IBeacon is a new indoor positioning system technology from Apple Inc. is Apple’s version of the Bluetooth-based beacon concept, which allows Bluetooth devices to broadcast or receive tiny and static pieces of data within short distances. The technology enables small “beacons” – low-powered, low-cost transmitter devices – to send out messages or notifications to the nearby devices, notifying them of their presence. The broadcaster is always advertising “I am here, and my ID is…”, while the receiver detects these signals and does whatever it needs to do based on how close or far it is from them. With the information broadcasted by each beacon, the app can detect them and tell how close (or far) the phone is from each of them and then perform actions, display alerts to the user, offer discounts, turn lights on and off, open doors and so on. With the entry of iBeacon in the world of app development, the various ways in which apps interact with users are about to be revolutionized. With an iBeacon network, any brand, retailer, app, or platform will be able to understand exactly where a customer is in the brick and mortar environment.

This provides an opportunity to send customers highly contextual, hyper-local, meaningful messages and advertisements on their smartphones. The opportunities for this local, real-time targeting technology is endless. At Intlogy Corporation we take the bet that iBeacons will soon be everywhere.  iBeacon has very simple but an effective working scenario. iBeacon technology is powered by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). BLE communication consists primarily of “Advertisements”, or small packets of data, broadcast at a regular interval by Beacons or other BLE enabled devices via radio waves.

Apple’s iBeacon standard calls for an optimal broadcast interval of 100 ms. Broadcasting more frequently uses more battery life but allows for quicker discovery by smartphones and other listening devices. Standard BLE has a broadcast range of up to 100 meters, which make Beacons ideal for proximity and indoor location marketing and awareness.