Pozyx Bluetooth (BLE)
Asset Tracking
Unlock Real-Time Visibility with Bluetooth Asset Tracking: Efficient, Scalable, and Cost-Effective
Imagine having real-time insights into the location and condition of your assets—anytime, anywhere. Bluetooth Asset Tracking, powered by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), makes this possible by enabling a seamless tracking solution that’s affordable, energy-efficient, and scalable. With Pozyx’s advanced asset tracking platform, you can monitor assets both indoors and outdoors, optimize workflows, prevent losses, and improve operational efficiency.
Whether you’re tracking transport carts, equipment, or operator movements, Bluetooth Asset Tracking offers a smart solution tailored to your needs.
How does Bluetooth Asset Tracking work?
Bluetooth Asset Tracking is a system that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to monitor the location and status of assets in real time. BLE tracking works by transmitting radio signals in the 2.4GHz ISM band between small devices like beacons or tags attached to assets and Bluetooth receivers, which capture the data. The data is then sent to a central management system for tracking and analysis. Unlike traditional Bluetooth, BLE is designed for low power consumption, allowing tags or beacons to operate for long periods on small batteries.
Top Applications of BLE Asset tracking
Inventory Control
Manage inventory levels for your assets such as equipment, pallets, crates or containers in real-time.
Condition Monitoring
Monitor location and condition of your assets including temperature, humidity, open/closed status, etc...
Increase asset utilization
Track the utilization rate of your assets based on how frequently they are being moved. Monitor usage and availability, and improve operational efficiency.
Cargo Monitoring
BLE tags attached to cargo track shipments in real time, providing location and condition information for perishable or sensitive goods on the road.
Bluetooth Asset Tracking with Pozyx
Pozyx can provide all the key components of Bluetooth Asset Tracking including BLE beacons or tags, which are placed on assets, and receivers (also known as gateways) that capture the signals emitted by the tags. The management software processes the data from the receivers to provide insights into asset location, movement patterns, and conditions.
Various ways to deploy a BLE asset tracking system with Pozyx
1. Indoor BLE Tracking and monitoring
The Pozyx RTLS (Real-time Location System) infrastructure can capture BLE advertisement signals and calculate the position. This position is then made available over an API or sent to the Pozyx Asset Management Platform. The Pozyx RTLS can support various different BLE protocols including iBeacon and Eddystone, but also proprietary frame formats. Furthermore, the RTLS infrastructure can also serve as a BLE sensor network to capture and filter sensor data transmitted by bluetooth sensors in range.
With the Pozyx RTLS positioning engine, it is possible to achieve an average BLE location accuracy of 5m, and its possible to position well over 4000 BLE tags per second in real-time on a single location server. The infrastructure supports both UWB and BLE such that both technologies can be used together.
2. Proximity-based indoor and outdoor BLE tracking
Whenever it is not desirable to install fixed infrastructure, an alternative solution is possible by using proximity-based localization. In this case, positioning accuracy will be very rough as the tag location is mapped to the location of a single device in range (which can be up to 100m) with a known location.
Two alternatives are possible:
- Using fixed BLE Beacons: A small set of battery-powered BLE beacons are installed on-site. They will transmit short signals. The trackers can then scan for BLE beacons in range. They will send this data to the cloud using a cellular technology such as 4G or 5G. These trackers typically combine GPS and Wifi scanning as well in order to provide seamless indoor and outdoor positioning. Update rates are limited to a few updates per hour in order to conservere batteries.
- Using BLE gateways: In areas of interest, a battery-powered wireless BLE gateway is installed which captures BLE signals from tags nearby. This data is then wirelessly sent to the cloud using 4G or 5G technology. Update rates are also limited to a few updates per hour. These gateways also have GPS, which allows it to also be used inside moving vehicles to scan all BLE tags present in the vehicle.
Not sure which approach is best for your use-case? Contact our experts for help!
Pozyx Asset Tracking Software
POZYX PLATFORM
Pozyx provides comprehensive Bluetooth-based asset tracking solutions with real-time location monitoring and advanced management features.
- Asset Tag utilization and other KPI's: Tracks asset usage, location, dwell-time and other key performance indicators (KPIs) to optimize resource management and efficiency.
- Geofencing: Creates virtual boundaries to trigger alerts or actions when assets enter or leave predefined zones.
- Seamless Indoor and outdoor mapping: Ensures continuous tracking of assets as they move between indoor and outdoor environments, integrating both spaces into a single map.
- Bluetooth Location analytics and reporting: Analyzes location data to provide insights into asset movement, usage patterns, and operational efficiency with detailed reports.
- Advanced Alerts and triggers: Configurable alerts notify users of specific events, such as unauthorized movement, low battery, or geofence breaches.
- Open API's: The system allows for easy integration with your ERP, WMS or other system.
Available BLE Tags
Pozyx can provide a variety of 3rd party Bluetooth tags in various shapes and sizes. Typically, they offer multi-year battery life with update rates every few seconds. The update rate is configurable to suit your specific use-case. Both BLE4.0 and BLE5.0 is supported (2.4GHz ISM band) as well as various packet formats such as iBeacon and Eddystone.
Typical 'assets' to track with an indoor positioning system
When to Choose Bluetooth Tracking over other Technologies?
Compared to other tracking technologies like RFID, GPS, and NFC, Bluetooth offers a balance between range, cost, and energy efficiency. While GPS provides global tracking and RFID can be very accurate over short distances, Bluetooth is ideal for medium-range tracking, typically within 20 meters. However, Bluetooth tracking systems are limited by interference from physical obstacles and signal range, making them less suitable for long-range or highly precise tracking compared to alternatives like GPS.
With Bluetooth indoor location tracking, the typical accuracy is around 5-10m. If better accuracy is required, ultra-wideband technology is recommended which has a positioning accuracy of about 10cm. Below you can see the comparison between UWB and BLE location tracking in a logistics warehouse that uses the Pozyx RTLS. In this comparison you can see the location estimation of the same trajectory using BLE and UWB, with the results from UWB representing the actual trajectory very accurately.
Use the slider to see the comparison between BLE and UWB for location tracking.
Conclusion
Ready to transform your asset management strategy? Bluetooth asset tracking offers an accessible, cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. Start small, scale as needed, and watch your operational efficiency soar! Contact us today to begin your journey!
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