Aruba Location Services with Aruba Beacons
Bring real-time location context to your mobile apps

Overview:

The flagship product of the Aruba Location Services product line is Aruba Beacons. When Aruba Beacons are used in conjunction with the Meridian mobile app platform, they enable public-facing enterprises to infuse their mobile apps with innovative, location-based services.

Aruba Beacons leverage Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) technology to power indoor location and wayfinding, and proximity-aware push notifications at enterprises, stadiums, hospitals and other public venues. The ability to customize the placement of beacons ensures a highly engaged customer experience.

These small, low-power wireless transmitters broadcast radio signals at regular intervals that can be heard and interpreted by iOS and Android devices equipped with Meridian-powered mobile apps from Aruba and our Meridian Engage app development partners. Aruba 300, 310, 320 and 330 series APs with built-in Aruba Beacons, allow you to remotely manage our 4-year battery-powered standalone Beacons.

Not currently running an Aruba wireless network? No problem. The Aruba Sensor includes a built-in beacon and the ability to manage Aruba Beacons in any wireless environment.

Benefits:

Aruba Beacons

Small, low-power wireless transmitters, Aruba Beacons broadcast 2.4-GHz radio signals at regular intervals. Beacons can be heard and interpreted by iOS and Android devices that are also equipped with Meridian-powered mobile apps from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

Aruba Beacons come in two physical formats. Aruba USB Beacons plug into a Wi-Fi access point (AP) or other USBenabled device while standalone Aruba 4-year batterypowered Beacons can be placed anywhere within a venue.

When a mobile device with a Meridian-powered app is within range of Aruba Beacons, guests can receive personalized, proximity-aware push notifications based on their opt-in preferences and see a glowing blue dot that shows their real-time location on a venue’s map.

Aruba Beacons Content and Actions

Aruba USB Beacons and Aruba Battery-Powered Beacons can be configured for either location-based wayfinding or for proximity-aware notifications so that corresponding actions are triggered on a venue’s Meridian-powered mobile app.

Aruba Beacons for location and indoor wayfinding
BLE-enabled mobile devices can receive signals from more than one Aruba Beacon at the same time. If multiple signals are within range, devices can calculate the distance to each Aruba Beacon and use this data to identify the device location.

This can be used to show a mobile app user’s indoor location with a glowing blue dot, and lets them search for directions to nearby products and services. For example, in a crowded stadium, the guest experience is vastly improved by making it easier to find their seats and concessions. And in large retail environments, shopper abandonment is dramatically reduced when customers can use their mobile devices as self-service tools to quickly find the products they want without waiting for someone to assist them.

Aruba Beacons for proximity-aware mobile engagement
Aruba Beacons only broadcast small amounts of data, so Meridian-powered mobile apps must fetch relevant content for them. When a device’s operating system detects an Aruba Beacon signal, it wakes up the mobile app and communicates with the Meridian Editor content management system (CMS) to fetch the appropriate information. This only occurs if guests opt-in and have their BLE radio on.

Push notifications are an effective way to engage guests who opt-in through their mobile devices and who are in close proximity to an Aruba Beacon. For example, a retail customer who is near an Aruba Beacon in the fragrance section of a department store can receive a push notification for “10% off fragrances today.”

Venues can easily manage the campaigns associated with each Aruba Beacon within the Meridian Editor. You can even integrate customer loyalty programs to automate and personalize push notifications triggered by an Aruba Beacon. This occurs automatically without requiring guests to update their mobile app.

As a result, guests who opt-in get more personalized and context-specific communications based on their loyalty program preferences and real-time location in a venue. Retailers and other location-based businesses can upsell products and services and increase share-of-wallet with relevant promotions.

Beacon Analytics
The Meridian Editor houses aggregate analytics data for Aruba Beacons being used for proximity-based campaigns. Venues can easily see the trigger counts (how many times a campaign was sent) as well as the dwell times (the average time a visitor spent in the vicinity of a Proximity Beacon) for specific campaigns by the day or by the hour.

This type of data is very useful for venues that want to understand visitor behavior and measure the success of their campaigns. For example, an airport may use this data to better understand how long travelers wait to get through security lines. A retailer may use this data to measure the success of a seasonal or promotional campaign and use it to adjust inventory placement accordingly.

Managing Aruba Beacons

Monitor the air with Aruba Wi-Fi
Most standalone beacons today lack backend management tools and the few that do cannot scale. This makes it incredibly difficult for enterprise businesses to configure and manage backend hardware, settings, and battery life when dozens of beacons are deployed.

To solve this challenge, venues can leverage their Aruba Wi-Fi infrastructure to effortlessly manage them. Newer Aruba APs – the 300, 310, 320, and 330 series – have BLE built into them; for older Aruba APs, USB Beacons simply plug in to the USB port so that they are able to monitor other Aruba Beacons within range and send relevant management data back to the Meridian Editor.

This enables venues to efficiently manage the content on their Meridian-powered mobile apps as well as Aruba Beacons – all from one user-friendly, cloud-based location. Edits made to the Meridian Editor are instantly applied to Aruba Beacons within the venue.

Instead of having to manually check and track settings and battery levels in a spreadsheet or calendar, you can rely on the Aruba USB Beacons and the Aruba Wi-Fi infrastructure to do the heavy lifting.

The Aruba Beacons app lets venues manage and configure Aruba Beacons on the go.

Mobile app management tools
An Aruba Beacons management tool — the Aruba Beacons mobile app — pulls venue-specific content from the Meridian Editor and allows you to walk through your venue property and configure and install Aruba Beacons using a mobile device. This step is required to associate the physical location of an Aruba Beacon with a beacon placemark on a digital map. A venue operator simply logs into the Beacons App using their Meridian Editor credentials to automatically see their venue’s maps.

To assign Aruba Beacons to these digital maps, the Aruba Beacons app scans and loads data from nearby Aruba Beacons so venue operators can identify and configure them and save the information to the Beacons app and Meridian Editor simultaneously.

Once the identity of each Aruba Beacon is in the Aruba Beacons app, venue operators can simply drag the beacon placemark to its physical location on the digital map. When updates or changes occur in the Aruba Beacons app, the Meridian Editor is also updated automatically.

No Aruba Wi-Fi? No Problem.
The Aruba Sensor, a small, dual-band 802.11n client radio that also has a BLE radio built into it, makes remote Aruba Beacon management capabilities available to any venue, regardless of their wireless network vendor.

The Aruba Sensor plugs directly into a venue’s AC outlet, hears other Aruba Beacons within a 25-meter range, and automatically sends their data to the Meridian cloud server over a venue’s existing Wi-Fi connection.

Beacon data updated over Aruba Wi-Fi (or via the Aruba Sensor) is managed within the cloud-based Meridian Editor.

How It Works:

1. Without previous pairing, BLE-compatible mobile devices receive a signal from the Aruba Beacon.
2. The distance between the Aruba Beacon and mobile device is calculated based on the received signal-strength, which in turn provides location information.
3. Identification information from Aruba Beacons allows a device’s BLE-enabled mobile app to receive push notifications and provide wayfinding.

BLE Beacon Terminology:

• Classic Bluetooth – Provides continuous transmission for wireless headsets and handsfree calling as well as for data file and video transmission between classic Bluetooth devices.
• Bluetooth 4.0 – Bluetooth 4.0 BLE protocol allows low-volume data transmissions over brief bursts instead of a continuous transmission.
• BLE Smart devices – Devices that gather and send basic information to more capable devices using less energy than the previous standard. They are single-mode devices and cannot communicate with classic Bluetooth devices.
• BLE Smart Ready devices – Devices that can connect can communicate with BLE devices and classic Bluetooth devices. As long as the Bluetooth hardware in the device works with the latest Bluetooth specs, it’s considered Bluetooth Smart Ready.
• Beacon – A small Bluetooth Smart device that broadcasts a small amount of data at regular intervals.
• iBeacon – The Apple-invented term “iBeacon” refers not to a piece of hardware purchased from Apple, but rather a well-defined protocol that any Bluetooth Smart device can support. Apple and iBeacon are trademarks of Apple Inc.
• Location services – Location services allow location-based apps and web sites – maps, camera, Safari, and other third-party apps – to use information from cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS networks, and iBeacons to determine your approximate location.

Specifications:

Aruba Beacons Specifications

Key Features Broadcast data packets based on Bluetooth LE (4.0) Compatible with all Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) devices Compatible with Apple iBeacon standard Configurable parameters Device name Transmission power level for proximity beacons BLE Data Packets Every Aruba Beacon ID is 20 bytes long and contains three values: ProximityUUID: Universally Unique Identifier shared among related beacons Major number: 16-bit integer value Minor number: 16-bit integer value Range Aruba Beacon signals can be read from as far away as 200 feet, and proximity can be detected down to a few inches away. Maximum signal range depends on the physical environment. Aruba Beacons operate on the same type of radio waves as 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi routers. As a result, the signal can be diffracted, interfered or absorbed by materials in the space such as metal, wood or water. Aruba Beacons App for Management Supported OS iOS 7 or newer Supported Devices iPhone 4S or newer iPod touch, fifth generation iPad, third generation or newer iPad mini and iPad mini with retina display Delivery Options for Battery-Powered Beacons Power Two 4-year coin-cell batteries within the Beacon Average power consumption: 0.22 mW (estimated) Battery capacity 1,000 mAh/each: Total capacity of 2,000 mAh Battery voltage: 3 volts With default settings in place, the batteries can last at least two years. However, the chirp frequency can be changed to increase battery life or decrease battery life. Unique on/off capabilities can be used to turn down the network when not in use and consequently keep the batteries fresh for many years. Mounting Included with Aruba Beacons: High-strength indoor/outdoor 3M adhesive for direct mounting to wall Optional: NEMA 66-rated outdoor case with magnetic brackets for mounting on steel beam Bracket for mounting on non-metal wall via two-screw holds

Aruba USB Beacons Power Charges from an Aruba access point USB port or any powered USB slot on TVs, computers, wall plugs and other devices. Deployment/hardware options These beacons install into existing Aruba access points via USB ports for data connectivity. Aruba Beacons Compatible Devices and Operating Systems Android New smartphones and tablets with a dual-mode Bluetooth 4.0 chip running the latest version of the Android OS are Bluetooth Smart Ready. Android-powered Bluetooth Smart Ready devices running the latest OS will be compatible with virtually any Bluetooth enabled product, including Aruba Beacons. iOS iOS 7 or later on the following compatible devices: iPhone (fourth generation or later) iPad (third generation or later) iPad mini iPod touch (fifth generation or later) BLE must be turned on to work on any BLE-enabled device. Wireless Radio Specifications Compliant with BLE standard based on BT version 4.0 GFSK modulation @ 2.4-GHz ISM band Support adaptive frequency hopping (FH) 3 2-MHz advertisement channels (channels 37, 38, 39) 2,402 MHz, 2,426 MHz, 2,480 MHz x37 2-MHz data channels (channels 0 to 36, from 2,404 MHz to 2,478 MHz) TX power: 0 dBm max RX sensitivity: -94 dBm Mechanical Dimensions 47 mm (W) x 47 mm (L) x 16 mm (H), 1.8 “ (W) x 1.8” (L) x .63” (H) 37.5 g/1.3 oz Environmental Operating Temperature: 0° C to +50° C (+32° F to +122° F) Humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing Storage and transportation Temperature: -40° C to +70° C (-40° F to +158° F) Regulatory FCC/Industry of Canada CE Marked R&TTE Directive 1995/5/EC Low Voltage Directive 72/23/EEC Regulatory Model Number BT-100

Antennas:

RF Performance Table
Electrical characteristics
RFANT3216120A5T	Specification
Working frequency range	2,450 +/- 50Mhz
Gain (dBi)	2 (typical)
VSWR	2 max

Documentation:

Aruba Location Services with Aruba Beacons Datasheet (.PDF)