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Reference beacons

Assign network zones flexibly, without reconfiguring your hotspot infrastructure. Reference beacons are small Blecon devices you place in each area — they tell nearby hotspots which network zone they're in, so you can reorganize zones just by moving beacons instead of changing hotspot settings.

How reference beacons work

Reference beacon propagates its zone to nearby devices via the hotspot

A reference beacon is a regular Blecon device configured with:

  • A fixed position (GPS coordinates or local x/y/z).
  • A zone assignment (which network zone the beacon belongs to).

When a hotspot detects a reference beacon, the system doesn't calculate the beacon's position (it's already known). Instead, the beacon's network zone assignment is propagated to the hotspot. Any other devices detected by that hotspot then inherit the network zone from the reference beacon.

This means you can assign network zones without configuring each hotspot individually — place a reference beacon in a room, and any hotspot that detects it will report devices in that room's network zone.

Setting up a reference beacon

  1. Register a device on your network.
  2. In the Blecon Console, open the device detail page.
  3. Toggle Reference Beacon on.
  4. Select the network zone the beacon belongs to.
  5. Optionally set the beacon's floor and GPS coordinates (for positioning accuracy).

The beacon's zone assignment takes effect immediately. Hotspots that detect the beacon will start reporting its zone for other devices.

When to use reference beacons

  • Room-level network zone assignment — Place a beacon in each room. Hotspots automatically learn which room they're covering.
  • Flexible deployments — Move a beacon to reassign a hotspot's network zone without reconfiguring the hotspot itself.
  • Sites with shared hotspot infrastructure — Multiple network zones can be served by the same hotspots, with beacons defining the boundaries.

Reference beacons vs direct hotspot assignment

You can assign network zones to hotspots directly (in the Console, on the hotspot record) or indirectly via reference beacons. The difference:

  • Direct hotspot assignment — Simpler. You set the network zone on the hotspot. Good when hotspots are permanently installed in one area.
  • Reference beacons — More flexible. The network zone comes from the beacon, not the hotspot. Good when you want to reassign network zones without touching hotspot configuration, or when one hotspot covers multiple network zones.

If both are configured, the reference beacon's network zone takes priority.

Questions? Contact Blecon support — we're happy to help.