Improving tourist experience through an IoT application based on fatbeacons

Abstract

This paper describes the use of a new extension of the Bluetooth connection protocol, called FatBeacon, which faces the problem of obtaining information where no Internet connection is available. Rather than advertising a URL to load a web page, the FatBeacon protocol has the ability to broadcast any basic web contents actually hosted on the device. In particular, FatBeacons are here used to improve the tourist experience in places with no Internet coverage through a new application of the Internet of Things (IoT). Thanks to the fact that the web content is emitted by the own FatBeacon, any smartphone with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can be used to receive touristic information, even in uncovered areas, such as rural or mountain destinations. This work does not only show the applicability of the new FatBeacon protocol, but it also presents a performance comparison of different BLE technologies used for similar touristic applications.