Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons have become a valuable technology for adding location tracking capabilities to your hazardous areas. With the right planning and configuration, BLE beacons can provide accurate indoor and outdoor location. This allows organisations to cost-effectively add location tracking of personnel and assets whilst reducing the total cost of ownership. This article provides practical guidance on deploying BLE beacons to achieve optimal tracking performance. It covers indoor and outdoor setup considerations, best practices for beacon placement, and configuration tips for maximizing location accuracy. What is the difference between a beacon and anchor? For trilateration purposes it is recommended to use beacons. A beacon is simply a term used to describe a fixed beacon that is contributing to a tag’s position. An anchor is typically the term used when discussing Wirepas Mesh networks. […]
Assets, such as equipment and vehicles, are the pillar of many businesses, and tracking asset-specific metrics is a crucial element of efficiency, productivity, and cost management. Asset tracking systems can help you gain better visibility of equipment in general, as well as ensuring that they are being used effectively. Traditionally, asset tracking systems were manually logged on spreadsheets. This left room for human error and meant spreadsheets needed to be constantly updated. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of asset tracking systems that are fully automated and how they work, and how they can seamlessly integrate into your workflow. What is an Asset Tracking System? An asset tracking system is placed on high-value assets such as tools, mobile equipment, portable storage racks, and vehicles. These tags offer asset visibility by sending short bursts […]
Ultra-high radiofrequency identification – often abbreviated to UHF RFID – is an increasingly popular technology for asset management applications. UHF is one of the fastest growing RFID technologies and operates in the frequency band from 300 MHz to 3 GHz. This subsequently poses a range of choices to prospective end users including active versus passive UHF RFID, fixed or portable tag readers, conventional PDAs versus modern smart devices, and so on. This post is designed to provide some clarity for those considering a new, fully integrated asset management solution suitable for the age of process digitalization. Here we will explore how a handheld UHF RFID tag reader coupled with passive RFID tags can help you streamline critical business processes. Fixed Vs. Portable UHF Tag Readers The obvious and most pertinent difference between a fixed and […]
Born of a need for automatic product reading at the point of sale in retail environments, barcodes have become an integral means of rapid asset identification across a wide industrial spectrum. Process engineers in oil and gas industries use barcoding to effectively manage inventory equipment. Chemical inventory barcodes allow users to identify container contents without risk of human error. Barcoding is even being used in conjunction with blockchain to combat ethical and traceability issues in the mining industry. Mobile barcoding can help companies in each of these segments improve efficiencies and maintain a competitive edge in increasingly digitized marketplaces. Unlocking the full potential of this technological transition requires workforces to be equipped with high-efficiency mobility solutions like Bluetooth barcode scanners. What is a Bluetooth Barcode Scanner? A Bluetooth barcode scanner is a mobile barcoding solution […]
Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is a powerful tool for asset tracking and inventory management. It is extremely efficient and fairly simple to implement, making it one of the go-to solutions for automatic identification and data capture (Auto-ID) systems. You simply tag assets with small radio transponders which are encoded with identifying inventory numbers, and read these digital fingerprints using dedicated RFID tag readers. Whitepaper Download: Do Passive RFID Tags need Hazardous Area Certification? Introducing UHF RFID Tag Readers RFID tags are typically classified as either active or passive, referring to whether or not they contain an on-board power source. They can also be distinguished by their operating frequencies. Low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio signals can all be utilised by RFID systems, covering a nominal range from around 125 kilohertz (KHz) […]
The safety of workers, whilst always important, is moving higher up the list of priorities for investment. Workers in process industry environments face a variety of risks over and above their counterparts in other industries. ‘Hazards of the job’ are that much more serious, with a higher potential risk. Falling objects, exposure to dangerous substances, fire, and explosion of flammable gas and dust are potential threats and whilst large-scale disasters are thankfully rare, they still occur. It is unlikely that any one location technology ticks all of your boxes, and there is no silver bullet. Hybrid location technology is the only practical solution to the complexities of the use cases in the process industries. It involves using two or more location technologies as part of the same solution: To deliver wider coverage with reduced infrastructure […]