iBeacon module can keep broadcasting its Bluetooth information, and because of its low power consumption it can communicate at far off distances.  iBeacon can be used for indoor position application, and can complement the situation where GPS cannot be used in indoor localization.  It is become a hot topic recently.

 iBeacon module has a communication radius of 30  meters, and uses the button battery 2032, and can last 4 months. 

There are many misunderstanding floating around. Can the iBeacon module report its distance? Can the iBeacon nodule actively find a cellphone and push its information to the cellphone?  The reality is that iBeacon module will not report its distance. It only keep broadcasting its information, and the cellphone uses APP to read the nearby iBeacon information, and use the signal strenght of these information to compute its distance to the iBeacon modules.

Each iBeacon module has different MAC address. So the cellphone can tell which is which by reading the MAC address. It can also read the UUID to tell the type of the module. The module keeps broadcasting in a predefined interval, and not controlled by any cellphone, and it will not push any data to the cellphone actively. The cellphone uses the MAC address and the distance to tell its own location, and download the service related information from a server.

Specifications:

• Tested with iOS 7.0
• Based on TI's CC2541. Range is 30M
• Size: 24.8mm x 24.8mm,  thickness 7.5mm

• 1 X iBeacon Module

Resources:

• PDF Datasheet