Category: iBeacon

Bluetooth Stickers

The term ‘beacon sticker’ often causes confusion. Here’s an explanation of the origins and misconceptions surrounding this term.

Estimote, a former prominent manufacturer of Bluetooth beacons, popularised the term ‘sticker’ by naming one of their beacon models the Estimote Sticker. This product was a small, thin beacon designed to be easily adhered to surfaces. The name caught on, and many articles and discussions began using the term ‘sticker’ when referring to beacons.

Despite the popularity of the term, there is now no specific product category called ‘beacon stickers’. What people often mean when they ask for beacon stickers are actually small, thin beacons that can be easily attached to surfaces.

Beacons typically come with additional or built-in adhesive layers or can be attached using double-sided stickers. These adhesives, often using special 3M glue for strong fixing, allow beacons to be securely mounted on various surfaces.

Minew i6 Beacon

While Estimote Stickers no longer exist, there are several small, thin beacons such as the K15, E8 and i6 that share characteristics with Estimote’s original Sticker model and come with a 3M double-sided sticker. Stickers are also available separately.

What is the Best Beacon Compatible With Our HR System?

The answer to this question is similar to Which Beacons are the Most Compatible (with iOS and Android)? All beacons transmit to Bluetooth standards and use similar, certified, components which means there are no problems with compatibility or ‘best’ beacon for compatibility with an HR system.

Instead, we find the challenges usually lie in setup and getting the HR system to recognise the beacon UUID. Most systems use iBeacon advertising that uses a UUID, major and minor to uniquely identify the beacon. The UUID looks something like 3ce2ef69-4414-469d-9d55-3ec7fcc38520. Some HR systems use upper case for the hexadecimal digits that are letters, some use lower case. Some omit the dashes (-) and some use colons instead. Read your HR user guide to determine the exact format otherwise the beacon won’t be recognised.

Turn Your iPhone into an iBeacon

If you into Beacon-enabled apps, there’s a new free iOS app now allows your iPhone to function as an iBeacon. This tool is particularly useful for developers looking to test their applications without the need for additional hardware. This eliminates the need for purchasing a physical beacon.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind. One notable downside is that using your iPhone as a beacon will drain your battery much faster. If you use this app, make sure the iPhone remains on charge.

Although this app is designed to mimic iBeacon functionality, neither the app description on the App Store nor the interface within the app mentions ‘iBeacon’. Instead, the term ‘Beacon’ is used. This is not an oversight but a deliberate choice, as Apple prohibits the use of the term ‘iBeacon’ by third-party developers. It’s a strange, pedantic restriction, but one that developers must navigate.

If you are serious about Beacon technology, investing in a physical beacon might still be the better route in the long run. They are relatively inexpensive and offer the advantage of not impacting your phone’s battery life.

Using Covert Channels with iBeacon

A new study Implementation and Analysis of Covert Channel Using iBeacon (PDF) explores the creation and analysis of covert communication channels using iBeacon, which is based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Covert channels are methods used to transmit information secretly, bypassing normal security measures.

The authors introduce two types of covert channels: one that uses the payload of the iBeacon broadcast messages and another that employs the broadcasting intervals. The payload-based covert channel modifies the UUID, Major, Minor, and TX power fields of the iBeacon packets to transmit covert messages. This method achieved a maximum throughput of 911,600 Bytes per second (Bps) with a Packet Delivery Rate (PDR) consistently above 75%, indicating its efficiency in transmitting substantial data covertly.

The interval-based covert channel, on the other hand, encodes messages in the time intervals between consecutive iBeacon broadcasts. Although this method provides higher concealment compared to payload-based channels, it has a lower channel capacity and can cause transmission delays.

The experimental setup involved using Raspberry Pi devices to simulate the transmission and reception of iBeacon packets, where various advertising intervals were tested. The findings highlighted that shorter advertising intervals resulted in higher throughput, with the best performance observed in the 100–200 ms range.

The study concludes by emphasising the potential for significant data transmission through BLE beacons and suggests future research to explore countermeasures against such covert channels.

iBeacon vs Beacon: Understanding the Difference

The term ‘Beacon’ is a generic name for all types of devices that use standard Bluetooth to transmit signals. Among these, iBeacon is the most popular and widely recognised.

Beacons: The Broad Category

Beacons are small, wireless transmitters that use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to send signals to nearby devices. These signals can trigger actions, such as sending notifications, providing navigation or tracking assets. The technology is simple yet powerful, enabling a myriad of applications across various industries, from retail to healthcare.

The term ‘Beacon’ encompasses a variety of beacon types, each with its unique specifications and use cases. These include Eddystone, AltBeacon, and, of course, iBeacon. Despite their differences, all beacons share the fundamental ability to transmit data using Bluetooth, making them interoperable with any Bluetooth-enabled device that scans for such signals.

iBeacon: Apple’s Contribution to Beacon Technology

Among the different types of beacons, iBeacon is perhaps the most well-known. It’s important to note that while the iBeacon data format was developed by Apple, it can be detected by any device that has Bluetooth scanning capabilities, not just Apple products.

The iBeacon protocol defines a specific data format for Bluetooth advertising. This format includes three main components:

  • UUID (Universally Unique Identifier): A 128-bit value that uniquely identifies the beacon or a group of beacons.
  • Major Value: A 16-bit integer used to group related beacons. For instance, all beacons in a specific retail store might share the same Major value.
  • Minor Value: Another 16-bit integer that allows for more granular identification within a group. This could, for example, differentiate individual beacons within a retail store.

Other Types of Beacons

While iBeacon is the most prominent, several other beacon technologies are worth mentioning:

  • Eddystone: Developed by Google, Eddystone is an open beacon format that supports multiple data frame types. This flexibility allows it to broadcast URLs, telemetry data and other forms of information, making it versatile for various applications.
  • AltBeacon: Created by Radius Networks, AltBeacon is an open and interoperable beacon standard. It aims to provide a flexible alternative to proprietary beacon formats, ensuring compatibility across different platforms and devices.

Inside the iBeacon Data Advertising

The iBeacon Bluetooth packet structure includes the following fields:

  • Preamble: A series of bytes that mark the beginning of the transmission.
  • Access Address: A 32-bit field that identifies the packet as a BLE advertisement.
  • PDU (Protocol Data Unit): Contains the actual iBeacon data, including the UUID, Major, and Minor values.
  • CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check): Ensures data integrity by checking for errors in the received data.

The brevity of this format allows iBeacons, in fact all beacons, to operate effectively with minimal power consumption, making them suitable for prolonged use in various environments.

Using iBeacon in Libraries

A new paper Smart Library Applications in Oman using iBeacon Technology: A Case Study by Asma Abdullah Saleh Alabbadi and S. M. Emdad Hossain discusses the implementation of Bluetooth technology at the University of Nizwa Library in Oman to enhance library services using the latest technology. They use Bluetooth Low Energy to provide location-based services within the library, allowing users to easily locate books on the shelves, receive updates about new arrivals and library events and reduce staff workload by automating responses to frequent queries.

The study highlights the increasing integration of smartphones and communication technologies in various sectors, emphasising the need for academic libraries to adopt these technologies to improve efficiency and user satisfaction. By linking Bluetooth with the library’s Koha system through a smartphone application, users can navigate the library more independently, which streamlines operations and improves service delivery.

The paper includes a detailed discussion on the broader applications of spatial computing and iBeacon technology in various fields, showing its versatility and relevance. The authors propose further support for modern technological integration in libraries to maintain relevance and enhance the user experience.

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.

VMware Workspace ONE UEM Supports iBeacons

VMware Workspace ONE UEM (Unified Endpoint Management) is a comprehensive solution designed to manage and secure endpoints in an enterprise environment. It’s part of the broader VMware Workspace ONE platform, which offers a suite of tools for digital workspace services.


Workspace ONE UEM provides IT administrators with the ability to manage a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, across various operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. The goal is to streamline the process of deploying, securing, and managing these devices, ensuring that they are compliant with company policies and that corporate data remains protected.

Apple iBeacon, integrated with Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub v5.1+, enhances location awareness for devices using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). BLE offers efficient device tracking without draining battery life and is more precise than geofencing. iBeacons can monitor multiple regions at once, ensuring privacy as devices are tracked only upon entering or exiting specific areas.

To utilise this, set up a third-party iBeacon, configure it in the UEM console, establish iBeacon regions and then push device profiles with iBeacon capabilities. This allows the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub to detect when devices enter these regions and log any changes in iBeacon ranges.

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What is the Difference Between Beacon and iBeacon?

iBeacon is a protocol designed by Apple that sits on top of, or uses, the Bluetooth LE protocol. Think of Bluetooth LE as a standard mechanism for sending a short amount of information that can be anything. In the case of iBeacon this ‘anything’ is the UUID, major, minor and a power calibration value called the measured power. We have a post explaining these iBeacon values.

Xerox Bluetooth Kit for AirPrint

Xerox offers a Bluetooth Kit designed for AltaLink B81XX and C81XX models, which facilitates AirPrint discovery through iBeacon technology. This kit not only provides Bluetooth connectivity but also enables iBeacon discovery, making it easier for users to find and link up with compatible Xerox printers via their Apple devices.

Additionally, the kit supports Wi-Fi Direct, allowing for mobile printing without the need for a network connection.

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