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Using Bluetooth Beacons for Medical Equipment Tracking

There’s recent research from Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Bangkok on Development of Prototypical Indoor Real-time Location System for Medical Equipment Management Based on BLE Devices.


The research proposes a prototype for an indoor real-time location system (RTLS) using Bluetooth Low-Energy devices for tracking medical equipment. The ESP32 microcontroller acts as a receiver node in each room, collecting the MAC address from the HM-10 beacon attached to the equipment and sending this data to a web server.

To calculate the distance between the node and the beacon, the Received Signal Strength value is filtered to reduce noise. Tests show that the average distance error between the beacon and node is roughly 3 metres and and the maximum time to update the location from node to node is less than 15 seconds.

This solution offers precise timestamps and location information based on distance, range, duration or direction.

Changing the Beacon Bluetooth Name

Some manufacturer applications permit you to alter the Bluetooth beacon name, whilst others do not. Sometimes this modifies the entire name and other times elements such as the device id or a fixed id are prefixed or suffixed to the name. It depends on the manufacturer. Occasionally, the name may alter but the configuration app and/or phone Bluetooth software can’t discern the modification until the phone is restarted. Often, the phone’s Bluetooth stack doesn’t relay changes in the name.

In instances where the beacon prefixes or suffixes a string, this is typically because the name is being utilised by the configuration app to ascertain something, for instance, compatible beacons able to be connected, within the configuration app.

While we endeavour to inform you through our quick start guides about what’s feasible with name alterations, this frequently becomes outdated as firmware and applications evolve. The optimal method to know is to try it out for yourself.

However, the inconsistency of name-changing functionality across beacon types/versions coupled with the unreliability of seeing name changes in applications means that applications shouldn’t depend on a particular name or the capability to modify a name. We have found it’s preferable to avoid such functionality in applications and utilise the iBeacon or Eddystone ids instead.

A Review of Bluetooth Mesh

The paper titled “Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh: Applications, Considerations and Current State-of-the-Art” by researchers in Australia provides a comprehensive review of Bluetooth Mesh technology, focusing on its applications, challenges and opportunities in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT).

The study begins with an overview of Bluetooth Mesh, detailing its protocol stack, node types and real-life implementation. It further explores the suitability of Bluetooth Mesh for IoT applications, considering factors like scalability, flexibility, robustness, responsiveness, security, and energy efficiency. A comparison with other communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Zigbee, and LTE-M is also provided to highlight the pros and cons of Bluetooth Mesh.

The paper includes a review of research published between 2017 and 2022, since the official release of Bluetooth Mesh by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). It also presents experimental investigations and insights from a test-bed, analysing real-world implications for latency, energy, scalability, and reliability based on Bluetooth Mesh parameters and behaviour.

One of the key findings is that Bluetooth Mesh is an emerging technology that can support reliable communications in IoT environments. However, the performance of the Bluetooth Mesh network can be significantly influenced by parameters and functions such as time-to-live (TTL) and relay features. The configuration and selection of these parameters can affect reliability and energy consumption, indicating that further experimental work is needed to understand these effects.

The paper also discusses the practical applicability of Bluetooth Mesh for interconnecting nodes within close range or performing proximity sensing and localisation for limited bandwidth operations.

The paper recognises Bluetooth Mesh as a promising technology for various IoT applications but acknowledges that much work remains, particularly in understanding the impact of different parameter settings and in exploring its robustness in different mobility situations.

Beacons, IoT and Transport Monitoring

Beacons are often mentioned as being IoT devices. IoT devices tend to measure and monitor performance and store data in some Big Data way. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and Technical University of Denmark have a paper on Combining Smartphone and iBeacon Technologies in a Transit Quality Survey.

Their proof of concept shows how, what looks like a transport end-user survey, can be additionally used to track service data and monitor performance on transit trips.

The paper has a few insights into the use of beacons. They found that the RSSI and proximity accuracy were affected by the number of people in the surrounding environment such that it was best to place the beacons at high positions at bus stops. They also found they needed to explictly ask users to manually enable Bluetooth on their phones.

They also consider problems that will be experienced if the proof of concept were to be scaled, in particular the dependency on having a wide set of beacon-equipped stops.

If the ultimate vision is to develop a platform for a city’s entire bus network, it may be impractical to install and maintain iBeacons at every bus stop.

There’s also mention of the need for more effective incentives to sustain participation, such as offering reward points or fare discounts.

Is iBeacon Still Used?

You might have stumbled across comments on social media saying something like ‘Is iBeacon still used?’, ‘Remember iBeacon’ or ‘Is iBeacon still a thing?’. It’s a question that tends to crop up now and then. The truth is, iBeacon technology is not only still around, but it has flourished and evolved, becoming integral to various industries.

When Apple first introduced iBeacon technology back in 2013, it was mainly designed for retail notifications. At the time, it seemed like an interesting innovation, enabling stores to communicate with their customers via their smartphones. But, in reality, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Over the last decade, beacons have evolved from a technology used exclusively in retail stores to one that’s employed across a multitude of industries. The technology has seen enhancements and adaptations, moving well beyond simple notifications and sales promotions.

One of the most significant adaptations of iBeacon technology has been in real-time locating systems (RTLS). Used to track objects and people within confined areas, this technology has made its mark in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. Hospitals, for instance, utilise RTLS to monitor equipment and patient movement, reducing waiting times and improving efficiency.

Sensors have become more sophisticated with the help of beacons. From monitoring environmental conditions to tracking health metrics, these smart Bluetooth beacons are integral in gathering vital information. Think of applications such as monitoring temperatures in office buildings or tracking the temperature and humidity in agricultural settings.

IoT represents a world where everyday objects are connected to the internet, sharing information and interacting with each other. Beacons play a pivotal role here, together with gateways. Whether it’s smart homes adapting to your preferences or industrial equipment notifying operators of required maintenance, the applications are boundless.

What began as a way for retailers to send notifications to shoppers in a store has become a technology with applications that stretch as far as the imagination. The beacons of today is more sophisticated, more versatile and more integral to modern life.

So the next time someone on social media questions the relevance of iBeacon, you’ll know the answer is not only a resounding ‘yes,’ but a testament to how far a single technology can evolve.

View Bluetooth beacons

Using Beacons to Improve Location of Mobile Robots

There’s new research from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand on Sensor Fusion of Light Detection and Ranging and iBeacon to Enhance Accuracy of Autonomous Mobile Robot in Hard Disk Drive Clean Room Production Line (pdf).

Mobile robots are broadly divided into automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous intelligent vehicles (AIVs). AGVs are confined to predetermined paths while AIVs have the flexibility to move in any direction without any infrastructural alterations. Factories often face challenges when it comes to synchronising mobile robots with target machinery. The paper presents a solution to reduce errors in robot localisation and improve parking accuracy.

Adaptive Monte Carlo Localisation (AMCL), a probability-based localisation system which relies on LiDAR and odometry data often misjudges robot positions in environments where the factory production line and room shapes are alike. To mitigate this, a novel landmark-based localisation strategy using iBeacon, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device, is proposed. This approach aims to provide more accurate localisation of mobile robots, addressing the shortcomings of the AMCL system.

View iBeacons

Unsolicited Messages Can’t be Sent to iOS and Android

This is one of most popular enquiries so we have created a new blog post explaining the situation. Contrary to what some may believe, it’s not possible to send unsolicited messages from beacons to iOS and Android. The problem is that this used to be possible and there are now many web sites still promoting old information.

In the past, there was a way for beacons to broadcast a URL using a protocol known as Google’s Eddystone-URL. This protocol allowed a beacon to transmit a web address and a smartphone or web browser with the ‘Nearby’ feature could detect this broadcast without needing a specific application installed.

However, from December 2018, Google announced that it would discontinue the ‘Nearby’ feature due to a significant increase in irrelevant and spammy notifications that were leading to a poor user experience. This change meant that the Eddystone-URL, which was a potential avenue for unsolicited messages, could no longer be used in this way.

In the wake of Google’s decision, the beacon messaging landscape has changed. Beacons can no longer send unsolicited messages via the Eddystone-URL protocol and all notifications now require an app installed on the device that can listen for the beacons.

While this might seem like a limitation, it provides a level of protection for users, ensuring that they’re only receiving notifications that are relevant and wanted.

iBeacon-enabled Interactive Audio Walk

Lydspor is an immersive, interactive audio walk taking visitors through the history of Helsingør in Denmark. This project makes use of iBeacon technology, allowing it to precisely locate you as you meander down Hestemøllestræde. It is not just an auditory experience but a site-specific sensory journey, produced after one and a half years of intensive research.


The Lydspor team explored soma design methods, focusing on affective interaction design and the concept of bodies as interconnected and multisensory, transcending just human interaction. This exploration and the resultant understanding were then integrated into the design process to create a unique combination of somatic and affective design, aimed at providing site-specific sonic augmentations that vividly communicate the history of the space.

Scattered along Hestemøllestræde are beacons, each telling a distinct historical tale. The accompanying app has been designed to provide a seamless auditory experience that requires minimal device interaction, further enhancing the immersive nature of the walk.

There’s also a research paper with videos.

Using Beacons To Detect Human Movement

There’s an innovative use of beacons mentioned in the research paper on Developing a Human Motion Detector using Bluetooth. Beacons and its Applications (PDF).

Most motion sensing applications usually place a sensor beacon on the things that will move. The accelerometer in the beacon reports movement. The research paper describes an alternative method of detecting movement of a person, an elderly person in this case, based on the change in blocking of the beacon signal over time. This has the advantage that the beacon doesn’t need to be worn. Also, it doesn’t have to be a accelerometer beacon as any beacon can be used.

The problem with using the strength of the beacon signal (RSSI), is that it varies over time even when there’s no change of blocking in the room. This is due to radio frequency (RF) noise and reflection. The authors of the paper looked into smoothing of the data to filter out such variance in the data:

The report concludes that when averaging over three or more RSSI values, it’s possible to minimise the RF variance and reliably detect the variance caused by human movement in the room.

Another, more reliable, way of detecting movement is to use a beacon with built-in PIR such as the iBS02PIR, M52-PIR, IX32 or MSP01.