iBeacon

The technology enables smartphones, tablets and other devices to perform actions when in proximity to an iBeacon.

[2][3] iBeacon is based on Bluetooth low energy proximity sensing by transmitting a universally unique identifier[4] picked up by a compatible app or operating system.

iBeacon can also be used with an application as an indoor positioning system,[6][7][8] which helps smartphones determine their approximate location or context.

This is similar to previously used geopush technology based on GPS, but with a much reduced impact on battery life and better precision.

[12] Ranging works only in the foreground but will return (to the listening device) an array (unlimited) of all iBeacons found along with their properties (UUID, etc.

[15] The maximum range of an iBeacon transmission will depend on the location and placement, obstructions in the environment and where the device is being stored (e.g. in a leather handbag or with a thick case).

iBeacons come with predefined settings and several of them can be changed by the developer, including the rate, the transmit power, and the Major and Minor values.

A study on 16 different iBeacon vendors reports that battery life can range between 1–24 months.

Apple's recommended setting of 100 ms advertising interval with a coin cell battery provides for 1–3 months of life, which increases to 2–3 years as advertising interval is increased to 900 ms.[18] Battery consumption of the phones is a factor that must be taken into account when deploying beacon-enabled apps.

[21] An energy efficient iBeacon application needs to consider these aspects in order to strike a good balance between app responsiveness and battery consumption.

In mid-2013 Apple introduced iBeacons and experts wrote about how it is designed to help the retail industry by simplifying payments and enabling on-site offers.

This leaves the door open for interested parties to capture, copy and reproduce the iBeacon advertisement frames at different physical locations.

PayPal has taken a more robust approach, where the iBeacon is purely the start of a complex security negotiation (Challenge–response authentication).

[31] Listening for iBeacon can be achieved using the following commands with a modern Linux distribution: On another terminal, launch the protocol dump program: See Bluetooth Core Spec.

Volume 4, Part E, 7.7.65.2: LE Meta Event::LE Advertising Report Sub-Event, for details on the hcidump output.