Hardware
A certified Wi-Fi, BLE and cellular module with a GPS expansion board and a battery-backed real-time clock, powered over USB.
All projects
Asset tracking
Cellular Wi-Fi tag reader
A low-cost reader that listens for Wi-Fi asset tags, stamps each sighting with time, GPS position and signal strength, and reports it over cellular so customers can locate their tagged equipment.
- Industry
- Asset tracking
- Our role
- Architecture, platform, firmware, cloud data
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi scan, GPS, LTE Cat-M1
- Cloud
- AWS and customer API
Tags
Wi-Fi beacons from tagged assets
Reader
Scan, timestamp, GPS and signal strength
AWS cloud
Sightings stored and forwarded
Map and API
Customer locates each tag
The challenge
The tags already broadcast Wi-Fi beacons. The client needed a reader cheap enough to deploy widely, with a $50 BOM target, that could turn those beacons into location data.
Firmware
Scans for tag beacons, records signal strength, adds a timestamp and GPS fix, and batches sightings for upload. The reader also reports its own position on a configurable interval.
Cloud and software
Sightings sent over cellular into an AWS backend and on to the customer's API, where signal strength and position are used to triangulate each tag.
Key decisions
Client name and confidential details are withheld under NDA.
- Fastest path to a working readerThree platforms were compared on parts supply, cost, example code and development time. The certified module won, with the option of an external antenna.
- Accurate time between GPS fixesA battery-backed real-time clock keeps sighting timestamps correct even before GPS locks.
- Updates in the fieldAn over-the-air firmware update path over cellular was planned so deployed readers can be improved without a site visit.
Asset location dashboard
A reader driving a loop around an equipment yard on a live street map: the tags it hears, how strongly, and the sightings it sends to the cloud.
This dashboard is an illustration built for this site. Every value is generated in your browser; no client data is shown.
Building something similar?
Tell us about your product, from the board to the dashboard. We'll reply with next steps and a rough plan.