How long does a battery powered GPS tracker last?
A battery GPS tracker usually runs a few weeks or months between charges. Each report takes a satellite fix and a send over the tracker's own data connection. Both use power, and the sends need a data plan for every unit.
Across a yard, that means a charging round. Someone visits each trailer, pump and light tower in turn. A tracker that misses its round stops reporting until someone reaches it.
A crowdsourced tag does neither job itself, so there is no charging round and no data plan per unit.
Why a tag outlasts a battery powered GPS tracker
A tag outlasts a battery GPS tracker because it never finds or sends its own position. It has no GPS receiver and no data plan. It broadcasts a Bluetooth signal, and any phone that passes reports where it heard the tag. The networks are large (Apple counts over a billion iPhone, iPad and Mac devices, and Google over a billion Android devices).
The passing phone does the locating and the sending. The tag sends the same broadcast whether one phone passes or many. So a busy yard reports it more often, and the tag does no extra work.
That is how its battery lasts up to six years, depending on its size. There is nothing to charge between jobs.
| Tag size | Battery life | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Compact (CR2032 coin cell) | Up to 1 year | Tools and cases kept dry |
| Standard (CR2477 coin cell) | Up to 3 years | Units outside, sealed to IP68 |
| Extended (2 × ER14250 lithium) | Up to 6 years | Units outside you visit least, sealed to IP68 |
The cell is replaceable in all three sizes. When it runs down, you swap it and the tag carries on.
Tracking every unit in the yard, from excavators to light towers
With no charging round and no data plan per unit, every unit in the yard can carry a tag. Tracking used to stop at the most expensive machines. Trailers, attachments, light towers and gang boxes have no power supply to wire into, and a tag needs none. The machines take one too, stuck or screwed on with no wiring.
The National Equipment Register (NER) 2016 theft report names two factors that decide which equipment thieves steal: value and mobility. Backhoes and skid steers make up a larger share of thefts than the more valuable dozers and wheel loaders. They are easier to transport.
The same report counted 11,574 equipment thefts reported to police that year, and 2,442 recoveries. It names late discovery as one reason so few come back. A tag on every unit, with an exit alert on each site, tells you sooner that one has left.
Fitting a tag to equipment without wiring
Every size fixes with an adhesive pad, and the two larger sizes can also be screwed on. On anything that vibrates or lives outside, use the screw mount.
Mount each tag out of sight, under a lip or inside a plastic cover. Keep it clear of buckets, straps and pressure washers. Pick a spot you can reach later, so the cell is easy to swap.
The asset tracking tags guide covers mounting by surface and how cold each cell can get.
What to expect from tags on equipment
A tag keeps a dated location record for every tagged unit, and an alert each time one leaves a site.
- Updates come from passing phones. Any phone that passes reports the tag. A busy yard updates all day. A remote site at night updates less often, and picks up again when someone comes near.
- Building-level position. The position comes from the phone that heard the tag. It gets you to the right yard, site or stretch of road, and the unit number does the rest.
- Location, not engine data. A tag reports where a unit is and when it came and went. Engine hours and fault codes come from the machine's own feed. The heavy equipment tracking guide covers the attachments and trailers around the machines.
- Out of sight, not shut in steel. Inside a closed steel box, a tag may only report once the door opens. Mount it where a passing phone can hear it.
The equipment tracking system guide covers running the yard once the tags are on.
Frequently asked questions
How often do you have to charge a battery GPS tracker?
Every few weeks or months, for most units. The more often it reports its position, the sooner it needs charging. A tag needs no charging, and its battery lasts up to six years, depending on its size.
Does a battery GPS tracker need a data plan?
Yes, one for every unit, because each unit sends its own positions. A tag needs no data plan, because the phone that passes sends its position.
Does a battery GPS tracker need a SIM card?
Yes, if it sends its position over a mobile network. The SIM carries that unit's data plan. A tag has no SIM card, because any phone that passes reports where it heard the tag.
Is there a tracker that never needs charging?
Yes. A crowdsourced tag has nothing to charge, because any phone that passes does the locating and the sending. It runs on a replaceable cell, and you swap the cell when it runs down.
How long does a tag battery last on equipment?
Up to six years, depending on its size. The larger tags hold larger cells and last longer.
Which equipment can be tracked without wiring?
Any unit in the yard. A tag needs no wiring and no charging. So it suits units with no power supply, such as trailers, pumps, light towers and tool cases. It goes on the machines too, and its battery lasts up to six years, depending on its size.
Can a tag go on equipment that stays outside?
Yes. The Standard and Extended tags are sealed to IP68, and they can be screwed on as well as stuck on. Keep the Compact for tools and cases kept dry.
Does this work if my crew uses Android phones?
Yes. The dashboard runs in any modern browser on Android, iOS, Windows or Mac. Any phone that passes reports the tags, so what matters is people near the units, not the phones your crew carries.
Next step
Track the whole yard with nothing to charge
List the units in the yard, and where each one lives. Tell us how many you run, and we will suggest a tag size for each.