With the recent release of Apple AirTags, a small tracking device designed to help users locate items such as keys, wallets, and bags, the buzz surrounding consumer asset tracking is taking off now more than ever before. The AirTag device is very much a consumer goods tracker and limited in its capabilities to help businesses large and small in their enterprise asset management (EAM) and tracking needs. Although many of us recognize Apple as a leader in the technology industry, asset tracking devices have been around long before the AirTag’s 2021 reveal. Since 2014, Link Labs has been the leading provider in enterprise asset tracking with a comprehensive Internet of Things (IoT) platform designed to help companies locate and track their assets in real-time.
Comparison at a Glance: Apple AirTags vs. Link Labs AirFinder
If you’re searching for a gadget to help you keep better track of your stuff at home – then the Apple AirTag is designed for you. It’s a business-to-consumer tool for small-scale asset tracking. However, if you’re in need of an enterprise asset tracking tool with hundreds of capabilities, Link Labs’ AirFinder platform has you covered.
TAG COST
- AirTag: One AirTag costs $29 or you can purchase a four-pack for $99.
- AirFinder: The per-tag pricing of AirFinder indoor BLE tags is between $8-15 depending on volume and which tag you choose. AirFinder uses off-the-shelf BLE tags with patented firmware.
DISTANCE
- AirTag: The AirTag range is up to 100 meters, with inside distance usually accurate to around 20-30 feet. If you misplace an item farther away, you can locate it using the “Find My Network,” which includes millions of Apple users across the world.
- AirFinder: AirFinder allows you to track your assets anywhere, at any distance using a comprehensive IoT platform – indoors or outdoors.
ACCURACY
- AirTag: Offers “precision locating,” but after testing the feature it was found that the tag was only able to provide bearing data within about 12 feet or the signal was too weak to give you direction. The range seemed accurate, but you have to be moving to be able to get bearing.
- AirFinder: Allows its users to locate assets with sub-meter accuracy on your customized indoor floor map, or if you’re outside, AirFinder uses a blend of 5 different technologies (including GPS) to determine location.
BATTERY
- AirTag: The AirTag battery lasts about one year.
- AirFinder: AirFinder BLE tags last from 2-7 years, up to 400x regular battery life due to patented battery communication protocols. AirFinder engineers have developed new asset tracking technologies that enable off-the-shelf batteries to last much longer.
Bottom line: Apple AirTags work well for consumers who are trying to track a few things and if you have a “help me find” use case - if you need enterprise asset tracking, Link Labs’ AirFinder is the clear choice.
On the Leading Edge of Organizational Asset Tracking
Everyone thinks of Apple as a leader in new technology, and Apple rightly is. Where would we be without the Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPods? Apple has revolutionized technology and how we live and work.
Link Labs has done the same with enterprise asset tracking. Link Labs is a leading innovator in low-power, wide-area network technologies that power IoT. The company was founded in 2014 by a group of veteran engineers from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab who had worked together on a variety of projects for the U.S. Department of Defense, telecommunications industry, and intelligence community.
Link Labs holds nearly 30 patents related to low-power, wide-area networks, and indoor/outdoor positioning technology. Link Labs is leading the revolution forward for companies to track high-value assets indoors, outdoors, and everywhere in between with its AirFinder OnSite and SuperTag technologies.
Here are some of the “firsts” Link Labs has brought to IoT and asset tracking:
2014 - First FCC-certified LoRa Devices in US
2016 - First Network Certified LTE-M1 Devices in US
2017 - First location engine on any mass-produced BLE device
2018 - First indoor/outdoor BLE/LTE-M1 solution
2019 - First hybrid BLE/ultrasound location solution
2020 - First seamless indoor/outdoor tracking device using a blend of 5 technologies
2021 - First XLE® (xtreme low energy) communication protocols in asset tracking for extending off-the-shelf battery life to 400x
2021 - First phase-ranging for indoor asset tracking solutions
AirFinder makes locating and monitoring anything, anywhere easy, affordable, and impactful. The technology breaks the compromise between solution cost and performance with seamless integration of intelligent radio-frequency identification (RFID) and low-power IoT network technologies.
Comprehensive IoT Platform for All of Your Organizational Needs
Organizations of all types – from manufacturing and construction companies to hospitals, shipping companies, and fulfillment centers – own or lease all sorts of assets and have a team of invaluable people that are essential to everyday business operations. This makes it crucial for these companies to not only know where their assets are at all times but also monitor product lifecycle information and the processes using these assets.
Link Labs offers a comprehensive enterprise asset and employee tracking IoT platform that can help.
So, what is the AirFinder solution and how does it work? Link Labs offers two AirFinder solution variations to meet your business-specific needs: AirFinder OnSite and AirFinder Everywhere.
- AirFinder OnSite is the first-ever indoor asset tracking IoT platform that uses phase-ranging or just-right precision to give you real-time location data and not only know where your assets are, but converts this data into actionable intelligence to improve your processes and your bottom line.
- AirFinder Everywhere is the first seamless indoor/outdoor asset management system to blend five different technologies to manage your assets wherever they are - indoor, outdoor, and everywhere in between.
The AirFinder system is WIFI and IT independent with simple installations and an easy-to-use online platform. These features allow for an enterprise asset tracking system at a lower cost and a higher ROI for you.
Curious to see what makes Link Labs the best enterprise asset management software provider? Request a demo to get started today.
