Using iBeacon for intelligent in-room presence detection

Abstract

iBeacon, a novel technique for proximity estimation, is utilized in our work to establish an intelligent in-room presence detection system. iBeacon is a kind of beacon device introduced in 2014 by Apple Inc. based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. The beacon signal can be broadcasted every certain interval. We collected data for line-of-sight (LOS) situation in in-room environment, and then recognize in-room presence according to path-loss readings. Data in other situations and environments such as obstructed-line-of-sight (OLOS) and outdoor scenario has been also considered to guarantee the in-room presence detection accuracy. Based on the empirical measurement results, we deeply investigate the system performance in terms of error detection possibility. This system is specifically promising for some particular purposes such as graduate seminar check-in, security system, in-and-out counting.