Mmmmm, bacon.....

What?

Oh. Beacons? Yes, beacons!

Beacons are low power, low cost Bluetooth LE devices that can be used for a very simple job: to advertise a URL to users running an app on their mobile device within range of the device!

Technically, beacons can also be used for a few different scenarios where a localized, wireless data broadcast is desirable, such as indoor location tracking, point of sales/marketing, and experience personalization.

We'll create two version -- first, a simple beacon that can run on any CircuitPython capable nRF52840 board. Second, a custom version for the CLUE board that also shows QR codes and allows you to scroll among multiple beacon URL choices to advertise!

Parts

All you need to advertise your own BLE beacons is any Adafruit Bluefruit nRF52840 board:

Angled shot of Adafruit ItsyBitsy nRF52840 Express - Bluetooth LE.
What's smaller than a Feather but larger than a Trinket? It's an Adafruit ItsyBitsy nRF52840 Express featuring the Nordic nRF52840 Bluetooth LE...
$19.95
In Stock
Animated GIF showing CLUE board  displaying data from the many on-board sensors.
Do you feel like you just don't have a CLUE? Well, we can help with that - get a CLUE here at Adafruit by picking up this sensor-packed development board. We wanted to build some...
Out of Stock
Angled shot of a Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express.
The Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express is the new Feather family member with Bluetooth Low Energy and native USB support featuring the nRF52840!  It's...
$24.95
In Stock
shot of a Black woman's neon-green manicured hand holding up a Circuit Playground Bluefruit glowing rainbow LEDs.
Circuit Playground Bluefruit is our third board in the Circuit Playground series, another step towards a perfect introduction to electronics and programming. We've...
$24.95
In Stock

You'll also want a USB cable for programming it and power, or you can use a LiPoly battery for remote powering.

USB cable - USB A to Micro-B - 3 foot long
This here is your standard A to micro-B USB cable, for USB 1.1 or 2.0. Perfect for connecting a PC to your Metro, Feather, Raspberry Pi or other dev-board or...
$2.95
In Stock
Angled shot of a Lithium Ion Polymer Battery 3.7V 500mAh with JST-PH connector.
Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This...
Out of Stock
Top view of Adafruit Micro Lipo - USB LiIon/LiPoly charger - v1 above a 2-pin JST cable.
Oh so adorable, this is the tiniest little lipo charger, so handy you can keep it any project box! Its also easy to use. Simply plug in the gold plated contacts into any USB port and a...
$5.95
In Stock
Adafruit LiIon/LiPoly Backpack soldered onto a Pro Trinket, plugged into a solderless breadboard.
If you have an ItsyBitsy or Pro Trinket you probably know it's the perfect little size for a portable project. This LiPoly backpack makes it really easy to do! Instead of wiring 2...
$4.95
In Stock

Additionally, you'll need a mobile device running an Eddystone beacon discovery app, such as Physical Web:

This guide was first published on Feb 26, 2020. It was last updated on Mar 18, 2024.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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