The Overview
Trackunit, a provider of fleet-management technology, has tapped Silicon Labs’ Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) modules for connectivity in its Trackunit Kin asset-tracking product. The product aims to help global construction companies better manage their tools with intelligent wireless technology.
Who Needs It and Why?
Construction is a highly complex art, and its practitioners seek to constantly improve productivity and cut costs in ways that don’t impact the quality of the end product. Part of that productivity boost comes through keeping accurate track of relatively small assets in large construction sites. Failure to do so can result in schedule delays and a ballooning budget. As in other industries, wireless connectivity through the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the dynamics and modes of operation in construction.
Under the Hood
Trackunit’s Kin product uses an easy-to-deploy, compact, and self-powered tag to bridge the gap between large machines and smaller accessories. Kin enables the entirety of a site inventory to be connected and tracked via Trackunit’s Iris secure, open, cloud-based productivity platform. In addition to tracking the assets, Kin also collects thorough data on those assets, allowing users to monitor and evaluate which equipment is under-utilized or needs to be reallocated.
Here’s where Silicon Labs’ EFR32BG22 Bluetooth 5.2 SoC modules fit in: They enable secure, wireless communication between the Kin tags and the Iris platform and meet the unique requirements of high-volume, battery-powered Bluetooth products while also bringing high energy efficiency to the table. With annual Bluetooth device shipments forecast to surpass six billion by 2025, Silicon Labs designed these modules to meet the fundamental need for secure connectivity and extremely low power consumption in the billions of Bluetooth-enabled IoT devices coming in the next couple years.
Kin uses Silicon Labs’ EFR32BG22 Bluetooth 5.2 SoC module. Additional Kin features include:
- Find My Asset: Deploys the mobile app anywhere in the field to locate an asset
- Lost Mode: Provides the ability to set an asset to ‘Lost’ and send a notification when the asset is found
- Pairing: Tracks the utilization of machine attachments and tools
- LED indicator: Identifies a specific asset by activating the LED light on the tag