BLE-based secure tracking system proposal

• Published in: Wireless networks 2024-08, Vol.30 (6), p.5759-5770
• Main Authors: Hernández-Goya, Candelaria, Aguasca-Colomo, Ricardo, Caballero-Gil, Cándido
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cellular telephones; Communications Engineering; Computer Communication Networks; Control systems; Cryptography; Drone aircraft; Drones; Electrical Engineering; Electronic devices; Engineering; Internet of Things; IT in Business; Networks; Privacy; Reliability; Security; Smartphones; Surveillance; Tracing; Tracking control; Tracking devices; Tracking systems; Traffic accidents & safety; Wireless networks
• ISSN: 1022-0038; 1572-8196
• DOI: 10.1007/s11276-023-03347-z

As communication capabilities of mobile devices continue to advance, ensuring reliability and security has become increasingly crucial. The aerial tracking system presented in this paper provides a useful solution for tracking and tracing objects in various scenarios. To ensure reliability and security, the system incorporates appropriate mechanisms, including Lightweight Cryptography, to prioritize confidentiality and integrity. The Android component of the system has two modes of operation: Tracker Mode, running on a smartphone mounted on a drone (RPA), and Client Mode, running on mobile devices on the ground. In Client Mode, users transmit their positioning and trajectory information via Bluetooth Low Energy beacon mode, which is then relayed to the server backend via the 4G/5G network once the RPA enters an area with coverage. The system provides a reliable and secure solution for situations where tracking and tracing are essential, such as the supervision and control of public areas with capacity control or tracking and localizing people in isolated environments.