More than two years ago, developers around the world received the first Estimote Development Kits and started experimenting with proximity, microlocation, and contextual computing. We were the first company to ship iBeacon-compatible beacons with rich mobile SDKs, and the first that enabled Eddystone through an over-the-air update. Over the last two years we have continued to innovate, bringing to the market tiny Estimote Stickers and the Nearable packet, Indoor Location SDK, Cloud-based fleet management and more.
We also lead the way with commercial deployments at unprecedented scale. Over the last couple of months, we took all the lessons and experiences of the industry, and turned it into a new, improved, and more robust product.
Today, we are happy to announce a new generation of beacons, introducing the Estimote Development Kit with Location Beacons. They come in three fun Estimote colors: Lemon Tart, Candy Floss, and Sweet Beetroot. They are also available in white for bulk orders.
We’ve always believed that beacons are tiny computers. With their firmware upgrade last year, all Estimote beacons were enabled to broadcast not only Apple iBeacon packets but also Eddystone, an open beacon format from Google. Because of the battery limitations it was possible to advertise only one beacon format at a time.
Simultaneous iBeacon and Eddystone packet advertising
To optimize battery consumption in the new beacons, we have completely rewritten the entire firmware from scratch. New beacons are able to broadcast multiple packets (iBeacon, Eddystone, Estimote Telemetry) simultaneously. Innovators building their beacon networks shouldn’t worry about beacon formats and compatibility. That’s why our product will support them all, at the same time.
Extended battery life
As a result of power optimization with the new product, we have extended battery life up to 7 years on default settings, and up to 3 years in iBeacon mode with broadcasting settings cranked up for maximum performance. Thanks to the built-in Real-Time Clock and ambient light sensor, battery life can be extended up to 10 years with power management tools, including scheduled advertising, Dark To Sleep mode, and Smart Power mode.
Telemetry and Connection-less Sensor Data
Being able to advertise multiple packets at the same time, we couldn’t resist bringing more context to our mobile SDK and have thus created robust telemetry packets. All new Estimote Location Beacons can advertise non-connectable Estimote Telemetry packets, consisting of sensor data (temperature, motion, light, magnetometer, GPIO) and battery level. The SDK can read and parse these on the fly.
Generic Advertiser and GPIO
With the redesigned firmware, new beacons are capable of much more than only broadcasting existing beacon formats. With Generic Advertiser, it is possible for developers to create their own beacon formats and data structure. Thanks to the built-in General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) it is also possible to prototype connected objects, and feed advertisers with external device data. Prototyping a smart door lock, connected lamp, or intelligent fridge with the new Estimote Dev Kit will be easy like never before.
Improved form-factor
Building an online-offline bridge requires not only software innovations, but improvements in the form factor and an obsession with large-scale deployments. All the new beacons have a built-in intelligent adhesive tape layer. It sticks to any surface, and for the first 45 minutes beacons can be removed and repositioned freely. After that time, beacons will stick permanently.
Manufacturing millions of devices means accounting for the environment. Enclosures of the new beacons are constructed with silicone. It is resistant to extreme conditions and temperatures, and is 100% recyclable at designated recycling plants. That’s why with the new form-factor it’s much easier to open the beacon and remove parts for utilization.
Enterprise deployment ready
With the rewritten firmware, we have completely redesigned the security architecture. This means improved authentication and a new firmware upgrade mechanism. New beacons have been already tested with massive commercial deployments and are available for bulk orders. Thanks to the new manufacturing process, it is possible to pre-configure beacons with UUID, Tx power and other settings before shipping.
So many innovations - exactly the same price
The new generation of Estimote Location Beacons will have the same price as the previous generation and will cost $99 for 3 beacons in the dev kit. You can pre-order them now on our website and we will be shipping the first batches this March .
Our previous product–now called Estimote Proximity Beacon–are the most popular beacons for developers. We will continue to sell and support them, and their price will be changed to $59 for a dev kit. You can order them right now, and we are shipping on a daily basis.
Both beacon types are also currently available for bulk orders. If you’re interested in volume pricing, contact our business team.
Full feature list
To summarize - today we are launching the most robust beacons on the market with the following features:
- 7 years default battery life (3 years in iBeacon mode)
- Simultaneous advertising of iBeacon, Eddystone, and additional packets (with different broadcasting power and advertising interval)
- Estimote Telemetry packets (sensor data, GPIO, battery status)
- Generic Advertiser with custom packets capability
- Built-in sensors (temperature, motion, light, magnetometer)
- Additional 1Mb EEPROM memory
- Conditional Broadcasting (Flip to Sleep, Dark to Sleep)
- Separate connectivity packet (advertising iBeacon/Eddystone while connected)
- Improved secure authentication and software update
- Real-Time Clock & scheduled advertising (radio off outside business hours)
- GPIO slot for prototyping connected objects
- Pre-configuration during manufacturing (packet types, IDs, Tx power and other parameters configurable during ordering)
- Shipped with brand new SDK 4.0 for iOS and Android
- Full Indoor Location SDK support
- Compatibility with Estimote Cloud and remote management
- Intelligent prototyping and deployment adhesive tape
- Water resistant and eco-friendly reusable enclosures
If you want to play with the new beacons, go ahead and pre-order today on our website to be included in the first shipping batch.
You can also meet us this week and see our demos at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.