Geotab IOX-BT: What It Does, Specs and Uses

What Is the IOX-BT?

The IOX-BT, model GXSBT1, is a small Bluetooth Low Energy reader that plugs into the expansion port of a Geotab GO device. Its job is to listen for beacons. Each beacon is a small battery tag stuck to a piece of equipment, and when the vehicle carrying the IOX-BT is near that tag, MyGeotab records it. When the tag drops out of range, that is recorded too.

The current version came out in February 2025, and Geotab keeps a separate document for the older IOX-BT. It works with beacons that broadcast a public MAC address, and with certain sensor beacons that also report light, temperature and impact. The vehicle tracks itself; the IOX-BT tells you what was on board.

The reader is a small overmolded radio on a short lead; the tags it listens for are separate battery beacons fixed to the equipment.

What Does the IOX-BT Do?

Beacon presence logging. Records when a beacon enters range and, after 30 seconds unseen, when it leaves.
Up to 60 beacons in range. One vehicle can watch a large tool inventory at the same time.
Sensor beacon data. Select beacons add battery level, illuminance, temperature and impact count.
No pairing step. No MyGeotab setup is needed to tie a beacon to a database or vehicle; detection is automatic.
Multi-vehicle visibility. If two trucks are near the same beacon, both log it, which helps locate a tool left at a shared yard.
Filtering options. Custom parameters can limit logging to BeWhere beacons, Geotab BLE protocol beacons, or both, to keep data volume under control.

What Do Fleets Use the IOX-BT For?

Service and trade vans carry expensive tools that tend to get left behind on job sites. With a beacon on a drain inspection scope, a generator or a meter case, the office can see when an item stopped riding with the van and roughly where that happened.

Construction companies move small equipment between trucks and sites all week. Beacon logs across several vehicles show which truck last had a laser level or a compactor, which shortens the search when something goes missing.

Delivery and logistics fleets can tag returnable containers, carts or totes. A sensor beacon's impact count can flag rough handling, and its light reading can show when a case was opened.

Utilities and field crews can use presence data to confirm a truck left the yard with required safety kits on board.

The van logs every tagged item near it; once a tag goes quiet for 30 seconds, MyGeotab records the item as out of range.

What Are the IOX-BT's Key Specifications?

Spec	Detail
Model	GXSBT1
Compatible GO devices	All GO9B and newer, including variants
Bluetooth	BLE 5.1
Beacon capacity	Up to 60 in range
Range	Under 100 m in range; over 200 m out of range
Nominal input voltage	12 V / 24 V
Current	52 mA operating, 100 mA max, 0.5 mA sleep
Temperature rating	-40 °C to +80 °C
Weight / length	35 g / 390 mm overall
Housing	Black moisture-resistant thermoplastic overmold
CAN	500 kbps for daisy chaining

What Should Installers Know About the IOX-BT?

This is one of the simpler IOX installs, but Geotab still calls for a certified installer, and our technicians handle it as one. With the GO device unplugged, the 90 degree USB connector goes into the expansion port in its one correct orientation and gets a light cable tie. Placement matters more here than on most add-ons, because the reader is a radio. Geotab recommends an open spot, and tucking it deep behind metal dash structure will cost range. It can be held with a cable tie or double-sided tape; tape needs a clean, dry surface at 18 °C (65 °F) or warmer and a firm 60 second press. Beacons go on the equipment where they will not get knocked off. After the GO is plugged back in and the vehicle started, communication is checked through MyInstall using the 12-character serial. If other IOX units are in the chain, only the last one keeps its termination shunt.

Who Is the IOX-BT Right For, and Who Should Choose Something Else?

The IOX-BT fits fleets whose losses come from small, movable items that travel in or near a vehicle. It reports presence near a GO-equipped vehicle, not a location of its own, so a beacon sitting in an empty lot with no truck nearby will not report. Trailers and powered equipment that sit for long periods away from vehicles are usually better covered by a battery-powered asset tracker. Note that the IOX-BT cannot share a GO device with the IOX-KEYLESS.

What Are Common Questions About the IOX-BT?

Will it pick up any Bluetooth tag?

It detects beacons that broadcast a public MAC address in a supported format. Logging of all public beacons is a parameter that is off by default, because turning it on can quickly exceed the beacon data limit. Filtering to BeWhere or Geotab protocol beacons is available.

Where do we see the beacon data?

In MyGeotab's Measurements report under Maintenance and Diagnostics, along with each beacon's MAC address. It is also available through the MyGeotab API for custom reporting.

How fast does it notice a missing tool?

A beacon is marked out of range after it has gone unseen for 30 seconds, so the log shows close to when the item and the vehicle parted.

We bring the IOX-BT out to your yard, fit a reader in each van and place beacons on the equipment you care about most while we are there. Call 803-513-1009 or request pricing on Get a Quote, and tell us how many tools you want watched.

Sources: Geotab Support, IOX-BT installation document; Geotab blog, IOX expansion; Geotab Support, IOX-KEYLESS document. GEOTAB is a registered trademark of Geotab Inc. API Signal is an independent installer and is not Geotab.

Every Geotab Product →Trackers, cameras, asset trackers and IOX add-ons. Get a Quote →The IOX-BT supplied and installed on one written quote.

Geotab IOX-BT