Hotspots
The eyes and ears of your tracking network. Hotspots detect Bluetooth signals from your tags and relay them to the Blecon cloud, where the positioning engine turns those signals into precise locations. Start with the Blecon Agent on phones and tablets you already own, add dedicated hardware (a hub) where you need consistent indoor coverage, and bring in your existing wireless access points through an integration.
"Hotspot" is the general word. It covers a mobile device running the Blecon Agent, a hub, and a third-party access point brought in through an integration. Use "hub" only for the fixed hardware.
Types of hotspots
| Type | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Blecon Agent | Phones, tablets, laptops, or vehicles running the Blecon Agent app | Coverage today, with no hardware to install |
| Hubs | Dedicated hardware mounted in your facility | Consistent indoor coverage |
| Third-party access points | Wireless access points you already run, through Juniper Mist | Buildings already covered by enterprise Wi-Fi |
How hotspots work
Hotspots are simple relays. They continuously scan for Bluetooth tag signals, measure the signal strength (RSSI), and forward everything to the Blecon cloud along with the hotspot's own location. The cloud decides what's relevant and calculates tag positions.
Hotspots don't pair with tags, don't hold encryption keys, and don't decrypt tag data. Security is between the tag and the cloud, so there's zero security configuration at the edge and no risk from a compromised hotspot.
Hotspot location
A hotspot's location is where the positioning engine places the tags it detects. So an accurate hotspot location gives accurate tag positions. Each type of hotspot gets its location in a different way:
| Type | Where its location comes from |
|---|---|
| Blecon Agent | The device's own GPS, Wi-Fi or cellular location, updated as the device moves |
| Hub | The position you set when you register the hub. Without one, the location the hub reports itself |
| Third-party access point | Your floor plans in Juniper Mist |
For a registered hub, you can set:
- GPS coordinates (latitude/longitude): For multi-building or outdoor deployments.
- Local coordinates (x/y/z in metres): For indoor floor plans with a local reference frame.
- Floor: Building floor number for multi-storey deployments.
A position you set always takes priority over the location the hub reports. It is the most accurate option.
Managing hotspots
Every hotspot relays tag signals as soon as it connects. What you manage depends on the type.
Blecon Agent
Install the Agent on a device and it relays immediately. There is nothing to register. Find the install links and QR code under Network → Agent in the dashboard.
To see the devices themselves on the map, add each one as an asset. Agent tracking policies then control when a device's own location is recorded.
Hubs
Register a hub to make it a managed hub. Select Hubs under Network in the sidebar and choose Add Hub. A managed hub gives you:
- Position: Set exact coordinates, as described in Hotspot location.
- Network zone assignment: Tags on your own account are placed in the hub's network zone when the hub detects them. This gives room-level presence. The hub still relays for tags on other accounts, but it does not place them in your network zone.
- Alias: A readable name, for example "Warehouse B, Aisle 3".
- Online/offline monitoring: The hub shows Online about a minute after it connects. It shows Offline when nothing has been heard from it for 15 minutes.
A hub shows Pending until the cloud first hears from it. A hub can be registered to only one account. Hub management requires the Enterprise tier. To register hubs from your own code, use the Tracker API.
Third-party access points
You manage these in Juniper Mist, not in Blecon. Connect them once through the integration. See Third-party access points.