Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
White Paper
Cisco Public
Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
Deliver Amazing Mobile Experience
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
White Paper
Cisco Public
What You Will Learn
The world is at an inflection point, where smart devices (phones, tablets, and laptops)
are taking over as the predominant computing platform. While this can present various
challenges from a wireless operations and management standpoint, it also opens up
huge opportunities for business. That is because smart devices are location aware, and
location is a strategic attribute for engaging with customers, employees and tracking
high-value mobile resources.
In the past few years, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has become a default standard on
most smart devices (primarily thanks to iBeacon and Eddystone). This means that the
vast majority of mobile computing platforms are now location ready. The challenge
comes, however, on the infrastructure side. Enterprises must determine how the
wireless network can leverage BLE in a scalable, reliable and cost-effective way.
Traditionally it has been very time consuming and expensive to deploy and manage
physical beacons for BLE. The installation often requires comprehensive site surveys,
which have to be redone whenever beacon placement changes (or the RF environment
is altered). In addition, batteries in the beacons are expensive to replace, and the
beacons themselves can be lost or stolen, which creates additional headaches for IT.
Introducing Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
Cisco has developed a unique and highly innovative solution to the problem
by combining sophisticated cloud-based software (Cisco® Connected Mobile
Experiences (CMX) Cloud Beacon Center), on-premises 16-element steerable BLE
antenna array (Cisco Beacon Point) and mobile software development kit (SDK)
software for iOS and Android devices. This section provides details about how
virtual beacon technology is the answer for scalable, reliable, and cost-effective
solution for interacting with location aware mobile devices.
Industry First: Cisco Beacon Points Cisco has recently introduced Cisco Beacon
Figure 1. Cisco Beacon Point (AIR-VBLE1-K9) Point (AIR-VBLE1-K9) which is an industry-first
virtual BLE (version 4.2) array. Cisco Beacon Point
supports beaconing in Apple iBeacon, Google
Eddystone and AltBeacon advertising formats.
Just like Wi-Fi access points, coverage area for a
Beacon Point is 2,500 sq. ft. and they are deployed
on the ceiling tiles. Beacon points are powered
using standard PoE (802.3 af). Beacon points
are compatible with typical indoor ceiling heights
(13-15 ft.) found in indoor space. Beacon Points
connect to Beacon Center over the internet using
secure protocols for control plane and management
traffic. Beacon points are an overlay network and do
not have any software or hardware dependencies
with existing Wi-Fi network.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
White Paper
Cisco Public
Unlike traditional physical beacon, Beacon points have IP addresses and can be easily managed by network
IT teams. Cisco Beacon Point (AIR-VBLE1-K9) have the hardware support for daisy chaining up to 4 Beacon
Points when connected to 802.3at power in the future.
Cisco CMX Cloud Beacon Center
Figure 2. CMX Cloud Beacon Center (AIR-CMX-SVC-VBLE)
CMX Cloud Beacon Center is subscription software Beacon Point status is monitored from the user
delivered over the cloud. It plays an integral role interface and each Beacon Point has an IP address
in virtual beacon technology. The Beacon Center just like an enterprise-grade networking device.
application, shown here, creates virtual beacons Virtual Beacons are stackable so different tenants
at desired locations. Administrators can program and applications can get different services even in
proximity messages, zones for analytics, and paths the same area.
for wayfinding. It offers numerous advantages over
traditional physical beacons. High Accuracy Location
Cisco offers highly accurate location with BLE.
No Batteries: Virtual Beacons Are Battery CMX Beacon Center utilizes advance machine
Free Technology learning algorithms to estimate location for each
When mobile users walk into an area serviced device. Location estimates are refined for every
by a virtual beacon, they experience proximity device type and at different locations to provide the
engagement messages just like a traditional physical best user experience.
beacon. However, administrators don’t have to
worry about service outage due to dead beacon As mobile devices enter a Beacon Point coverage
battery. And virtual beacons are compatible with area, mobile applications receive multiple beams
existing BLE deployments. from the Beacon Points in the area. These
BLE received signal strength indication (RSSI)
Operational Simplicity: Creating Virtual observations are sent to the CMX Cloud Beacon
Beacons Is Easy Center. Secure communication between mobile
IT and Beacon Center administrators do not have device and Beacon center can use any existing
to send onsite crews to install, move, or replace method of connecting to the Internet—Wi-Fi or LTE.
physical beacons.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
White Paper
Cisco Public
BEAMS I HEAR CiscoCloud
Cisco Cloud
(Machine-Learning and
(Machine-Learning and
Location Engine)
Location Engine)
LOCATION ESTIMATE
Advanced Machine Learning: Consistent The virtual beacon mobile SDK receives the BLE
Location User Experience without Expensive beacon signals and gathers data from the mobile
RF Calibrations device sensors, such as accelerometers, and then
Differences in mobile device types (chipsets, sends that data back to the cloud location engine.
antenna, OS, etc.) and dynamic RF characteristics In turn, the location engine returns the location
contribute heavily toward inconsistent location estimates. This method preserves the battery life
experiences. RF measurements can vary widely to on the mobile device because expensive location
changes in environment for e.g., crowd of people calculations are done in the cloud.
entering a hallway or bigger changes like new
construction. It is not feasible to repeat site surveys Agility of Cloud
in response to such dynamic events. Dynamic RF Beacon Center is delivered as a subscription
characteristics cannot be captured using simple software, which ensures that customers can focus
rules. CMX Beacon Center takes a big step in tackling on the outcome without worrying about maintaining
this challenge using advanced machine learning. and managing appliances and virtual machines.
Software and firmware are automatically updated to
Beacon Center examines BLE RSSI coming from the latest most stable image. Software subscription
mobile devices and continuously updates the RF price also includes software support.
model for each different mobile device type, such as
iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones, providing Scalable Micro-services Cloud Architecture
a consistent user experience across mobile devices The foundation of the virtual BLE Beacon
without the need for expensive RF calibrations. architecture is a real-time, distributed micro-
services cloud architecture (built on Storm and
Virtual Beacon Mobile SDK: Available for iOS Kafka), which provide extremely low-latency location
and Android estimates at very high scale. This is critical for use
The virtual beacon mobile SDK is available for cases such as wayfinding, where real-time updates
both iOS and Android OS, and provides the mobile are necessary for a positive user experience.
app developer three types of APIs to the mobile
application: a virtual beacon API, indoor location API, How It Works: End-to-End Scenario
and zone analytics API. Location-Aware Experiences
Cisco provides the first enterprise-grade BLE
technology to make location-aware experiences
deployable and manageable at scale. Enterprises
can add or move beacons anywhere in their venues
with a click of a button.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
White Paper
Cisco Public
Cisco How It Works
Beacon Point
1. Mobile device listens to the BLE
beacons from the Beacon Point.
2. Cisco SDK (integrated into the
Customer mobile app) sends information
Cloud to the Cisco cloud.
3. Cisco cloud sends location and
map information to the mobile app.
1 4. Mobile device interacts with customer
Cisco Cloud
Machine learning 4 cloud for user, location and content
if required.
and location engine
Bakery 5. When users are in proximity of a virtual
Pharmacy beacon, custom notifications or URLs
3 can be sent or actions can be taken.
2
6
6. Virtual Beacons can be created
anywhere in the coverage area.
5
Electronics
Clothing
Mobile app with Cisco SDK
Marketers can create new campaigns overnight that Deliver Amazing Experiences with Different
leverage the following functionality: Scenarios
• Identification and personalization. Identify your Here’s how Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
user, whether it’s an employee, hotel guest, services deliver exceptional customer experience in
student, patient, or passenger, as he or she different settings.
arrives on site. Provide a personalized experience
Airports and Transit Terminals
and tailor services and information specific to
Passengers can navigate to their departure gate/
their interests.
area, find the closest restaurants and restrooms,
• High accuracy location and navigation. Enable and locate nearby retailers. Travelers can opt
users to easily locate items, such as in-store to automatically receive location-aware alerts,
merchandise or resources, including conference including coupons and special promotions, from
rooms, patient rooms, and hospital wheelchairs, airport and terminal retailers and restaurants. The
and then navigate to those items and resources airport and terminal app can alert passengers
through step-by-step directions. Users, such as when it’s time to get to the boarding gate. Through
sales associates, can quickly locate other users, analytics, you can send app users information about
such as customers asking for help, while both are the shortest security lines.
on-premises.
Hotels and Hospitality
• Push notifications. Provide location-aware
Provide hotel guests with easy-to-use, fast
push notifications, such as special promotions,
check-in. Identify your most loyal guests and
personalized to your users or customers.
automatically send a greeting to their smartphones
• Analytics. Gather zone-based user analytics, as they arrive or thank them for their stay as
such as the average number of customers in they depart. Guests can easily navigate to their
store and number of passersby, as well as the rooms or the hotel restaurant, fitness center, or
length of time customers spend at a certain retail swimming pool, as well as locate nearby stores and
aisle or department, to help improve marketing restaurants. Offer coupons and special promotions.
and sales efforts. Use analytics to give users Make a game of a guest’s stay with location-aware
helpful information, such as real-time security rewards. Use analytics to help guests find the
checkpoint line wait times at airports. shortest check-in or other lines.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Cisco Virtual Beacon Technology
White Paper
Cisco Public
Restaurants Summary
Identify customers by name as they arrive and ask Cisco virtual beacon technology introduces Cisco
if they’d like to order menu items they’ve previously CMX Cloud Beacon Center and Cisco Beacon
purchased. Help enable diners to place an order Points to:
from anywhere and pick it up in the restaurant
or the drive-through window. Offer incentives to • Deliver wayfinding and proximity engagement
encourage previous customers in proximity to return use cases
to your restaurant. Use analytics to understand • Experience highly accurate location finding
how many previous customers have passed by the
restaurant, how many placed an order, and how one • Replace battery-operated beacons with
restaurant location’s traffic compares to another in virtual beacons
the brand. • Eliminate expensive RF calibrations
• Deliver operational simplicity for a scalable BLE
beacon solution for your enterprise
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S.
and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of
their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)
C11-737782-00 09/16
