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altbeacon

Welcome to the altbeacon documentation. Here, you will find detailed information and resources to help you understand and use the altbeacon library effectively. The altbeacon library enables mobile devices to transmit and receive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon signals, allowing location-based services and proximity detection capabilities.

What is altbeacon?

Altbeacon is an open-source library developed by Radius Networks that provides a software framework for working with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. It offers an easy-to-use API and several useful features to simplify the development of beacon-enabled applications.

Features of altbeacon

  • Efficient and reliable detection of Bluetooth LE beacons
  • Supports beacon transmission and ranging
  • Highly customizable and flexible configuration options
  • Background scanning and region monitoring
  • Works with both iOS and Android platforms
  • Provides distance estimations and proximity information
  • Supports multiple beacon protocols
  • Integration with various Bluetooth hardware and chipset manufacturers

Getting Started

To begin using the altbeacon library in your application, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Installation

To install altbeacon, you can use either of the following methods:

Option 1: CocoaPods

If you are using CocoaPods as your dependency manager, add the following line to your Podfile and run `pod install`:


pod 'AltBeacon', '~> 2.17.0'

Option 2: Manual Installation

If you prefer to manually integrate altbeacon into your project, download the latest version from the official GitHub repository. Then, add the necessary files to your project.

Step 2: Usage

Once you have installed altbeacon, you can start using its features in your application. Below are some common use cases:

Beacon Ranging

To range beacons, first, you need to instantiate a `BeaconManager` object and request permission to access Bluetooth on the device. Then, start ranging for beacons in a specific region. Here’s an example:



import org.altbeacon.beacon.Beacon;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconConsumer;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.RangeNotifier;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.Region;

BeaconManager beaconManager = BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(getApplicationContext());
beaconManager.bind(new BeaconConsumer() {
@Override
public void onBeaconServiceConnect() {
beaconManager.addRangeNotifier(new RangeNotifier() {
@Override
public void didRangeBeaconsInRegion(Collection beacons, Region region) {
// Handle the ranged beacons
}
});

try {
beaconManager.startRangingBeaconsInRegion(new Region("myRangingRegion", null, null, null));
} catch (RemoteException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});

Beacon Monitoring

To monitor beacons, first, you need to set up a `BeaconManager` instance and implement the `MonitorNotifier` interface to receive callbacks for beacon monitoring events. Then, start monitoring for beacons in a specific region. Here’s an example:



import org.altbeacon.beacon.Beacon;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconConsumer;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.BeaconManager;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.MonitorNotifier;
import org.altbeacon.beacon.Region;

BeaconManager beaconManager = BeaconManager.getInstanceForApplication(getApplicationContext());
beaconManager.bind(new BeaconConsumer() {
@Override
public void onBeaconServiceConnect() {
beaconManager.addMonitorNotifier(new MonitorNotifier() {
@Override
public void didEnterRegion(Region region) {
// Handle when a user enters a beacon region
}

@Override
public void didExitRegion(Region region) {
// Handle when a user exits a beacon region
}

@Override
public void didDetermineStateForRegion(int state, Region region) {
// Handle state updates for a beacon region
}
});

try {
beaconManager.startMonitoringBeaconsInRegion(new Region("myMonitoringRegion", null, null, null));
} catch (RemoteException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});

Learn More

For more detailed information, examples, and advanced configurations, refer to the official Altbeacon GitHub repository.

Conclusion

In this documentation, you learned about the altbeacon library, its features, installation methods, and how to utilize it in your app. Start leveraging the altbeacon library to enable proximity-based experiences and location-awareness capabilities in your applications.