Beacons are a tech hot topic - everyone's talking about 'em, but not everyone knows what they really are - or how they really work (and how you can apply that knowledge to your brand or business).
At Techdept we spend a lot of time learning about new tech, and we've been playing with various beacon technologies for the last 6 months or so. We think there is a lot of potential for them - not just in retail, but in city centres, museums, galleries, festivals (see link below to one of our blog posts).
Our CTO Rick Grundy has been leading the R&D activity, and has created this short simple presentation to explain just what the heck these things are!
This was initially presented to the Media Lab team at NBC Universal in London, but we have subsequently been asked to present to other leading consumer brands.
Anyway, we hope you enjoy - just tweet us with any Q's @Techdept
To read some of our other thinking on Beacons: http://blog.techdept.co.uk/2014/01/beacon-technology-museums-gyms-events/
8. WHY THIS CHANGES THINGS
Low power, simple devices now possible
Constant monitoring for signals with little drain on battery
Millions of devices already capable of sending & receiving the signals
Apple introduces iBeacon specification with iOS 7
19. THE IBEACON SIGNAL
Signal Parts Means Suggested Uses
UUID Unique ID One per app, brand or building
Major Group ID One per building, floor or room
Minor Device ID One per device
RSSI Signal Strength Used for distance calculations
20. DISTANCE CALCULATIONS
RSSI (Signal strength) is used
to calculate which distance
Four distance groups:
Unknown: over 30M
Far: within 30M
Near: within 2M
Immediate: within 0.5M
22. WHICH PHONES CAN USE IT?
Apple: iPhone 5s, 5c, 5 & 4s
Samsung: Galaxy Series
Google: Nexus 5, Nexus 4
Sony: Xperia Series
Motorola: Droid RAZR, Ultra, Maxx, Mini, Moto G, X
HTC: One, One Max
23. HOW IBEACON APPS WORK
Can you keep a
lookout for this
iBeacon set even
if I am closed?
No problem. Will
let you know when
I see one of them.
Your app
24. Please show
the user this
message
Hey I just found
one! What do you
want to do?
OK, will do.
Your app
26. USAGE SCENARIOS
Retail
• Entry and exit events
• Micro-location based offers
• Customer tracking
• Voucher redemption
• Loyalty schemes
Museums and Art Galleries
All Retail plus:
• Indoor location-based content
and rich multimedia experiences
• Visitor journey analysis
Events
• App based ticketing
• Way finding
Payment & More
• Trigger app based payment
• Instant alerts etc.
27. Your app
I can see this
beacon What
should I do?
CMS DRIVEN APPS
Here is some
location specific
content to
show...
28. WHAT SHOULD WE LOOKOUT FOR?
Many users turn off Bluetooth to save power
Users will turn off notifications if you abuse them
Support older devices with GPS options when possible
It can take up to 4 minutes to detect a Beacon (although often it is instant)
Not all beacons are the same, testing is essential
Apple may want certified iBeacons to have a power source
There are issues with interference which affect distance calculations