James Bond, der berühmte fiktive britische Geheimagent, nutzte in mehreren Filmen GPS-Tracker. So nutzte er beispielsweise im Film “A Quantum of Solace” einen GPS-Tracker um den Verbleib einer gestohlenen Handgranate zu verfolgen. Das die in Film gezeigte Technologie in der Regel nichts mit der Realität zu tun hat ist klar, doch das was lange noch als Fiktion galt, ist heute Realität und allgegenwärtig. Ob im Fitness, um das Haustier zu finden oder das Auto nachzuverfolgen, die kleinen Helfer sind in vielen Bereichen unseres Lebens zu finden. Aber was sind Tracker eigentlich und wie funktionieren Sie?

A tracker is a combination of software and hardware that collects and monitors data to track movements in the real world. There are many types of trackers that can be used in different environments. For example, they are used to track objects, display real-time location information or monitor vehicles.

How does it work?

A tracker is basically a hardware combination consisting of sensors, telematics and an energy supply. The sensors record physical parameters such as temperature or acceleration. Corresponding telematics modules ensure that the data can be forwarded, while the energy supply in the form of a battery or accumulator ensures that the device can be operated wirelessly.

In most cases, the data is forwarded to a cloud platform via a receiving station. Receiving stations can be a server, a smartphone, a Gateway or any other device connected to the internet. The cloud platforms then store and analyse the data in real time and visualise the data in clear dashboards.

The type of tracking solutions varies depending on the provider and the use case. Some solutions offer basic functions such as monitoring location data or movement records; others are very powerful and offer real-time visualisation and detailed reporting functions. Choosing the right solutions thus depends on the use case - so it is important to check which function is best suited for your specific case.

What is a tracker used for?

Trackers are useful for many different purposes, including:

• Tracking of goods and deliveries;
• Preparation of traffic statistics;
• Detection of accidents;
• Locating vehicles;
• Review of progress in achieving specific goals;
• Documentation of temperature;
• Precise timing for sporting competitions, etc.

Basically, it can be said that they help to increase resource efficiency and improve employee productivity - which can ultimately help to uncover cost-saving potential and boost sales figures. Therefore, they have become indispensable in many ways.

In the construction industry, extensive inventories and the parallel handling of many projects are not uncommon. Maintaining an overview is a real challenge. In this article, we explain how you can simplify the administration process by digitizing your equipment management.

Construction project management and the associated logistics, i.e. getting equipment and goods to the right place at the right time, is a mammoth task. The many parallel project locations and a large number of changing players provide many sources of error in the exchange of information. It is therefore not uncommon for equipment and goods to be unused and available in excessive quantities at project sites, while they are urgently needed elsewhere. In addition, project sites often exchange equipment among themselves without having passed through a central warehouse beforehand. It is almost impossible to maintain an overview. This in turn leads to unproductive time and significantly increases search times. In the worst case, costs are even incurred for the superfluous acquisition of new equipment or new purchases due to losses.

Digitize device management through tracking

Device management in construction is a big lever for efficiency and effectiveness in construction. IoT devices operate this very lever. By equipping equipment with trackers and equipping warehouses and construction sites with gateways, construction companies obtain digital inventories. On the one hand, the software makes it possible to see which devices or goods are in the warehouses at the current time, which devices are at which construction site, or where a device is currently located. This also makes it possible to track the relocation of equipment between projects.

Time saving thanks to live inventory

Digitizing equipment management optimizes the logistics process in the construction industry on various levels. On the one hand, this actively reduces search times, because the location of a piece of equipment can be found out with just a few clicks. This makes time-consuming phone calls or even searches a thing of the past. On the other hand, it significantly reduces non-productive time, thanks to the faster provision of equipment.

Automated prescription on projects

The time savings are also noticeable in administration. The tracking system posts devices to the corresponding projects completely automatically. This significantly reduces the administrative effort and prevents incorrect bookings.

Reduction of the inventory according to demand

Acceleration and climate sensors installed in the trackers provide information about the utilization of equipment. In this way, historical data can be used to avoid superfluous new purchases or even to optimize the equipment fleet according to need on the basis of the data.

Conclusion

It has long been clear that digitization is not a trend, but a task that will take a lot of work off our hands in the future in our private and, above all, our business lives. It goes without saying that the integration of IoT systems and trackers involves investments. But those who take the step will quickly realize the enormous added value that digital helpers can deliver. Because information can be retrieved with just a few clicks, automated processes in the background and the considerable acceleration of communication ensure that device management is only a secondary matter.

Logistics is one of the largest and most dynamic industries and therefore also one of the industries that benefits most from digitalization through IoT solutions. But in which areas are IoT solutions used and which solutions are available? Find out in this article.

Logistics, i.e. the planning, coordination and control of the flow of products, raw materials and information, is indispensable for the economy. In Germany alone, the logistics industry turned over around 279 billion euros in 2020 (source: Statista - Sales of the logistics industry in Germany), making it one of the three largest industries in Germany. Hardly any other industry holds more potential for the use of intelligent solutions, because countless process data are generated along a supply chain. In other words, there are countless opportunities to network processes and optimize operations.

But why is the digitization of logistics so important?

The logistics industry has been on a growth course for years, with Corona playing a major role in the industry's 26.5% growth in 2020. Further growth is also expected in the coming years thanks to e-commerce. The increased volume requires companies to work ever more efficiently. This in turn requires transparent processes, because efficiency depends heavily on the clarity and networking of a supply chain. There are numerous advantages that networked supply chains bring with them:

• Cost savings: The avoidance of unnecessary transport, optimization of delivery routes and better capacity utilization ensure cost savings. In addition, inventories can be optimized and the associated costs reduced.
• Increased speed: One of the most significant advantages of digital logistics is speed, which can be significantly increased through full networking. Digital solutions collect data, evaluate it and deliver optimized results for storage or transport.
• Reduction of error-proneness: Digitization replaces paper and analog planning charts. This reduces sources of error and processes can be called up digitally at any time.
• Environmental protection: Digital assistants report optimal routes as well as suggestions for improving the driver's driving style.

What are the options?

IoT systems can add value to logistics processes in a wide variety of places. In the area of freight, for example, goods are networked with trackers or beacons. This prevents loss or damage to the goods and provides transparency along the entire supply chain. Trackers can provide great added value, especially in the area of food logistics. The continuous recording of temperature and humidity by means of sensors fulfills fully automated documentation requirements for temperature-controlled transports. At the same time, the trackers ensure the safety of the food.

The IoT also makes everyday life easier in transport vehicles. Here, data on the status of vehicles can be used to maintain them in advance (predictive maintenance). This saves costs and, above all, time-consuming breakdowns.

Not least in the area of order picking, IoT systems speed up processes. Here, for example, pick-by-light systems ensure higher speeds by providing visual signals to indicate the correct compartment to the pickers. More comprehensive systems also indicate the correct number of items.

The possibilities are many and the ever-increasing volume of goods to be processed requires the logistics company to work ever more efficiently, because outdated technologies and processes are no longer competitive.

When dealing with digitalization, smart cities or the Internet of Things (IoT), the importance of energy-efficient wireless technologies is obvious. In this context, we are increasingly hearing about the LoRa or LoRaWAN radio standard. But what is it actually and how does it differ from other radio technologies?

First of all, we need to look at the big picture. LoRaWAN stands for "Long Range Wide Area Network", which means network with a long range. The network was developed specifically for the IoT (Internet of Things), i.e. the networking of objects and machines. As a rule, it consists of three components:

1. Sensors and LoRa transmitters (Colloquially also called "end node"): Capture data and send it to a gateway via LoRa.
2. LoRa Gateway: Receives data from the sensors and forwards it to a server.
3. Server/Cloud: Receives, processes and visualizes data.

LoRaWAN thus describes the entire structure of the network and the communication between the individual components.

LoRa Lora, on the other hand, stands for "Long Range" and refers to the radio technology that enables the communication link over long distances. The radio technology is used exclusively in the communication between the sensors and the gateways.

What about the security of wireless technology?

Due to the high energy efficiency of radio technology, it is possible to operate devices for very long periods of time despite radio. It is therefore important that the technology's security mechanisms are future-proof. LoRaWAN therefore uses standardized end-to-end encryption algorithms. The data to be transmitted is therefore encrypted on the sender side and only decrypted again at the receiver. The key required for this is exclusively in the possession of the receiver. (Source: LoRa Alliance)

Operation in private or in community network?

The open source principle of LoRaWAN enables operation both in one's own network and the use of so-called community networks. If you only want to operate in a limited area, it can make sense to operate your own gateways and servers. If, however, one is dependent on an extensive network, one can, for example, fall back on the community network "The Things Network (TTN)".

The Things Network (TTN)

The Things Network is a global, open and decentralized network funded by a community. The goal of the TTN is to establish a global IoT radio network based on LoRa. So anyone who is part of the TTN and operates their own gateway also supplies their surroundings and contributes to a nationwide radio network. In this way, private individuals can also contribute to coverage.

Comparison with other wireless technologies

Wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and WLAN achieve maximum ranges of up to 100 meters under optimum conditions. In most cases, this is not sufficient for industrial applications, since company premises or construction sites often extend over larger areas. In addition, transmitting with WLAN requires about three times as much energy as transmitting with LoRa, making it rather unsuitable for battery-powered sensors.

Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) radio technology is also one of the trend setters in the IoT. It is equally convincing in terms of energy efficiency and a long range. Nevertheless, the technologies differ in many respects. The biggest difference is in the structure of the network. While the network structure of LoRaWAN in most cases consists of sensors, gateways and servers, NB-IoT relies on an existing mobile network. Thus, all that is needed is a compatible sensor. The network for data exchange is provided by telecommunications providers. However, this means that costs are incurred in the form of data tariffs (SIM card) for using the network.

	LoRa	WiFi	NB-IoT	Bluetooth
Frequency	868 MHz	2,4 GHz 5 GHz	800 MHz 900 MHz 1800 MHz	2,45 GHz
Building penetration	+	–	+	–
Energy demand	+	–	+	+
Operating costs	+	+	–	+

The benefits

• High range of up to 10 km
• Good penetration of buildings. Reaching basement rooms or goods in freight containers is possible without any problems.
• Very low power requirements ensure maximum battery life for the sensors.
• LoRaWAN is open source. So there are no license fees or charges for data transmission.

Possible applications

With its long range and low power consumption, LoRa is particularly suitable for sensors or applications in which small amounts of data are sent at long intervals. This includes, for example, control commands, status messages or updated sensor data.

In the smart city sector, for example, this can be used to monitor parking space control with parking space sensors. In addition, waste containers can be equipped with fill level sensors so that waste disposal companies can optimize their routes.

In the field of logistics, LoRa sensors can be used for tracking goods or transport monitoring.

LoRa sensors are also ideal for fleet management or asset tracking, i.e. monitoring goods or equipment.

Examples of application in practice:

Digitization is in full swing. One buzzword that is heard again and again is IoT, but what is IoT and what does it do?

Networking is already part of everyday life in many areas. But especially in our lives. For example, it is completely normal for us to share pictures and posts on social networks, or for our smartwatch to provide us with daily information about our fitness status. The Internet of Things now aims to transfer precisely this degree of networking to all other physical objects. However, it is not possible to give a universally valid definition for the Internet of Things, because it has an astonishing diversity. However, the basic structure is identical in most cases and consists of the following components:

• Objects
  The starting point of the Internet of Things is objects to be monitored or connected.
• Sensors
  The sensors attached to the objects, record data.
• Communication
  There are various models for transferring data. Well-known wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and WLAN are often used. Technologies such as LoRa® and NB-IoT are also being used more and more frequently.
• Infrastructure
  Cloud platforms collect and store the data. It is here that the actual added value of the Internet of Things develops. This is where the evaluation and conversion of data into information takes place.

Which industries can benefit from the IoT?

There are virtually no limits to the areas of application for IoT solutions. Almost in every industry, added value can be created through its use. There are basically two possibilities for this:

• Networking productss
  In this approach, sensors are integrated directly into a new product. This serves to open up new business areas or improve the user experience.
• Networking processes
  There are numerous possibilities for networking processes and workflows. In addition to automating processes, maintenance cycles can be predicted, locations can be determined, and environments can be monitored.

Examples of IoT applications:

Construction industry: A sensor system consisting of trackers, a gateway and a cloud application provides data on the location and condition of devices and goods. The use of the data can, for example, automate prescription processes, reduce search times and adapt the equipment fleet to meet demand.

Smart-City: Sensors in waste garbage cans record the fill level and inform the responsible waste disposal companies as soon as they need to be emptied.

Food transportation: Sensors monitor the temperature of food to check whether quality requirements have been met.

Facilities Management: A sensor system monitors temperature, humidity, gas concentration, brightness and volume and detects deviations from optimal working conditions. This can have a positive effect on the ability to learn and concentrate. In addition, the collection of data can also optimize cleaning processes in buildings, for example.

What advantages does this bring?

Roughly speaking, all kinds of processes can be automated by networking objects, items or devices. Due to the versatility of the Internet of Things, numerous advantages result from the collected data. For example, maintenance can be better planned, errors or even failures can be predicted before they occur, or devices can be tracked via GPS. Ultimately, the benefits of networking result in savings and maximized transparency of internal processes.