Multi Anchor Nearby Interaction

Scenario: We have a museum where each exhibit has a UWB BLE accessory. A user moves around the museum with their phone application in the background. Once a user enters an exhibit area (Determined by UWB distances) a background task is initiated (audio/notification/widget).

The Question: In our current understanding of the protocol, the user must pair to each exhibit anchor beforehand, significantly impairing the user experience and bloating their Bluetooth-paired device list. Is it possible now or potentially in the future to not require pairing for pre-approved devices? Alternatively, pairing to a hub that acts as an intermediary between the phone and accessories also seems like an appropriate compromise.

Replies

You can use BLE-pairing, which offers a seamless experience that doesn't involve manual pairing or PIN entry. Users simply need to download your museum app and grant one-time permissions for "Nearby Interactions" and "Bluetooth Scanning." Once these permissions are in place, they'll be able to navigate through your exhibition, with different UWB Beacons triggering the display of relevant content.

For inspiration, you can search for "rubens museum beacons" on YouTube to see a similar project.