Configurable Mode
First make sure you beacons are in configurable mode. This can be done by power cycling the beacon. For details see "How do I put beacons into configurable mode?"
Scan for Discoverable Beacons
In order to start scanning for beacons, first launch the RadBeacon configuration app.
The main beacon scan screen is displayed which should be empty.
To start scanning for beacons, press the SCAN button in the upper right corner on the action bar. This scans for beacons for 5 seconds and displays all beacons found during the scan. Potentially configurable Eddystone RadBeacons should be identified in the list with the Bluetooth device name "RadBeacon G".
Tap on the beacon you would like to configure. If it is configurable, then the configuration detail screen for the beacon is displayed. If it is not configurable, an alert is displayed after 15 seconds indicating that the beacon could not be contacted for configuration. Occasionally, a configurable beacon cannot be contacted by the app on the first attempt, so you may need to try again.
Select Beacon Advertisement Types
The RadBeacon USB Eddystone beacon can be configured to advertise any combination of iBeacon, AltBeacon, Eddystone UID, and Eddystone URL (although you must choose at least one).
The RadBeacon Dot Eddystone beacon can be configured to advertise iBeacon/AltBeacon and either Eddystone UID or Eddystone URL. If you configure a URL to be broadcast, then it will broadcast iBeacon/AltBeacon and Eddystone URL. If you leave the URL blank, then it will broadcast iBeacon/Altbeacon and Eddystone UID.
Set Beacon Advertisement Information
Namespace
The Eddystone namespace ID cannot be entered directly in the RadBeacon configuration app. Instead, you generate the namespace ID either by entering a 128-byte UUID by pressing "Generate from UUID" or by entering a domain name by pressing "Generate from URI." In either case, the namespace ID and the iBeacon/AltBeacon UUID will be set using the generated value.
Instance ID
Enter an instance ID as a positive integer between 0 and 281474976710655 inclusive. The lower 4-bytes of the instance ID are used to configure the major (high 2 bytes) and minor (low 2 bytes) for iBeacon/AltBeacon broadcasts.
Calibrated Power
Enter a value between -1 and -127 for the calibrated power for the beacon at a distance of 0 meters. The associated calibrated power for the beacon at a distance of 1 meter is automatically calculated from the entered value and used for iBeacon/AltBeacon broadcasting.
URL
Enter a URL to advertise in the Eddystone URL frame. It should start with either "http://" or "https://" and otherwise be a well-formed URL.
Apply Your Settings
Press the APPLY button in the action bar to save your settings to the beacon. If any of the values are invalid, an appropriate validation error message is displayed. If all the values are valid, you are asked to enter your 8-digit PIN. (If you have not changed your PIN, the default value is "00000000".) If the beacon values are successfully updated, a success message is displayed. If there is an error updating the beacon, an error message is displayed. In this case, make sure your beacon is configurable and retry applying your settings.
In order to verify that your settings have been updated, press the back button until you see the main scan list, then press the SCAN button to scan for beacons. You should see your beacon in the list with the new settings you entered.
Update PIN
The default PIN is "00000000". If you would like to change the PIN for your beacon, you do so from the configuration screen for the specific beacon. Choose "Update PIN" from the main menu. This displays a dialog for updating the PIN. In the first field, enter the new 8-digit PIN you would like to use. In the second field, enter the existing 8-digit PIN for the beacon. Press "Update PIN" to update the PIN on the beacon. If the PIN is successfully updated, a success message is displayed. If the PIN is not updated, an error message is displayed. In this case, make sure the beacon is still configurable and that you are using the correct existing PIN.
Comments
6 comments
If I use a shortened URL like: goo.gl/YNPgy0
I get an error that says the URL cannot be encoded.
Hi Jeffrey,
The problem is that the shortened URL contains capital letters and our regular expression for URL validation doesn't support capital letters. A workaround for you is to use a URL shortener that doesn't emit capital letters, e. g. http://is.gd (see option available here: http://imgur.com/kbJysB7).
We will be resolving this in the next app update.
Jared
Is this still the case: "The beacons included in the Eddystone Developer Kit are configurable at this time only using the RadBeacon app for Android."??? If so, this is truly false advertisement, because the product page doesn't mention it at all. I recently purchased two starter kits and don't have an Android device. After having difficulty with the Mac and iPhone apps, I came across this page. Please advise.
Hi Burak,
I'm so sorry about that. I have amended the article to show that this is not the case. I'd be very happy to learn more about your specific issues, however. If you can send me an email at support@radiusnetworks.com describing your experience so far I'd love to troubleshoot for you.
Thanks
Jared
so can You use an IPhone to connect to a beacon dot or NO?
I have done all the settings, did the Eddy UID and switched off iBeacon. I gave it a name, set the beacon to ping 1ce a second and saved. Then when I go to the scan menu again it doesn't save the settings, even though it says it was successful.
On the Google nearby app and scan for unregistered beacons, it doesn't pic up any beacons. I tried this on 4 out of the 10 beacons I ordered already.
I ordered the RadBeacon Dot.
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