10. How-to Track Beacons - RTLS / PLS

This will answer some commonly asked questions and will guide you step-by-step on how to use the track option on our Bluzone cloud platform.

What accuracy can I achieve with Bluvision RTLS?

We are able to achieve accuracy greater than 1m, and can tailor the accuracy to the needs of the specific use-case. In some situations, and use-cases, 1m accuracy is required. In others, 5m accuracy is sufficient. The two primary variables that affect accuracy are the number of BluFis deployed and the size of the area being monitored. With a few BluFi units, accuracy will be ~5m – 20m for an approximate area of 7800 sq. meters (84,000 sq. ft) Line of Sight (LOS). The accuracy is also affcted by the environment of the monitored area. For instance, the accuracy may be degraded in an environment with many metal instruments or wireless devices.

What is the maximum number of assets that can be tracked?

The number of assets that can be tracked depends on: (1) The size of the area (2) Number of BluFis deployed (3) Advertisement rate of the sensor beacons. We are able to track thousands of assets in an RTLS deployment, and we can easily scale by adding additional BluFis.

What are the Local Network (onsite) requirements?

See 09. How-to Troubleshoot, Prerequisites & Best Practices

How many BluFis will I need?

Minimum BluFi requirement is 3 Blufi unit. Accuracy will be ~5 – 20m accuracy with only 3 Blufis for an area of approximate 7800 sq meters (84,000sq. Ft) Line of sight
Maximum accuracy= +/-1m Requirements for maximum accuracy: Blufi every 8m or 50 Sq meters (540sq.Ft)
Medium accuracy: Large areas 3m accuracy : Requirements: Blufi every 20m or 350 Sq. Meters (3,800sq.FT)
Low accuracy: Huge areas like Airplane Hangars: ~5m accuracy: Requirements: Blufi every 25 meters or 500 Sq. Meters (5,400Sq Ft)

What are the compatible beacons for RTLS?

The following Bluvision beacon products are compatible with our RTLS solution:

iBeek sensor beacon
iBeek beacon ID Card
iBeek + extended life sensor beacon

What are the requirements for configuration and setup?

Configuration and setup of Bluvision’s RTLS is extremely fast and simple given the minimal hardware requirements and cloudbased infrastructure. The a summary of configuration steps are as follows:

Load and calibrate location map (about a 300k size PNG is recommended) into Bluzone.io cloud. Cloud will plot proper map coordinates
Create WiFi template on Bluzon.io to enable BluFi connectivity once provisioned to proper WiFi AP
Install physical BluFis at location and provision them using Bluvision Bluzone app. The app will log the location where the BluFi is being installed, and load proper WiFi settings and configuration via BLE from phone to BluFi over a secure RSA/SSl link
Once all BluFis are installed, check the cloud to make sure all of them are online and working properly
Provision master beacon using Bluzone app, and configure master beacon with appropiat firmware settings
Launch calibration app, and start walking with calibration designated beacon. Add calibration points as indicated on app/map
RTLS is now working in your zone
Start adding geofences and other policies to location/account

Before you start RTLS configuration

Ensure that your account has the right permissions enabled for RTLS asset tracking. You can check by going into any BluFi and see if it has Asset Tracking Settings in General tab
1. Confirm 3Mb/s upload min on 2.4GHz WiFi available throughout area where BluFis will be deployed
2. Verify that your Blufi is setup for:
  1. asset tracking by checking the "Asset Tracking" checkbox for the Blufi in the Bluzone portal (BluFis > General > Asset Tracking Settings).
  2. using the right scan mode by checking the "Scan mode" section on the same page and checking "Multi-Channel".
  3. Verify that your Blufi is properly connected to Bluzone.
  4. Verify that your beacon is setup for asset tracking by checking the "Asset Tracking" checkbox for the beacon in the Bluzone portal (Beacons > General > Asset Tracking Settings). Verify Asset Material Type is correct
  5. Apply the proper beacon configuration for asset tracking calibration by applying the appropriate configuration template (Beacons > Configuration > Apply Template > Select "Default iBeek Template - Asset Tracking Calibration" for iBeeks / Select "Default Beacon Card Template - Asset Tracking Calibration" for Beacon Cards > Update). Alternatively, can provision via the bluzone app found in the Apple store and choosing the appropriate template.
  Applying a template will require Bluzone to perform a configuration job on the beacon. Blufi needs to be properly connected and beacon needs to be within its range. (track job status on Bluzone portal via - Beacons > Jobs).
  Once all configuration is completed, you can proceed with your calibration.
Once all BluFis are set, take a SS of the fleet screen in order to remember the position of the BluFis. It is extremely important that BluFis are not moved once calibration process is started; either physical location or location on map
Ensure that appropriate information (a clear floor plan, floor number and boundary) of the area that you would like to configure for RTLS is uploaded on Bluzone.io portal. Detailed instructions are available at 02. How-to Setup Locations. An example of RTLS location is provided below for your reference
FYI. Color coding for Calibrator App:

- Human - Purple/eggplant
- Metal - Gray/Silver
- Box - Brown
- BluFis - Magenta
- Current Location - Red

For a deeper dive into beacon calibration best practices, review RTLS Best Practices

How-to take calibration points (Master beacon)

Enable Asset Tracking under Location
1. On Bluzone.io portal, under 'Location', select appropriate location
2. Check 'Asset Tracking' under 'General' tab
Decide on your Asset Material Type (between Human, Metal or Box)
Configure a master test beacon (Follow steps in 05. How-to Setup Beacons)
1. It is recommended to name the test beacon used for calibration process as ‘Master <Asset Material Type>’ where Asset Material Type is Human, Metal or Box depending on your configuration
Confirm BLE link from beacon to each BluFi
1. Refer to section 'Confirm BLE link' in RTLS Best Practices for details
Turn on Asset Tracking for beacon
1. On Bluzone.io portal, under 'Beacons', select appropriate beacon
2. Check 'Asset Tracking' under 'General' tab
3. Select appropriate value in 'Asset Material Type' drop-down box
Download bluzone app from Apple store
From the app, Login to your account
Click 'Menu' > 'Fleet' > 'Device List'
Select the beacon you will use for calibration. The signal strength will be shown as a circle filling up from red to green
Select "Calibrate"
Next, you need to select a location. Go to a corner of the room you are calibrating. Let us call this point - 1
1. Select "Insert Marker"
2. Next, click red X icon and click 'Locations', select the location you want to do calibration
  1. This location is marked in red as your current location
3. Confirm that you are physically at the same location that is specified on the map
4. You are ready to begin the calibrating process. Click 'Begin
To begin calibrating, app will give you directional guidance, starting with the direction - North. Let us call this 1(N). [Note: If app says “North”, you needn’t necessarily have to face the geographical “North”. You will need to calibrate in all 4 directions, so whichever direction you choose to begin calibration, make sure you maintain the same directional sequence for consequent calibrations. For example, if you first turn to your right, make sure you first turn to your right while calibrating for the next point]
- Calibrate for 1(N), then move on to the next direction, East. Let us call this 1(E)
- Calibrate for 1(E), then turn to the next direction - South - 1(S)
- Calibrate for 1(S), then turn to the last direction - West - 1(W)
- Calibrate for 1(W)
- After you have calibrated in all four directions, you are also required to calibrate by rotating on the axis (spinning). Let us call this 1(R). Spinning will help the algorithm predict the location more precisely by varying the RSSI from the specific location to BluFis around you
- NOTE: You may be prompted to calibrate your iDevice compass. In this case, follow the on-screen directions. Link to a instructional video is available here
Once you have finished the first calibration point at the spot (noted as 1 in following diagram), move to the next spot you want to calibrate (noted as 2) and so on
You will do this by moving physically to the next point, face the selected "N" direction, and click 'Begin' again
1. If you use 'Manual Location', drag the pin to the new location before clicking 'Begin'
Repeat until you have enough calibration points
Click 'Done' to finish calibration process
Refer to RTLS Best Practices for calibration point density and patter recommendations
After calibration is complete, set V2 and Tracking values back to the default to conserve battery. Refer to section 'How-to setup beacon firmware values for RTLS' for details

How-to configure multiple beacons for RTLS

Please contact your account representative for additional details.

How-to track beacons in Bluzone.io portal

After you are done with calibration points, you can log into your account and start tracking beacons

Log into the account
Go to Beacons tab and select the beacon you would like to track
After you select the beacon, click the button named "Track"
The tracking map will open and will start tracking automatically
1. You can turn on/off following settings as preferred:
  1. Trace the path - Shows the path that the beacon moved while tracking
  2. Auto-center
  3. Show BluFis - Shows the provisioned BluFi for the location
  4. Show metadata - Show lat/long, variance and a timestamp for the tracking

NOTE: You may be prompted to calibrate your iDevice compass. In this case, follow on screen directions. Link to a reference video is available here