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[Weaver]

Does anyone know anything about Apple and iBeacon units?

Mrs Weaver does bed and breakfast and her guests keep getting lost, driving on past because they get confused in the dark and because their satnav takes them to a postcode which is about a quarter of a mile away. I'm just wondering any standard Apple apps can alert a user when the user comes near to an iBeacon.

It's very much a long shot though, there has to be some app that supports this function, it has to be installed, which is why unless this functionality is present in some standard app then it's a dead loss, the app has to be running, the machine has to be awake not asleep and bluetooth has to be turned on. So I'm not hopeful, but I thought it might be worth at least looking into it.

The other thing would be if she could send her visitors some exact coordinates, but there would have to be a standard format for the data and some suitable Apple app which could consume it. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to have decent contact details for some of the visitors, for some reason.

[roseway]

I know nothing about the subject, but I see that Android users can install an iBeacon detector: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=youten.redo.ble.ibeacondetector&hl=en

[aesmith]

Maybe a lower tech solution, but how about sending visitors a photo of your place as seen from the public road, or of the access if you're off the road.  Something that they'll see while approaching following their sat nav.

As an aside I've seen plenty of examples where navigation by postcode is flawed.  Satnav manufacturers seem to assume that a postcode always identifies a single point or property.    At home if you follow directions to our postcode it sends you right past our house and down a track passable only by four wheel drive tractor as at least one person found when they got their car stuck there.   I imagine it's even worse in town where a postcode could cover quite a long street. 

[Ronski]

Rather than give a postcode give the longitude/latitude and also GPS co-ordinates, that way their sat nav will take them right to your door. Most Sat-nav systems will take one or the other.

http://www.latlong.net/

Another option is to send them a Google Maps link as well, that way they can see exactly where you are located.

[Weaver]

[Ronski]

I'm afraid that if they can't be bothered to read instructions to the accommodation then I doubt they'd even read the part about installing an app, let alone setting it up, there's only so much you can do for some folk. Off course it's these people that will complain the place was hard to find, when it's not, it's their lack of planning.

I always work out the exact location of were we are staying, check on google maps/street view and finally save it in the Sat Nav before we leave, and if a post code is not good enough I will use the GPS coordinates.

I appreciate it is hard to find places in the dark, we recently stayed at the Travellodge at Fort Dunlop, whilst the building was very easy to see and find in the dark the reception and parking wasn't, and wasn't sign posted anywhere either.

Perhaps you could install some kind of illuminated sign? Even better if it only switched on when a car approached.

[Weaver]

[burakkucat]

I was hoping for some way of waking them up.

Surely driving over the cattle-grid would have that effect? 

[sevenlayermuddle]

I may be missing the point, wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.   

But from what I can see iBeacon uses bluetooth, which would limit range to a few feet, not even tens of feet.   Useful in the supermarket for marketing Apps distinguishing between the shelf storing cauliflower and that selling beer, but is it really the technology of choice for those travelling by car and failing to find their destination?

[Weaver]

[Weaver]

If anyone has some time on their hands and manages to spot anything about location alerts, coordinate urls or whatever, as well as app support and iBeacons (non-standard apps are out for me as mentioned earlier) then I be very grateful for a tip, via this thread pls.

I do find googling especially difficult because of confusion, drugs, pain so anyone with a functioning brain who is bored can be very helpful.

[andyfitter]

For iPhone you could set up a local 'reminder' with a geofence, for example with Siri, "Remind me when I get home that I have arrived". This relies on your home address being in your contacts.

You could then share this with the guests from within the standard reminders app. If they accept it, in theory a local notification should appear on the guests iPhone when they become near to your location. No additional apps required. 

[andyfitter]

Actually... you can't share specific reminders, but you can share lists of reminders, so maybe if you make a new list specifically for that reminder

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2015/10/21/how-to-share-reminders-lists/

[Weaver]

That's a very interesting tip. Thank you very much.

I wonder how to declare / define a location in Siri's terms?

[andyfitter]

You can also add them via the standard reminders app, and set location either as a typed address or let it use gps to detect where you are if the address isn't accurate enough.

Good luck!