Beacon Configuration and Installation
Note: This article only applies to Relay accounts with our Indoor Location Service (i.e. Pro Plan with Indoor Location)
Overview
Relay's location beacons are designed specifically to work with your Relays in order to provide indoor location information for your day-to-day operations and during emergency incidents. Installing your location beacons is required before your Relay system will be able to report any indoor location information and be ready to function as your panic solution.
Configure Your Building in Dash
Each building you have will require a unique building configuration within Dash.
- Create a spreadsheet with four columns with the following heading in this order: Floor, Room, MAC, Access Point
- Notes:
- For simplicity and to ensure proper formatting of your file - use this template
- The MAC and Access Point columns will be left blank except for the column header
- Outline all rooms and/or locations where the beacons will be installed and fill in the Floor and Room columns on the spreadsheet accordingly
- Once the spreadsheet has been completely filled out, save it as a Comma Separated Values (CSV) file format and include your building name in the file name
- Repeat steps 1 through 3 until all buildings have unique files completed
- Select Locations > Building Admin
- Select Create Building and give your building a name
- Select the building, then click Import CSV
- Select Choose File and upload the respective CSV file you created for the building
- Click Submit
- You will see a preview of what will be created in Dash, click Confirm Rooms
- Note: The system will take a few moments to process all of the information
- If you have multiple buildings, repeat steps 7 through 11 until all files have been uploaded to each building
You are able to configure floor plans or facility maps in Dash to give visibility into where devices are on a floor in real time. For information on how to upload floor plans or maps in to Dash, reference this article.
Download the Relay App on Your Phone
You’ll need to download the Relay app for iOS or Android on your phone in order to configure and test beacon placement. Use one of the following links, or search for “Relay for Frontline Teams” in your phone’s app store.
The app you download should look like this:
Once downloaded, sign into the app with your Relay account email and password.
Prepare Location Beacons
The first installation step is to prepare all beacons to be installed. Beacons will be packaged in unlabeled boxes.
- Remove each beacon from it’s shipping box
- Note: there is double-sided tape and screws included for each beacon. Set these items aside for the time being as they will be used during the installation process. Do not apply the tape or attempt to install screws at this stage.
- Open each beacon by gently squeezing each end and pulling it apart, or by inserting a small card into one of the slots on either end
- Find and remove the yellow battery tab inside the beacon
- Ensure both batteries are properly seated in the beacon - you may notice a faint blue light illuminate, this is normal and indicates the batteries are installed correctly and the beacon has power.
- Close the beacon back up and set it aside
- Repeat this process for all beacons
Once all beacons have been prepared by following the above steps, they are ready to be installed.
Initial Testing
The first phase of the installation will consist of installing beacons in 5 guest rooms. This process is critical to verifying beacon placement and reporting accuracy.
First, identify a test room; in our example this will be room 303. Your process will be to install a beacon in room 303, the two adjacent rooms (301 and 305), and the rooms above (403) and below (203) your testing room (303). See the illustration below.
Configure Testing Beacons
- To install the beacons, open the Relay app and login
- Tap Account along the bottom menu bar
- Tap Manage Buildings
- Tap the Building Name
- Tap the floor you’re on
- Tap the room you’re installing a beacon in
- Tap Add Beacon under the room
- If prompted, allow the app access to your camera for the purpose of scanning the beacon’s QR code (this will only be required once)
- Scan a beacon’s QR code
- Note: Every beacon's QR code will need to be scanned prior to placement
- Confirm the room you are assigning the beacon to and tap Add Beacon
- The app will do a verification to ensure the beacon is active. If presented with an error, follow the on-screen instructions.
- Place the beacon in its installation location, but do not permanently affix the beacon until after you’ve concluded the test.
- In the app, repeat the steps above for configuring beacons and add beacons to the two adjacent rooms and place them accordingly
- Configure and place beacons in the rooms directly above and below your testing room
- Once the 5 beacons have been assigned and placed in their respective rooms, you’re ready to perform a test
Test Beacon Placement
To perform the placement test, you’ll need your phone with the Relay app open, and a Relay that is powered on.
- Walk into your central test room (i.e. Room 303 from our example)
- Open the Relay app and tap into the room you are testing (Account > Manage Buildings > Floor > Room)
- Tap Verify
- Tap Room Verification
- Room Verification is used to ensure location is reporting correctly
- Beacon Check is used to ensure the beacons signal is projecting and within range
- Choose a relay to scan with, and tap Scan with this Relay
- You may be prompted to enable location for the Relay you are using if location is currently disabled on that device. If prompted, tap Enable Location
- Tap Start Test
- Ensure the location verifies
- Note: it could take up to 60 seconds for the test to complete
- Move to different positions in the room (near the exterior wall, in the bathroom, near the door) and tap Test Again.
- After you have tested all rooms, navigate to the Channels Tab
- If you enabled location earlier in the testing, you will be prompted to disable location
Please Note: You are responsible for being aware of any applicable laws, regulations, or company standards related to the tracking of employees.
If your test was successful: permanently affix the 5 beacons you configured with either the provided double-sided tape or screws and continue to the “Install Remaining Beacons” section below. If your test fails, see “In case of test failure” below.
In case of test failure: If you consistently receive a failed verification in a specific area of the room, move the beacons closer towards that area. For an accurate test, you must move each beacon to the same spot in the adjacent rooms as well. Once all beacons have been moved, test again.
- For example, if the bathroom fails to pick up the room location, move the beacon closer to the bathroom, such as on an interior wall.
Install Remaining Beacons
Follow the installation instructions to configure additional floors, rooms, and assign all beacons throughout the property. Once all beacons are installed, repeat the steps above to test in at least one room on each floor and at least 10% of the overall rooms in the hotel.
Additional Notes
- For information on beacon placement best practices, reference this article
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