Eddystone, an Open, Scalable BLE Beacon Format, Will Drive the New Physical Web

Google announced Eddystone, an open Bluetooth Low Energy beacon format that comes in two unique frame types. Eddystone-UID works similarly to iBeacon in that it can trigger apps installed on a smartphone or tablet, to react when a signal is received. Eddystone-URL, the successor to Uribeacon, dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for anyone wanting to provide quick, frictionless access to existing web content across nearly all modern Android and iOS devices.

“We have been actively supporting the Uribeacon protocol for a while now. With news of Uribeacon evolving into a part of Eddystone, we worked closely with the team at Google to ensure that our beacons fully support this powerful new beacon format," says Richard Graves, CEO of BKON Connect, LLC (BKON).

In addition to supporting both Eddystone frame types, BKON is also excited to announce PHY.net as the easiest way to remotely manage Physical Web content on beacons with support for Eddystone.

This patent-pending platform includes BKON’s proven A1 beacon hardware and the 100% cloud-based PHY.net service. This combination makes deployments a breeze. Unlike other Physical Web beacons that have to be disassembled, reset, paired to assign a URL and then reassembled before being deployed, PHY.net-friendly beacons enable content owners to simply reassign a new URL from any browser without ever touching the beacon.

PHY.net is fast. Now, content owners can quickly provide nearby visitors with information, incentive, instruction, or other relevant content right when and where they need it, making changes on-the-fly or whenever necessary to keep content fresh and relevant. From a secure phy.net dashboard, a manager of 5 theaters could link 5 posters in each theater (25 beacons) to new trailers in less than 10 minutes. Better yet, she could do it all from her desk or her mobile phone. While a retail manager could look out and see it is raining, then 15 seconds later, be broadcasting a rainwear promotion rather than a sandal promotion.

PHY.net’s unique remote control ability makes it far easier to maintain in larger enterprise deployments. Plus, since there is no need for specific tech expertise beyond basic typing skills, remote deployments are as easy as sending someone a beacon and asking them to place it where users will benefit from having more detailed information. All of the administration happens remotely, at the convenience of the administrator