General broad-terms use case question for the Puck

Hi,

We've identified a potential use case for the Puck, however, both I and our mobile dev team is fairly new to beacons. I wondered if our use case is possible across iOS & Android?

We have a requirement for an individual user to send custom strings direct to multiple users of our app via a short-range localized method (i.e; not push notifications or something client > server, it needs to be point-to-point within a classroom setting).

My thinking was to potentially use Pucks as little "broadcast relays". Case:

• An individual usually an instructor, would tap a button in their app that would send strings to the Puck
• The Puck would then use the strings as it broadcast message.
• Users within range would launch their app and choose the correct message (in case of multiple pucks being in range)

Does this sound feasible?

Thanks,

Steve

Hi Steve,

Yes, absolutely! That sounds extremely easy to implement.

The only minor gotcha is you can't use Web Bluetooth because you'd need to look at advertising messages, but if you're writing native iOS/Android apps that should be easy.

Advertising message length is extremely limited on Bluetooth LE (~20 bytes usable), but you can still 'rotate' advertising messages so after a second or two the app will have received all of the advertising messages needed to piece something bigger back together.

Thanks for that Gordon & good tip about BLE.

In terms of protocols, does Puck support iBeacon, Eddystone or both? Our app will be React Native and I understand there are several suitable libraries which can be used on iOS & Android. If not then I guess we'd have to wrap one of the native ones and access that.

Steve

Yes, it can do both - and at the same time if you need as well:

• https://www.espruino.com/Eddystone
  
• https://www.espruino.com/iBeacon