Bluetooth near far access system

[z4RRSchris]

Dear tech people, hope someone knows what im looking for.

I have a club.
Club has 1000 members
Club members have an app, apple/google wallet, and CRM entry based on member number 1-1000
When club member walks into club house I want their name / photo to flash up on a screen at the desk so the staff can pretend they already know who they are.

how?

[redstar1]

You'll need some sort of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) enabled app paired with something like Kisi for the access control bit. Then you'll need that tied to your CRM via an API i would imagine.

Might be easy enough, might not, depends on a lot of things and you will find lots of people turn bluetooth off on their phones and aren't going to be minded to turn it on for this.

[nyt]

I use something similar to what you're describing—it turns on lights automatically when I enter a room.

To make it work, I use BLE broadcasts from both my phone and smartwatch. The main drawback is that devices don't transmit BLE packets continuously, so there can be a noticeable delay before my presence is detected.

I've also considered using the device's Wi-Fi MAC address as an additional identifier. However, modern phones—particularly iPhones—often randomise their MAC addresses periodically to prevent tracking, which makes this approach less reliable.

Have you considered facial recognition? It can be implemented on surprisingly inexpensive hardware these days and can provide very fast and reliable identification.

For reference, here's a link to a Home Assistant Bluetooth tracking project that I found useful:

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/monitor-reli...

[Mr E]

Having spent a chunk of time trying to make ble beacons do something similar, I’d suggest it’s a pain in the arse (especially on android)

Have you considered uhf RFID? Potentially 1-2 meters detection range?

[Digger]

I did the lazy AI thing . . . sorry




To flash member photos and names on a desk screen automatically, you need to set up a proximity-based trigger or a quick-scan system that links their digital pass to your CRM.
Here is how you can implement this system using your existing tools:

1. Option 1: Apple & Google Wallet Proximity (Best Experience)

Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons and NFC (Near Field Communication) triggers.

• The Tech: Place a physical BLE beacon (like Estimote) or an NFC reader at your entrance.
• The Trigger: As the member approaches, the beacon triggers the wallet pass to pop up on their lock screen.
• The Flash: When they tap their phone or pass the beacon, the pass transmits their member number (1-1000) via a webhook to your CRM. Your CRM then instantly pushes the member's photo and name to a dedicated web dashboard on your receptionist's screen. [1]

1. Option 2: Lock-Screen Barcode Scan (Most Reliable)

If you want to avoid setting up physical beacons, use the barcode already built into their Apple/Google Wallet or custom app.

• The Tech: Install a fixed, presentation-style 2D barcode scanner (like a Honeywell or Zebra scanner) on the desk facing the entrance.
• The Trigger: Members hold their phone up to scan their digital wallet card or app barcode upon entry.
• The Flash: The scanner reads the member ID, sends it directly into your CRM search field, and a custom script instantly displays the member's profile page (with a large photo and name) on the staff monitor.

1. Option 3: Geofencing via Your Custom App (Hands-Free)

If members have your custom app installed and have allowed location permissions, you can use GPS geofencing.

• The Tech: Set up a virtual geofence radius (e.g., 20 metres) around your clubhouse door inside the app code.
• The Trigger: The app detects when the member crosses the geofence.
• The Flash: The app sends a background API call to your CRM stating "Member 452 has entered." The CRM updates the desk dashboard in real-time before the member even reaches the counter.

1. Technical Requirements to Tell Your Developer

To make this work seamlessly, your development team will need to build or configure three things:

1. Webhook/API Listener: A small script that listens for incoming check-in signals (from the scanner, beacon, or app).
2. CRM Lookup: A query that matches the incoming member ID to the CRM database photo URL and name.
3. WebSockets Dashboard: A simple, auto-refreshing web page for the desk monitor that uses WebSockets (like Socket.io) to "push" the new image to the screen instantly without needing a manual page refresh.

Would you like to know which specific CRM platforms natively support this kind of desk dashboard, or do you need help writing the technical specifications for your app developer?

[1] [https://www.joinsesh.ai](https://www.joinsesh.ai/wallet-pass)

[z4RRSchris]

i suppose the issue with facial recognition is i would need to take a photo of everyone and inform everyone that im using it, and i suspect most members wouldnt like that.

[thebraketester]

Sounds a bit black mirror to me. It's possible to be polite, friendly and welcoming, without the use of a name.

[ATG]

z4RRSchris said:

i suppose the issue with facial recognition is i would need to take a photo of everyone and inform everyone that im using it, and i suspect most members wouldnt like that.

Depends what kind of club, but for some clubs there are a few uncontroversial reasons to have members' photo taken and stored ... e.g. for a membership card, so staff can confirm identity, entry in a list of members that is available to other members so people know who else is in the club and can put names to faces.

[z4RRSchris]

thebraketester said:

Sounds a bit black mirror to me. It's possible to be polite, friendly and welcoming, without the use of a name.

I want to use the names thats the whole point, but i dont want the staff to have to ask for the members name, or have to hand over a card.

In having the member flash up on the screen we can pretend like the staff know who they are.

[Sixpackpert]

We use SingIn App at work and it does most if not all of what you want. It will notify you of people signing in and out and the app can be set to automatically sign people in and out.

Package comes with an iPad. You can also have categories of people set up to keep track of them, cleaners, guests etc.

From memory it was £1,200 for the first year but that included iPad, printer etc etc. that you don’t have to have if you don’t want to. About £450 per year afterwards.

https://signinapp.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_med...

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 2nd June 07:23

[OutInTheShed]

You can use a phone to emulate an RFID card or tag.
The kind of card used to open smart locks.

You could just give members a membership card with RFID of course.

[z4RRSchris]

OutInTheShed said:

You can use a phone to emulate an RFID card or tag.
The kind of card used to open smart locks.

You could just give members a membership card with RFID of course.

yeh i thought about the card, but no one carries a wallet these days. We have the virtual membership card on apple wallet / android etc. And the native app.

we just i suppose need to write some software that picks it up either through geo fence or RFID / Near Far and then flashes their face (+ name + member ID) up on a screen for say 5 mins, you click the face it checks them in using our CRM api.

[ATG]

Sixpackpert said:

We use SingIn App at work and it does most if not all of what you want. It will notify you of people signing in and out and the app can be set to automatically sign people in and out.

Package comes with an iPad. You can also have categories of people set up to keep track of them, cleaners, guests etc.

From memory it was £1,200 for the first year but that included iPad, printer etc etc. that you don t have to have if you don t want to. About £450 per year afterwards.

https://signinapp.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_med...

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 2nd June 07:23

Does this involve the visitor having to install an app and/or register themselves on a website before they turn up at the building?

[Sixpackpert]

Regular members would have an app on their phone (make sure location settings are always on for auto sign in). You setup the regular members (employees on our case) and then email them a link to the app.

Non members can sign in/out on the iPad.

Works really well and has all GDPR requirements built in.

[Mortarboard]

OutInTheShed said:

You can use a phone to emulate an RFID card or tag.
The kind of card used to open smart locks.

You could just give members a membership card with RFID of course.

This.

Probably pay for itself through avoiding time spent saying "can I see your membership card please"

Or make the rfid enable cards "exclusive" for certain members and charge 10 quid a pop. Put fancy gold writing or some such on it.

M.

[Murph7355]

BLE is unreliable and easy for them to disable.

RFID is OK but they'd effectively need to tap something.

Geofencing they can turn off and may be slow.

Facial recognition you need to advertise you are using it.

How many members? Decent staff will quickly learn a surprising amount of regulars. Though that doesn't feed your CRM...tapping something for service would though. Depends on the sort of "club".

[biggiles]

z4RRSchris said:

CRM entry based on member number 1-1000

Have you asked your CRM/ERP supplier? If your software is designed for clubs/societies, they've probably been asked this before and will know the options available.

You could also look at getting "hints" for your staff e.g. if members come by car, an ANPR camera is getting easier every day, and can hint which members' cars have recently arrived. Or have a "sign in kiosk" before the main desk ("for fire safety") for members to sign in/out, then it's easy for staff to see their names come up.