Accuracy Level of Bluetooth Tracking Tags
When choosing an asset tracking system, accuracy and precision are important to consider. This is particularly true for companies operating in the manufacturing and healthcare industries. Being able to swiftly locate the exact location of an asset in a huge warehouse will increase efficiencies. If wandering patients in a hospital are accurately and precisely tracked, it could save lives. But just how accurate does this system need to be? Most customers believe the more precise the better. This isn’t always true. The requirements of an asset tracking system will largely influence the level of detail needed. For example, you may only need room-level accuracy when searching for a piece of equipment in a hospital. Staff members know what a defibrillator looks like. It’s unnecessary to have a Bluetooth tracking system that shows staff the precise location of said equipment. They will see it as soon as they enter the room. A manufacturer of defibrillator parts may want shelf-level precision with their positioning system because the warehouse floor and shelf levels are expansive.
Iottag Bluetooth tracking tags and smart beacons are infinitely scalable to meet the needs of any business. Their cloud-based platform enables companies to choose the level of accuracy and precision required for a perfectly optimised asset tracking system. “Just right precision” is the ability of a system to offer different levels of accuracy depending on demand. Iottag has developed two apps, namely ATLAS and BlueCare, which assist with balancing asset, equipment and staff tracking. Their Bluetooth tracking tags come in various sizes to meet the tracking needs of any client. From assessing patient flow data to tracking fleets, Iottag has a solution.
Different asset tracking technology
There are other asset tracking technologies that offer greater precision and accuracy than Bluetooth Low Energy tracking systems. Ultra-wideband or UWB is one of the most precise asset tracking technologies available today. It can locate any item with centimetre-level accuracy. The application of UWB provides extreme efficiency, especially within industries that require such depth. The biggest problem with UWB, and a good reason to avoid using it, is the cost of infrastructure is astronomical. Installation of the readers is time consuming because of the volume required. Moreover, complex buildings like hospitals and airports render this technology unusable simply because the installation of infrastructure wouldn’t yield a positive return on investment. It’s enough for a biomedical engineer to know the room number for a piece of equipment; they don’t need centimetre-level accuracy.
Iottag leverages Bluetooth Low Energy to produce asset tracking tags that are accurate but cost-effective. They are used in the healthcare industry for asset tracking, wayfinding within the hospital, staff tracking and wandering patient monitoring. Being able to locate equipment or patients at room-level is enough for most hospitals to increase efficiency and save lives. Their tracking tags communicate with fixed BLE beacons to calculate their own position relative to said beacon. Using this information, they can provide metre-like accuracy to users. Why is this beneficial? Bluetooth beacons are inexpensive and boosting the accuracy of such a systems is a simple matter of installing a few more devices. By doing this, Bluetooth asset tracking tags can provide more precise without dramatically increasing the cost. Companies will see a boost in their ROI because staff productivity and customer satisfaction will increase.
Use Bluetooth Low Energy for cost effective asset tracking
Wi-Fi based trackers are another alternative to Bluetooth asset tracking tags and smart beacons; however, they are still an expensive choice. Most smart buildings and warehouse facilities are Wi-Fi-enabled, so infrastructure wouldn’t be an issue, but Wi-Fi tracking tags are expensive. Using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth together is best. Iottag’s Bluetooth Low Energy tracking tags also use GPS and RFID technology for greater asset tracking. GPS enables users to track assets off-site in real time, while RFID technology lets users load critical data onto the tags. This is not only important for fleet tracking but also for equipment maintenance. Once biomedical staff have located a piece of equipment, they can scan the Bluetooth tracking tag for all necessary information, like when it was first used, the name of manufacturer or when it was last serviced. This information is stored on Iottag’s cloud-based platform, which creates detailed reports on all data. This helps business improve asset tracking practices, but also gives insight into customer engagement. Visit iottag.com.au today for more information on their products and services or to speak with a consultant. Iottag has a solution for any industry.
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