What is a Beacon?

So, what IS a beacon? Beacons are small and wireless high-tech devices, and we’re excited to tell you all about them! Consider this your formal introduction to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon technology. Enjoy!

A Bluetooth beacon is a small radio transmitter.

A Bluetooth beacon is a small wireless device that works based on Bluetooth Low Energy. It’s kind of like a lighthouse: it repeatedly transmits a constant signal that other devices can see. Instead of emitting visible light, though, it broadcasts a radio signal that is made up of a combination of letters and numbers transmitted on short, regular intervals. A Bluetooth-equipped device like a smartphone, gateway, or access point can “see” a beacon once its in range, much like sailors looking for a lighthouse to know where they are.

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But what is a Bluetooth beacon like on the inside?

What do they look like? Bluetooth Beacons are very small, simple devices. If you crack one open, you won’t find thirty motherboards and oodles of wires. You’ll find a CPU, radio, and batteries. Bluetooth Beacons often use small lithium chip batteries (smaller and more powerful than AA batteries) or run via connected power like USB plugs. They come in different shapes and colors, may include accelerometers, temperature sensors, or unique add-ons but all of them have one thing in common—they transmit a signal.

What is a Bluetooth beacon actually transmitting?

It’s not throwing just any old message into the air. It’s transmitting a unique ID number that tells a listening device which beacon it’s next to.

Really, it’s just a code name. How can I interact with beacons?

For example, when a shopping mall installs beacons in their shop, all of the beacons will have certain IDs, registered in their dedicated app. This means a smartphone app can immediately recognize that the incoming ID is important and that it’s from that particular mall. The ID, however, has little meaning on its own; it’s entirely up to an app or other program to recognize what it means.

What happens next? That depends on what the owner has programmed it to do. One code could trigger the app to send a coupon. Another could offer navigation services. The possibilities are nearly endless. All the beacon has to do is connect your exact location to the app, and the rest is up to the program.

What’s happening behind the computer screen?

Beacons are incredibly misunderstood. They are not tracking you. They’re not interested in that.

They’re just broadcasting a signal. Here’s why this signal can trigger so many different things.
An online platform (for example, the Kontakt.io dashboard), lets you manage, configure, and update all your beacons. From there, you may develop your own app or use a further program called a Content Management System. These programs allow you to associate links, images, videos, and texts with individual beacons. Many of these platforms are made to be highly user-friendly. This means they are often sleek and easy-to-use with no coding required. For example, a program could let a museum owner add brand new capabilities to their gallery app (like quizzes or audio guides) just by typing questions or text. The program then does all the hard work automatically and stores everything in the cloud so your app can easily access it.

How do beacons connect to the web?

You’ve probably heard of Bluetooth. It’s present in 90% of all phones and has been around since the 1990s. So what’s changed? Why is it so important now? While many consumers don’t use Bluetooth on a daily basis, it’s hugely important to the Internet of Things. Being in 90% of the world’s phones, Bluetooth technology means beacons are compatible with devices consumers use on a daily basis around the globe.

Bluetooth provides the infrastructure for the entire beacon ecosystem. It’s a standard for sending data over short distances, a wireless technology not so dissimilar from WiFi. This is why beacon hardware can be simple. There is already a web of Bluetooth around you that can connect beacons and smart devices and almost anything else.

Why do we say “BLE beacons”?

BLE stands for Bluetooth Low Energy. It’s a power-efficient version of Bluetooth originally introduced in 2010. BLE’s low energy needs are vital to beacons, as it allows them to run for years on tiny coin-cell batteries. It also consumes far less energy than the old and clunky Bluetooth. In fact, BLE is a major driver in the IoT, allowing technology to last longer with smaller parts.

The next question is, how do beacons actually enable connecting and transferring data?

How does a beacon communicate?

Beacon hardware is relatively simple, but the way it triggers actions can get a little complicated. Every system is a little different, but here’s how a beacon communicates, in a nutshell:

The beacon sends out its ID numbers about ten times every second (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on its settings). A nearby Bluetooth-enabled device, like your phone, picks up that signal. When a dedicated app recognizes it, it links it to an action or piece of content stored in the cloud and displays it to the user. You can “teach” your app how to react to a beacon signal by developing using third-party tools.

Couldn’t the beacon data just be hardcoded into the app?

Why go through the cloud? It sounds so unnecessary!

The #1 reason you don’t want data hardcoded on your phone is space. Keeping content on the cloud makes your app light and keeps your phone from being bogged down. No one wants to download bulky apps–especially when they’re on the go.

Reason #2 is that content attached to beacons does change. But, remember how beacons only broadcast an ID? That ID doesn’t change too often but the content behind it does. Say you’re a store owner and you want to run a new sales campaign or add a promotion to your existing offerings. If your beacon data is hardcoded, you would have to completely re-release the app. Storing data in the cloud means beacons can be updated almost instantly. It means the app doesn’t have to be altered or re-coded. Once the information is online, it’s ready to go to the beacon.So, what is a beacon going to do to help you? Let’s try an example.

Where did beacon technology begin?

Today’s beacons began with the introduction of iBeacon. iBeacon is simply a protocol that lets Bluetooth devices transmit very small bits of data.
Then Google entered the scene. In 2015, Google came out with Eddystone, their iBeacon alternative. Since then, iBeacon and Eddystone have ruled the proximity market.
Now, beacon technology is continuing to develop with cooler capabilities, better hardware, and more diverse solutions.

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What are all these numbers?! (reading beacon specs)

What is a beacon packet? Do you need those? Here are some notes on beacon specs and details.

• Battery life: Most beacons start with an 18-24 month battery life. However, some beacons with certain requirements and uses last some 6-8 months. Beacons with energy-saving capabilities can last over 5 years.
  How can beacons last so long with such tiny batteries? Easy! They don’t actually work that hard. They let Bluetooth do all the work, and Bluetooth is incredibly energy efficient.
• Supported format: Does your beacon use the iBeacon protocol? Eddystone? Beacons usually support both of these and sometimes the hardware manufacturer’s own format (like AltBeacon).
• Interval: How often can the beacon transmit its message? How often you need your beacon to transmit depends on your specific scenario. (ms=millisecond)
• Tx Power: The Transmission Power describes how far a beacon can transmit data. This can be as little as 4 meters, but many reach some 50-90 meters. However, it is not necessary that this number be humongous. A 50-meter range beacon can be just as useful as a 90-meter depending on the specific use.
• Packets: A beacon’s “packet” is the data it transmits. This just describes the kind of information it is able to transmit. For example, iBeacon contains one packet (iBeacon itself) while Eddystone has three separate ones.
• Sensors: Now, beacons are coming out with extra capabilities. They may include accelerometers, light or movement sensors.
• NFC / RFID: Beacons are still very new. For some users, it’s highly important that legacy technologies (like NFC and RFID tags) and beacons work together.
• Price: Beacons can cost as little as $5. Will such a cheap beacon be worth it? Well, that really depends on what you want, but many users will find that ultra-cheap beacons simply don’t get the job done. Expect one ordinary beacon to run $15-25.

See an example of how beacons can transform hospitals

Picture a large hospital with endless hallways, busy wards, and hundreds of rooms. Every day, doctors, nurses, and support staff move quickly from one task to another. In this environment, every second counts—and yet, one of the most common frustrations is simply not knowing where a piece of equipment is. A nurse might need a wheelchair for a patient discharge, or a technician may be searching for an infusion pump to start treatment. Too often, valuable time is lost walking the halls, opening storage rooms, or checking with colleagues.

This is where beacons, paired with RTLS, change the story. By attaching a beacon to each piece of equipment, the hospital gains real-time visibility into where everything is located. Instead of guessing, staff can open a simple interface on a tablet or phone and instantly see which wheelchair is free, which infusion pump is available, and exactly where it is. That infusion pump might be two doors down in the ICU, or the wheelchair could already be waiting near the patient’s ward. No wasted steps, no delays.

The benefit isn’t just about time. It’s about patient safety and experience. Imagine a patient in pain waiting for care—the faster the staff can access the right equipment, the faster treatment begins. Or think about a family who is already anxious about their loved one’s surgery; the smoother the hospital runs in the background, the more reassuring the whole experience feels.

And the story doesn’t end at real-time tracking. Beacons also build a historical picture of movement. Administrators can see which equipment is under constant demand, which devices are underutilized, and where bottlenecks happen. That information can guide smarter purchasing decisions, reduce unnecessary spending, and even improve infection control by making sure devices are properly rotated and sanitized.

In short, beacons with RTLS turn a hospital from a place of constant searching into a place of seamless flow—where equipment, staff, and patients are always in the right place at the right time.

How Beacons Can Be Mounted in Hospitals

Mounting beacons in the right places is just as important as choosing to use them. In hospitals, they are often placed on walls in corridors and intersections to guide navigation and track movement, or on ceilings in large wards and waiting areas where signals need clear coverage. Beacons can also be mounted near doors to ICUs or restricted labs to monitor access, or even attached directly to mobile assets like wheelchairs, infusion pumps, or defibrillators so staff always know what’s available.

To make this practical, hospitals rely on purpose-built devices designed for walls and ceilings. Solutions like Portal Beam or Anchor Beacon 2 provide room-level accuracy and long-lasting performance, even in hard-to-reach spots. Smaller models like the Beam Mini make it easy to cover patient rooms or hallways without disrupting the environment.

By combining smart placement with the right hardware, beacons blend seamlessly into hospital workflows—quietly ensuring patients, staff, and equipment are always in the right place at the right time.

Use cases of beacons in healthcare

Hospitals are changing the way they operate, moving away from paper logs and guesswork toward real-time visibility. With the help of beacons and RTLS, what used to take minutes of searching or manual reporting now happens automatically in the background. The result is faster care, safer environments, and smoother workflows for both patients and staff.

Beacons are already being used for:

• Tracking: Hospitals can attach beacons to wheelchairs, IV pumps, or defibrillators. Staff always know where things are and don’t waste time hunting for them. When a piece of equipment is needed for urgent care, it can be found in seconds.
• Navigation: Hospitals are big and confusing, especially for patients and visitors. Beacons can act like indoor GPS, guiding people straight to the right department, ward, or even the café—reducing stress and saving time.
• Interaction: Beacons can make small but important moments easier. For example, when a patient walks into radiology, they could automatically receive preparation instructions on their phone, while staff are notified to ready the room.

• Security: Beacons help keep patients safe. If someone with dementia tries to leave a secure wing, staff can be alerted instantly. They can also make sure visitors don’t enter restricted areas like ICUs or surgical zones. And just as important, beacons support staff duress systems – if a nurse or doctor feels threatened, a discreet alert can be sent with their exact location so help arrives right away.

• Analysis: Beacons generate data that shows how hospitals really work—where staff spend the most time, which equipment is used the most, and where bottlenecks occur. That information helps improve workflows, reduce costs, and ultimately deliver better patient care.