An Anchor Beacon is a stationary BLE reference point mounted at a fixed, known location in a building. It does not connect to Wi-Fi and does not forward data to Kio Cloud on its own. Instead, it broadcasts its location continuously over Bluetooth so that nearby Tags — Smart Badges, Asset Tags — can use it as a spatial reference to determine and report their own position.
Installing an Anchor Beacon in Kio Setup Manager means assigning it to a room in Smart Location. That room assignment becomes the reference point the system uses when a Tag detects the Anchor Beacon's signal.
Supported models
| Model | Identifier |
|---|---|
| Anchor Beacon | SB18_3 |
| Anchor Beacon 2 | ANB_2 |
Both models are installed and managed identically in Kio Setup Manager.
What you can do in Kio Setup Manager
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Install | Assign the Anchor Beacon to a room in Smart Location |
| Track your device | Blink the Anchor Beacon's LED to confirm physical identity |
| View device details | See device status, firmware version, and configuration |
| Update firmware | Apply available firmware updates over Bluetooth |
How Anchor Beacons work with the platform
Anchor Beacons broadcast a BLE signal that nearby Tags receive. Tags use that signal to identify their approximate location and report it to Kio Cloud through a nearby Portal Light. The accuracy of location tracking depends on Anchor Beacons being correctly placed and assigned to the right rooms.
For this to work:
- The Anchor Beacon must be assigned to a room in Smart Location (done in Kio Setup Manager)
- A Portal Light must be installed and online in the same area to receive Tag reports and forward them to Kio Cloud
- Tags must be activated and in range of both the Anchor Beacon and a Portal Light
Install all Anchor Beacons on a floor before activating Tags on that floor. Tags that detect an Anchor Beacon before its Smart Location assignment is complete will report an incorrect or missing location.
Role requirement
Installing and managing Anchor Beacons requires the Device Management role assigned in Kio Cloud. Contact your Kio User Management Administrator if the role has not been assigned.