Cisco Spaces and BLE Gateway

[RichJohns]

Currently use Raspberry PIs (4B W/8GB) as edge sensors for tracking of BLE beacons. We have recently deployed Cisco C9120e + AIR-ANT2566P4WR and C9120is.  Question: Would using Cisco Spaces allow us to collect BLE beacon ID and RSSI values using the available but currently unused Bluetooth receivers in the C9120's (I understand the C9120e's with external directional antenna will distort the RSSI values) I need to know if our current network H/W can support Cisco Spaces.

We currently use at least 4 Raspberry PIs to collect and relay BLE beacon IDs and RSSI values to a IoT function on AWS using MQTT.  All BLE beacon IDs are collected but, only BLE beacon IDs that are enrolled in our MQTT topic group are processed.

Using trilateration Raspberry PI (sensors) with known Latitude and Longitude are used to calculate enrolled BLE beacon's location. Building floor plans are uploaded and are assigned latitude & longitude boundaries. Pins are depicted on the floor plans and additional data on the Tracked Assets is available by drilling down into the "Tags" details. 

Anyone doing something similar using Cisco Spaces and C91XX WAPs?

[Leo Laohoo]

Cisco (DNA) Spaces is cloud-based and requires DNAC appliance.

Without DNA Spaces, the APs will not broadcast anything in BLE because all the values are either all zeroes or null.

Talk to your Cisco AM/SE/PSS to get access to DNA Spaces.

[Rich R]

Are you sure you need DNAC Leo?
Spaces can operate without any DNAC but currently the only way to get detailed maps imported to Spaces is to export from DNAC or Prime then import to Spaces. Somewhere on the Spaces roadmap they will allow to natively import maps without DNAC or Prime then that requirement will fall away too.
From: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/spaces/connector/config/b_connector_30/m_iot-services30.html

 

[RichJohns]

Great information.
I read with interest your working relationship with AWS, are there plans to make Cisco Spaces a service supported in AWS GovCloud? My current asset tracking solution resides in our corporate instance within the AWS GovCloud.
I understand the floor plan integration coming from prime. Our AWS database allows us to upload building floor plans using LAT/LON boundaries. “The Cisco Spaces: IoT Service collects data from devices and passes it to Cisco-partnered websites”. Can a stream of Bluetooth ID’s be passed with Globally Unique IDs, and RSSI values? We would use the known latitude and longitude of 9120i WAPs operating in SCAN mode and calculate Tag locations using trilateration of the RSSI values. Only enrolled Bluetooth IDs would be calculated.
Thank you for the knowledge exchange. I believe my enterprise is following a roadmap that with adopt Cisco Spaces but in what timeframe is unknown.
Respectfully,

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Air Dominance Systems
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[Leo Laohoo]

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@Rich R wrote:
Spaces can operate without any DNAC but currently the only way to get detailed maps imported to Spaces is to export from DNAC or Prime then import to Spaces.  

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My answer that DNA Spaces currently require DNAC or PI is because of maps.  

DNA Spaces have the capability to download maps without DNAC appliance or PI, however, I am not sure if this is going to be the way forward or not.  

Everyone inside Cisco knows DNAC appliance is a needless "bottleneck".  The 1800s wireless sensor will keel over soon is dead (edited:  Thanks @Rich R for the correction) because nobody wants/has to buy an expensive DNAC just to get a wireless sensor to work when other competitors' are cheaper, easier to setup, customizable and does not come with a requirement to buy a hefty DNAC-like platform.  And nobody wants to turn on BLE or Zigbee if the answer is "you need DNAC appliance or else".  

[Rich R]

We've just been setting up a Spaces trial with help from Cisco Spaces SME.  We had to fire up a Prime instance purely to do the maps, then shut it down again.  We were assured that independence from DNAC/Prime is planned but no timescale given.

New DNAC VA has already declared 1800s unsupported!
"- Aironet wireless sensor (1800s) is not supported (this device was discontinued)"

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Rich R wrote:
New DNAC VA has already declared 1800s unsupported!
"- Aironet wireless sensor (1800s) is not supported (this device was discontinued)"

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Thanks for this.  

Less than eight weeks ago, we attended a DNAC WebEx session and the presenter started the session explaining how 1800s would be beneficial.  

Someone, obviously, did not get the memo.  

[RichJohns]

Spoke with our AWS engineers and the solution they have developed for us accepts globally unique target IDs (MAC addresses) along with timestamps and calculated latitude and longitude into our system for display within a buildings floorplan (Lat/Lon boundaries).  Our 9120 series WAPs (omni-directionals only as directionals would make RSSI data incompatible) would utilize their integrated Bluetooth radio as an edge sensor collecting all Bluetooth radios in range and report their RSSI. If Cisco DNA can provide ID, Lat/Long and Timestamp) AWS can identify IDs of interest and display location data as Pin on the floorplan.