iBeacon for Automatic Mileage Tracking (automotive)
Why do I need an iBeacon?
Automatic Mileage Tracking function allows you to track automotive mileage without manual intervention. Set it up once in the app and have your iPhone track your mileage, recording tracks that you can categorize as Business/Personal for the later tax deduction or reimbursement.
By default, the apps are using location data to start and stop the mileage recording (tracks) automatically.
As iPhones and iOS are highly optimized for the low battery and cpu consumption, this location based approach may cause the automatic recording to start with a little delay.
But there is an ideal automatic tracking option here - iBeacon.
iBeacon is a small device and a protocol invented by Apple. iPhone or cellular iPads can listen to the presence of iBeacons and wake up the app only when iBeacon is in certain proximity range.
This give an option of putting iBeacon device into your car. When you enter the car, iPhone will wake up the app, the app will start recording the mileage/track. When you leave the car, the app stop recording the track and suspends itself, until the next time.
iBeacons can be battery based, here, 40mm in diameter, 15mm of height:
or USB based:
Certain advantage of USB based iBeacons is that you plug them into a spare USB port in the car, once you turn the key, USB powers on -> iBeacon start to transmit > the app starts tracking the mileage. Key turned off, USB powers off -> the app stops recording and suspends.
If there is no spare USB outlet in the car or you don’t want to mingle with a 12V adapter, you can go for the battery based iBeacon. Battery based iBeacon advantage is that it doesn’t have any strings or care attached. Battery is good for 4 years and you can put it literally anywhere. In your car, in your bike’s compartment, etc.
USB based iBeacon is also great when you pass near your car multiple times during the day and don’t want the app to create tracks on such occasions - until the key is turned and car is started - USB iBeacon will be off, not causing any false recordings. Though extra options in the apps allow you to fine tune the sensitivity, so this should not be a problem with the battery based iBeacon as well, but needs tweaking the options.
iBeacons, either battery or USB based, are very low power and near zero battery impact solution for the automatic mileage tracking, while being very precise in the resulting mileage recorded.
Using and configuring iBeacon for the Automatic Mileage Tracking with iPhone and cellular iPad apps:
See how to configure the iBeacon in the apps for the automatic mileage tracking:
More on automatic mileage tracking itself:
Ordering pre-configured and optimized iBeacon
Made you mind?
You can buy a preconfigured and tested iBeacon from us, to pair with one tap:
Blocoware iBeacons shop
Or you can see how you can get the iBeacon elsewhere and configure it yourself: