iBeacon, Eddystone, Bluetooth, IoT sensor beacons, apps, platforms
We now have the Meeblue M52-PA in stock.
This Bluetooth beacon is similar to the M52-SA Plus with the addition of a much longer range of up to 180m.
This is achieved using an additional SKY 66111-11, a low-power, low energy range extender. This provides up to +13dBm while remaining Bluetooth Class 1 compliant.
The distance that a beacon can transmit is shown in the specification tab for each beacon. This is the maximum range specified by the manufacturer at maximum power under ideal conditions.
Here are some tips if the range is less than expected:
The maximum specified range is rarely achieved for any beacon although there have been a cases where we have found beacons to be better than the specification.
All manufacturers, not just those whose beacons we sell, tend to specify the optimum range, outdoors, with no radio interference. You will experience reduced range indoors where there are radio reflections and obstacles. If you need a long range under all circumstances then we recommend you over-specify the beacon range and perhaps look at beacons with an ultra-long range.
We have the FSC-BP101 in stock. The stand out feature of this beacon is that it provides a range up to 300m without the need for an external dipole antenna.
This beacon supports up to ten advertising slots that can be iBeacon, Eddystone-UID, Eddystone-URL or AltBeacon.
USB beacons are particularly suited for use as a mains powered beacon where it can be inserted into a spare USB slot or into a USB mains adapter.
Beacons are often placed in shops, offices and other buildings for detection in smartphone apps. Battery powered beacons last from months to years depending on the size of the battery and the transmission power (adjustable). The compromise between battery life and physical range can be avoided if USB beacons are used instead.
USB beacons are powered from an available wallsocket, laptop, desktop or other standard USB socket. Alternatively, they can be powered using an inexpensive mains charger used to charge a smartphone or other device. Powering from the mains allows the beacon to be permanently set to full power with no worry about checking or changing the battery.
The use of mains power also allows for use of specialist beacons that output the maximium legally allowed (Class 1) power that wouldn’t be feasible using battery power.
The FSC-BP109 can be received up to 1000m on Android and 4000m on iOS.
Nordic Semiconductor, the manufacturer of the System on a Chip (SoC) inside most beacons, has announced a new Bluetooth Range Extender the nRF21540.
It’s an electronic component to be used at the SoC output to amplify the signal prior to being sent to the antenna. We expect this to be included in some future long range beacon designs. However, note that it uses more current (115 mA at +20 dBm) so is less suitable for use in coin-cell based battery powered designs.
Our ultra long range beacons already use RF amplifiers but from different component manufacturers. For example the iB003N-PA uses a RFAXIS X2401C chip to achieve up to 300m range. The FSC-BP109 also uses an output amplifier to reach up to 1000m on Android and 4000m on iOS but this beacon requires USB power.
We have the new Minew E2 PA in stock. It’s a waterproof beacon advertising iBeacon and Eddystone.
What’s special about this beacon is the 10+ year battery life that comes through using the power efficient Nordic nRF52 SoC and 4 AA batteries. The in-use battery life will depend on settings.
This beacon also has a power amplifier that provides for an exceptional range of up to 500m. However, as with any long range beacon, the maximum range is achieved only when there’s line of sight.
If you have been following our posts on Bluetooth 5, you might be wondering how one Bluetooth device can communicate to many devices, some of which might be legancy Bluetooth 4.
There’s a new video from Nordic Semiconductor (who produce the System on a Chip – SoC – inside most beacons) where the new long range mode is used while connecting to up to 20 devices. These can be different PHYs meaning that different capabilities, for example high speed vs long range vs legacy) can be connected at the same time.
We just received the 210L ultra-long 200m range beacon into stock.
Most beacons tend to have a range of 30m, 50m or 100m. The normal output is 0dBm but they can be boosted to +4dBm to achieve the maximum ranges. Read our article on Choosing the Transmitted Power for more information.
The 210L beacon transmits at +10dBM which is the maximum allowable for this class of Bluetooth 4 device. This is just over 3x the power of a beacon transmitting at 0dBm. Hence, there’s respective reduction in battery life.
We have the Feasycom FSC-BP109 long range beacon back in stock.
This Bluetooth Class 1, CE RED certified beacon transmits, iBeacon and Eddystone, between 1000m and 4000m depending on the receiving device.
There are new iOS and Android apps that allow up to 10 channels that can transmit anything: Eddystone-UID, Eddystone-URL, iBeacon or AltBeacon. You can still set up by sending AT commands through the laptop/desktop USB com port opening up the possibility of the advertising changing programmatically over time, for scenarios such as changing media displays.
This beacon is especially suitable for large open areas such as stadiums where it can replace 10s or 100s of beacons with shorter range.
We have a limited number of the new USB FSC-BP109 long range beacon in stock.
This beacon transmits, iBeacon and Eddystone, between 1000m and 4000m depending on the receiving device.