Beacon Technology

iBeacon

With social hotspot®, our customers benefit from the combination of a differentiated, feature- rich guest WiFi experience and actionable data insights. This digital communication channel can be further expanded upon with Beacon / iBeacon technology. By default, all of our social hotspot® customers are hardware and technology-ready for Beacon / iBeacon.

Beacon / iBeacon can be thought of as a close range communication medium built on Bluetooth standards. Beacons effectively enable location based messaging (“push notifications”) from a “broadcasting device” (e.g. social hotspot® access point) to a “receiver device” (e.g. smartphone).

With our service in place, our customers do not need to search, shop or involve another vendor in regards to Beacon / iBeacon technology.

Beacon or iBeacon can be thought of as a close range communication medium built on Bluetooth standards. Beacons effectively enable location based messaging over short distances from the “broadcasting device” to a “receiver device” (for example a smartphone).

The broadcasting device will only send a piece of data information every fraction of a second. The receiver device will have built-in beacon technology and Apps in order to perform certain tasks once it is in range of the broadcasting device. This automatic self-identification of the user allows that the receiver device understands and displays messages transmitted via Bluetooth – originated by broadcast device. In short, beacons are messages sent by broadcasting devices that are detected and processed by receiver devices like a mobile app running on iOS.

The enterprise-grade WiFI access points support the 802.11ac WiFi standard and include integrated Beacon (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology. With our hardware in place, there is no need to purchase separate Beacon or iBeacon broadcasting devices. Hence, the social hotspot® service can be expanded into the field of short distance push notification messaging based on physical location.

Retail & Shopping Malls

Many larger shopping mall operators already invested in iOS or/and Android Apps. These Apps can potentially be used for proximity-based sales and marketing campaigns in order to raise a shopper’s awareness and direct him/her to the right store location. For example, the moment a visitor walks inside the mall and is approaching the cosmetics section, a message could pop-up informing the shopper of today’s special promotions. Alternatively, loyalty programs embedded with Apps could be enhanced as a loyalty program member enters the venue – this motion triggers a context relevant message which could be based on last store visit and/or past purchase behavior.

Healthcare and others

Other examples of large indoor locations such as hospitals provide the opportunity to guide and facilitate visitor movement. The Beacon / iBeacon in conjunction with a specific App could help improve the visitor’s experience, simplify finding their way around and inform about important information linked to the location. The hospital operator, in turn, may use the newly gained behavior insights to optimize signage systems and overall layout.

Bars, Cafés and Restaurants

Beacon / iBeacon complements physical promotional billboards; for example it could then be used to send push notifications about lunch or dinner specials.

Education

The education sector is already embracing a wide variety of tools to not only prepare students for tomorrow’s professional life but to give them a rich and impactful education experience. In such a context, Beacon / iBeacon across the school premises could be used to guide their movements; be used as part of location based games; inform them about events near their physical location or speak to the students’ curiosity.