ONE-KEY™ Blog: Construction Industry News, Trends, Insights

Common Uses: ONE-KEY™ Bluetooth® Tracking Tag

Written by Emma Nelson | Jan 27, 2022 3:38:05 PM

We recently launched a new Bluetooth tag, and it’s finally starting to gradually trickle in and onto our distributors’ shelves!  

The most common reason you’d want to use this product? To extend the tracking functionality of the One-Key app to untracked items, items that don’t have smart tool technology built into them by default. You can also use more general asset tagging methods, such as barcoding or asset ID tags, which is particularly useful for tracking small items like hand tools, or in conjunction with tool kitting procedures—while GPS trackers, which are typically more costly, may be reserved for heavy equipment, work trucks and van, or job boxes containing bulk inventory.  

New to Bluetooth tracking? Learn how community Bluetooth works. Learn about deciding whether Bluetooth vs GPS tracking is right for your tool tracking process.   

But beside tracking other tools, there are also a lot of other unique use cases for this product, where its unique features—particularly its ruggedness and its advanced tracking functionality—would be an asset. In this article, we’ll offer you some ideas!  

But First, Why a New Bluetooth Tracking Tag?  

If you’re already familiar with our tracking hardware, you’ve likely heard of the TICK™ Tool and Equipment Tracker.  

This product, for its time, was truly revolutionary. However, tracking technology has come a long way since 2017. This, coupled with our commitment to listening to feedback from end users like you, we discovered some great ways we could improve this earlier product in its next generation. 

If you’re interested, you can learn more about how the One-Key Bluetooth Tracking Tag differs from the TICK. 

For now, we’ll give you the highlights 

  • The process of connecting and associating the TICK to an inventory item, many users found, could be at times cumbersome. We solved this by integrating built-in near-field-communication (NFC) and a scannable QR code, offering a simple 2-step activation process. 
  • An onboard accelerometer adds the most cutting edge in tracking hardware, providing access to more contextual location information on the last time that equipment was used.   
  • We’ve managed to triple this tag’s tracking range while cutting its size by a third! But we didn’t stop there. A built-in speaker allows you to ring your tracking tag within 50ft if the product it’s attached to is not physically visible!  
  • Also since then, we’ve recently released new software features like a last-100ft tracking experience proximity tool, and a 30-day history, greatly improve tracking functionality by contextualizes where your tag has been. These unique software features simply hadn’t been realized back when the TICK was first being brought to market. 

Other Uses for a Tracking Tag 

As previously stated at launch of our legacy TICK Tracker, the opportunities for a heavy-duty tracking tag are endless. With the improved tracking technology and positive, constructive feedback we received and drew upon in developing the Bluetooth Tracking Tag, these endless applications are even better suited for an optimal experience in every conceivable scenario.  

The examples we included at the TICK’s launch of potential use cases hold true:  

Construction and Equipment  

  1. Heavy Construction Equipment, like bulldozers, loaders, excavators, etc.
  2. Ladders 
  3. Generators 
  4. Lifts 
  5. Material Handling

Outdoor Recreation 

  1. Kayaks 
  2. ATVs 
  3. Snowmobiles 
  4. Trailers 
  5. Deer Stands

Facilities and Landscape 

  1. Trailers 
  2. Mowers 
  3. Blowers 
  4. String Trimmers 

 Home and Personal 

  1. Luggage 
  2. Backpacks 
  3. Keys 
  4. Cars

Farm and Agriculture 

  1. PTO Implements 
  2. Wagons 
  3. Trailers 
  4. Heavy Equipment 

The opportunities to use a Bluetooth Tracking Tag, like its predecessor, are endless; designed for the professional trades and the inventory management challenges they face on the jobsite, it’s durable enough for the harshest environments, but versatile enough to use on any valuable tools and equipment in a variety of industries. Building off of the TICK™ Tool & Equipment Tracker, the Bluetooth Tracking Tag integrates advanced tech developed over the past several years, making users’ tool tracking experience more seamless, precise, and comprehensive. 

I’ll leave you with a tongue-and-cheek observation. Consumer Bluetooth tracker brands like Tile® boast the versatility of their products, even giving ideas like to strap one onto your cat. 

Consider, however, the dangers of harsh unpredictable outdoor weather conditions.  Some industrious felines even find their way onto jobsites, locales that are even more hazardous. Wouldn’t it make more sense to strap to your cat’s collar a more rugged tracker built to withstand these unforgiving conditions, especially one that’s backed up by the industry’s largest community Bluetooth tracking network that delivers millions of location updates a day? Perhaps Chance, Shadow, and Sassy’s owners would have been able to find their beloved pets sooner. The journey would still be incredible, just maybe not so anxiety-provoking.