Bluetooth signal fluctuates because it's based on radio waves. Over the years, we've developed special noise cancelling algorithms that give us a much better accuracy indoors.
Estimote Indoor Location SDK is a set of tools for building precise, blue-dot location services indoors. It uses a set of sophisticated algorithms to provide indoor positioning with beacons and an accuracy of about 1.5m/5ft. It might fluctuate a little, as it depends on the surface a beacon is placed on. For more details, check out our article Best practices for deploying Estimote Location Beacons.
You'll see similar accuracy whether you’re navigating in a small 4x4m room or in a large industrial warehouse. So if you're prototyping and 1.5m of variance seems like a bit much, consider if it will be suitable enough for your actual deployment. There's a very good chance it will!
Start off with one beacon every 5 meters (or one per wall, in smaller rooms). The bigger your space is, the more beacons you’ll need. So if the accuracy is not as expected, you might consider adding a few more beacons. If you need help in that area, feel free to contact us!
You can choose between two types of beacons: Location beacons and Location beacons with UWB. The UWB module in the latter beacons is used for automapping and prototyping only, and you can read more about it in our Estimote Automapping with UWB Location Beacons article.
When it comes to positioning and accuracy (tracking a user's device in a real time), there's no difference between these beacons, as they both rely on Bluetooth signal. The UWB module is known for its very high accuracy, but we don't use it for positioning for two reasons. First of all, phones don't have this module so you wouldn't be able to track any of them. And second, it drains battery life so fast that your beacons would need new batteries after just a few days. Thus, we’re using the UWB module strictly for automapping, nothing more at this moment in time.
To learn more about Estimote Indoor Location:
- Check out the SDK
- Read our guide for starters on the Developer Portal