radius networks

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  • "Dances with iBeacons": Testing Radius Networks RadBeacons

    by 
    Steve Sande
    Steve Sande
    06.16.2014

    Although I'm not a developer by any stretch of the imagination, I find the concept of iBeacons to be fascinating. The idea of low-power Bluetooth beacons that can coax apps into providing information about something that's near them is very cool, and a while back I wrote about some apps available from Radius Networks that provided a way to start playing with the technology without investing in any physical iBeacons. Well, Radius Networks is now rolling out the hardware in the form of what it calls RadBeacons, and I recently had a chance to try out two models and configure them with their own unique names. The US$29 RadBeacon USB (left in image at the top of this post) is a tiny USB dongle that can be plugged into any standard USB adapter for power, while the $39 RadBeacon Tag (the white tag in the middle of the top image) is a battery-powered tag that is perfect for those situations where power may be an issue. Both the devices work with apps from Radius Networks as well as any other apps that are aware of iBeacons. The free RadBeacon app (universal, optimized for iPhone 5) is used to configure RadBeacon proximity beacons. You can scan for configurable RadBeacons with a single swipe gesture, and each discovered beacon displays its name, model, and ID. Tapping on a discovered beacon shows its name and advertised UUID identifier, major identifier, minor identifier, power value, rate setting, and transmit power setting. To update any of those settings, you just enter a valid PIN (which you can also apply), then change the settings and hit Apply. There's also a way to calibrate the measured power of the beacon by holding it at a set distance away, then letting it go through a calibration process. Once calibrated, you can measure the proximity of the beacon with the app as well. When everything is set up the way you want it, it's possible to lock the device so that third parties can't reconfigure it. The Locate for iBeacon app (free, universal, optimized for iPhone 5) is what you can use to locate those pesky RadBeacons (and other iBeacons). One thing I found odd about this app is that although I had set new names for a RadBeacon USB and a RadBeacon Tag, they still showed up in Locate for iBeacon as generic beacons with a name of Radius Networks 2F234454. Once you find a beacon, the distance to it is displayed. And for some inexplicable reason, the Locate app also includes a way to configure and calibrate the RadBeacons ... so why have two different apps? For tagging movable items with an iBeacon, the RadBeacon Tag works best. It's battery powered, and has a hole in it through which something like a cable tie or wire can be passed to attach the tag to something. The RadBeacon app showed all of the regular info for the tag, adding the battery level as well. The batteries are replaceable. What I was surprised with is just how accurate the proximity readings are on a properly calibrated beacon. This really speaks to how it will be possible for stores, museums and other venues to notify people within a short distance of a beacon of a product, piece of art, or whatever else you want them to look at in your app. One thought I had while trying out the RadBeacons was that I'd love to see Geocaching figure out a way to work these into "the game." In other words, a geocacher could use GPS to get into the vicinity of a cache, then -- if they've been unsuccessful finding the cache by traditional means -- be able to ask for an iBeacon notification when they're right near the cache. Likewise, curious would-be iBeacon fans can do things like purchase a few RadBeacons, then use apps like Proximitask (free) or the recently-updated Launch Center Pro ($4.99) to set up reminders that go off with you arrive at or leave a specific location. The latter app can even trigger IFTTT recipes, which opens up a whole new world of location-based automation. Conclusion While the Radius Networks apps aren't exactly perfect at this point in time, developers and other individuals interested in trying out iBeacon-based ideas can now do so without spending a lot of money. I highly recommend both the RadBeacon USB and RadBeacon Tag for experimentation, and would love to hear from TUAW readers who are coming up with innovative iBeacon solutions. Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible

  • WikiBeacon.org just made it easier to find iBeacons

    by 
    Steve Sande
    Steve Sande
    05.07.2014

    While there has been a lot written about the potential for Apple's iBeacon technology for a number of varied purposes, most smartphone owners have never encountered an iBeacon in the wild. If you'd like to know if there actually is an iBeacon somewhere in your vicinity, or help locate the elusive -- at least right now -- beacons, you're in luck. Radius Networks recently flipped the switch for WikiBeacon.org, a website that uses the company's free Locate for iBeacon app to populate a map with information about those beacons. The site has been up for a week, and according to Radius Networks Chief Product Officer David Helms, "so far we have had over 20,000 iBeacon sightings submitted from around the world." As you'd expect, a lot of iBeacons are clustered in major cities. But there are some surprise statistics as well -- Donaueschingen, Germany appears to have the world title for iBeacons with almost 5,000 reported, while Cupertino, California is well down the list in spot #217. Not surprisingly, Germany is also at the top of the "countries with the most beacons" list, with the US in the #2 spot and China in #3. You can help populate the site with more iBeacon data by installing the Locate for iBeacon app on your iPhone -- it's also available for Android.

  • MacBeacon and Locate for iBeacon: An inexpensive way for developers to design and test iBeacons

    by 
    Steve Sande
    Steve Sande
    11.22.2013

    iBeacons are a hot topic and getting hotter. It seems like we're hearing a lot about retailers and others who are chomping at the bit to use the short-range, highly focused location technology for things as varied as in-building directions or targeted advertising. But how are developers able to start creating iBeacon-enabled apps without having one of the Bluetooth devices on hand? That's where some tools from Washington, DC-based Radius Networks can help out. The company recently announced MacBeacon (US$9.99), which allows any Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth Low Energy) equipped Mac to be set up as a test iBeacon. If a developer is just getting his or her feet wet in the iBeacon world, the company even has a free iOS app called Locate for iBeacon available. MacBeacon allows developers to create beacon profiles that provide full iBeacon functionality. For developers who want to test iBeacon-enabled apps, it's a great way to see how the apps react to proximity to iBeacons. Devs can give the iBeacon a name for labeling purposes (it's not broadcasted by the beacon), generate a UUID, set group identifiers and adjust the beacon's power level. A full help page provides both an introduction to iBeacons as well as assistance in using the app. The Locate for iBeacon app does exactly what the name implies -- it locates iBeacons. But it does more than that, providing distance measurements between the iOS device and the iBeacon, a way to calibrate the iBeacon and also a way to turn an iOS device into an iBeacon itself. A developer could theoretically just use the Locate for iBeacon app for testing purposes. Radius Networks also has iBeacon hardware development kits available (US$99.99 to $149.99). Based on the popular Raspberry Pi single-board PC, these kits feature one or two Bluetooth LE transmitters and come with iBeacon software that works with Apple's iBeacon SDK. The company has developer tools available, including the Message Radius platform (for pushing notifications to devices when they're within a certain range of an iBeacon) and a Proximity Kit API for setting up localized geofences. TUAW reported earlier this week on how retailer Macy's and shopping app Shopkick teamed up to use iBeacon technology in a few flagship stores. With tools like those from Radius Networks making it easier for developers to implement the technology, you can look forward to seeing iBeacons everywhere you go.