NFC, Smart Bluetooth, iBeacon, and Other Communication Protocols Primer
Richard Busulwa · 2022
This primer on NFC, Smart Bluetooth, iBeacon, and other communication protocols is the last of four primers that have an overarching focus on connectivity technologies. That is, technologies that enable people, systems, devices, and other things to pass and receive information from each other. It is the passing and receiving of this information, in combination with computation and storage, that is at the heart of and extends the power of other digital technologies like cloud computing, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and robotics/drones. The primer provides an overview of NFC, Smart Bluetooth, iBeacon, and other communication protocol standards, data transmission speed, transmission range, the amount of data that can be sent, connectivity reliability, connection security, connection availability, and connection portability. It also discusses issues such as power consumption, infrastructure setup and maintenance costs, and connectivity equipment availability/reliability. The range of available connectivity technologies/standards require leaders, managers, and supporting professionals to understand how different technologies/standards work and what their strengths and shortcomings are. It also requires them to make important choices about which standards to go with for what purposes and when to experiment with a particular technology/standard, when to cut the cord on an existing connectivity technology/standard, and when to undertake large scale adoption of a new standard.