Beacon Tx Power

A critical aspect of beacon setup is the transmission power (Tx power) setting, which determines the range of communication and the beacon battery consumption. The Tx power is measured in dBm (Decibel-milliwatt) and indicates the strength of the radio signal. The standard range of TX power settings typically falls within -30 dBm to +4 dBm, the ‘standard’ level being 0dBm.

Lower TX power settings, between less than 0 dBm, are used for short-range. Low power settings conserve battery life by minimizing energy consumption, making them ideal for battery-powered beacons. Higher power settings, above 0 dBm are used for long-range communications. However, it is important to note that higher power settings significantly impact battery life.

A change in ± 3dBm is a halving or doubling of power. An approximate rule of thumb is that this halving/doubling affects the battery in opposite way way. For example, going from 0dBm to -3dBm will approximately double the battery life. This is a very rough approximation because the beacon also uses a small amount of power when not transmitting, which is most of the time because the beacon only transmits for a few milliseconds (ms) every configurable 100ms to 10 sec.

A change in ± 3dBm doesn’t halve or double the range. Instead, the range approximately follows inverse square law with distance. Again this is approximate due to antenna characteristics, obstructions and interference. Signal processing at the receiver can also optimise performance and improve on the usable range.

Our recommendation is to start off with the ‘standard’ level of 0dBm. This will provide the battery life quoted by the manufacturer. If you really need more range then increase the power. If the range is further than you require then reduce the power to obtain a better battery life. You can test the range and received radio level using nRF Connect app on a smartphone.

Bluetooth 4 vs Bluetooth 5 Range

Mohammad Afaneh has unearthed (LinkedIn) a paper by researchers at Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu Finland and Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu, Finland on Experimental Performance Evaluation of BLE 4 vs BLE 5 in Indoors and Outdoors Scenarios.

Bluetooth 5 promises x4 improvement in range over Bluetooth 4. The researchers set up indoor and outdoor experiments to determine the real-life performance. Tests used the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 SoC.

The results showed a x2 improvement in line-of-sight range outdoors and up to 20% improvement in non line-of-sight indoors. For example, for Bluetooth 4, with 0 dBm transmit power, the maximum range was 220m. For Bluetooth 5, with 0 dBm transmit power, the communications range was found to be 490m. A x4 range improvement was not achieved in most scenarios and the only situation where this was achieved was when using Bluetooth 5 coded mode with increased (9dBm) transmit power.

It’s still the case that very few beacons support the Bluetooth 5 features. This is mainly because there are very few smartphones with which they can be used. Another observation is that the +9dBm used in the above tests isn’t practical for most battery-based solutions and instead it’s more normal to run at 0dBm or less power. The range also depends on the sending and receiving hardware and antennas. In the extreme case, we have seen a non-battery powered Bluetooth 4 device achieve 4Km line-of-sight range.

The paper also tests the throughput which we haven’t mentioned in this post. Throughput implies GATT connection which isn’t relevant in the context of using beacons.

The PDF paper is also available at jultika.oulu.fi

Nordic Semiconductor Wireless Q Magazine

Nordic Semiconductor, the manufacturer of the System on a Chip (SoC) in the majority of beacons, has published the latest online issue of Wireless Quarter Magazine. It showcases the many uses of Nordic SoCs.


This issue of the magazine highlights the use of Nordic SoCs in the following Bluetooth solutions:

  • Wearables providing seniors’ healthcare metrics
  • The Galaxy SmartTag
  • TraceTag and YardTag smart tags for livestock tracking
  • Connected rowing machines
  • A GPS bike computer

The magazine leads with a description of a new SoC the nRF7002 for Wi-Fi 6 IoT applications. There’s also a useful article on Amazon Sidewalk that allows devices to work better indoors and extend reach beyond the home. An in-depth article, ‘How the IoT Can Help Save the World’, explains how IoT is helping countries, communities and companies meet their green responsibilities. There are also two further articles on IoT in warehousing and the use of devices for health and assigned for seniors.

Bluetooth Low Energy Throughput

There’s new research by Institute of Electronics and Computer Science, Universite Grenoble Alpes, France on Bluetooth Low Energy Throughput in Densely Deployed Radio Environment (PDF). It looks into coexistence issues when Bluetooth is used in a crowded 2.4GHz frequency band where other devices such as Classic Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee and microwave ovens might also be operating.

The paper starts with a theoretical discussion of the throughput of Bluetooth LE.


Experiments used ten Bluetooth nodes to measure Bluetooth application throughput using various connection parameters and different interference sources. Two WiFi routers were used to evaluate the impact of WiFi on the BLE throughput.


The researchers found:

The more Bluetooth devices are working simultaneously, the more drastically Bluetooth throughput is decreasing… The Bluetooth co-interference causes throughput decrease for longer connection intervals. This behaviour could be explained by collisions in data transfer channel.

Also:

The effect of WiFi interference does not depend on the BLE connection interval. In this study, WiFi activity reduced BLE throughput approximately by 30% regardless of the connection interval.

These tests used Bluetooth GATT to form connection between devices. Some applications of Bluetooth LE, such as the use of beacons and AoA direction finding, don’t use GATT other than for initial setup. GATT implies connection between devices while beacons and the sole use of advertising and listening, rather than connection, is a different form of communication not covered by this paper. We have a post on Managing Bluetooth LE Advertising Congestion and Fixing Poor Bluetooth Beacon Radio Signals if you wish to explore this topic in more detail.

Study into Monitoring Museum Exhibition Visitors

There’s recent research from Brno University of Technology and National Museum – Natural History Museum, Prague, Czech Republic on Monitoring visitors using wireless technologies (pdf) in which BeaconZone is referenced.

The paper looks into the historical and existing technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ultra-Wideband and RFID for tracking visitors.

The authors propose a new solution combining existing technologies with heat maps from camera images.

Analysing visitor behaviour, museums can identify popular and unpopular areas and make adjustments accordingly, such as adding interactive elements to specific exhibits. Visitor behaviour also helps museums make informed decisions about marketing and promotions. Tracking visitor movements can also help identify and mitigate potential security risks in real time.

Sensor Beacons List Updated

We offer a range of sensor beacons but what each beacon actually senses or detects is buried deep in the respective beacon descriptions.

As we have recently added new sensor beacons, we have updated our downloadable pdf showing what each beacon can detect.

If you want to know how you might use these beacons, take a look at our articles on Beacon Proximity and Sensing for the Internet of Things (IoT) , Using Bluetooth LE and Using Bluetooth LE Sensors.

Beacon MAC Addresses

The beacon MAC address is the Bluetooth LE MAC address, or Media Access Control address, a 48-bit identifier that uniquely identifies a Bluetooth device. The address is fixed address at time of manufacture and can’t be changed.

To find the Bluetooth MAC address of a beacon you use the configuration app that is supplied with the beacon to scan for the beacon. Alternatively, on Android, you can use nRF Connect. The MAC address is also sometimes stamped on the beacon case or an an attached sticker.

The MAC address can be used to uniquely identify devices. However, if you are reading from smartphone apps, it’s more usual to use the unique iBeacon id that is contained in beacon advertising because this can be detected by smartphone OS APIs. The MAC address tends to be used more in real time locating systems (RTLS) as a unique id that’s independent of the type of advertising.

Many newcomers make the mistake of trying to use, and set, the Bluetooth name as a unique id. This isn’t reliable and instead you should use the MAC address or iBeacon id.

Smart Business

In today’s competitive business environment, companies are constantly seeking ways to improve their operations, increase their efficiency and reduce costs. One way to achieve these goals is by implementing smart sensing technology to save energy costs and improve business processes.

Smart sensing technology allows businesses to monitor their operations in real-time, enabling them to identify areas where energy can be saved and process improvements can be made. By using sensors to measure factors such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, light level, and movement, businesses can gain valuable insights into their operations and make informed decisions to improve efficiency.

One of the key advantages of smart sensing technology is the ability to save energy costs. By using sensors to monitor energy usage, businesses can identify areas where energy is being wasted and take steps to reduce consumption. For example, by monitoring temperature levels, a business can adjust heating and cooling systems to maintain optimal levels while minimizing energy usage. This can lead to significant cost savings over time, as well as a more environmentally friendly business.

In addition to saving energy costs, smart sensing technology also helps businesses improve their processes. By monitoring operations in real-time, businesses can identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and take steps to improve them. For example, by using sensors to monitor the movement of goods within a warehouse, a business can identify areas where processes can be streamlined, reducing the time and effort required to move goods and improving overall efficiency.

Starting small with low-cost sensors in areas where the most significant gains can be made is a smart approach to implementing smart sensing technology. Bluetooth beacons are an example of such sensors that can detect movement (accelerometer), movement (started/stopped moving), button press, temperature, humidity, air pressure, light level, open/closed (magnetic hall effect), proximity (PIR), proximity (cm range), fall detection, smoke, natural gas, and water leak. These beacons can be placed in strategic locations to monitor and collect data about operations, which can then be used to make informed decisions.

Bluetooth gateways detect the beacons and send data for subsequent processing. Starting simple using simple server-side scripts and triggered events can be an effective way to begin implementing smart sensing technology. Avoiding SAAS and subscription-based systems, instead preferring simple stand-alone solutions can help keep costs down and ensure that businesses have financial control over these innovations.

Implementing smart sensing technology provides numerous benefits for businesses, including cost savings, improved efficiency, and enhanced process control. While these technologies are sometimes labelled as IoT or Industry 4.0, it’s best to ignore the hype and instead concentrate on practical matters. By starting small and using low-cost sensors in strategic locations, businesses can gain valuable insights into their operations and make informed decisions to improve their processes and reduce costs.

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Large Scale Bluetooth Mesh Testing

Nordic Semiconductor, the manufacturer of the SoC chip in most beacons, has a new blog post on Large scale Bluetooth mesh testing.


Tests were conducted in Nordic’s office in Trondheim and focussed on measuring reliability and latency. The results show that it’s easy to get 100% reliability for unacknowledged messages. Regarding latency and reliability, unacknowledged messages perform better than acknowledged messages within the used testing constraints.