Some Ways To Track Assets By Using Bluetooth Beacons

Since BLE beacon technology advances, service contractors will be able to utilize their abilities to monitor people and assets at the service locations and the workplace in new and innovative ways. Bluetooth beacon can get employed in various situations where security and janitorial companies work.

Bluetooth beacon debuted in 2013, providing app developers with a new approach for determining where clients were in a physical location. Beacons were inexpensive, and practically every major smartphone manufacturer implemented BLE technology. This offered advantages over positioning systems, such as GPS, which depleted mobile phone batteries and were inefficient indoors.

Once a company decided to deploy beacons, the standard procedure was to install beacon devices across the building and use sensors to determine when a client with a BLE technology smartphone was nearby. While this solution allows for proximity-based process and interaction triggering, it comes with the drawback of requiring all staff to have a smartphone.

As beacons become more widely used in applications including human and asset tracking, a variety of novel methodologies and applications are emerging. Let’s read some of the benefits and drawbacks of each.

1. Fixed Beacons And Roaming Smartphone Devices Are The Most Prevalent Approaches

Mounting beacons to a fixture that is permanent (usually the walls or ceilings) and having a mobile application check for beacons that are present nearby is the most frequent method of using them. When a Bluetooth low energy beacon gets detected by a mobile device, it can either activate an app experience depending on the user’s location or just record the interaction for analysis.

Examples From Real Life:

• Security personnels get tracked in real-time as they pass through checkpoints throughout a site.
• Workers in facilities that are high-profile such as airports and shopping malls get monitored in real-time.
• When a client reaches a region that has very high risk, the site’s alerts or safety material is triggered.
• Reminding people to keep regular maintenance in a specific area.

Advantages:

• There is no need for expensive installation or wiring.
• Uses current smartphone devices to provide continuous location monitoring, even when the application is closed.
• A low-cost method of identifying numerous locations or zones.

Drawbacks:

• It depends on all clients having access to a mobile device.
• All users must download a mobile application.

2. Asset Proximity Identification: Roaming Smartphone Devices And Asset Beacons

Beacons can get used to detect when a client is near a location, but these can also get utilized to detect when a customer is near a physical item or an asset. You can initiate interactions or procedures when a user running an app gets within range by “tagging” assets with a BLE beacon.

Examples From Real Life:

• When a worker approaches risky or difficult equipment, provide immediate safety or instructional content.
• Keeping track of who was the last individual using the equipment and keeping a detailed audit of how it gets used.
• Keep track of how the company’s cars and equipment get used.
• Count adjacent assets quickly and keep track of their mobility across places.

Advantages:

• No hardware infrastructure deployment is required.
• Read surrounding assets without having to scan them individually.
• Contextual information about neighboring objects gets provided.
• Connections between assets and users get recorded automatically.

Disadvantages:

• Without various sensors, it is impossible to provide location awareness.
• All users must download and install the mobile application.

3. Tracking Asset Location: Roaming Asset Beacons, Static BLE Receivers

Among the most recent uses for which beacons have been employed is asset tracking. This technology outperforms traditional tracking systems, such as RFID in some cases, which has aided the development of BLE transmitters. These systems get placed permanently and continuously monitor the atmosphere for Bluetooth beacons or the BLE signals. The BLE receiver provides information to a remote server over Wi-Fi or mobile data when a designated asset is near.

Examples From Real Life:

• Real-time monitoring of all hospital equipment and vital machinery.
• Vehicle tracking when people enter and exit property or a designated region.
• Follow the flow of items through the building of an office.
• Luggage carts can be tracked throughout an airport and alerted when they are leaving a defined area.

Advantages:

• Many assets can get automatically tracked.
• BLE receivers that are hardwired do not require batteries and can give more regular readings.
• With several receivers, a two-dimensional location is achievable.

Disadvantages:

• Mounting gets required where power can get accessed.
• Reliable cellular data or Wi-Fi is required.
• Costs of hardware and installation are higher.

4. The Hybrid Strategy: Roaming Mobile Devices And Asset Beacons, Fixed Beacons, And BLE Receivers

To integrate the advantages of both static beacons and static receivers, a hybrid technique can get used. This is useful in situations where coverage is restricted and additional receivers are required.

Examples From Real Life:

• Cleaning and asset tracking in a hospital setting, with additional receivers, integrated into the centers for storage for regular asset monitoring.
• BLE receivers offer location data and staff devices offer updates of location throughout the airports and in parking areas, allowing carts to get tracked within an airport.

Advantages:

• More precise tracking of assets and users.
• Maximize deployment efficiency and coverage while lowering hardware costs.
• As you discover areas where mobile phone users are not very active, gradually boost the number of BLE receivers.

Disadvantages:

• Deployment and setup costs

Summing Up!

Finally, we can say that asset tracking through a Bluetooth beacon helps in hospital management. By determining the exact location of the asset position, you can optimize the usage of medical devices and boost doctor performance. You can also track the location of your employees in real-time to cut down on wasted time. It can also help manufacturing companies increase worker efficiency by studying their movements. For the best management, you can also concentrate on the transportation of commodities. You can effortlessly manage your assets and supervise your employees with beacon asset tracking.