What Is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)?

What is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon?

Bluetooth beacons are hardware transmitters - a class of Bluetooth low energy (LE) devices, that broadcast their identifier to nearby mobile devices. All Android and iOS mobile devices are BLE-enabled and can perform actions when in close proximity to a beacon transmitter.

A typical application for a BLE implementation may involve distributing messages at a specific Point of Interest, for example a store, a bus stop, a room or a more specific location like a piece of furniture or a vending machine. 

Another application is an indoor positioning system, which helps smartphones determine their approximate location or context. Brick and mortar retail stores use the beacons for mobile commerce, offering customers special deals through mobile marketing, and can enable mobile payments through point of sale systems.
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