How LoRa is Helping Partners Push Boundaries in Asset Tracking

Asset tracking used to be synonymous with mere theft prevention. Today, it's about weaving efficiency into the operational fabric of businesses. Innovations like the LoRa Edge^TM platform are enabling companies to: 

1. Revive Lost Assets: Misplaced or stranded goods? Asset tracking is now a beacon, guiding businesses to swiftly recover these items, catapulting operational efficiency to new heights. In their smart wearable badges form factor, they can also assist to recover people and objects in case of an emergency. 

2. Make Insightful Connections: Marrying device condition with location data isn't just smart; it's revolutionary for insurance claims and asset management, offering a panoramic view of asset health and utilization. 

Why Should We Care About Asset Management?  

For a start, it helps to make supply chains far more efficient. Also, as global regulations tighten, the need to safeguard perishable goods or pharmaceuticals has never been more critical. Asset tracking technology is now turning the cold chain into a high-fidelity, real-time monitored network where we can know the condition of package contents. 

Smart Packaging also dovetails nicely into this trend, where any product’s packaging is not simply a container, but also a smart, cost-saving asset, and when coupled with sustainability and traceability, we’re also seeing reduced waste. This is because asset tracking can help us to understand how various packaging performs across different scenarios, which can lead to more effective designs. We’re also seeing increasing numbers of clients tracking assets like shipping crates and pallets, which allows for insights like ETA and distribution trends. That's the future we're stepping into; not just locating where something is, but delivering smarter, more efficient services anywhere in the globe. 

Companies that use asset tracking elevate their customer relationships by offering transparency, visibility and security. It increases trust and shows reliability. 

The LoRa Edge platform is a beacon in the asset tracking space, offering a versatile solution for a myriad of applications. Its long-range connectivity (Terrestrial and Satcom) is achieved thanks to Semtech’s third generation LoRa transceiver IP with market leading link budget. The chip incorporates integral GNSS receiver and a Wi-Fi passive sniffer, enabling best in class power consumption as it offloads the power intensive geolocation position computation to a cloud solver, making it an ideal choice for diverse indoor and outdoor asset management solutions. Minimizing power consumption allows trackers to extend battery life as much as 10 years and achieve OpEx reduction by eliminating costly batteries replacements. Cloud applications can offer fine grain power control, adjusting the tracker behavior along its journey and balance performance and TCO for each segment. Below are just a few of the incredible partners using Semtech technology in their cutting-edge asset tracking products. 

Tektelic's Stork and Chickadee: Tektelic has introduced two innovative products: Stork and Chickadee. Stork, an industrial-grade tracker, delivers unparalleled reliability in asset tracking, providing precise location data for heightened operational efficiency and enhanced security. Chickadee, a cutting-edge LoRaWAN® device, revolutionizes personal tracking with GPS, BLE, and WiFi positioning, enhancing personnel safety and security. 

Seeed's T1000 Series and LPWAN Asset Tracker Dev Kit: The T1000 series from Seeed targets multi-network connectivity, including LoRaWAN and Amazon Sidewalk featuring Semtech’s LR1110 and Nordic’s nRF52840 BLE microcontroller. These low-cost, credit card size devices serve multiple use cases, such as theft protection and wearable smart badge, and are notable for their versatility. 

Digital Matter's Edge Series: Digital Matter introduced the Yabby Edge LoRaWAN Tracker along with a series of cellular trackers including the Yabby Edge 4G, Oyster Edge 4G and the Barra Edge 4G, All of which leverage the ultra-low power indoor/outdoor positioning enabled by the LoRa Edge platform, maximizing battery life while maintaining minimal size and cost. 

Centegix's Wearable Emergency Button: Centegix has developed a wearable emergency button that provides precise location information, crucial for quick response times in emergencies. 

Dracula's Battery-Free Tracker reference design: Dracula Technologies has introduced a groundbreaking battery-free tracker reference design based on Semtech’s LoRa Edge platform. This tracker, powered by Dracula's Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) cells, demonstrates the feasibility of autonomous geo-location trackers that work both indoors and outdoors without batteries. 

Echostar Satellite IOT Module: The EM2050 is a LoRaWAN compatible module utilizing Semtech’s Long Range - Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (LR-FHSS) technology coupled with EchoStar Mobile Satellite IoT communication infrastructure enabling large-scale deployment in areas with poor or non-existent terrestrial network coverage.  

Murata Modules: Murata offers precision and efficiency in a compact Ppackage: Size and efficiency go hand-in-hand with the Type 2HZ incorporating Semtech’s LR1110 and SiLabs EFR32BG24. Its compact dimensions make it a perfect fit for a myriad of applications without compromising on performance. Delivering unparalleled RF performance, Murata modules shorten time to market and reduce product development and certification risks. 

Browan, Truvami, Mimiq, Asiczen, Milesight, Osaka NDS, and Moko are other notable examples of partners who have been instrumental in advancing the field. Mimiq stands out with its user-friendly and efficient tracking solutions, tailored for a variety of applications. Asiczen's expertise lies in transforming complex designs into user-centric products and their IP67-rated Prack tracker can be worn by animals (collars, belts, harnesses) and offers real-time location, timestamp, temperature, movement, collar-tampering (cutting), and other relevant information. Milesight excels in integrating advanced IoT technologies into practical tracking devices, offering robust and reliable solutions. Lastly, Osaka NDS‘s BRICK eIoT LoRaWAN Starter Kit offers temperature and humidity sensing. Energy harvesting controllers such as the Renesas RE01 and the Atmosic ATM3202 introduce sustainability and TCO optimization when matched with solar cells such as Exeger’s Powerfoyle and Ricoh’s Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC), optimizing power generation efficiency under weak light source making them suitable for indoor and outdoor applications. Together, these partners and others (see: AWS Partner Solutions Finder), are qualified for AWS Device Location, exemplify the diverse and dynamic nature of our collaborations, each playing a pivotal role in pushing the boundaries of asset tracking and IoT solutions. 

As we navigate the new frontier of IoT asset tracking, technologies like the LoRa Edge platform are leading the way, transforming how businesses view and manage their assets and turning challenges into opportunities for efficiency and security. Try it out for yourself today at http://locator.loracloud.com – purchase a tracker, choose a network and see the power of LoRa Edge™ in the palm of your hand.  The service is free to use for evaluation. Once you’ve given it a try, if you want to build your application, head over to www.loracloud.com or if you’re an AWS user, you can use AWS IoT Device Location.