5 Reasons AirTags Fall Short for Tracking in Industrial Settings

I'm often asked why can’t Apple AirTags be used to track industrial assets. That's a very legitimate question. After all, that's the whole purpose of these handy little devices right? To track stuff. Whilst these are a fantastic invention for tracking personal items like keys, wallets and suitcases, they have five significant limitations in industrial applications:

1) RANGE

? An AirTag only works when it's within Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) range (around 3 metres) of an iOS device. Whilst us city slickers could be around at least 10 iPhones at any point in time, the same can't be said for industrial assets that are often moving through less populated areas. Even in metro locations, assets such as bins or stillages won't have Apple devices in range in order to report their location.?

? A stand-alone tracker will use GPS or WiFi information to calculate its location and report that location without any other dependencies almost anywhere in the world.

2) BATTERY LIFE

? An AirTag uses a non-rechargeable battery that lasts approximately 1 year. Sure, they’re designed to alert you to when they need replacing but you might not see your industrial assets for months at a time and you won’t get that alert.

? On just 2 x AA batteries you can expect an optimised GPS tracker to last in the field for at least 5 years. On a large fleet of assets that's a significant reduction in administrative overhead keep your devices alive and alert. A tracker with a flat battery is no good to anyone!

3) ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

? An AirTag has no built-in fleet management capabilities. The only method to locate AirTags is the "Find My" App and you’re only ever looking at one device at a time. That’s only one limitation. What if you want other people to see the locations?

? To optimise the utilisation of you industrial fleet you need a platform that will not only show you dots on a map but also allow you to visualise your assets as a fleet. See where your asset utilisation can be improved and be alerted to any suspicious or exceptional movements.

4) PRIVACY

? When a random phone is used by an AirTag to identify and transmit its location, the owner of that device receives notification alerting them to the fact an AirTag is in the vicinity. This information could be used to advertise the existence of your valuable goods that you’re tracking.

? An industrial grade GPS tracker’s core function as an inconspicuous device independently identifying its location and securely transmitting to an enterprise tracking platform ensures you’re the only one who knows the whereabouts of your assets.

5) DATA LIMITATIONS

? AirTags only provide location data. They do not provide temperature, shock, or other condition monitoring, which are often critical for industrial asset tracking.

? Knowing where your assets are is not even half the picture. With a full featured platform and latest tech tracker not only will you confidently know where your asset is located but also where it’s been, where it came from and whether it’s had a rough ride along the way.

To track your personal assets AirTags are great and for an easy to use, easy to deploy asset tracking solution without these limitations check out AssetInsight from Thinxtra.

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