Proximity Attendance

Proximity Attendance lets people automatically check in and out when they enter or leave a location, using small Bluetooth devices called beacons. This removes the need for manual check-ins at events or services.

These beacons use a technology called iBeacon, which broadcast a small signal that your phone can detect.

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How It Works

1. A beacon continuously broadcasts its iBeacon signal.

2. A nearby mobile device detects this signal and triggers the app to wake up in the background.

3. The app then automatically checks the person in or out of the event or service.

This is especially helpful for busy check-in stations or children's ministry check-ins where speed and simplicity matter.

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What Is iBeacon?

iBeacon is a protocol developed by Apple that allows Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices in this case the beacon to broadcast small packets of data, known as advertisements. Each iBeacon signal includes a payload with the following components:

• UUID (Universally Unique Identifier): A 128-bit value shared among a group of beacons (e.g., an organization).

• Major: A 16-bit integer used to identify a subgroup within the UUID (e.g., a campus).

• Minor: A 16-bit integer used to identify a specific beacon within a Major group (e.g., a room or kiosk).

Note: Major and Minor values are used strictly for identification. They do not transmit any actual data beyond their numeric values.

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How Rock Uses iBeacon

In our setup:

• UUID → RockInstanceId: This is shared across all organization-wide beacons and represents the entire church or organization.
• Major → CampusId: Identifies the specific campus or building.

• Minor → Location BeaconIdentifier: Identifies a specific location, such as a room, kiosk, or classroom.

Think of it like this: the UUID is the church organization, the Major is the building or campus, and the Minor is the room.

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Rock Configuration

UUID:

• No action needed — the UUID is automatically pushed to the mobile shell.

Major (Campus)

• No action needed — Rock maps the CampusId to the Major value.

Minor (Location Beacon Identifier)

1. Navigate to the Named Location where the beacon will be used.

2. In the location settings, set the Beacon Identifier to a 16-bit integer (range: 0–65,535).

This value will be used as the Minor value when configuring your physical beacon.

Beacon Identifier is the Minor value.

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Beacon Hardware Configuration

We won’t cover how to configure your physical beacon, as each manufacturer has its own process and tools. However, we will show you how to retrieve the necessary values from Rock to configure your beacon correctly.

Beacon UUID (RockInstanceId)

Use the following SQL query to retrieve the RockInstanceId from your Rock RMS database:

SELECT  
    [Guid]
FROM 
    [Attribute]
WHERE 
    [Key] = 'RockInstanceId'
    AND [EntityTypeQualifierColumn] = 'SystemSetting';

• Use this value as the UUID when configuring your beacon.

All beacons in your organization use the same UUID, regardless of location. Differentiation happens via Major and Minor.

Major and Minor

• Major: Set this to the CampusId where the beacon will be deployed.

• Minor: Use the Beacon Identifier value from the Named Location you configured earlier. This uniquely identifies the beacon's specific location within the campus.

You can configure multiple beacons with the same UUID/Major/Minor to cover larger spaces (e.g., auditoriums, hallways).

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Mobile Shell Configuration

After configuring your Rock instance and physical beacons, use the following commands in your mobile app:

StartBeaconMonitoring

Begins monitoring entry and exit events for the RockInstanceId region. This command guides the user through enabling location permissions so the app can begin monitoring nearby beacons.

Examples

This is a basic example to start the beacon monitoring process.

<Button Text="Start Beacon Monitoring"
    StyleClass="btn, btn-primary"
    Command="{Binding StartBeaconMonitoring}" />

You can also customize the content of the instruction if you wish to do so.

<Button Text="Start Beacon Monitoring"
    StyleClass="btn, btn-primary"
    Command="{Binding StartBeaconMonitoring}">
    <Button.CommandParameter>
        <Rock:StartBeaconMonitoringCommandParameters AllowLocationPermissionTitle="Allow Permission Location">
        </Rock:StartBeaconMonitoringCommandParameters>
    </Button.CommandParameter>
</Button>

Properties

Property	Type	Description
AllowLocationPermissionTitle	string	The title on the AllowLocationPermission Page
AllowLocationPermissionSubtitle	string	The subtitle on the AllowLocationPermission Page
AllowLocationPermissionView	View	Your custom view on the AllowLocationPermission Page
OpenSettingsTitle	string	The title on the OpenSettings Page
OpenSettingsSubtitle	string	The subtitle on the OpenSettings Page
OpenSettingsView	View	Your custom view on the OpenSettings Page
SuccessScreenTitle	string	The title on the Success Page
SuccessScreenSubtitle	string	The subtitle on the Success Page
SuccessScreenView	View	Your custom view on the Success Page

StopBeaconMonitoring

Stops all active beacon monitoring. When the app is deleted, it also stops monitoring.

Example

<Button Text="Stop Beacon Monitoring"
    StyleClass="btn, btn-primary"
    Command="{Binding StopBeaconMonitoring}" />

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Summary

Here’s what matters:

• Every beacon has 3 key pieces: UUID (RockInstanceId), Major (campus), Minor (location).

• Rock handles most of the hard work behind the scenes.

Your job is to:

1. Assign a Beacon Identifier in each Named Location that will be used for attendance (that’s the Minor value).

2. Make sure your beacon is programmed with the right UUID, Major, and Minor.

3. Start the Beacon Monitoring process somewhere in your mobile app.