Using BLE beacons

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons are low power wireless transmitters, which broadcast notifications to nearby devices such as iPhones, Android phones (with an app) or a tablet. BLE beacons can be used to provide location notifications, for positioning that works in a similar way to GPS, but which can work in GPS signal‑blocked areas, such as for indoor locations. VTAP100‑PRO‑BW readers support wireless comms including a BLE beacon function, and can be used with all devices that support BLE beacon technology.

Using BLE beacons with iPhones

The most common application of BLE beacons with iPhones is to trigger location notifications associated with Apple Wallet passes. When a user with the correct Apple Wallet pass approaches the beacon, iOS detects the beacon and presents a notification tied to that pass. If the user acknowledges the notification, the NFC Wallet pass is pre‑authorised to be read by the VTAP100‑PRO‑BW reader, providing a seamless user experience.

This is an example screenshot of a beacon notification on an iPhone with a Dot Origin demo pass, as the phone is within the range of a VTAP100‑PRO‑BW reader with BLE beacon set up. The beacon parameters are also set up on pass provider platform.

There can be up to 10 unique beacon UUIDs associated with one pass. The UUIDs are for you to define, and could each trigger a different message. Multiple beacons can be associated with the same UUID as well, but still be uniquely identified. Using different major and minor identifiers allow you to further expand the unique identification of beacons.

Using BLE beacons with Android devices

There would need to be a custom app on the user's Android phone, in order to interact with the BLE beacon functionality running on a nearby VTAP100‑PRO‑BW reader.