As enterprises have increasingly more critical moving assets and numbers of employees working for them, they need a way to track, monitor, and receive alerts for those assets. It is critical that enterprises implement the right IoT asset tracking platform that meets their specific needs in a cost-efficient and scalable way. As covered in The First Leader in Enterprise Asset Tracking blog, it was discussed that while the newly released Apple AirTags may be a satisfactory choice for tracking individual consumer goods, Link Labs’ Air Finder is the leading provider for commercial asset tracking. Let’s take a look at why AirFinder is the better choice for commercial asset tracking when compared to AirTags.
IoT Platform Designed for Commercial Needs
Individually, AirTags aren't designed to attach to anything. So, how could one go about using these tags to track assets? Accessories like keychains, eyeglass straps, and hard shell mounts must be bought from third-party manufacturers in order to avoid purchasing one from Apple’s website where they range from $12.95 to $449. Decorative accessories may have extrinsic value for individual consumers, but for commercial use, they simply hike up the cost and add an unnecessary step to the asset tracking process. Essentially, AirTags are not designed for EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) or commercial asset tracking.
In contrast, AirFinder products are customized according to your commercial asset tracking needs. A team at Link Labs works with you to design which off-the-shelf products suit your operations. Whether it be weather-resistant hard hat tags, ID Badges, or an affixable shipping rack tag, Link Labs meets specific enterprise needs in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, hospitality, and others. As part of the AirFinder asset tracking solution, we implement the asset tag and corresponding IoT platform to meet your business-specific needs to track assets indoors, outdoors, and everywhere in between to help you overcome common IoT challenges in commercial settings.
Power Management in IoT Devices
What good is an asset tracker for an enterprise if its battery life can't match its energy usage? AirTags use both Bluetooth LE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and UWB (Ultra-Wideband) technologies in the tag. If used at industrial level, they would only last a few days as enterprises may need to track an asset’s location up to hundreds of times daily for real-time location services. AirTags are only meant to be used very occasionally by consumers, such as when an item is lost and you want to know its whereabouts. AirTags will last about 1 year with occasional consumer usage.
As an industrial provider, AirFinder’s Bluetooth LE tags, on the other hand, last up to seven years while being used up to a hundred times a day. For enterprise-level usage, AirFinder is clearly the most practical and cost-efficient choice. AirFinder uses patented technology to reduce energy waste, using either proximity-based or phase-ranging technology for asset monitoring, which reduces unnecessary battery usage. Additionally, AirFinder's patented communication protocol, XLE® (xtreme low energy), extends off-the-shelf battery life by 400 times more than average battery life from comparable providers—a technological advantage that truly sets AirFinder apart from other asset tracking products.
IoT Asset Monitoring and Management System
Regarding asset condition monitoring, there is no comparison between AirTags and AirFinder products since AirTags don’t offer a similar function. Integrated within the IoT hardware, AirFinder products have sensors that monitor temperature, acceleration, humidity, shock, pressure, noise, or carbon monoxide, and integrate both the sensor data and location data into one easy-to-use IoT platform, whereas AirTags simply provide location. AirFinder also provides reports that management can use for making operational decisions using the location and sensor data.
Monitoring an asset’s condition is a huge benefit of an asset management system for your organization, not only to maintain operational efficiency and cost reduction, but also to enhance the safety of your workers and proper maintenance of your most critical assets. Being able to monitor the conditions of your assets and receive real-time data from AirFinder’s UI software can reduce operational costs and increase productivity by providing managers information to implement feed-forward controls, and take away the need to manually monitor asset conditions.
Commercial IoT Platform Price Comparison
One of the most compelling reasons that AirFinder is the superior commercial asset tracking product is its price. The prices for AirFinder OnSite and AirTag are as follows:
- AirTag: $29 for one tag or $99 for a four-pack
- AirFinder: $8-15 depending on volume and tag type
For AirFinder OnSite, Link Labs can significantly lower cost by using just-right precision, Bluetooth LE and active RFID, a Wi-Fi and IT independent network, and patented battery technology. Enterprises will observe an immediate boost in ROIs with this comprehensive low-cost system. The significantly lower price of AirFinder tags, along with all its benefits previously mentioned, truly make AirFinder a more practical and beneficial platform for commercial asset tracking and management.
Wrapping it Up
Though Apple AirTags may satisfy consumer needs, Airfinder OnSite and AirFinder Everywhere may be the products you are looking for if your goal is to track critical assets while keeping costs low and managing efficient operations within a commercial industry.
To get a more in-depth explanation of how AirFinder ranks above AirTags for commercial use, read this blog on how AirFinder beats AirTags in IoT asset management.
Request a demo today to begin your journey for a customized commercial asset tracking with AirFinder.
