CONSTRUCTION
Lightweight Asset Tracking Beacon with Extended Battery Life
HARDWARE | FIRMWARE | MOBILE/WEB APPS | EMS MANUFACTURING
Project Overview
Designed a compact, portable asset tracking beacon capable of running for 6 months on a single charge, intended for use across construction sites and large warehouses. The system ensures secure tracking, theft detection, and location auditing of high-value equipment through static scanners and periodic updates.
Client Requirement & Objectives
Extended Battery Life for Harsh Environments: The beacon needed to operate for at least 6 months without recharging to ensure uninterrupted asset tracking across sprawling construction zones.
Precise Location and Auditing: Assets had to be auditable daily, with real-time updates on their location and alerts generated if they were left unattended or went missing for prolonged periods.
Movement & Theft Detection: The system required motion-based tracking where increased beacon activity would help detect unauthorized movement or abandonment of assets.
Cloud-Connected Static Scanners: Static scanners were to be installed across multiple sites and warehouses, communicating with beacons hourly to report and sync data with the backend servers.
System Design & Build
Low Power BLE Beacon Architecture: Designed using ultra-low-power BLE modules with deep sleep modes and wake-on-motion functionality to balance battery life and responsiveness.
Smart Beaconing Logic: Configured to transmit signals once every hour during idle periods and more frequently when motion is detected, reducing unnecessary energy consumption.
Scalable Backend Integration: Developed a cloud-based backend to receive, interpret, and log beacon pings across all site scanners, enabling seamless asset handovers and movement tracking.
Compact & Durable Hardware Enclosure: Housed the electronics in a rugged, lightweight enclosure resistant to dust and impact, suitable for rough on-site conditions.
Project Tech Stack
Key Challenges & Solutions
Power Consumption Management: One of the primary challenges was achieving a 6-month battery life. This was resolved by optimizing beacon intervals and leveraging motion-triggered active states.
Backend Responsiveness & Syncing: Managing beacon data from multiple sites in real-time and ensuring consistency in alerts required building a robust data coordination and sync mechanism on the backend.
Alerting on Missing Assets: Built logic into the server to raise alarms if a beacon wasn’t heard from for a defined time period, indicating potential theft or mishandling, and integrated health status reports for proactive maintenance.
Client
Succorfish is a technology company that aims to offer precise, dependable, and cost-effective monitoring technology that can operate in the most extreme and remote locations on earth.
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