4 ms·

Isn't this just another spin on NFC?

by NKCSS 13y ago

skierscott 13y ago
With greater range. NFC has a practical range of about 4cm; iBeacon has a range of about 10-20m.
- NKCSS 13y ago
  Ah, then it must be Bluetooth Low Energy.
  - Einherji 13y ago
    Correct, it's also not based on RFID like NFC is, and so can in theory be used for a whole lot more.
    - mattschmulen 13y ago
      There are lots of cool things, easiest way to get started on the peripheral side is to buy a TI Dev kit "Cow Bell" http://www.ti.com/tool/cc2541dk-sensor?DCMP=blestack_ota&HQS=blestack_ota-pr-tf4 http://www.ti.com/tool/cc2541dk-sensor?DCMP=blestack_ota&HQS... , its pretty cool. Temperature sensor, Magnetometer, Humidity, Pressure etc. you will have to flash it to support HID instead of GATT.
      - Einherji 13y ago
        This is awesome! I've been looking for something like this for a while, thanks a lot for the tip.
  - adestefan 13y ago
    With just the rough description I've seen I'm almost certain that it's just devices supporting the Low Energy Proximity profile.
  - mattschmulen 13y ago
    it is BLE or BlueTooth 4 ( same thing) , small difference is that iOS supports a HID over the more standard Gatt profile . Ultimately the end the BLE 'beacon' - 'bug' - 'responder' device is likely a TI CC2540 chip or similar mfg ( I think there is another swedish mfg that provides a similar system )
    - adestefan 13y ago
      Just a nit, but BLE and Bluetooth 4 are not the same thing. The Bluetooth SIG has made complete mess of the situation. The Bluetooth 4 specification defines both BLE and Bluetooth "Classic" which use different radios. You can label something Bluetooth 4 when implementing only one of the modes or both. The marks you need to look for are Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Smart Ready. Bluetooth Smart is reserved for devices that only implement the BLE radio and this is what you'll see on things like FitBits, etc. The Bluetooth Smart Ready is reserved for devices that implement both Bluetooth Classic and BLE. The iPhone 4S+ is Smart Ready, Android 4.3 will be Smart Ready, etc. Like I said, a complete branding disaster.
      - r00fus 13y ago
        Leave it to an industry SIG. USB hi-speed vs. full speed all over again. What's the solution to these expected failures in branding and their impact on us consumers?
        adestefan 13y ago
        It has already bit Nike in the butt when people flipped out when they said they weren't going to support Android with the Fuel Band. The reasons were completely technical, but consumers assumed it was because Nike was some how saying Android was inferior. Of course, trying to communicate this in a tweet also makes the problem even worse.
hrktb 13y ago
Bluetooth low energy yes, but I'm not sure it's fully available to applications. iBeacon is more specific and dedicated to location calculation (it's part of core location)

Isn't this just another spin on NFC?

by NKCSS 13y ago

Isn't this just another spin on NFC?

skierscott 13y ago

With greater range. NFC has a practical range of about 4cm; iBeacon has a range of about 10-20m.

NKCSS 13y ago
Ah, then it must be Bluetooth Low Energy.
- Einherji 13y ago
  Correct, it's also not based on RFID like NFC is, and so can in theory be used for a whole lot more.
  - mattschmulen 13y ago
    There are lots of cool things, easiest way to get started on the peripheral side is to buy a TI Dev kit "Cow Bell" http://www.ti.com/tool/cc2541dk-sensor?DCMP=blestack_ota&HQS=blestack_ota-pr-tf4 http://www.ti.com/tool/cc2541dk-sensor?DCMP=blestack_ota&HQS... , its pretty cool. Temperature sensor, Magnetometer, Humidity, Pressure etc. you will have to flash it to support HID instead of GATT.
    - Einherji 13y ago
      This is awesome! I've been looking for something like this for a while, thanks a lot for the tip.
- adestefan 13y ago
  With just the rough description I've seen I'm almost certain that it's just devices supporting the Low Energy Proximity profile.
- mattschmulen 13y ago
  it is BLE or BlueTooth 4 ( same thing) , small difference is that iOS supports a HID over the more standard Gatt profile . Ultimately the end the BLE 'beacon' - 'bug' - 'responder' device is likely a TI CC2540 chip or similar mfg ( I think there is another swedish mfg that provides a similar system )
  - adestefan 13y ago
    Just a nit, but BLE and Bluetooth 4 are not the same thing. The Bluetooth SIG has made complete mess of the situation. The Bluetooth 4 specification defines both BLE and Bluetooth "Classic" which use different radios. You can label something Bluetooth 4 when implementing only one of the modes or both. The marks you need to look for are Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Smart Ready. Bluetooth Smart is reserved for devices that only implement the BLE radio and this is what you'll see on things like FitBits, etc. The Bluetooth Smart Ready is reserved for devices that implement both Bluetooth Classic and BLE. The iPhone 4S+ is Smart Ready, Android 4.3 will be Smart Ready, etc. Like I said, a complete branding disaster.
    - r00fus 13y ago
      Leave it to an industry SIG. USB hi-speed vs. full speed all over again. What's the solution to these expected failures in branding and their impact on us consumers?
      - adestefan 13y ago
        It has already bit Nike in the butt when people flipped out when they said they weren't going to support Android with the Fuel Band. The reasons were completely technical, but consumers assumed it was because Nike was some how saying Android was inferior. Of course, trying to communicate this in a tweet also makes the problem even worse.

hrktb 13y ago

Bluetooth low energy yes, but I'm not sure it's fully available to applications. iBeacon is more specific and dedicated to location calculation (it's part of core location)