How Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Technology Is Used In Construction
Use BLE tracking tags and IoT devices to automate asset management on the job sites, in the yard, warehouse and service trucks.
You get an accurate assets location and usage reports 24/7 with no manual labor involved.
How BLE Tags Help With The Construction Asset Tracking
In order to track construction tools and equipment you need to attach BLE tags to the trackable assets.
A BLE tag advertises an asset identifier. This ID number is picked up by a smartphone or a dedicated IoT gateway.
The big plus of BLE tags is that they work with the mobile devices you
use every day: smartphones, tablets or laptop computers. Therefore, if you do not want to invest in the dedicated IoT gateways, you are still covered.
Company employees with smartphones or tablets can do the job.
Bluetooth is a more advanced option than
construction equipment and inventory tracking
that works with the QR codes. When using QR codes, you need to locate and scan each asset or inventory item, with the mobile phone or a scanner.
Unlike QR codes, BLE tags can be bulk scanned. You can add all materials and assets within the mobile phone range to the batch with one click in the mobile app.
Bluetooth (BLE) Devices For The Construction Asset Tracking
You will need several types of BLE devices for the real time construction tools and equipment tracking.
You need BLE tags that are attached to the asset. You need an IoT gateway or a smartphone to
scan for the BLE tags and send data to the remote cloud software. Finally, you may need Bluetooth IoT sensors to monitor asset conditions.
BLE tags
BLE tags
are small plastic tags that you can attach to all types of construction assets, from small tools to heavy construction equipment.
BLE tags that come with the
Bluetooth asset tracking system
are
waterproof and durable. You can use these tags in the harsh outdoor environment, such as construction sites.
These BLE tags have a good scanning range and a long battery life.
IoT gateways
A
Bluetooth IoT gateway
serves as a bridge between BLE tags and a back end cloud software. An IoT gateway has both Bluetooth low energy and wifi or cellular data connection capabilities.
A gateway can detect BLE tags in its range, process the data and send to the remote cloud server using wifi or data connection.
With an IoT gateway you get real time reports 24/7 without a need for the company employees to scan QR codes, or get involved in any
kind of the asset tracking.
A Smartphone Or A Tablet
If you prefer company employees to manage assets and inventory on the job sites, or do periodic asset audits, you can skip IoT gateway and use a
smartphone or a tablet instead.
Any mobile phone or tablet running iOS or Android will work. An employee can take asset count on the site, or record asset relocation with one
click in the mobile app. No scanning or even locating of the assets is needed.
Bluetooth IoT Sensors
You may need to use
BLE IoT sensors if your
job site assets and inventory should be stored at the specific temperature and humidity conditions.
With the
IoT temperature and humidity monitoring system
you have remote conditions monitoring 24/7. You can keep track of the conditions on the multiple job sites via a single web dashboard.
You can set the acceptable temperature and humidity range for each materials and asset group. You receive an instant alert if the values reported by the IoT sensors
are out of range.
How BLE Construction Asset Tracking Works In The QR Inventory Software
A
QR Inventory system
uses modern technologies for the efficient construction asset management.
You can choose a lower cost
construction inventory management
option
based on the QR code scanning, or a more advanced BLE asset management.
BLE Asset Tracking On The Job Sites In Real Time
Asset Tracking With BLE Tags And A Smartphone
BLE tags allow company employees to record construction assets between the job sites and the yard or warehouse
with one click in the mobile app.
It makes no difference how many assets you need to move - one click adds all of them to the batch.
Out of all IoT asset tracking options Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is the only one that you can use with the regular mobile phones, both iOS and Android.
You can use Bluetooth technology for field asset tracking in several different ways.
You can do a continuous equipment location monitoring using a smartphone with the mobile app running in background.
This option would be similar to the GPS asset tracking, and will give you geographic coordinates of the trackable assets.
You can also use BLE tags for the bulk scanning with a smartphone, which would be similar to RFID asset management.
You can find more information on
Bluetooth asset tracking options here.
BLE tags attached to the equipment, pallets, cases and totes make them detectable by a smartphone within 10+ meter radius.
A mobile app uses this capability for the bulk inventory and assets updates.
Instead of looking for the QR code or barcode and scan each asset one by one you
can bulk scan all assets sent to the job site with one click in the mobile app.
Status update takes seconds regardless of how many assets are being moved between locations.
Data captured in the mobile app is sent to a back end cloud software in real time.
Authorized software users can check equipment deliveries and usage on all job sites on the office computers via the web dashboard.
Asset Tracking With BLE Tags And An IoT Gateway
You can use a
Bluetooth IoT gateway
for a fully automated construction asset tracking. An IoT gateway plays a role of an employee with a smartphone who can track job site materials and assets 24/7.
A gateway
detects equipment and pallets that enter and leave a monitored zone, whether on a construction site or in the yard,
and sends data to the back end cloud software.
If you have sensitive assets and materials that should be stored at certain conditions, you can use Bluetooth IoT sensors to
remotely
monitor temperature and humidity.
Set temperature and humidity range for inventory and asset groups, and receive alerts if values reported by the sensors indicate a problem.
Use IoT sensors to prevent properties, equipment and materials damage on the job sites.
An Asset Tracking Backend Cloud Software
A mobile app is only a part of the BLE construction asset tracking system. A mobile app is linked to the back end cloud software.
A cloud software and a central database allow for the live updates and real time data access by all software users.
Set Up Construction Asset Tracking Process Based On Your Needs
A
QR Inventory software gives you the flexibility
to set up an asset tracking system for your construction projects according to your needs and budget.
You can customize many aspects of your process using a cloud software web interface.
Custom Asset Transactions
You can create custom asset transaction types that are valid for your business.
Add steps that you use in your business, such as:
- receiving materials in the warehouse
- assets and inventory allocation for the construction projects
- delivery to the job sites
- assets and materials usage
- return of assets and unused materials
- and more...
A choice of asset management devices
You can choose asset tags, scanners and gateways
that fit your needs.
A QR Inventory software supports various smart tags: barcodes, QR codes, NFC tags and BLE tags.
For the asset tracking by the company employees you can use
smartphones or tablets
running iOS or Android, mobile computers, or Bluetooth barcode scanners.
You can also use an IoT gateway for a fully
automated construction equipment tracking and conditions monitoring.
Custom data collection for assets and inventory
You can specify what do you want to track, record and report in the asset management software.
Field employees will be able to fill out the forms in the mobile app when recording
a transaction.
The data may include a job number, project number, PO number, vendor info,
a photo of the installed asset for visual documentation,
an employee signature, etc.
Readily accessible construction equipment documents
You can define what info you want to keep track of in the software, and which data should be available in the mobile app to the job site workers.
You can add all types of data, including images and pdf documents.
Equipment info can be accessed by the authorized software users in the field with one scan. Equipment info is also available on the
office computers via the cloud software web interface.
Track assets across multiple locations
You can track construction assets and materials in multiple locations of different types:
- Permanent storage locations, such as a warehouse, a shop or a yard
- Dynamic locations, such as service trucks and
job sites
- Temporary, short lived job sites that you scan in from a QR code
- Company employees
Customizable assets dashboard and reports
In the QR Inventory software you can select which data are most important to you. You can then show this data on the cloud software dashboard.
All custom fields that you choose to display on the dashboard are searchable. The searches are preserved through the sessions, so that you can see
the most important info as soon as you log into the software.
Real Time Reports
Review up to the minute asset tracking reports via the cloud software web dashboard. Some of the available reports are:
- Construction inventory stock. Review current materials stock in all locations, in the field and in the office. Set min and max stock levels
globally or per location, and receive automatic low inventory alerts.
- Construction tools and equipment locations.Check where construction equipment and tools are, for what project they are being used and who
checked them out.
- Assets usage timeline for the job site billing. Check where equipment was used during any given time period in the past,
when, for how long and the total cost for the job site billing.
- Asset and materials usage history. Review construction assets and materials movements in details. Check what did you receive in the warehouse,
what was delivered to the job sites and used.
Reports include dates for each transactions, quantity, prices, and who did this transaction. You can check all extra data that were collected in a mobile app.
The data may include images taken with a smartphone camera, and electronic signatures captured on a mobile phone.
- Construction materials usage per job. The reports show you what was used for each job, when and how many. You also get a monetary value of the
materials used for each job.
You can filter data by dates, custom fields, transaction types and properties. Use these filters to receive the exact info you need.
- Low inventory reports. Check which locations has low stock level and what do you need to order.
- Analytical reports. Check assets and inventory usage statistics and trends.
- ... and more
BLE Construction Asset Tracking Software Alerts And Integrations
Asset Tracking Integrated With Procore Project Management Software
You can use an advanced BLE construction asset tracking together with the popular projects management system - Procore.
You can link any transaction type that you created in the QR Inventory software to the Procore daily logs. When you process a linked
transaction in the mobile app, a daily log entry is created in Procore. No manual entries in Procore delivery or quantity daily logs are needed -
everything is recorded automatically.
Learn More
Custom Alerts, From Low Stock To Equipment Maintenance
Make sure that your construction business is running smoothly with the QR Inventory software alerts system.
Timely alerts ensure that you have enough materials for the current
construction job. You can be sure not to miss equipment inspections and maintenance.
Get instant alerts if something goes wrong. You can determine it by the outlier value in a form submitted by the job site employee, or
by using IoT sensors.
Some of the alerts that you can create in the QR Inventory system are:
- Low stock. You can set min and max stock level globally and by location, and receive alerts when
inventory falls below re-order point. You get a list of materials with the current stock quantity, re-order point and what you need to
order to get to your desired stock level.
- Preventive maintenance. Set a preventive maintenance schedule for the construction equipment,
and receive alerts when the
next PM or inspection is due.
- Warranty expiration. Receive alerts when warranty on your construction equipment is about to expire.
- Construction jobs PO. Set a due date on the purchase orders, and receive alert if the PO is
not fulfilled by the due date.
- Out of range values. Get notified if a construction equipment inspection reveals
an outlier that requires
immediate attention.
- ... and more
