Blue Charm Beacons - Long Range Water-Resistant BLE iBeacon (BC04P-MultiBeacon) - w/Movement Sensor

I used these with my Home Assistant setup to remind me to put the garbage cans to the street when I forget. They work great, were easy to set up and have lasted a year so far.

Beacons just transmit a signal. You can use downloadable software on your phone to adjust settings in the beacon. You need an app that will Listen for the beacon. There are some free apps and some paid. I bought this and put it on my motorcycle so when I get on, my map app will start auto tracking my trip. The beacon tells the app to start tracking as soon as my phone is close enough to the beacon to see it. You can set the signal strength of the beacon with the beacon manufacturers free app so it is will just broadcast a few meters up to about a hundred meters. If you purchase a blue charm beacon like I did this seller will help you if you have questions on how to set it up. This behaves like an adjustable apple tag but does not use phone or internet service so you need a beacon enabled app to see it. Typical uses for beacons are geocaching or put it with a trail camera so you can find it again. Beacons are typically larger than an apple tag or android tag. They can be used to trigger an app or as locators. Many commercial places like museums use beacons to trigger an app you can load on your phone to take a self tour. You can set variables like broadcast intervals and strength. When I bought this I did not understand how to use it. I bought it for my map app. It took me a few hours of research and emailing both the beacon seller and the app creator who both helped me to understand how to use it and set it up.

I've been using one of these with Home Assistant to perform automations when my car leaves and returns. I have seen reviewers say they have taped beacons in their grille but I have just kept this one in my glove box.

I had *one* of these running okay, but after getting a second they started to interfere with each other. What used to be 5 second broadcasts turned into the wild west and RSSIs all over the place. I suspect the firmware isn't great. Looking elsewhere.

Added this unit for my Home Assistant configuration allowing automatic garage door opening whenever my vehicle is close by. And of course, to close the garage automatically if the vehicle has left the garage for some amount of time. The installation is easy (double sided tape) to a hidden area on the outside of the vehicle. The remaining work was writing the logic to handle the device and open/close the garage. It works perfectly. Aside from an automotive realm, this device can be used for a lot of other things and I will be buying more in the future.