Aug/Sept 2007

An autonomous, self-powered asset tracking system called BT Auto-ID Lite has been developed by BT Redcare. It combines a range of technologies including GPS (for location), GPRS (for communication), and RFID (for storing and communicating information about individual assets).

The product based on BT's existing Auto-ID RFID technology, but has been pared down for operators needing a more cost-effective option. The company says it is ideal for installation in remote or mobile environments that do not have power or data infrastructures, or where it is too costly to build those.

Ultra-long range active RFID tags from Wavetrend are installed on each tracked asset (construction plant, for instance), which can be anywhere within a relatively large site.

The tags communicate with a mobile tag reader and communication unit, which is positioned on the site for as long as the project requires it (for instance, throughout a construction programme or for the life of a contract).

 

The reader is said to able to perform without attention for at least two years. It sends information about the asset and its location by GPRS back to base, from where it is delivered to users via the Internet. The reader is able to achieve this long-life performance through the use of long-life battery technology from OxLoc, the data collection specialist.

Auto-ID Lite is being offered at two different pricing options per site. Prices for a three-year contract start at £119 per month for a reader and 30 tags, while for a six-month contract they start at £449 per month for one reader and 30 tags.