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Enable Bluetooth Based Location Services

Virtual Bluetooth LE (vBLE) enables businesses to deliver location-based services to their customers and employees. Juniper Networks Access Points (APs) use a dynamic 8-antenna array that transmits BLE signals and blankets an entire area with BLE.

Enable vBLE Engagement if you want the vBLE antenna array to transmit BLE signals for indoor location wayfinding. This comes in handy in a retail setting, for example, when a customer in a store needs directions for how to get to a particular department.

Enable Asset Visibility if you also want to use the APs for asset tracking. When you enable Asset Visibility, the AP will listen for and locate devices containing BLE tags. This comes in handy for tracking equipment, monitoring occupancy, or analyzing staffing.

You can enable vBLE Engagement and Asset Visibility in the site configuration or the device profiles in the Juniper Mist portal. In this procedure, you'll enable them at the site level.

To enable Bluetooth Based Location Services:

  1. From the left menu of the Juniper Mist portal, select Organization > Site Configuration.
  2. Select the Site where you want to enable location-based services.
  3. Scroll down to Bluetooth based Location Services.
  4. Select the vBLE Engagement check box.
    cropped image of Site Configuration page showing a check mark for vBLE Engagement

    This enables the vBLE array for all APs at this site; all APs will transmit BLE signals for location wayfinding.

  5. (Optional) Select the App Wakeup check box if you want the AP to transmit a ninth omni beam ("super beacon").
    For example, a retailer might want “super beacons” at the front of a store. When customers enter, they get a notification on the retailer’s Mist SDK-enabled mobile application. There are many other use cases that you can implement based on your business goals.
  6. (Optional) Select the Asset Visibility check box if you want to use the APs to track assets.

    Note:

    • When you enable Asset Visibility, the APs listen for BLE signals and will indicate the location of these BLE clients and assets on the Live View.

    • If you enable both vBLE Engagement and Asset Visibility, the AP must transmit and receive BLE signals. To optimize performance, enable only the features that you need for your use cases.

      The following table shows how your selections affect the rate at which the AP sends data to the Juniper Mist cloud.

      Table 1: Transmission Rates
      Location Service Enabled Transmission Rate
      Both vBLE Engagement and Asset Visibility Every 2 seconds
      Only vBLE Engagement Every second
      Only Asset Visibility Every 2 seconds