A technology startup company that has its roots in Vancouver, Canada has created the world’s first personal beacon system. Signul, the name of the company which was created from the Internet of Things (IoT) Design Shop, will sell a small battery-powered beacon alongside a smartphone app.

In the retail world, beacons send signals to cell phones whenever they are within a certain range, but only if that cell phone has a specific app installed. The apps response to that beacon signal may be to display a coupon or tell customers about certain promotions going on within the store.

Signul has made beacons more personal, by allowing users to place beacons in their homes, offices and cars. With the Singul app, you can program your cell phone to perform certain actions when entering or leaving a beacon zone. For instance, you can program your Signul to know when you leave a room and automatically turn off the lights while turning on the lights in the next room you are heading too. You could also instruct it to open a navigation app as you approach your car.

Beacons have a distinct advantage of GPS location services because of their ability to micro-locate the Bluetooth signal it receives. The range for beacons can be as small as one meter in diameter or as large as 30 meters. These ranges will help when installing multiple beacons in a small home or an apartment.

Signul is still in its testing phase but has already raised over $34,000 out of its original $25,000 goal on Indiegogo. The personal beacon is one of the many things beacons will help us out with in the near future. Check out some of the other experiences you can expect from beacons here.