Asset tracking is increasingly becoming the new lever that seems to turn any business around in terms of asset management, operations, optimization, security and inventory control.
From IT, Logistics, Aviation, Retail to healthcare, education, and parking management; everyone is catching up to new technological advancements like RFID, BLE, QR code, Barcode etc.
What do you mean by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)?
Bluetooth low energy technology is a wireless mechanism that is designed for low power consumption tracking solutions. Any BLE device with Bluetooth 4.0 or above, like mobile and laptop, can receive signals and track a BLE beacon/tag.
“A BLE tag enabled asset can be identified and tracked up to 100m over the air data rate of 1-3 Mbit/s at par with UHF Active RFID tags”.
With less power consumption and small size batteries, BLE devices are an ideal choice for long term tracking of assets.
BLE vs RFID:
A BLE tag uses wireless transmission of data over Bluetooth and can be read by multiple devices at a time. With low energy consumption, BLE tags tend to be a long lasting, cost effective investment.
RFID (Radio frequency identification) technology is completely different than Bluetooth Low Energy. RFID employs a RFID tag, an antenna and a RFID reader to meet the tracking needs.
In RFID system, the RFID readers receives radio wave signals with data coming from the RFID tag attached to assets and sends the read data to a display front.
RFID tracking is used in logistics business heavily.
Customer experience is also enhanced by providing real time updates on asset movement and delivery on mobile apps.
Asset Tracking Using BLE and RFID:
Bluetooth Low Energy and RFID, both technologies are used in asset tracking in various businesses.
BLE can be used for asset tracking in small businesses which have small stores or inventory. Implementation costs being low is also a factor. It can keep track of real time location of assets in a business and optimize business operations.
RFID tags are employed in tracking large merchandise/ consignments (mostly) going distances, with strategically placed RFID readers. RFID tracking is used in logistics business heavily.
Customer experience is also enhanced by providing real time updates on asset movement and delivery on mobile apps.
BLE and RFID for Asset Management:
Asset management which often involves inventory control, asset tracking and auditing among many other critical processes can be a challenging task when done manually.
By introducing automation in business operations this can be done effortlessly, even with limited man power.
RFID and BLE are such technologies designed to automate aforementioned challenging work like Asset Management.
BLE tags for organizations, which rely heavily on indoor asset movements, is a game changer. Smaller size and low weight of BLE tags make it ideal for attaching to and tracking smaller assets.
It can also detect asset usage and asset maintenance can be scheduled accordingly which results in better asset management.
Inventory control can also be managed by tagging assets with BLE beacons that transmit signals on regular intervals (adjusted as per need).
RFID is equally capable and Passive UHF RFID tags are used to identify, track, sort and manage assets in an inventory. With handheld UHF RFID Readers, the task is simplified as well. RFID readers can read hundreds of RFID tags in a second, without error, which makes RFID an ideal choice in large warehouses where asset movement is frequent.
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