Active vs. Passive Geofencing: Key Differences Explained

This article explores the distinctions between active and passive geofencing, building upon a fundamental understanding of what geofencing is and how it works.

What is Geofencing?

A geofence is essentially a virtual boundary or perimeter established around a real-world geographic location using a digital mapping service like Google Maps. This perimeter is configured to monitor when a person, child, or asset enters or exits the defined area.

The shape of a geofence is typically circular, but more complex polygon shapes can also be utilized. When the pre-defined entry or exit criteria are met, a specific action is triggered. This often takes the form of a notification, such as an SMS message, sent to registered mobile numbers. This entire process is known as Geofencing.

Geofences can represent various boundaries, such as school zones or neighborhood limits. The technology behind geofencing leverages GPS, cellular technologies, and WiFi to track devices against these defined geofences. Bluetooth positioning technologies are also employed in some cases.

Geofencing Operation

Active Geofencing

• Requires the mobile application to be open and running on the user’s device to function.
• Heavily relies on GPS positioning technology.
• Tends to consume battery power more rapidly.
• Can be less accurate and more susceptible to bugs or errors.
• May deliver sub-optimal results for both retailers and consumers due to its limitations.
• Suitable for a broad range of applications where user interaction is expected.

Passive Geofencing

• Designed to operate continuously in the background, even when the app is not actively in use.
• Does not typically rely on GPS positioning for location detection.
• Designed to be unobtrusive to the user experience.
• Often used for collecting customer data without direct user interaction.
• May be challenging or impossible to use for directly delivering advertisements to shoppers.