whats the best micro location technology?

8/13/2019 Whats the best Micro Location technology?

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Whats the best micro locattechnology?

We compare: iBeacon, BLE, Bluetooth, NF

Wi-Fi and GPS.


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The gap betweenonline and offlineinteraction is closingwith the use of

micro-locationservices.


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Thats micro-location

Traditional smartphone locationservices are accurate to +/- 30 met

New smartphone servicprovide accuracy under 1 met


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iBeacon

Apples take on Bluetooth Low Energy. Thanks to protocol hackers, the standardsupported on select Android devices. Although iBeacon works on top of and has

capabilities of BLE, the standard provides additional features that make it more ause in proximity sensitive smartphone apps.

Advantages: frictionless experience the technology is intuitive, fast and simple native OS integration special libraries make for more robust application integration the wow factor one of the few technologies that has consumers saying thats coolDisadvantages: iOS centric premium experience for iOS, limited on other platforms requires an app consumer must install a smartphone app active powered beacons must be actively powered by a battery or a/c


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Bluetooth: Smart / Low Energyv4.0 / BLEThe new version of Bluetooth that allows for proximity sensing and alerting. Sup

range of smartphone platforms including: iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Blathe older Bluetooth standard, BLE is ultra low power meaning the service can beall times with little impact to smartphone battery consumption.

Advantages: multiple use cases flexible enough to support promotion, payment and tracking events position triangulation supports highly accurate position tracking less than 1 meter widespread standard supported on most smartphones Disadvantages: requires an app consumer must install a smartphone app active powered beacons must be actively powered by a battery or a/c consumer awareness the technology is relatively new and not widely known


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Bluetooth v1-2

A version of Bluetooth that has been around since the 90s and primary used for

phone accessories. This older technology was also used (in limited use cases) forinformation and coupons in smart posters. One of the more popular uses was prtrailers at cinemas via Bluetooth enabled movie posters.

Advantages: widespread standard supported on most phones, including older feature phones established the first technology for proximity push advertising and marketingDisadvantages: poor customer experience consumer needed to pair with posters, a complex process power drain the older standard is a drain on phone batteries unreliable - the pairing technology often failed with multiple users in area


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QR (Quick Response) codes QR codes have been with us since the mid 90s. Originally designed for industriaits way into consumer use a decade ago. Unlike traditional barcodes, QR codes cread when scanned from any direction and work with smartphones and older fea

Whilst many have pronounced the death of QR, reportsfrom US marketers indicscan use by 38% year over year between 2012 and 2013. Granted, this rise wastraditional print media such as magazine advertisements.Advantages: low cost of deployment same as traditional printing costs greatest potential service base they work with nearly any phone with a camera well recognised studies indicate that consumers are receptive to QR in the right conteDisadvantages: high friction experience customers have to take out their smartphone, launch a scanni

then scan a code which takes them to an offer or landing page low information density QR holds a limited amount of information an eye sore in retail use, the codes are bit of an eye sore that take up valuable advertis


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Near Field Communication (NFC) NFC is (relatively) big in Japan. The technology has been built into phones since

2000s and can be use for transit ticketing, vending machine purchases and smalpurchases.NFC is built into most premium Android and Windows mobile phones but is not csupported by Apple in iOS devices. NFC tags can be used to automatically triggedirection to web sites, and content, providing contact information like telephone

Advantages: low friction experience users only need to tap a tag lower cost of deployment typically $0.10 each in bulk widespread use in payments nearly 60% of qualified transactions are via NFC in AustrDisadvantages: lack of iOS support iOS has over a 40% phone share in Australia security issues hackers have used rogue NFC stickers to compromise phones in mass short range no ability to triangulate position or interact beyond 5cm


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Wi-Fi (802.11)Through specialised software, its possible to use Wi-Fi as a micro-location servicwill vary depending on Wi-Fi base station configuration. The technology can woralone location service or used in conjunction with GPS for increased location acc

Advantages: common standard most consumers have Wi-Fi enabled smartphones and mapping ser

leverage Wi-Fi data for more-precise tracking existing infrastructure many facilities have public Wi-Fi installed passive detection users do not require a native applicationDisadvantages: power hungry Wi-Fi consumes smartphone power and base stations require a/c powe complex fit-out for micro-location use, multiple base stations are needed, each requiri

ethernet wiring - expensive electrician services accuracy accuracy beyond 1 meter is an even more complex installation, limiting poten


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Global Positioning Service (GPS)GPS powers the majority of location experiences on smartphones. Nearly every sincludes GPS functionality, though its use indoors is tempered due to poor signa

Location precision and accuracy can be augmented by other micro-location technWi-Fi and BLE.

Advantages: widespread standard supported on most smartphones lowest cost cost is limited to defining geographic bounds highly integrated the technology can easily be integrated to web and native smartphoDisadvantages: lacks precision and accuracy unable to uses cases that require reliable resolution und Does not work well indoors GPS requires line of sight to the sky power hungry GPS consumes significant power, forcing most users to disable the serv


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So which is the best?

We propose that no one technology trumps all others.

The best is what works for the customer simple, frictionless yet ubiquitous. Anmicro-location strategy will require a combination of these complimentary techn

See more at www.localz.co/blogOr email: pete.williams atlocalz dot co

whats the best micro location technology?

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