Skip to main content

Broadcom delivers on-chip GeoFencing and indoor positioning

We've talked a lot about GeoFencing recently.  GeoFencing is the technology behind location-based reminders and location-based promotions, but more importantly, it transforms mobile apps to being proactive based on location, instead of acting only when invoked by users. GeoFencing is being researched and developed for indoor location applications, mobile app discovery, and more.

But GeoFencing brings technical challenges.  Constantly monitoring a phone's location to see when it enters or leaves a GeoFence drains the CPU and the battery.  Checking only every minute risks not catching a GeoFence crossing in time.  Additionally, GeoFencing needs to integrate GPS, indoor location systems, and other location positioning methods, depending on the phone's location and capabilities.

To answer these challenges, Broadcom has just released a GNSS chip (supporting GPS and other location systems) that includes built-in hardware-based GeoFencing.  Their aim is to support GeoFencing without battery drain, with the hard work being done by the chip, not software.

We predicted in our comprehensive GeoFencing report that GeoFencing support would move to chips, and reported there on GeoFencing research by Qualcomm and other chip makers. With their new chip, Broadcom has staked a claim in this huge new area.  Their chip integrates GeoFencing with not only GPS, but also Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, sensor fusion, Near Field Communication (NFC) and other location positioning approaches.

Broadcom says that they will be showing their location innovations at MWC next week.

For more on GeoFencing, see our comprehensive report on ongoing R&D in the area, which enables you to learn about developments before they reach market.  Also of interest is our comprehensive report on indoor location positioning technologies.

Popular posts from this blog

33 Indoor Location Technologies at Mobile World Congress 2017

The number of companies exhibiting indoor location technologies at the 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) skyrocketed to 33! Before MWC started, we released our Guide to Indoor Location at MWC, with 23 companies: During the conference we notified our guide recipients of 10 other indoor location exhibitors that we saw. ( Sign up here to receive our guide and to be on our mailing list for next year's MWC.) This is many more indoor location related exhibits that previous years. The area is growing by leaps and bounds! Our recent report on indoor location technologies analyzed and profiled almost 200 companies! Here are some videos, so you can see the technologies in action, followed by a list of the other indoor location companies that were at MWC. First up is Philips Lighting, with high-accuracy indoor location positioning based on LED light modulation and visible light communication (VLC) technology: Next comes Estimote, makers of Bluetooth (BLE) beacons, who int...
Read more

Indoor Location, GeoFencing and Retail (Updated w/ video)

We've written a lot about indoor location technology , which is bringing location services indoors where GPS doesn't work. And we've written more recently about GeoFencing , a new location technology that enables smartphones to display content or take other actions when entering a specified area. And a few weeks ago we wrote about a company that was bringing the two together . Now Aisle411 has entered the ring, adding GeoFencing to their indoor solution . And they're bringing GeoFencing to life in the retail store industry . Aisle411's solution lets you navigate your way around a store to find specific products on the shelves. You can even enter your whole shopping list, or the items you need for a recipe, and the app will guide you around the store to buy everything you need quickly.   And here's where the GeoFencing comes in:  As you near certain products, you'll get offers for related products on your smartphone screen. They might be as s...
Read more

33 Indoor Location Related Start-up Acquisitions

  Acquisitions Continue in the Indoor Location Industry; Grizzly Analytics Shows Price Growth at the High End and Continuity at the Low End New York, NY, February 22, 2021 - Despite the recent pandemic, M&A deals in the indoor location area have maintained a steady pace of 4-5 deals a year. At the high end of the spectrum, prices have increased to up to $400 Million for the highest priced recent deal and $165 Million for the second highest. At the lower end, many earlier stage companies have been acquired in the $2-3 Million range. A newly updated report from Grizzly Analytics gives prices and strategic details for 33 acquisitions in the indoor location area.  While the highest priced indoor location acquisitions have historically involved chip-based technologies, recent acquisitions have been more varied. “A few years ago the focus of indoor location M&A was all around pure localization technologies. The biggest deal to date is in fact for a chip-based localization ...
Read more