A Bluetooth tag is a small battery-powered tag stuck or screwed onto a tool or piece of equipment. The trucks that carry it pick up its signal, so you can see which tools are on which truck and which ones were left behind. We fit and set up Bluetooth tags across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.
A Bluetooth tag, sometimes called a beacon or BLE tag, is a small sealed tag with a battery inside. It doesn't have GPS or a cellular connection of its own. It simply sends out a short-range signal that says which tag it is. When a reader comes within range, usually a fleet telematics device with Bluetooth or a phone running the provider's app, the reader reports that it can see the tag and where the reader is.
Because there is no GPS or cell plan in the tag, it is small, cheap and the battery lasts a long time. That makes it practical to tag dozens of tools per truck in a way that would never make sense with a GPS tracker on each one.
It can only be found when a reader is nearby. If a tagged drill is stolen and taken across town, nothing reports it until it comes near another reader on the same system. A Bluetooth tag tells you what is on the truck and where it was last seen. It does not chase a stolen item.
For something valuable enough to recover after theft, such as a generator, a trailer or a piece of equipment, use an asset tracker with its own GPS and cell connection; see our asset tracker installation page. Many fleets use both: trackers on the big items and tags on everything else.
Tags are fixed with adhesive, screws, rivets or a mounting bracket, depending on the item. Placement matters more than people expect. A tag has to stay clear of where hands grip the tool, away from heat, and on the outside of metal rather than buried behind it, because metal blocks the signal. On equipment that gets pressure washed or dragged through mud, the tag goes where it is protected and won't be scraped off.
Each tag is added to the tracking platform and named after the item it is on, then we check that the readers on your trucks pick it up where they should. Settings such as how often a tag sends its signal trade battery life against how quickly it is seen, so we set that to suit how the tools are used. Battery life varies by model and settings and is often measured in years. See all the types of GPS trackers and fleet systems we install for how tags compare with trackers.
Common questions
No. A tag sends a short-range signal, and a nearby reader, such as a telematics device on a truck, reports where it saw the tag.
Only if the tool comes near a reader on the same system. For theft recovery, use a GPS asset tracker with its own cell connection.
It depends on the model and how often the tag sends its signal. Many last a year or more.
The trucks need a reader, usually a telematics device with Bluetooth. Many fleet devices support it. We check yours first.
We install across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, at your yard, on your schedule. Call or text 803-513-1009.
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