The SPEDE Bluetooth Locator System uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, which can be affixed via magnet to a steel coil or a steel WIP container, to uniquely identify and track the coil or container's location. The SPEDE Bluetooth App, which resides on a PC, also automates and controls the tracking, picking, shipping and physical counting of each coil or WIP container to eliminate manual data entry, manual searching, and operator errors.
Key Features of the BLE beacon:
- Small Size (1.5"W x .5"H) is barely larger than a US quarter
- BLE beacon has a magnet for easy attachment to coil
- Long Battery Life (3 years)
- Replaceable internal button battery (CR2032)
- Extended Bluetooth transmit distance (up to 300+ feet)
- Internal Accelerometer inside Beacon wakes up on coil movement, and automatically triggers BT data transmission
- BLE beacon has an optional 2D barcode that can be scanned to associate the Beacon ID to the coil’s data, e.g., part nbr, heat, supplier, etc.
- BLE beacon transmits its unique Beacon ID to a SPEDE BT App on a handheld Windows 10 PC tablet, where the Coil Location database resides
- Optional WiFi support for multiple tablets and/or interface to a host computer system
Advantages of Bluetooth Beacons:
- Simple to use
- Inexpensive
- Precise - Data transmission occurs only when the target item is moved (Beacon wakes up)
- Earlier solutions used RFID tags on coils
- RFID reader often picked up signals from surrounding RFID tags resulting incorrect RFID reads and errors in picking, locating, shipping, inventory counts
- RFID tags are more expensive than Bluetooth Beacons
