Indoor Navigation System using BLE Beacons

Abstract

The navigation system at present is commonly based on the GPS, which provides high accuracy. But to use this facility there is a need of strong internet connectivity. As observed mobile data provided by network providers gets hindered with a greater number of walls and layers and thus getting proper data services inside a closed infrastructure is sometimes not possible. Thus, there is a need to think upon alternatives that can locate a user. Such alternatives include understanding the user's environment by using the Bluetooth signals in the surroundings, understanding the Wi-Fi environment and magnetic signals in the environment. All this data can easily be captured using the inbuilt sensors of the mobile equipment. Out of all these, the Bluetooth signals can be used to serve our purpose using devices called beacons. These devices emit continuous radio packets and were conventionally modelled for advertisements, and these same signals can be used to understand the environment indoors. This paper presents a system that creates a network of beacons over a facility by developing a software that will manage the activities of each beacon node of the network.