To date, location services based on Bluetooth can be divided into two categories: proximity solutions and positioning systems. Proximity solutions determine when two devices are close to each other and how far apart they are. Applications include device search and PoI (point of interest) information solutions, such as proximity marketing beacons. Beacon PoI systems can be found in the retail sector. Thanks to the new direction finding function, Bluetooth proximity solutions are now also able to recognize the direction of the device. A device locator system is therefore able to tell when an object is nearby and in which direction it is located.

The new direction finding function is particularly beneficial in professional environments such as intralogistics. © Bluetooth SIG

Positioning systems in turn use Bluetooth in a professional environment to determine the physical location of technical devices and items. These include real-time location systems (RTLS) such as those used for object tracking, as well as indoor positioning systems (IPS) for indoor wayfinding. Today, such Bluetooth-based positioning systems achieve an accuracy of a few meters when determining location. The new direction finding function improves positioning down to a few centimetres, which is a great advantage in warehouse logistics, for example. The new direction finding function is included in version 5.1 of the Bluetooth Core specification.

Advantages of location services

The new Bluetooth direction finding function can also be used for wayfinding functions. © Bluetooth SIG

"Bluetooth has established itself as the technology of choice for location services, as it allows companies to develop robust and reliable solutions to pinpoint the exact location they need for their business operations," says Fabio Belloni, Chief Customer Officer and co-founder of Quuppa. "The introduction of a standard solution for direction finding now opens up significantly more possibilities for us, our partners and our customers."

"Location services are one of the fastest growing solution areas for Bluetooth technology. Market analysis predicts that over 400 million Bluetooth-based products will be sold in this area by 2022," explains Mark Powell, Executive Director of the Bluetooth SIG. "Since the introduction of Bluetooth Low Energy in 2010, developers have used Bluetooth to create powerful, low-cost location services for a wide range of applications. They are used by consumers or retailers, but are also used in healthcare, public facilities or manufacturing environments," adds Andrew Zignani, Senior Analyst, ABI Research. "The new direction finding capability can help Bluetooth better address diverse and evolving needs by enabling more flexible, scalable and future-proof deployments. These will drive the adoption of Bluetooth for location services in existing markets while opening up additional opportunities for new applications and use cases."