Zebra Bluetooth® Beacons

Bluetooth-Based Location Technology

There are many different location technologies on the market today. Bluetooth is a proximity-based location technology that integrates easily with mobile device-based applications or with server-based location solutions. It’s a low-cost, active RFID technology that allows for extremely fast installation, even in fairly complex environments, like warehouses, factories, and hospitals. Zebra Bluetooth Beacons feature a variety of physical and digital configurations to provide presence and proximity-based location data as part of solutions like Zebra MotionWorks™. When general location information (down to a small zone or room) is all that is needed to solve your business problem, Bluetooth is the ideal technology and a tremendous value.

The low power consumption of Bluetooth low energy technology is the catalyst for battery-powered devices that can be used to create innovative solutions for industries including manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare and retail. Location data from the edge of the network provides valuable information about how your operation is actually performing. The battery-operated active beacons can run for multiple years at cost points that are compelling.

Zebra Bluetooth Beacon-based solutions generally include a combination of fixed and/or mobile beacons combined with some type of application receiving and acting upon the beacon information. The system can be a stand-alone application that uses these beacons, or used in conjunction with Zebra MotionWorks or other software systems. The bridge device (that hears the beacons) can be almost any type of Android or iOS mobile computer or smartphone, or a custom device that has a Bluetooth low energy radio and is running the Zebra SDK or third-party application. As part of a location solution like Zebra MotionWorks, the application must also have the ability to communicate with the analytics software (i.e. Wi-Fi™, LTE, 3G etc.).

Compatible With Zebra MotionWorks and 3rd Party Location Solutions

Zebra MotionWorks location solutions give businesses the ability to use automated data collection to attain actionable insights and vital solutions from the location, state and sense data of tagged enterprise resources.

By using hardware to capture data (including Zebra’s many sensing, tagging, and mobility technologies, as well as popular third-party technologies), MotionWorks deploys some of the world’s largest and most successful automated resource tracking and management solutions—across industries, and for some the world’s largest companies.

These beacons will also work with third-party solutions that follow the Bluetooth low energy specification. They are also compatible with legacy MPact server based solutions.

Development and Configuration Tools

Zebra has a software development kit (SDK) to help customers and partners create location solutions based on Zebra Bluetooth Beacons, and to enable easy integration of Zebra Bluetooth Beacons with the location features of iOS and Android smart phones as well as Zebra’s portfolio of ruggedized mobile computing devices. The SDK has the library, driver and application programming interface (API) that can form the foundation supporting custom application development. Additionally, Zebra provides applications to simplify the staging and configuration of beacons. These applications allow the selection of transmit power, transmitter interval, and other operating parameters. Configuration and beacon firmware updates are performed over-the-air without a physical connection with the beacon.

MB1000 Asset Beacon

These small, coin cell beacons are ideal for asset tracking and have been optimized for long battery life within industrial environments. They have ultra-low RF transmit powers for increased locate accuracy and improved performance in high density deployments. The MB1000 is constructed of materials that withstand common industrial cleaning agents.

MB1101 Long Life Asset Beacon

This small beacon is an evolution and enhancement of the MB1000 asset beacon. A more power efficient BLE 5 beacon design enables more than double the operating life in the same package under the same conditions: 5 years with a 2 second transmit period and over 10 years with a 5 second transmit period.

MB2000 Indoor Beacon

This full transmit power beacon runs off two, replaceable AA batteries ensuring an extended operating life. It’s ideal for proximity location systems where it provides a location to nearby mobile devices (a fixed waypoint).

MB2001 Indoor Beacon

These ultra-low RF transmission power beacons have 100 times lower RF transmission power than typical Bluethooth® low energy beacons. With replaceable AA batteries these beacons are optimized as location beacons in asset tracking solutions anywhere locate accuracy in dense deployments is important.

MB3000/3100 Indoor Beacons

The USB beacon is ideal wherever you have the option to provide power via a USB port or a standard AC plug (requires a USB adaptor), such as a retail kiosk computer, or USB wall socket—there is no battery to monitor or replace.

MB4000 Outdoor Beacon

This industrial beacon is sealed against the environment, operates over an extreme temperature range and is ruggedized for use in harsh industrial environments. Powerful batteries ensure a long life controlled via a simple touchpad on/off switch.

SB1100 Asset Beacon

These small, BLE 5.1 beacons have been designed specifically for healthcare and other industrial applications where long life, waterproofness, and the ability to survive routine disinfection cleaning are critical. NFC enables simple on/off control and configuration. Low RF transmit power level enables safe operation with sensitive medical devices.

MB1000 Asset Beacon

MB1101 Long Life Asset Beacon

MB2000 Indoor Beacon

MB2001 Indoor Beacon

MB3000/MB3100 Indoor Beacons

MB4000 Outdoor Beacon

SB1100 Asset Beacon

Footnotes