Author: Support

Understanding the Impact of Settings on Bluetooth Beacon Battery Life

A common concern that frequently surfaces is the beacon’s battery life. It’s often overlooked that the device’s settings play a crucial role in battery consumption.

The Influence of Advertising Period on Battery Life

One of the most critical settings that impact a beacon’s battery life is the advertising period, also known as the advertising interval. This setting determines how frequently the beacon broadcasts its signal. The principle here is straightforward: the more often a beacon transmits, the more battery power it consumes.

For optimal battery performance, it is suggested to set the advertising period to around 600 milliseconds when the use is detection by smartphones. This interval strikes a balance between battery efficiency and effective communication with smartphones in the vicinity.

However, if the beacon is primarily detected by a gateway rather than smartphones, consider setting the advertising interval to one second or more. Gateways are not powered by batteries so are are scanning more intensively and so don’t require as frequent broadcasting as mobile devices do.

Tailoring Beacon Advertising for Specific Needs

Bluetooth beacons can support various types of advertising protocols, such as iBeacon, Eddystone, and others. A common mistake is to have multiple protocols enabled simultaneously, which can unnecessarily drain the battery. To optimise battery usage, it’s essential to configure your beacon to only advertise the type of protocol(s) needed for your specific application.

Reducing Power Consumption Through Transmission Power Settings

Another aspect to consider is the transmission power setting of your beacon. This setting determines the strength of the signal emitted by the beacon. A higher transmission power means a stronger signal and a longer physical range, but it also leads to quicker battery drainage.

Evaluate your use case to determine if a lower transmission power would suffice. For instance, in smaller indoor spaces, a lower power setting can be more than adequate, significantly extending the battery life of your beacon.

Conclusion

In summary, the longevity of your Bluetooth beacon’s battery is not solely dependent on the hardware but is significantly influenced by the right configuration settings. By understanding and optimising these settings, you can greatly enhance your beacon’s battery life. Using these tips, in some circumstances, beacon battery life can be extended to 10+ years which is longer than the useful life of some projects.

An Enhanced Triangulation Technique

Researchers from universities in Taiwan have developed a simple Bluetooth low-energy indoor positioning method using iBeacon components. The system aims to be lightweight, low-cost, and highly precise. The paper, Using iBeacon Components to Design and Fabricate Low-energy and Simple Indoor Positioning Method (PDF), introduces an enhanced triangulation technique using strength signatures of transmitted signals to improve positioning precision in planar locations.

The physical system consists of an observation (they call blind) device and multiple base stations using iBeacon components. These base stations can form virtual digital electronic fences and receive signals from blind devices, such as wearable devices or equipment tags. The positioning area is divided into rectangular or triangular subareas and the location of a blind device can be accurately located in real time using the measured strength of received signals and topology analysis.

The proposed method has an average error of less than 0.5 meters in the worst scenario and can be easily used in various environments. It integrates an STSS database and a triangulation method by evaluating the power values of received directional signals. Compared to traditional triangulation technologies, this method offers better positioning accuracy with simpler implementation procedures, reducing the overall cost of deployment.

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New MST01 Industrial Temperature and Humidity Sensors

We have two new industrial temperature and humidity and sensors with built-in displays.

The Minew MST01-02 and MST01-03 are similar except that the latter has the probe on a 1m cable and has a slightly higher maximum 80C temperature rather than 70C for the MST01-02.

Multiple temperature and humidity thresholds can be set. When values are exceeded, there is an audio alarm and a visual indication shown on the screen.

Bluetooth Localisation for Large Industrial Areas with Limited Infrastructure

The recent study Bluetooth Low Energy Indoor Localization for Large Industrial Areas and Limited Infrastructure discusses the use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in industrial applications, particularly in Smart Factory and Smart Farming settings. Bluetooth systems are beneficial for their low-power operation and are widely used for asset monitoring, management, tracking and localisation. The focus of this paper is on BLE-based localisation systems, which typically use radio propagation models and multi-lateration, or radio fingerprinting, to achieve high accuracy and precision. These methods rely on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements and its dependency on the distance between the transmitter and the receiver.

However, the paper highlights the challenges in achieving high localisation accuracy due to the inaccuracy of RSSI measurements and susceptibility to radio propagation phenomena. In industrial environments, where radio propagation is complex and the number of anchors (fixed reference points) is limited, achieving high accuracy is difficult. The paper proposes a set of localisation algorithms that require limited infrastructure, have low complexity, and can provide valuable location information at low costs. These algorithms were tested in a Smart Farming application for monitoring the well-being of farm animals, demonstrating reliable operation despite system-level constraints and varying propagation conditions.


The proposed algorithms are based on signal strength measurement. They allow for localising animals in a cowshed of 1600m² using only 10 anchors with an average positioning error below 8 meters.


The paper also discusses the applicability of RSSI-based localisation to different radio technologies and the limitations of these methods. The proposed approaches are designed to enable location-based services in existing systems at minimal additional costs, benefiting from the already available infrastructure, mechanisms and procedures.

New Human Presence Sensors

We have new, innovative, Minew human occupancy sensors in stock that use millimeter wave radar sensor to detect numbers of people as opposed to just human presence. They both look similar:

The MSR01-A tracks the location (x,y,z) of individual people with a limit of 15 people. The MSR01-B provides information on the number of people entering or leaving the area.

A self-learning function detects the environment state to identify and eliminate interference sources. Statistics are provided via Bluetooth advertising, with a range of up to 150m, for detection via a gateway or app.

How Much is iBeacon?

There are different beacon models that contain different battery sizes that mainly determine the beacon cost. Beacons with small coin cell batteries cost of the order of €10, $10, or £10. Larger battery beacons with sensors cost up to €30, $30, or £30 or more.

It’s possible to get lower cost beacons direct from China but hidden shipping, money transfer, import duty, import tax and carrier import disbursements inflate the cost. Most brands work ‘just in time’, only manufacturing once they have received payment thus delaying order by weeks or months during holiday periods. Furthermore, they all use freight forwarders, through Hong Kong, that take up to an extra 10 days.

New MG4 Rechargeable Gateway

We now have the new MG4 Rechargeable Gateway available. This gateway collects advertising data from iBeacon, Eddystone, Bluetooth LE sensor and other Bluetooth LE devices and then sends it to your server by HTTP(S) or MQTT using WiFi (2.4GHz only).

A unique aspect of this gateway is that it has a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours so that it can operate during a power outage. The in-built memory stores up to 1080 records avoiding data loss during power and/or network loss.

Is Beacon Outdated?

When you do a Google search query “Is beacon outdated?” and similar queries, you might be directed to a warning about the Google beacon platform being deprecated as of December 7, 2020, with a complete shutdown on April 1, 2021. This information, while accurate, pertains specifically to the Eddystone-URL and Google Nearby, not to iBeacon technology. It’s crucial to understand the distinction to avoid misconceptions about the current state of beacon technology.

Eddystone-URL, a beacon format developed by Google, was indeed phased out. This format was designed for broadcasting URLs to nearby devices, a feature that found limited adoption and was eventually deemed no longer necessary. The discontinuation of Eddystone-URL and Google Nearby, a related service, led to a broader assumption that all forms of beacon technology were becoming obsolete. However, this isn’t true.

iBeacon, Apple’s beacon technology, is still very much in use. iBeacon operates differently from Eddystone-URL. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) proximity sensing to transmit a universally unique identifier picked up by a compatible app or operating system. This technology has a wide range of applications, from retail to event management, and continues to be relevant in various sectors.

For instance, in retail, iBeacon technology is used to enhance the shopping experience. Retailers implement beacons in stores to send targeted offers and information to customers’ smartphones, based on their location within the store. This personalised approach not only improves customer engagement but also provides valuable data to retailers.

In the event management industry, iBeacon technology is used for attendee tracking, networking facilitation, and personalised notifications during events. For example, at a conference, attendees can receive information about sessions they are near, facilitating a more interactive and engaging experience.

Moreover, museums and galleries have adopted iBeacon to provide visitors with detailed information about exhibits as they move through the space, enhancing the educational aspect of their visits.

In conclusion, while the Google beacon platform, specifically the Eddystone-URL and Google Nearby, has been deprecated, it’s important not to generalise this as the end of all beacon technologies. iBeacon, among others, continues to thrive and evolve, finding new applications and integrations in various industries.

New Bluetooth Water Leak Sensor

We have the new Minew MSL01 water leak sensor in stock.

The two probes are positioned vertically where there’s the possibility of a water leak. Special Bluetooth advertising is sent every second, by default, indicating whether there is a water leak or not, together with the battery level. There’s also an external on-off switch on the back.

The advertising can be picked up by a gateway or detected by scanning for Bluetooth on iOS and Android. The replaceable battery lasts up to 5 years at the default Bluetooth advertising frequency.