iBeacon is an indoor positioning system that uses Bluetooth Low Energy beacons to provide location services to iOS devices. Beacons broadcast a signal that includes a proximity UUID, major and minor values that allow an app to detect beacons and understand proximity. The CoreLocation API exposes APIs to monitor for regions defined by beacons and range beacons to determine distance. While beacons enable new location-based experiences, their location capabilities are approximate rather than precise and they cannot directly push information, require an app to be open for ranging, or enable payments. Support for beacons also exists on Android through third parties.

1. Demystifying iBeacons
@fbrunel

2. What is iBeacon?

3. iBeacon is an indoor
positioning system

4. “a new class of low-powered,
low-cost transmitters that
can notify nearby iOS 7
devices of their presence.”

5. What it is good for?

6. A whole new level of
location awareness for
apps

7. An app will sense the
presence of a beacon
and can react on it

8. trail markers in a park,
exhibits in a museum, or
product displays in stores

11. How does it work?

12. A thin layer on top of
CoreBluetooth exposed
via CoreLocation

13. Bluetooth LE has two
core concepts

14. Devices can act as
peripherals or centrals

15. Peripherals advertise
services and expose
characteristics

16. Think of characteristics
as object properties

17. Centrals scans for
services; connects and
read/write characteristics

18. A beacon is a peripheral
that advertise information
but it’s not a BLE service

19. Beacon
Ad
Ad
Ad
Central

20. Proximity UUID
Major
Minor
Advertisement Packet
Tx Power

21. With that, an app
can do 4 things

22. 1. Scan for beacons
identified with the same
proximity UUID

23. 2. Detect if the device is in
the region of one or more
beacons (~70m)

24. 3. Determine the close
proximity of a beacon
(ranging)

25. 4. Use the minor/major
integers to
differentiate beacons

26. Apple has built iBeacon in
the CoreLocation API

27. Advertising a Beacon

28. NSUUID *proximityUUID =
[[NSUUID alloc] initWithUUIDString:@"39ED98FF-2900-441A-802F-9C398FC199D2"];
CLBeaconRegion *beaconRegion =
[[CLBeaconRegion alloc] initWithProximityUUID:proximityUUID
identifier:@"com.company.region"];
!
NSDictionary *beaconPeripheralData =
[beaconRegion peripheralDataWithMeasuredPower:@(-50)];
!
CBPeripheralManager *peripheralManager =
[[CBPeripheralManager alloc] initWithDelegate:self queue:nil options:nil];
[peripheralManager startAdvertising:beaconPeripheralData];

29. Monitoring Beacon
Regions

30. NSUUID *proximityUUID =
[[NSUUID alloc] initWithUUIDString:@"39ED98FF-2900-441A-802F-9C398FC199D2"];
CLBeaconRegion *beaconRegion =
[[CLBeaconRegion alloc] initWithProximityUUID:proximityUUID
identifier:@"com.company.region"];
!
self.locationManager = [[CLLocationManager alloc] init];
self.locationManager.delegate = self;
[self.locationManager startMonitoringForRegion:beaconRegion];

31. - (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager
didEnterRegion:(CLRegion *)region {
[self.locationManager startRangingBeaconsInRegion:region];
}
!
- (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager
didExitRegion:(CLRegion *)region {
[self.locationManager stopRangingBeaconsInRegion:region];
}
!
- (void)locationManager:(CLLocationManager *)manager
didRangeBeacons:(NSArray *)beacons
inRegion:(CLBeaconRegion *)region {
if ([beacons count] > 0) {
CLBeacon *nearestExhibit = [beacons firstObject];
!
if (CLProximityNear == nearestExhibit.proximity) {
[self presentExhibitInfo:nearestExhibit.major.integerValue];
} else {
[self dismissExhibitInfo];
}
}
}

32. “One way to promote
consistent ranging results
in your app is to use
beacon ranging only while
your app is in the
foreground.”

33. “if your app is in the
foreground, it’s likely that
the device is in the user’s
hand.” — Apple BS Group.

34. iBea
con
Mythbusting

35. A. Beacons can be
precisely located.

36. Wrong.

37. Location is really
approximate due the signal
strength and environment
factors

38. B. Beacons can
push information.

39. Nope.

40. The app receives only a
minor/major number.
It had to fetch information
from the network or a local
database

41. iOS devices can’t be a
beacon and a bluetooth
service at the same time.

42. C. Beacon can be
detected in background.

43. Meh.

44. Region monitoring
changes happens between
4 and 15 minutes

45. Ranging doesn’t work in
background. You have to
open your app.

46. D. A beacon can
record who’s around.

47. What? No.

48. Beacons are just
advertising, they are not
aware of who’s listening

49. Ranging doesn’t work in
background. You have to
open your app.

50. E. Beacon can do
payments.

51. LOL. Stop it!

52. iBeacon is not enough, it’s
just location

53. F. iBeacon works on
other platforms.

54. Yes.

55. Support for Android exist
via 3rd parties. iBeacon
profile has been
documented

57. Not all is lost!
It will improve but it’s still
radio technology.

61. Thanks.
@fbrunel