For many years the GPS has been considered the best solution for object location. However, it has limited possibilities especially when moving inside premises, so in the modern world, it is being substituted by Bluetooth®. At present Bluetooth® Low Energy is probably one of the most convenient technological solutions for indoor positioning which allows developing effective navigation systems.
WHAT IS BLUETOOTH® LOW ENERGY (BLE)?
Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) is a radio frequency wireless technology known for its ultra-low peak power consumption. This technology is widely used in Bluetooth® indoor positioning and navigation systems and is supported by many modern devices, including PCs, smartphones, and laptops.
BLE was first introduced in 2010 as a successor to the earlier Bluetooth® Classic version. It quickly gained recognition among developers, leading to its widespread use for data transmission via Bluetooth® signals. Many modern applications were developed after 2013, when Apple introduced the world to its first beacon communication protocol, iBeacon.
How the NAVIGATION WITH Bluetooth® works
Indoor positioning Bluetooth® is carried out using special beacons. BLE beacons are compact sensors that can be detected by devices supporting Bluetooth® Low Energy. They can be installed in fixed locations (on walls, ceilings) or placed on moving objects. These beacons are powered by long-lasting internal batteries that can function without replacement for up to five years. Due to their tiny size, they are widely used in various geolocation solutions.
Bluetooth® navigation system is carried out through a mobile application. The smartphone receives Bluetooth® signals from beacons inside the location and sends certain information to users, such as location data, directions to desired places, advertisements, and push notifications.
For project realization, two technologies can be applied:
- iBeacon – an in-building positioning system that allows exchanging data between Bluetooth® Low Energy devices and beacons. The technology was developed in 2013 and since then it has been actively used.
- Eddystone – a new standard of beacon work from Google. It is an extended version of Bluetooth® Low Energy and makes use of the key ability of beacons to transmit a unique identification code at short distances using Bluetooth® signals.
Pros and cons OF Bluetooth® NAVIGATION AND POSITIONING SYSTEM
The indoor positioning with Bluetooth® beacons has a wide range of benefits for developing projects. With its help, it’s quite easy to orient in big buildings, quickly find the needed objects, and perform analytics of visits and movements inside the premises.
The main advantages of theBluetooth® Low Energy positioning and navigation are the following:
- Ease of system management: Locating users or navigating indoors doesn't require special skills or knowledge. All necessary information is displayed on a digital map on the mobile device.
- Energy efficiency: The batteries inside the beacons can operate continuously for years. The system conserves electricity and does not require complex technical maintenance.
- High accuracy in locating objects: Bluetooth® indoor positioning solutions can track objects with accuracy up to a few meters.
- Ease of installation: BLE beacons and gateways are easy to deploy and configure according to user needs. If necessary, they can be integrated with other wireless technologies.
Alongside with advantages, Bluetooth® beacon indoor positioning system has some disadvantages:
- Limited range: Location tracking is confined to the signal transmission range of up to 30 meters.
- Need for additional equipment: To ensure the system works correctly, beacons and reading devices must be used. The number of these devices depends on the size of the premises, but in general, the server requires signals from at least three receivers to determine the location.
- Requirement for client applications: Indoor navigation and positioning won't work without a pre-installed application on the user's smartphone.
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BLUETOOTH® DIRECTION FINDING
Bluetooth® direction finding enables the determination of the direction of radio signals transmitted between a user's smartphone and fixed anchor points. Two different architectures are used for these purposes:
- AOA (Angle of Arrival): This architecture is used for real-time location tracking and is based on the angle at which the radio signal arrives at the anchor point. The Bluetooth® technology calculates angular directions (elevation and azimuth) from the receiving device, enabling indoor positioning with Bluetooth® to achieve an accuracy of up to 1 meter. The transmitting device has one antenna, while the receiving device has at least two. By analyzing the phase difference between radio signals, the angle of arrival is determined, and the direction from which the signals arrive is calculated.
- AoD (Angle of Departure): This architecture is used for object navigation scenarios. It is based on determining the location considering the angle of departure of the radio signals. In this architecture, the transmitter has several antennas, while the receiver has only one. The transmitting device sends out pulses from each antenna, after which the phase differences between these radio signals are analyzed to estimate the angle of deviation and determine the direction from which the pulses were sent.
POSITIONING AND NAVIGATION WITH BEACONS: APPLICATION AREAS
Indoor navigation with beacons has found successful application in many spheres. The most common ones are:
- Healthcare. Thanks to Bluetooth® beacon navigation system, patients can easily orient in big medical institutions, find the necessary rooms, and get information on doctor’s appointments.
- Industry. Bluetooth® LE location positioning allows for optimizing production processes and monitoring the company’s assets. Any object that has to be followed is equipped with a small label with a beacon. The object's location and its performance can be displayed in the web interface at any time.
- Warehouses. Bluetooth® LE beacons can be placed on important and expensive things. When the beacon leaves the defined zone, the alarm signal is activated or the system gets a security notification.
- Transport. Bluetooth® beacons ensure convenient navigation for airline or railway passengers inside transport hubs. Using the Android and iOS applications, passengers can find the necessary routes or important objects, such as ATMs, recreation rooms, and ticket offices.
Navigine's Open Source Solution
Navigine, a leading provider of indoor positioning and navigation solutions, offers an innovative Open Source solution that enables developers to integrate advanced navigation and wayfinding algorithms into their projects. With Open Source, anyone can access, inspect, modify, and enhance the source code, fostering collaboration and innovation within the development community. Our Open Source solution includes a variety of algorithms that can be used for indoor navigation, such as position estimator, radiomap localization, and solution post-processing. These algorithms can be applied to diverse industries, including healthcare, transportation, and retail.
Navigine specializes in developing effective geolocation tools for businesses and offers a technological solution for indoor navigation with Bluetooth® beacons. The cooperation with our company will let you obtain an easy-to-use convenient SDK for rendering a wide range of services based on exactly detecting the user’s location and making routes around buildings.
BLE is also effectively used in scenarios, where an enterprise needs to track its assets or equipment. More info about it here.
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