What About Bluetooth Positioning Technology Systems For Indoor Positioning?

Bluetooth indoor positioning and BLE location tracking positioning use Bluetooth signals to determine the location of objects or devices within an indoor environment. It leverages Bluetooth technology, particularly Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to enable positioning and tracking capabilities within buildings, facilities or enclosed spaces where GPS signals may not be reliable or available.

BLE positioning works by utilizing Bluetooth signals to estimate the position of a device within an indoor or outdoor environment. BLE positioning systems involve deploying BLE beacons or transmitters throughout the area of interest. Beacons transmit Bluetooth signals containing unique identifiers. These signals are received by devices in the vicinity that are equipped with Bluetooth capabilities, such as smartphones, tablets or dedicated receivers. Devices within range of the BLE beacons detect and receive the Bluetooth signals. BLE positioning systems use RSSI measurements from multiple beacons to estimate the position of the device. Two common techniques used are trilateration and fingerprinting. Once RSSI measurements are collected and processed, the positioning system calculates the position of the device. This calculation may involve employing mathematical algorithms, machine learning techniques or data fusion methods to improve accuracy.

It's important to set realistic expectations for the accuracy of BLE location services and consider specific use cases and environments. In some scenarios, combining BLE indoor tracking systems with other technologies like Wi-Fi, RFID or sensor fusion techniques can provide enhanced accuracy and reliability. The use of external infrastructure or advanced positioning methods can further improve BLE location tracking accuracy in certain applications.

The range of BLE can vary depending on multiple factors, including the power class of the BLE device, the environment and potential obstacles. Generally, BLE has a range of up to 100 metres (about 330 feet) in an open space without any interference. However, the effective range can be significantly reduced in real-world scenarios due to signal attenuation caused by walls, furniture and other objects.

It's important to evaluate the specific requirements of your indoor positioning application, including accuracy, range, cost, infrastructure and compatibility with devices, when selecting the best alternative to a BLE-based system. In some cases, a combination of multiple technologies or hybrid positioning systems that integrate different technologies may provide the most optimal solution.

Some BLE navigation challenges include: the need for additional hardware (BLE beacons) for indoor navigation, the maintenance required for battery replacement is very costly and the number of beacons required to cover a large building. One-to-five beacons are needed per 150 square metres to ensure full coverage of the facility and accuracy for indoor navigation In addition, beacons will only work for positioning if visitors have Bluetooth enabled on the devices they are using

Technical limitations of other indoor navigation technologies can't deliver what Mapsted's patented, hardware-free core technology does – a highly accurate and cost-effective stand-alone indoor positioning system. A BLE beacon positioning system doesn’t even come close. Other indoor positioning systems require expensive external hardware and costly maintenance. Instead of relying on external hardware for location-based needs, Mapsted technology pulls from a huge variety of data sources creating an accurately powerful indoor positioning system.

Mapsted technology uses horizontal and vertical positioning, as well as multi-building positioning, to allow users to seamlessly navigate across complex outdoor-indoor venues. Mapsted is the only company in the world with a patented, hardware-free platform powered by AI, machine learning, data fusion technology and self-learning algorithms. Our market-ready solution relies on advanced, proprietary technology that pulls from 50 data points at any given time to deliver scalable positioning with a 1-5 metre accuracy level using any off-the-shelf smartphone.