Much about location started with battery beacons placed somewhere that would trigger a mobile app to do ‘something’ when you got close to it.
So what is a “virtual beacon.” In the Mist world the mobile devices have integrated the Mist SDK into the customers mobile app and as the app is running the x,y of the device is updated once a second. So if you want something to happen based on proximity you are creating a circle on a map and when the device x,y is in that circle the something in the app is triggered.
Mist has a demo app available on the Apple app store as well as Google for Android devices. The goal of this app is purely demonstrate what is available in the Mist SDK. Rarely will customers need all the features in the Mist app. It is purely for demonstration purposes only.
So lets pull it all together with this video.
- create a vBeacon
- create walking paths
- showing RF glasses for the device
- and video of the walk and the alerting