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In an emergency, every second counts — especially when an accident victim is lying unconscious in an extensive building. Thanks to modern dead man apps such as those from Uepaa, quick help is possible — provided that indoor positioning works precisely. What many people don't know is that too many BLE beacons cannot improve the system, but can even endanger it. We explain why this is the case here.

‍1. The technology behind it: BLE beacons and indoor positioning

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons are small transmitters that are installed in buildings. They regularly transmit a signal that is received by smartphones (e.g. with the Uepaa app). From the signal strength (RSSI), you can roughly deduce how far away a device is from the beacon — the principle: The weaker the signal, the farther away the receiver.

‍2. The influence of the environment: walls, people and materials

When planning a beacon installation, the environment is critical:

• wet construction (e.g. reinforced concrete walls) strongly attenuates the signal.
• drywall (e.g. plaster walls) allows significantly more signal to pass through.
• body shading This is another critical point — if the smartphone is under the victim's body, for example, the signal is also severely attenuated. The human body consists of ~ 70% water — and water effectively blocks Bluetooth signals.

👉 These influences are not just theoretical — they can be explained physically. If you want to know more:

‍3. Why “a lot helps a lot” doesn't apply here

A common misconception: The more beacons are installed, the more accurate the location becomes. The reality is different. When several beacons are received at the same time — even from different floors or rooms — the signal image becomes confusing. Particularly problematic:

• The smartphone may dial the wrong beacon as the “strongest” signal.
• In critical moments, the position is wrongly assigned — in the worst case scenario, on the wrong floor.
• This can cost valuable minutes — a risk to lives in an emergency.

‍4. A real example: When 400 beacons are too much of a good thing

A customer had an external provider install over 400 beacons in a building — with the goal: perfect positioning. The result? Signal overlaps in almost every room. In some zones, up to 10 beacons at the same time received — from different floors. The app was no longer able to determine a clear position. Trust in the technology was dwindling — although the fault was not with the Uepaa app, but with the physically incorrect planning and installation. This was neither accompanied by Uepaa nor carried out by our trusted partner. The customer's frustration is understandable, of course.

5. The solution: Professional planning instead of flood of beacons

Our partner company Hard&SoftWerk GmbH sets acts with a sense of proportion and professionalism:

• Site analysis: Where are walls, shadows and dead zones?
• Targeted illumination: Fewer but specifically placed beacons with coordinated transmission power.
• Individual level: Each beacon is set to cover exactly the right range — no more, no less.

Conclusion: Quality over quantity

Pinpoint positioning saves lives — but only if it is implemented in a physically clean manner. More beacons don't automatically mean more accuracy. On the contrary, they can overload the system and, in the worst case, lead to incorrect localization. That is why when it comes to indoor positioning with BLE beacons, the following applies very clearly: Less is more.

To ensure that everything works reliably — from technical planning to installation to integration into the app — we work closely with our experienced partners Hard&SoftWerk GmbH together. The result: A one-stop tracking solution: fast, efficient and cost-effective. For maximum safety in an emergency — and trust when it matters.

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