Abstract: In embodiments of radio beacon for direction detection, a beacon differentiates a first packet in a sequence of packets for transmission. The beacon transmits the sequence of packets using an omnidirectional antenna and a number of directional antennas. The beacon transmits the differentiated, first packet using the omnidirectional antenna and transmits each of the other packets in the sequence of packets using a different one of the directional antennas for each transmission of the other packets. A mobile device receives the sequence of packets from the beacon and determines a direction of the mobile device relative to the beacon.