Using Beacons for Office and Home Automation

Beacons have percolated in our lives like no other technology has. The technology was first introduced to track the movement of customers at events, airports, museums, restaurants, hotels, and shopping centers. Tech evangelists are now using Beacons technology to bring low-cost smart home infrastructure for the masses.  

According to ABI Research, BLE Beacon shipments are forecasted to exceed 400 million units in the next five years. 

Beacons automate various tasks like entertainment units, home appliances, thermostats, security systems, surveillance cameras using a smartphone app. Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) battery-operated beacons can be placed in any target area to emit signals. BLE beacons easily transform home and offices to automated homes and offices. 

Oodles Technologies is a well-established home automation app development company. We provide full-scale smart home automation solutions to build cross-platform mobile apps for a wide range of smart home devices. 

Home Automation Systems with Beacons 

Beacon hardware is installed at a new home while wiring for electricity. The rules are set before the installation and notifications are sent to the homeowner’s mobile phones via appropriate applications. Since the Beacons are short-range devices, therefore, the proximity to the Beacons is important. Homeowners can pre-set reminders for the expiry date of the bread or milk in the refrigerator. Notifications enable users to consume a commodity before it expires. 

Benefits 

Convenience: Beacons turn off and on based on your micro-location. Beacons work as occupancy sensors, whenever the homeowners leave for their office it automatically switches off the lights without any manual interference.    

Energy Conservation: Beacons are lightweight BLE transmitters that convert a simple home to a smart home at an affordable price.  Also, most of the tasks including switching on/ off lights are automated which results in low energy consumption. 

Beacons for Security: Beacons can control home locks to prevent thefts. When the homeowners forget to lock their homes beacons will automatically lock them. They also alert users when there occurs any fire or smoke. 

Personalize your Home: One of the best uses of a home automation system is that it personalizes the experience. Beacons provide homeowners a comfortable living experience by examining their behavioral patterns. It even plays homeowners’ favorite soundtrack or their favorite series immediately after they sit near their television screens. 

Use of Beacons at Offices/ Industries/Organization

Track Location: Beacons can be used at offices to identify the location of their employees. Employees often have to move from their desks to co-ordinate with different teams. Using beacons businesses can identify where the concerned person is. Beacons can be of good use for industrial work. At industries, Beacons can identify how many workers are there at the construction site, warehouse, and desk. 

Office Buddy is the app created during India’s first Beacon App Hack Day. Works on the aforementioned principle Office Buddy displays important company updates relevant to users. The app captures the check-in and check-out time of employees based on data captured in the backend. 

Employee Time Tracking: Beacons can be used for employee time tracking at the workplace. It prevents the employees from long queues at check-in stations. Organizations can prevent miss punches of employees and refrains them from falsely claiming for overtime. 

Replicon, a very famous firm developing online timesheet and expense management systems for companies has integrated iBeacon technology into its smartphone app. Companies partnered with Replicon have to install beacons at their entry and exit gates and employees have to download Replicon’s mobile app.  Whenever the app comes in proximity of the installed beacons, it wakes it up and the data is sent to the time management database. The technology captures the data whenever an employee steps out during lunch or a short tea break through the entry or exit beacon gates.  

Guide Prospective Clients: Beacons are used at various official events for brand promotion. Businesses can track the movement of their clients and guide them to reach the specified location where the event will be held. Beacons are now used for enhancing in-event experiences, click to learn how:  

Beacons for Managing Tasks

Beacons can be placed near employees’ desks to remind them about their day’s tasks. Employees have to link up the default iOS reminder app with specific beacons to receive alerts about the pending tasks of the day. The app sends notifications of the to-do list to the employees which can be accessed through the lock screen.  

Proximititask app works as a missing link between reminders and Beacons. It triggers reminders based on proximity and location.  

Raise your standards with our office and home automation solutions 

Oodles Technologies is a IoT app development company. We build cross-platform smart home applications that enable end-users to lead a convenient lifestyle. Our smart home software solutions enable users to wirelessly control their home appliances and home kit accessories. Get in touch with our experts for more details!