iBeacon configuration

This section explains how to configure a Bluetooth beacon to make it compatible with the DriveKit SDK.

iBeacon is a universal, industry-proven standard. DriveQuant does not manufacture Bluetooth beacons, but we can help in two ways:

• Guide you through configuring your existing hardware.

• Recommend suppliers we have already worked with, capable of quickly producing cost-effective, compatible beacons.

Unique vehicle identification

Minimising the number of UUIDs across your iBeacon fleet is essential. iOS enforces a hard limit of 20 regions (UUIDs) per app, which strongly constrains system design.

For this reason, we recommend using a single UUID for all your iBeacon devices. The Major and Minor parameters are unsigned 16-bit integers, each ranging from 0 to 65,535. With a single UUID, the Major/Minor combination can uniquely identify over 4 billion vehicles — far beyond the needs of any fleet.

iBeacon frame configuration

Recommended parameters differ depending on the intended use case.

Trip Analysis

Parameter	Recommended value	Notes
Advertising interval	500 ms	Good balance between detection responsiveness and battery consumption
Tx Power	−12 dBm	10 m range in open air, sufficient to detect the beacon from the driver's smartphone

Stolen Vehicle Locator

Parameter	Recommended value	Notes
Advertising interval	300 ms	Good balance between detection responsiveness and battery consumption
Tx Power	+2 dBm	40 m range in open air, sufficient to detect the beacon from any nearby smartphone

Dual-use configuration (Trip Analysis + Stolen Vehicle Locator)

If your app uses both features, a single beacon can emit two simultaneous iBeacon frames:

• Each frame uses its own dedicated UUID to distinguish the two use cases.

• The Major and Minor values are shared across both frames, providing consistent vehicle identification regardless of which component detects the beacon.

• Trip Analysis is configured to detect the short-range frame (−12 dBm).

• Stolen Vehicle Locator is configured to detect the long-range frame (+2 dBm).

Using two distinct UUIDs also prevents the long-range frame from triggering unwanted trip starts. At 40 m range, a beacon in a nearby parked vehicle (in a car park or at home) could otherwise activate trip detection simply because the user is within range.

Configuration summary

	Trip Analysis	Stolen Vehicle Locator
Purpose	Detect the vehicle's beacon from its owner's smartphone	Good balance between detection responsiveness and battery consumption
UUID	Dedicated (short-range frame)	Dedicated (long-range frame)
Major/Minor	Shared — identify the vehicle	Shared — identify the vehicle
Advertising interval	500 ms	300 ms
Tx Power	-12 dBm	+2 dBm
Indicative range	10 m	40 m