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I need to know whether it is possible to identify an object in a proximity of about 3 meters , using a cell phone , preferrably without using additional hardware on the cell phone side . if the aforementioned hardware is indispensable , still , a cheap and easy to set up hardware would be acceptable for my project . And the said object could bear a tag such as an rfid tag .preferrably A passive rfid tag as it doesnt require power . Other options such as bluetooth, etc,... could also work . But , should not require regular charging or battery replacement . I have already done a bit of research and realize that this question is a tough one ...! But , I thought maybe someone could offer a solution or a workaround . Thanks in advance .

Hesaam
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  • Have you looked at [iBeacon](https://developer.apple.com/ibeacon/)? I believe it is possible to get it working on Android to some extent, though I haven't had the occasion to do so myself. – Matthew Daly Jun 18 '17 at 12:01
  • Also , do you explicitly need it? If your use case is sending a message when users enter a certain area, geofencing may be a suitable alternative method – Matthew Daly Jun 18 '17 at 12:03
  • Thank you matthew . I havent checked out ibeacon yet . But how could geofencing work if the object in question is not equipped with gps? – Hesaam Jun 18 '17 at 14:37
  • The idea was that if your use case is about people being within a certain geographical area and less about being in proximity to an object then geofencing is a better way to handle it. Geofencing is generally for comparatively larger areas such as when users are near a shop. That would not need a separate device. – Matthew Daly Jun 18 '17 at 14:39

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There is no clear option as there is no solution which matches 100% with your requirements.

  • RFID (passive UHF):

    • Pros: No battery used
    • Cons: You'll need to use additional HW as smartphones can't detect RFID tags.

  • BLE Beacons:

    • Pros: No need to additional HW
    • Cons: AFAIK all Ble Beacons are active, therefore you'll need to replace the battery every 2 years approximately (depends on set "Tx Power" and packet interval).

In my opinion you should go for BLE Beacons technology but it depends on the difficulty of replacing the battery regularly.

Hope it helps!

RogerR
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  • Thank you very much roger. Replacing the battery every 2 years is no problem at all . Even m replacing the battery in yearly intervals would work just fine . – Hesaam Jun 20 '17 at 09:44