Overview of Cisco USB BLE Beacon

Cisco USB Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) Beacon is a USB-compatible device for use with the Cisco Aironet 1830/1850/2800/3800 Series Access Points (APs) and provides the BLE beacon functionality. Cisco USB BLE Beacon expands the Cisco Aironet 1800, 2800, and 3800 Series Wave 2 11ac AP platforms to add BLE radio capability.

Cisco USB BLE Beacon offers an end-to-end BLE solution for APs that do not have the BLE capability, and is a cost-effective way of adding this capacity to the AP network. The addition of a BLE radio enables the AP with additional functionalities, including the ability to transmit a BLE Beacon for Proximity Messaging and Wayfinding and the ability to receive a BLE Beacon for asset-tracking applications.

Cisco USB BLE Beacon is managed by Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) Spaces and supported as part of the Cisco DNA Spaces ACT license. The Cisco DNA Spaces application allows you to control both the receiving and transmitting capabilities of the Cisco USB BLE Beacon. As a transmitter, the Cisco USB BLE Beacon provides the capability to transmit in an iBeacon, Eddystone URL, or Eddystone UID format. Similarly, as a receiver, the Cisco USB BLE Beacon can receive packets in iBeacon, Eddystone URL, or Eddystone UID format.

Cisco USB BLE Beacon has a MAC address, with the QR code representing the MAC address printed or labeled on the outer casing.

Product Information

Cisco USB BLE Beacon can be ordered in pack of 10 or pack of 50.

Figure 1. Cisco USB BLE Beacon

Part Number

Description

AIR-BLE-USB-10

Cisco USB BLE Beacon 10 Pack

AIR-BLE-USB-50

Cisco USB BLE Beacon 5 x 10 Pack = Total QTY = 50

Platform Support

Cisco USB BLE Beacon can be added to Cisco APs that have a USB slot and support the correct software.

Table 1. Platform Support

Product Family

Platforms Supported

Cisco IOS Software

Cisco Aironet 1800 Series

1830 and 1850 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Release 17.3

Cisco Aironet 2800 Series

All models

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Release 17.3

Cisco Aironet 3800 Series

All models

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Release 17.3

Software Requirement

Cisco USB BLE Beacon is suppported in the USB slot of Cisco AP 1830/1850/2800/3800 Series. Cisco USB BLE Beacon identifies and authenticates with the connected AP. The connected host AP provides Cisco USB BLE Beacon adequate power to turn on and communicate with the host AP. Cisco USB BLE Beacon relies on the AP for power and data communication path. Cisco USB BLE Beacon can pass relevant telemetry data back to the AP or the controller for managing purpose.

Cisco USB BLE Beacon as a Solution

A cloud-managed and integrated Cisco USB BLE Beacon provides enterprise customers with a set of superior BLE capabilities. An AP-based BLE beacon provides all the native capabilities of BLE, including the capability to invoke applications that subscribe to the iBeacon and to be used to aid indoor navigation without the burden of using battery power.

The advantages of cloud-managed AP-powered BLE beacons are:

  • Ease of configuration at scale—Manage thousands of BLE beacons at scale just as easily as you can manage APs at scale

  • AP powered—Since the USB BLE beacon takes power from the AP, there are no issues related to power management on the beacons

  • Reduced chance of theft or movement of the beacon—Because the beacon is a part of the wireless AP infrastructure, there is a much smaller chance of the beacon being lost or removed