Using Bluetooth for in-home positioning services
Helping Spirits
The GPS tracking service isn't precise enough to provide positioning information within a home. Home automation expert Gunnar Beutner decided to harness the invisible spirits of Bluetooth for a home-grown indoor positioning system.
Imagine coming home on a cold winter's day; it's already cosily warm, the lights are switched on automatically, and a favorite song is playing through the speakers. Everyday users can already implement this scenario without great difficulty. Software tools such as the open source Home Assistant [1] offer various components for determining the presence of home residents. GPS location capabilities, combined with automation rules, result in some interesting applications for heating and lighting control.
In most cases, however, GPS is not a suitable solution for automating light switches for the rooms within a house. The signal quality of GPS inside buildings is often too poor to allow fast detection, and it is not precise enough to allow location down to the room level.
A few commercial systems offer in-home positioning services. These systems usually rely on a series of sensors that receive signals from portable radio beacons. They then calculate their position based on the signal strength or the time difference of the received signals. However, most systems are proprietary and not intended for private users. One promising tool within this category is the DecaWave DWM1000 [2], which claims to have a detection accuracy of up to 10 centimeters indoors. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any manufacturer-independent information on its suitability for everyday use.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Kali Linux Waxes Nostalgic with BackTrack Mode
For those who've used Kali Linux since its inception, the changes with the new release are sure to put a smile on your face.
-
Gnome 50 Smooths Out NVIDIA GPU Issues
Gamers rejoice, your favorite pastime just got better with Gnome 50 and NVIDIA GPUs.
-
System76 Retools Thelio Desktop
The new Thelio Mira has landed with improved performance, repairability, and front-facing ports alongside a high-quality tempered glass facade.
-
Some Linux Distros Skirt Age Verification Laws
After California introduced an age verification law recently, open source operating system developers have had to get creative with how they deal with it.
-
UN Creates Open Source Portal
In a quest to strengthen open source collaboration, the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology has created a new portal.
-
Latest Linux Kernel RC Contains Changes Galore
Linux kernel 7.0-rc3 includes more changes than have been made in a single release in recent history.
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.