Optimal bluetooth low energy (BLE) system deployment strategy prior to system application on the construction site

Abstract

The application of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) systems for labour tracking on construction sites is a popular research trend. Strategic system deployment is crucial for ensuring the overall reliability and feasibility of these systems. This study aims to identify the optimal BLE system deployment strategy for tiling work zones in three different renovation sites. The BLE system consists of BLE beacon, BLE gateway, Raspberry Pi (data logger), and MATLAB for data analysis. To ensure optimal placement of the BLE gateway, site visits were conducted to evaluate various conditions, such as power supply availability, signal blockage by structures, and potential disruption to the tiling work. In addition, the beacon transmission (Tx) levels were adjusted to enhance the detection accuracy of the system. The findings show that the optimum beacon Tx powers at sites A, B, and C are-12dBm (86.3% accuracy),-16dBm (94.6% accuracy), and-16dBm (91.1% accuracy), respectively. These findings will be adopted in future research on these sites. The study contributes to the understanding of optimal BLE system deployment strategies in construction sites, which can improve labour tracking accuracy and overall project management.