Embarcadero Technologies, a leading provider of software solutions for application and database development, today unveiled BeaconFence, an indoor/outdoor beacon-based user location and zone management solution for developers. Embarcadero’s BeaconFence solution enables developers and ISVs (independent software vendors) to easily add interactive user and device proximity support to iOS, Android, Windows, and OS X applications. While BeaconFence can be used in a wide range of applications, it is particularly well suited for retail, healthcare, entertainment, and manufacturing application solutions.

BeaconFence proximity components track and report user or device location, zone presence/enter/exit, and movement in both indoor and outdoor scenarios with unprecedented precision. This enables the development of highly interactive applications that utilize end-user, customer, or device proximity to or within any physical location, building or object. Using industry-standard iBeacons and AltBeacons, BeaconFence supports simple radial zones as well as polygonal zones of virtually any shape or layout. Developers simply import a blueprint, bird’s-eye photo, or drawing of the physical location layout, visually place beacons, and draw zones. BeaconFence will then provide user or device location tracking including zone enter/exit events.

“Interactive proximity support was historically something relegated to sci-fi movies, yet recent steps forward have still been generally restricted to outdoor scenarios, with indoor support typically requiring expensive proprietary RFID receivers and tags,” says Michael Swindell, Senior Vice President of Products at Embarcadero. “With BeaconFence, developers can now provide high-precision user tracking both indoors and outdoors using standard Bluetooth-enabled phones and tablets that users already carry, and off-the-shelf beacons that can easily be installed in any location. Furthermore, BeaconFence enables developers to easily develop applications that understand accurate user location and movement within developer defined polygonal zones, enabling solutions that go well beyond the traditional ‘am I near an object’ beacon and RFID proximity support. BeaconFence truly opens the door for amazing new interactive applications for a wide variety of industries.”

BeaconFence Features for Building Interactive Applications

  • Bluetooth LE Indoor/Outdoor GPS-Free user and Device Location Tracking
  • Radial and polygonal zone support
  • User and device location, intersection, movement, and enter/exit properties and events
  • Support for standard iBeacons and AltBeacons available from a wide variety of vendors
  • Visual Zone designer with location blueprint and bird’s-eye view photo import
  • Support for iOS, Android, Windows, and OS X devices and apps
  • Support for Delphi, RAD Studio, and C++Builder available today with support for Visual Studio, Xcode, Java, and Xamarin coming soon

Availability:
BeaconFence is available immediately from Embarcadero and from Embarcadero partners. Pricing information can be found at: https://store.embarcadero.com/

Free Edition:
A free developer edition is available at: www.embarcadero.com/products/beaconfence