How positioning works
Accurate device positioning with zero configuration on the device itself. Blecon uses proximity-based positioning — each device's position is determined by the hotspot that detects it. No device firmware changes, no complex setup, just hotspots listening and the cloud doing the work.
The process
- Devices broadcast Bluetooth signals continuously.
- Hotspots detect those signals and measure the signal strength (RSSI).
- Hotspots report measurements to the Blecon cloud.
- The positioning engine uses the detecting hotspot's known location as the device's position.
How hotspots know their location
Hotspots determine their own position in one of three ways:
- Manual configuration — You set the hotspot's exact coordinates (GPS or local x/y/z). Most accurate.
- GPS — Hotspots with GPS modules determine their own position. Typical accuracy: 5–10 meters.
- WiFi/cellular — Hotspots estimate their location from nearby networks. Typical accuracy: 10–100 meters.
The system automatically prefers hotspots with better location accuracy and excludes those with stale data.
Position calculation
A device's position is the location of the hotspot that detects it. This gives room-level or area-level accuracy — if you know where your hotspots are, you know where your devices are.
When multiple hotspots detect the same device, the system automatically picks the best hotspot based on signal strength and location accuracy.
Collection window
The system collects measurements over a configurable time window (default: 90 seconds) before calculating a position. The positioning engine processes accumulated measurements in regular cycles. Longer windows provide more data but increase latency.
Network zones — positioning without coordinates
Where GPS isn't available (indoors, underground, dense urban areas), hotspots and reference beacons provide network zone positioning instead. Assign a network zone to a hotspot or place a reference beacon in a room, and any device detected there is reported in that network zone.
Network zones don't require surveyed coordinates — a single hotspot is enough. See Zone detection for setup details.
Accuracy
Position accuracy depends on:
- Hotspot location accuracy — Manually surveyed coordinates produce better positions than WiFi/cellular auto-location.
- Hotspot density — More hotspots means finer-grained proximity detection.
- Environment — Walls, metal, and water absorb Bluetooth signals and affect which hotspot detects the device.
| Configuration | Typical accuracy |
|---|---|
| GPS-positioned hotspots | Area level (5–10 meters) |
| WiFi/cellular auto-located hotspots | Broad area (10–100 meters) |
| Network zones (no coordinates needed) | Room or area level |
Two timestamps
Each position event includes two timestamps:
- Sample time — When the signal measurements were taken.
- Calculated at — When Blecon calculated the position from those measurements.
These may differ by seconds (real-time) or longer (if the device was offline and uploaded measurements later).