Building Applications with iBeacon

Chapter 6. Building iBeacon Networks

iBeacons are simpler than other wireless networks, and as a result, the planning process can be much more lightweight than what you might be expecting if your only experience working with wireless is with higher-bandwidth networks such as Wi-Fi.

Building an application and putting together a supporting iBeacon network are two sides of the same coin. Whether the application is designed to help shoppers find items, travelers navigate an airport or hotel, or conference attendees register and find sessions of interest, iBeacons must be deployed in physical space to support that application.

Planning and Project Objectives

As with any other project, the key to success is to have a plan with clear objectives. In the case of an iBeacon project, the main purpose is to build support for an application running on a mobile device, and any physical network design aspects must take their cue from application requirements. Objectives set by the application development team will inform many of the design decisions made for the initial deployment as well as ongoing maintenence.

Identifying the Objective

Begin planning with identifying the objective of the iBeacon project. Objectives can be varied, depending on the purpose of the application under development. Some common motivations to strive for are increasing customer engagement and making other products or services easier to use.

In the broadest possible sense, engagement is a measure of how much users ...