In an increasingly connected world, asset tracking has become an essential pillar for many industries. In 2024, this global market is estimated to be worth $23.20 billion and is expected to reach $43.34 billion by 2029, with annual growth of 13.30% over this period. These figures demonstrate the growing importance of tracking assets in real time, particularly in complex environments such as smart factories and connected industry.
Advanced asset tracking technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), are rapidly gaining ground in the manufacturing industry. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is emerging as a preferred technology for industrial asset tracking, thanks to its ability to provide accurate monitoring at low cost, while being energy-efficient. Optimised for industrial use and IoT applications, BLE enables data to be transferred and devices to be managed only when needed, helping to extend battery life. This approach makes BLE particularly suited to an environment where energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness are essential.
In this article, we explore why BLE is the technology of choice for industrial asset tracking and how it meets the growing need for real-time monitoring in a world where efficiency and value for money are essential.
What are the advantages of BLE technology in asset tracking?
Asset tracking offers a number of advantages for businesses in the process of digitalising their operations, and can be tailored to the needs of each organisation. The main benefits include a reduction in loss and theft, thanks to real-time geolocation of equipment, as well as improved stock and equipment management. This enables anomalies to be detected and improves the efficiency of internal and external operations.
In addition, asset tracking facilitates predictive maintenance by anticipating breakdowns and replacement needs, thereby reducing technical risks. This technology also improves working conditions by enhancing safety and simplifying inventories, saving time and avoiding human error.
Finally, asset tracking simplifies accounting by providing a precise view of the inventory, fixed assets and their depreciation, guaranteeing a true picture of the company’s economic situation.
Want to find out more? Check out our blog post : Asset tracking : a step-by-step guide
Faced with these growing needs, there are several technologies that can be used to track assets effectively. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is one of them, with a number of advantages that make it an ideal technology for tracking industrial assets. In addition to its energy efficiency, BLE has an adaptive range that can be adjusted to suit specific needs, whether for short-distance connections or over several tens of metres.
BLE also offers a high level of connectivity and interoperability, thanks to standard profiles that facilitate communication between different devices, from smartphones to IoT beacons. This compatibility makes it easy to integrate into existing systems. Finally, BLE incorporates enhanced security protocols, ensuring that data is protected during transmission, even in sensitive environments.
BLE uses cases in asset tracking
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) stands out for its many practical applications that optimise asset management in a variety of sectors.
Industry 4.0
The BLE makes it possible to monitor in real time the status and location of a variety of equipment, such as industrial tools, pallets or spare parts. This facilitates optimised stock management while reducing downtime, optimising productivity and predictive maintenance.
Smart Building
In smart buildings, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology is essential for measuring workstation occupancy rates and geolocating IT equipment. Thanks to BLE sensors, it is possible to detect the presence of employees in real time, making it easier to optimise spaces. What’s more, by attaching beacons to equipment, companies can track its location, improving asset management and security. In Smart Buildings, BLE is also used to measure comfort parameters such as temperature and humidity.
Healthcare
The BLE provides precise geolocation of small and medium-sized medical equipment, from small instruments such as syringe pumps to larger devices such as beds and wheelchairs. This technology helps to optimise the internal organisation of hospitals and improve equipment availability.
Transport et Telematics
It is also possible to track the opening of lorry doors, as well as the geolocation of container lorries at airports, enhancing the security of goods. BLE also makes it easier to identify passengers and drivers, while optimising fleet management and the user experience. As with smart buildings, this technology can also be found in temperature and humidity monitoring.
Construction
In the construction sector, the BLE is used to track and locate tools as well as small equipment (e.g. power tools) or large equipment (e.g. cranes). This helps to improve site efficiency and operational safety.
Smart Agriculture
In connected agriculture, BLE makes it possible to monitor farm equipment in real time, optimising its use and performance.
BLE is therefore emerging as a key technology for meeting the specific needs of each sector in terms of asset monitoring and management.
What are the alternatives to BLE in industrial asset tracking?
BLE vs BLE Mesh
In industrial asset tracking, BLE Mesh technology presents a different approach to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It uses a mesh network in which each connected device can act as a relay, creating a self-organising and particularly resilient network. This type of network is useful in complex industrial environments where it is necessary to track a large number of assets spread over vast areas. BLE Mesh, unlike standard BLE, is less responsive and can take minutes to transmit information, compared to BLE which responds in seconds.
Although suitable for short-range local communications, BLE Mesh is therefore not ideal for scenarios requiring immediate responsiveness, although it remains useful for indoor tracking of objects on an industrial site. Its lack of standardisation may also limit its interoperability with other systems and devices.
BLE vs AOA
AOA technology, which is also used for industrial asset tracking, offers much greater accuracy than BLE thanks to the use of the Angle of Arrival (AoA) method. Unlike BLE, which uses the RSSI signal to estimate a position with an accuracy of a few metres, AOA enables real-time localisation with an accuracy of less than one metre, ideal for tracking critical machinery or expensive equipment in industrial environments.
However, this increased accuracy requires a more expensive network infrastructure, with fixed antennas installed at strategic points in the plant. The choice between AOA and BLE will therefore depend on the accuracy requirements of the application and budgetary constraints.
BLE vs Wi-Fi
In the industry, Wi-Fi is another alternative to BLE for asset tracking. Wi-Fi, although suitable for environments where high volumes of data need to be transmitted over long distances, has the same range as BLE. It is also suitable for devices requiring low power consumption and short-range coverage.
For industrial asset tracking, BLE is often the preferred choice for sensors requiring long autonomy and low power consumption. Thanks to its interoperability, BLE also integrates well with existing Wi-Fi networks in industrial smart building asset management solutions.
BLE vs RFID
BLE enables bi-directional communication with smartphones and other compatible devices, facilitating interoperability between various IoT systems.Thanks to this connectivity, it is widely adopted in environments where dynamic and scalable solutions are required, such as industry and logistics.
RFID, on the other hand, works by passive or active reading, requiring a dedicated reader to interrogate the tags.While passive RFID is commonly used for short-range tasks such as tracking inventory in shops or warehouses, its field of action is limited, often to a few centimetres or metres depending on the frequency used. The advantage of RFID lies in the simplicity and low cost of passive tags, which do not require a power source. This makes it an attractive technology for environments where large numbers of items need to be tracked at low cost.
In terms of applications, BLE is preferred for more flexible and scalable solutions, especially in contexts requiring real-time, long-range tracking. RFID, on the other hand, is better suited to static environments and for short-range tasks or those requiring low-cost tracking.
BLE vs UWB
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) are two technologies used for asset tracking, but they differ in terms of accuracy and use cases.
BLE is favoured for its flexibility and energy efficiency. Thanks to its low-power beacons, it can track assets over vast areas with a range of up to several dozen metres. BLE offers sufficient accuracy to locate objects to within a few metres, making it ideal for environments where relative location accuracy is sufficient, such as warehouses, hospitals or industrial sites. What’s more, its interoperability with IoT systems and low cost make it a widely adopted technology in sectors requiring an affordable, easy-to-deploy solution.
On the other hand, UWB excels when millimetre-level accuracy is required. Unlike BLE, which is limited to an accuracy of a few metres, UWB can locate assets with an accuracy of up to a few centimetres, even in complex environments. This technology is therefore particularly well suited to industries requiring the tracking of critical assets where ultra-precise localisation is essential, such as robotics, hospitals for monitoring medical equipment, or the management of autonomous vehicles in factories.
However, UWB has a higher power consumption than BLE, which may limit its use for battery-powered devices in the long term. In addition, its implementation cost is generally higher, due to the specific infrastructure and tags required. As a result, BLE remains a relevant choice for applications requiring extended autonomy and reduced cost, while UWB is preferred for environments where location accuracy is a critical factor.
Why choose BLE over the alternatives?
BLE offers a number of advantages over other technologies used in industrial asset tracking. Unlike Wirepas and Quuppa, BLE is an open and widely recognised standard, making it easy to integrate into existing systems. Compared with Quuppa, BLE offers a more cost-effective solution for levels of accuracy that are often sufficient, without the need for a costly infrastructure. Finally, compared with Wi-Fi, BLE is much more energy-efficient, making it ideal for devices requiring long autonomy, such as sensors and beacons.
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What are the recent and future developments of BLE in asset tracking?
The new version 6.0 of the Bluetooth specification, which will be launched in 2025, marks a significant step forward for this technology. It offers significant improvements to existing functionalities, such as announcement channels and isochronous channels, while incorporating major innovations for location-based services. These developments continue to broaden the scope of Bluetooth applications, offering interoperable and secure performance.
One of the new features of Bluetooth 6.0 is the introduction of Bluetooth Channel Sounding, which enables the distance between two Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices to be measured precisely. This mechanism improves location accuracy, crucial for applications such as asset tracking, by minimising multipath effects and providing enhanced security against attacks. The new extended feature set functionality at the link layer also enables devices to exchange capabilities, maximising interoperability.
Bluetooth 6.0 promises a significant improvement in transfer speed, range and energy efficiency, bringing it closer to the performance of UWB (Ultra Wideband). In addition, it incorporates precise localisation capabilities, reducing the UWB’s advantage in this area. With compatibility extended to existing devices, Bluetooth 6.0 could supplant UWB in many consumer use cases.
