There is no denying that IoT technology has grown huge and reputed itself as the sovereign of technology in almost every business and industry. The continuous pressure to meet customer demands with leading technologies has led almost all the industry segment to adopt IoT in their business. Those enabled with IoT have benefitted themselves with the top-notch deal and stay ahead of the competition.
To give a glimpse, few leading IoT areas are transportation, manufacturing, automobile, healthcare, smart home appliances, retail and smart wearables. It has evolved big giants in the market and opened doors of success to potential new players.
With IoT in almost all things, smart devices have got smarter. Communication has become easy, readily available and feasible despite boundary and location barrier. With the commencement of wireless communication, connectivity has become more feasible than ever. Communication is not limited to wires to send signals; one can easily communicate even from the most remote areas.
Wireless Communication Options
There are two location-based wireless communication technologies that have evolved the business offering enriched customer experiences. These are none other than Wi-Fi, and iBeacon technology.
If facts are to be stated,as per a recent Forrester Research, next-generation Wi-Fi will penetrate almost 90% over the next few years.
Whereas, a report by Grand View Research states that the global Bluetooth beacon market size is likely to reach USD 58.7 billion by 2025.
Before moving forward, let’s get an understanding of both the technologies. As we all know that Wi-Fi is a wireless communication technology that uses radio waves to provide network connectivity. A Wi-Fi connection is established with the help of a wireless adapter that creates hotspots.
On the other hand, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) such as iBeacons or Beacons are signals that are used to send data over short distances. Beacon wireless technology has overpowered other technologies and now has become an alternative for Wi-Fi, especially in IoT devices and apps. All thanks to the IoT application development company for offering such services.
Why businesses prefer Wi-Fi?
Yankee Group research states that 96% of customers prefer free Wi-Fi enabled locations and there are high chances of them returning to stores for purchase
There are almost 78% of shoppers who access free Wi-Fi if offered free in-store.
As per the On Device Research survey, 74% of users are happy with retailer sending them promotional text or email while they’re using in-store Wi-Fi
Why businesses prefer Beacon technology?
Proxbook Q1 report 2016 illuminates that 1 million beacons have been deployed in the US Retail stores
Business Insider estimates that Beacon messages would trigger retail sales worth $44.4 billion in the US
Due to the inclusion of Beacon technology, 71% of retailers are able to track and understand customers’ buying patterns
If you are skeptical about the decision of choosing any one technology, there are a few important factors that must be considered before opting one. Let’s take a look at the article that would solve your dilemma and help you take a smart decision.
1) Privacy
On a Wi-Fi connection, the device will automatically look for a Wi-Fi network to connect. Retailers take advantage of Wi-Fi technology by detecting customers and sending them offers, discounts, and promote their product/services. The biggest glitch in Wi-Fi is that users are almost not aware that their devices are being tracked, traced or detected. To be secure of Wi-Fi technology, users need to disable Wi-Fi mode on their devices.
While in BLE technology, it gives more privacy and security to the users. It’s mandatory for a user to switch on the Bluetooth in their Smartphone and allow location detection. The user can choose to receive in-store or indoor notifications and save their device and data from being publically available.
2) Speed
Both Beacon and Wi-Fi technology have different aspect when it comes to speed. Beacon technology is more preferred when there is a need for transmitting small amounts of data at 1 Mbps, for instance – temperature reading, acceleration details, GPS coordinates, etc. But, one cannot rely on Beacon for sending data in real-time to a server. If there is the need to send real-time data, then a special gateway must be addressed.
On the other hand, Wi-Fi can transmit data at a speed of up to 1.3 Gbps. It can be used to send bigger files and data. BLE beacon signals are about 2-3 times slower than Classic Bluetooth and 20-30 times slower than Wi-Fi Direct.
3) Location Detection Accuracy
When a user activates Bluetooth mode on his/her device, then only Beacons can sense the location and proximity of the user and broadcast information on its device one-way. Because of its strong signal waves that can penetrate through physical objects, Beacons can easily process in poor radio frequency conditions.
Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is based on a Local Area Network (LAN) technology where two or more electronic devices are needed to communicate. It is designed to direct to the exact location by measuring access points in a device. Unlike Beacons, Wi-Fi technology doesn’t rely solely on the propinquity of the user.
However, when it comes to micro-locating, beacons are preferred choices over Wi-Fi. It is so because Wi-Fi signals are not strong enough to penetrate through solid objects like walls etc. Due to this, the proximity data provided by Beacon technology is much more accurate than Wi-Fi.
Other than the above factors, for any small and medium business owners, Wi-Fi-based proximity campaign can be really expensive.
4) Compatibility
If we talk about the compatibility of Beacon technology with devices, Beacon signals can be pulled up by any Bluetooth 4.0 enabled devices.
For Android devices, devices of version 4.3 and later is preferred, while for Apple devices, Beacon technology can be detected on version 4S and later.’
To ensure maximum compatibility of Wi-Fi with devices; for Android devices, Version 4.0 and later is preferred, whilst for Apple devices, Version 5S and later is recommended.
Conclusion
If one is looking for the best wireless communication technology, then there is no favorable answer to which is the best amongst the Beacon and i-Fi technology. Both the technologies are perfect in itself and are preferred as per the need and demand in the market.
But the acceptance is more of Beacon since its versatile and is easily available among users in smart devices. On the other hand, Wi-Fi needs an internet connection and hence is a hurdle in instant reach and connectivity. One can choose their preferred technology and undoubtedly it would give the best of seamless experience with its capabilities.