.

New MobileBeaconer Android App

IdeaSave Software has released a new Android app, MobileBeaconer, designed to easily detect Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons using iBeacon™, Eddystone URL, Eddystone UID or AltBeacon formats. The app allows users to save selected beacons and receive notifications when those beacons are nearby.

To ensure the scan continues without keeping the screen on, the app uses a foreground service, indicated by a “Scanning for managed beacons” notification. Users can also set the proximity range for notifications to immediate, near or far.

Testing if a Beacon is Working

It’s often the case you need to know if a beacon is working and advertising the correct information. It’s also sometimes necessary to differentiate between beacons, based on their signal strength, so you know you are setting up the correct beacon. Other times, you might want to know a beacon’s MAC address.

The best scanning app is Nordic nRF Connect that’s written by the manufacturer of the System on a Chip (SoC) in most beacons. Nordic nRF Connect detects all beacons and indeed all Bluetooth LE devices, irrespective of the SoC manufacturer because it just looks for standard Bluetooth advertising. nRF Connect is intelligent in that it works out the kind of beacon and displays the appropriate type of information.

It’s important you use the Android version of nRF Connect. Due to over-zealous efforts by Apple to hide identities, it’s not possible for iOS scanning applications to see advertising iBeacon (UUID, major and minor) information nor the Bluetooth MAC address even though these are openly transmitted by beacons.

Here’s an example scan:

In the above screenshot you can an iBeacon that has been tapped on to show extra information. All devices have the MAC address and a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). The MAC address uniquely identifies the device.

Devices that scan for beacons will experience a signal strength (RSSI) that varies depending on the distance to the beacon. It’s expressed in dBm and is always negative. A more negative number indicates the beacon is further away. A typical value of -10 to -30 dBm indicates the beacon is close. A typical value of -110 indicates the beacon is near the limit of detection. You can use this to determine which beacons are closest. You usually configure beacons when they are right next to the phone and have a higher, less negative, RSSI.

nRF Connect also shows the advertising period that’s based on how often the app sees the advertising as opposed to what has been set in the beacon. The value is rarely exactly what you have set because Bluetooth requires some randomisation of the advertising period to reduce the possiblity of collisions between devices, in the vicinity, that are set to the same period. Also, being wireless, not all advertising is seen which causes jumps in the shown advertising period. Read more about choosing the advertising period.

There’s also a ‘RSSI at 1m’ which is the beacon’s self-declared value, in the advertising data, of what the RSSI should be at 1m. This can be used by scanning devices, such as apps, as a form of calibration for determining distance. In most cases this value isn’t used and should be ignored. Read more about power and the measured power calibration value.

iBeacon MAC Address on iOS

When working with iBeacons on iOS, people often wonder if they can access the Bluetooth MAC address of nearby devices. The short answer is no. iOS does not provide an API for retrieving the MAC addresses of Bluetooth peripherals, including iBeacons, even though devices openly transmit this information. This restriction aligns with Apple’s strong privacy and security policies, which limit developers to using only the officially provided Beacon identifiers: UUID, major, and minor values.

Despite this limitation, some users may notice that a beacon’s MAC address is displayed in certain contexts, such as being printed on the device itself or visible within a manufacturer’s setup application. This raises the question how these apps access the MAC address when iOS does not allow it.

The answer lies in proprietary or non-standard mechanisms used by some manufacturers. These methods can include embedding the MAC address within extra custom advertising data or requiring an app to establish a connection with the beacon and retrieve custom settings that include the MAC address. However, since these approaches are not part of a Bluetooth standard nor part of Apple’s official APIs for iBeacon detection, they should not be relied upon for application development.

Relying on MAC addresses for identification can lead to issues. Different beacon models and manufacturers use different undocumented techniques, making it difficult to ensure long-term compatibility when second sourcing. Connecting to a beacon to get its MAC address adds an extra step that significantly complicates things and makes slower compared to just reading advertising with no connection.

Mechanisms used to expose MAC addresses are often undocumented. Any firmware update or change for later purchased beacons could change or remove these features without warning, making the approach unreliable for long-term solutions.

Apple’s privacy restrictions mean that app developers should focus on the standard iBeacon identification mechanisms to ensure stability, compatibility and compliance with iOS policies.

Auto-Adjusting Location Algorithm

A new study uses an indoor localisation system that integrates Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) with an Internet of Things (IoT) framework to improve accuracy in tracking individuals, particularly those with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. The system employs an auto-adjusting algorithm that dynamically optimises received signal strength indicator (RSSI) coefficients based on real-time environmental factors, leading to improved location estimation precision.

Existing systems relying on RSSI often suffer from inaccuracies due to environmental interferences, signal fluctuations, and the use of static coefficient assignments. To address these challenges, this study develops an auto-adjusting algorithm that dynamically selects coefficients based on RSSI classifications.

The system consists of a central unit, a Raspberry Pi, and BLE peripheral nodes that communicate wirelessly. It collects real-time RSSI data and applies a path loss model to estimate distances. A web interface was developed to facilitate real-time tracking and data visualisation. The system was tested in a healthcare environment with five rooms, comparing the performance of fixed coefficient models against the proposed dynamic approach.

The experimental results showed that using fixed coefficients in distance estimation led to an initial error of 28.03%. By implementing the auto-adjusting algorithm, the error was reduced to 8%, while the maximum localisation error was decreased to 2.01 meters. Additionally, the system demonstrated high energy efficiency, with BLE peripherals operating for approximately 499 hours on a standard 230 mAh battery, reinforcing its suitability for IoT applications.

One of the main advantages of the auto-adjusting algorithm is its ability to dynamically adapt parameters. The system adjusts the path loss exponent (n) and reference signal strength (A) based on real-time RSSI classifications, improving accuracy significantly. This approach minimises localisation inaccuracies by continuously recalibrating signal strength values. The system is also energy-efficient, making it ideal for continuous tracking in various environments. Additionally, it is scalable and can be integrated with other indoor positioning systems such as Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Wi-Fi.

The system achieves higher accuracy, maintaining a maximum error of only 2.01 meters compared to fixed coefficient models. Additionally, the BLE-based approach ensures long battery life and cost-effectiveness, making it suitable for healthcare and security applications. Compared to previous studies, the proposed algorithm proved more reliable for positioning in real-world environments.

Espressif ESP32 Bluetooth Vulnerability

A newly discovered vulnerability in Espressif’s widely used ESP32 Bluetooth chips, identified as CVE-2025-27840, has raised security concerns across the IoT industry. The flaw stems from 29 undocumented commands within the chip’s Bluetooth Host Controller Interface (HCI), which could enable attackers to spoof trusted devices, access data without authorisation, pivot to other devices and establish long-term persistence.

With a CVSS score of 6.8, the risk is categorised as “medium,” but given the vast number of devices using the ESP32 chip, ranging from smart home gadgets to medical equipment, the potential impact is substantial. Exploiting this flaw generally requires physical access to a device’s USB or UART interface, somewhat limiting the attack scope. However, attackers could still conduct impersonation attacks, bypass security audits, and permanently compromise sensitive devices.

Espressif has acknowledged the issue and pledged to release a software patch while documenting all vendor-specific HCI commands to improve transparency. In the meantime, security experts recommend conducting audits, implementing additional safeguards, monitoring Bluetooth activity and staying updated on Espressif’s patches.

Faraday RF-Shield Bags

We have Faraday Radio Frequency RF shield nylon bags in stock. Faraday bags can be very useful during development when you want to bring beacons in and out of range or need to hide development beacons. They are also useful during setup when you want to shield un-commissioned beacons temporarily.

The bags we sell are high spec and were originally designed for military, intelligence and police agencies to prevent seized devices from being remotely altered. They shield WiFi, Bluetooth and phone signals. They can also be used with phones and tablets for personal anti-radiation health reasons, preventing tracking or avoiding communication when you don’t want to be interrupted.

Game-Based Museum Inquiry Learning Using Beacons

New research explores the use of game-based inquiry learning in a maritime science museum, integrating emerging technologies to enhance visitors’ learning experiences. The study introduces MUSEON, an ontology-driven game-based learning (GBL) application designed to engage visitors in guided inquiry activities about museum exhibits.

Beacons were used to enhance the contextual awareness of the learning experience. BLE beacons were strategically placed around the museum to detect visitors’ locations and provide relevant inquiry tasks and hints based on their proximity to exhibits. When a visitor entered a beacon’s range, the MUSEON application activated corresponding learning tasks, helping users engage with exhibits in an interactive and structured manner. The beacons ensured that visitors received context-specific content, allowing them to explore the exhibits dynamically rather than passively. By integrating BLE beacons with an ontology-driven learning approach, the study demonstrated how emerging technology can support situated learning and improve engagement in museum environments.

The findings indicate that visitors using MUSEON had a more engaging and effective learning experience, with 71.6% of participants expressing satisfaction with the game-based approach. The experimental group also outperformed the control group in learning assessments, scoring an average of 74.6% compared to 56.4%. The study highlights the potential of using context-aware technologies, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, to facilitate location-based inquiry learning in informal educational environments like museums.

Beacon Compatibility

We previously wrote a bit about beacon compatibility where we concluded that phone compatibility is more of an issue than beacon compatibility and that you might choose an Apple MFi certified beacon if you wanted additional assurance. However, what does MFi mean?

Certified beacons meet Apple’s beacon specifications. There was a time that these specifications were secret and only available to MFi partners. However, these have since become available after you have ok’d an agreement. If you wish to view them, go to the iBeacon for Developers web page and click on Download Artwork and Specifications.

Bluetooth Technology is Driving IIoT

Bluetooth technology is playing a transformative role in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), facilitating the digitisation and networking of manufacturing operations to address economic, supply chain and regulatory challenges. This wireless technology enables comprehensive data collection, monitoring, and analysis across interconnected devices, which are critical to the automation and efficiency goals of Industry 4.0.

Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) technology has growing importance in industrial settings. According to the 2023 Wireless Connectivity Market Analysis by Techno Systems Research and ABI Research, the market for Bluetooth-enabled industrial devices is projected to grow significantly, from 143 million annual unit shipments in 2023 to over 611 million by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34%. Real-time location systems (RTLS) and asset tracking represent the largest market opportunity due to the availability of low-cost Bluetooth LE tags offering high-accuracy location services.

The second-largest growth area is commercial building automation, which is forecast to expand rapidly, from 8.5 million unit shipments in 2022 to over 135 million by 2028. Other notable markets include Bluetooth LE condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, expected to reach 7 million and nearly 10 million annual unit shipments respectively by 2028.

Robotics is another significant area of opportunity, where Bluetooth LE is enabling autonomous navigation and robot-to-robot communication. Mobile robots, in particular, stand out as they can relay crucial operational data such as position, load, and battery levels, while also allowing for dynamic updates to tasks and routes via Bluetooth-connected devices.

Key advantages of Bluetooth technology in industrial applications include its low power consumption, resilience to interference, robustness, and integration with existing mobile, computing, and IoT infrastructure. Its ability to provide real-time insights into factory operations through extensive data collection, combined with advanced wireless System-on-Chip (SoC) technologies, facilitates improved decision-making and operational adaptability.

This technological advancement extends beyond operations, linking the design and manufacturing processes. By connecting tools like CAD directly to machine tools, Bluetooth enables seamless communication to streamline production, reduce bottlenecks, and enhance product design for simpler manufacturing. These capabilities yield higher productivity, reduced product failures, cost savings, and environmental benefits, revolutionising not only how products are made but also how factories are managed and adapted.