Using Bluetooth® Sensors and Gateway in Fleet Management
Bluetooth® Low Energy is a variant of the Bluetooth® technology used in many wireless consumer electronics. Designed for short-range communication, this technology can also be applied in fleet management to gather real-time and actionable data from vehicle components, enhancing data collection, diagnostics, and preventative maintenance strategies and accuracy.
Benefits
- Leverage the wealth of commercially available Bluetooth® Low Energy sensors to make smarter, data-driven business, and operational decisions
- Wireless communication means easy installation and no complicated component wiring
- Improve Driver Safety by monitoring vital vehicle components such as tire pressure
- Save money and reduce wear and tear on vehicles via preventative maintenance management
- Reduce fuel consumption and theft with fuel-level monitoring
How Does it Work?
Applying Bluetooth® low energy technology in fleet management requires a Bluetooth® gateway device and Bluetooth® sensors.
Bluetooth® Gateway Devices for Fleet Management
The G120 is an advanced fleet management device featuring both a GPS/GLONASS module for high-precision location tracking and Bluetooth® 5.0 module for Bluetooth® Low Energy sensor detection.
With multiple customizable inputs and outputs, the G120 is hardwired into vehicles for live vehicle tracking, driver behavior monitoring, driver ID, and optional out-of-coverage tracking / remote worker monitoring with an Iridium Edge module.
Bluetooth® Low Energy settings such as scan length and frequency can be configured in our Device Management platform, depending on the application.
Did you know we also manufacture two other GPS/GLONASS and Bluetooth® 5.0 gateways?
Remora2 – Weatherproof and rugged battery-powered GPS / Bluetooth® Low Energy 5.0 Gateway for unpowered assets
Eagle – Hardwired or battery-powered datalogger with customizable inputs, outputs and sensor interfaces for Agtech applications
Integrating Bluetooth® Low Energy Tags and Sensors with the G120
Proprietary sensors such as our SensorNode Bluetooth®, as well as third-party tags and sensors, are then integrated with gateways, enabling wireless communication between devices.
Bluetooth® Low Energy Tags and sensors send beacons, or small packets of data, every few seconds. Gateway devices detect these signals and transmit the data to a server for interpretation and reporting. Though our gateway devices require SIM and data packages to transmit data, Bluetooth® tags and sensors do not, making them an affordable sensor monitoring solution.
Bluetooth® Low Energy for Cold Chain, Vehicle Diagnostics and Preventative Maintenance
There are hundreds of Bluetooth® tags and sensors to integrate with! Below are a few examples of Bluetooth® Low Energy sensor monitoring in fleet management.
Cold Chain Management
The SensorNode Bluetooth® I ²C Interface can be used with a range of sensors including temperature, humidity, vibration, CO2, and more to monitor the condition of refrigerated cargo for compliance.
Fuel Level Monitoring
Measure a tank’s fuel level and volume to monitor consumption and theft.
Examples:
Technoton DUT-E S7 Fuel Probe
Escort TD-Bluetooth® Low Energy Probe Learn more about configuring fuel level sensors with the G120
Fuel Flow Monitoring
Measure the quantity and flow rate of fuel to optimize consumption.
Examples:
Technoton DFM S7 and DS7
Axle Load Meters
Designed for axle load control and cargo weight control.
Examples:
Right Weigh Exterior Bluetooth® Digital Load Scale
Tire Pressure and Temperature
Maintain the recommended tire pressure and temperature for safety and preventative maintenance. If tire pressure sensors are fitted – drivers don’t need to manually check tire pressure as part of their pre-start checks. In fact, attaching a pressure gauge will reduce the pressure a few PSI, as air is lost.
