Beacon App DIY with Arduino

Apple explains iBecaon as the new low-powered, low-cost transmitters that notify the nearby Apple devices of their presence. With the help of this technology, a smart phone can do specific tasks if they are anywhere near an iBeacon transmitter.

iBeacon uses Bluetooth low energy proximity sensing for transmission to a mobile app or an operating system. The identifier then can be searched on the internet to find out its real-world position or to initiate any task like logging into a social network or giving a push notification.

Mikael DIYs a mobile app for Android and iOS which utilizes an Arduino compatible board with a BLE shield to make a beacon. Since arduino is easy to program and gives so many options to personalize a project, it is most suitable for this DIY. The mobile app that Mikael has built is meant for as a reminder to relax and experience calm in busy places like airport or hospital. You can see in the video below that if a user is near to this beacon (BLE devices have a detection range of about thirty meters), relaxation tips get shown on the phone screen.