In this guide:

1. How Do GPS Asset Tags Work?
2. How Does Asset Tracking Software Work?
3. Drawbacks of GPS Trackers
4. Benefits of GPS Trackers

In this guide:

1. How Do GPS Asset Tags Work?
2. How Does Asset Tracking Software Work?
3. Drawbacks of GPS Trackers
4. Benefits of GPS Trackers

GPS asset tags help you maintain a clear overview of where your assets are. You can do this with a wide range of assets, especially if they’re in transit. Therefore, GPS asset tags are useful in a wide range of industries, from healthcare to construction.

So, what do you need to know about GPS asset tags before you invest in them?

GPS asset tags work in a similar way to your phone. They contain a SIM card that periodically pings a GPS location to your asset tracking software. 

Your asset tracking software then takes that GPS location and logs that as the last known location of an asset. You can configure GPS trackers so that they ping at different intervals.

GPS asset tags also work on batteries and are rechargeable with a micro-USB. This makes them more viable for vehicle asset tracking as you will be able to plug your tags in.

Asset tracking software works by allowing you to log individual asset profiles to represent your assets. In other words, you can log each of the laptops your business owns as unique assets.

Then, you can add data to these unique asset profiles. This can be issues information, check in check out data, asset locations, and more. This is where any GPS location updates will be logged too. Therefore, you get a neat audit trail of where your assets have been and how they’ve been behaving.

You can use different asset tags, too. These work in a similar way to GPS asset tags as, whenever you scan a QR code, the GPS location updates using your phone’s GPS data. In this sense, a GPS tracker works similar to a QR tag only without the scanning element, as your GPS tracker updates periodically and automatically.

GPS trackers do come with some drawbacks, however. These drawbacks largely relate to the technology available now and how it can be integrated into a GPS tracker.

In essence, the main bulk of the tracker you purchase will be a house for the SIM card. The SIM card will then interact with cell towers and ping the tracker’s location. However, these trackers are still quite bulky to allow for durability and weatherproofing.

The accuracy of the location will also depend on signal strength, and GPS trackers usually work with 2G or 3G. This can lead to varying results, especially as your asset tracking software will expect an address, so any updates in fields may cause more of a discrepancy.

The largest drawback will likely be the battery life, however, as this needs to be recharged periodically. If your trackers update less frequently, the life can last up to a year, yet this can vary.

There are some circumstances where GPS trackers are perfect, however. For example, if you need to track deliveries and keep locations up to date across large surface areas, GPS trackers will work where no other tracking software does.

Ultimately, GPS trackers reach a level of functionality that isn’t available for other hardware. So, the best way to use GPS asset tags is in tandem with other types of asset tags.

When you use GPS trackers in tandem with fixed RFID asset tracking, for example, you can see when your assets are leaving a building and where they go otherwise. Without the GPS element, you would otherwise lose this visibility.

The technology is always developing and improving and at a rapid rate, so it won’t be long until GPS trackers are much better suited to more types of asset tracking.

To find out more about how asset tags can save your business time and money, you can contact the itemit team at team@itemit.com. You can also fill in the form below to start a 14-day free trial of our asset tracking software.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

In this guide:

1. Fixed Asset Management Operations
2. Equipment Management Software And Vehicle Tracking
3. GPS Asset Tracking & GPS Tags
4. itemit’s Equipment Management Software

In this guide:

1. Fixed Asset Management Operations
2. Equipment Management Software And Vehicle Tracking
3. GPS Asset Tracking & GPS Tags
4. itemit’s Equipment Management Software

Equipment management software allows you to keep better track of your assets. The best thing about equipment tracking software is that it is customisable and malleable to your specific use case.

This means that you can use equipment tracking means for IT asset management, fixed asset tracking, and more. So, why should this not apply to vehicles? The answer is simple: you can use equipment and asset management software to track and manage your fleet of vehicles.

There are some ways that this overlaps with fixed asset management, and some specific things that you can use to better track your vehicles, so, we’ll go into them below.

The core of fixed asset management is the idea that every asset is unique and has unique data and information. For example, each of your laptops are distinct from each other – they may have cost the same and depreciate at the same rate, but every scratch and every login makes a laptop unique.

Therefore, there are a few features used in fixed asset management that you can apply to your vehicles. Vehicles are no different from fixed assets in the sense that they’re unique and have unique information attached to them.

Where you’d log a laptop’s invoice number, you may log a vehicles license plate. If you’re in the UK using UK asset management software, instead of your repeating reminders being PAT tests, they will be MOTs and so on and so forth.

This shows the significant overlap between equipment management and vehicle tracking as well as the customisability that is at the core of asset tracking. There are features built to help your records and operations and these can be used on vehicles or on your IT assets.

There are a few distinct ways you may want to track your vehicles. For example, you can still use QR code asset management by sticking a QR code to your vehicle’s dashboard. 

The main benefit of using a QR code asset tag here isn’t for location tracking, however, it will be solely for asset discovery. In other words, if you scan an asset’s tag using your equipment management app, the corresponding asset’s profile will open, ready for you to add issues or information.

You can also use RFID tracking, to an extent. If your parking garages are fit for fixed readers, you’ll be able to track when your fleet enters or leaves a location. There are specific challenges that need to be overcome with this, however, such as the fact that a lot of the RFID asset tracking will need to happen outside in a low power, low WiFi environment.

If you want to track your vehicles’ locations, GPS asset tracking and GPS tags will be a lot more viable.

GPS asset tags work best in vehicles as you can plug them into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter, for example, which means that they remain charged.

Uniquely, the challenges and limitations GPS tags have don’t apply to vehicles as vehicles can power GPS trackers. GPS trackers work by periodically pinging a GPS location to your asset tracking software.

Battery life is a critical balance with tracking capabilities as, if a GPS tracker pings more frequently, the battery drains faster. Therefore, GPS tags work best in vehicles as they can be plugged in and, therefore, track your vehicles’ locations in real-time.

You can use itemit’s equipment management software to track a wide range of assets, all in one place. The benefits of highly customisable features include the fact that you can track vehicles in tandem with your fixed assets and either keep them separate or together in your reports.

Also, unique to itemit, you can mix and match a range of tracking technologies. This means that you can use GPS trackers for your fleet and QR code asset tags for your tools and equipment tracking.

This customisability and ability to tailor itemit to your needs makes it the best asset tracking software on the market. Our support reaches around the world, too, meaning if you need a hand in setting up, we’ll be more than happy to help.

To find out more about how itemit can help you track your assets, you can contact the team at team@itemit.com. You can also fill in the form below to start your 14-day free trial.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

In this guide:

1. Why Use Small Tool Tracking Software?
2. Should You Use RFID Asset Tracking?
3. itemit’s Asset Tracking Software

In this guide:

1. Why Use Small Tool Tracking Software?
2. Should You Use RFID Asset Tracking?
3. itemit’s Asset Tracking Software

Small tool tracking software can help your business grow. All manner of industries need to use small tools, from the construction industry to healthcare. This is why it’s essential to ensure that assets are tracked correctly.

When it comes to small tools, losing assets is a lot more likely, as are duplicate purchases. So, the main benefits you get from asset tracking software, including fewer lost assets and fewer duplicate purchases, are put under the microscope here and their importance is amplified.

Small tool tracking software gives you the ability to log all of your small tools and equipment onto a single system. This instantly gives you an effective asset register and shows you what you own.

Knowing what you own is essential as, day-to-day it helps you:

1. lose fewer assets
2. account for what you own
3. purchase fewer duplicates
4. get more usage out of all your assets

And less generally it helps remove the change of ghost and zombie assets on your fixed asset register. An accurate fixed asset register is essential for tax and insurance purposes as inaccuracy can cause fines.

Small tools are taggable with a few different types of auto-ID hardware. At a glance, RFID asset tracking looks viable and useful as it is the most powerful, but there are a few things you should know.

QR code asset tracking does work much in the same way as RFID asset tracking, just with a few key differences. For example, as you don’t need a line of sight to scan your tags, RFID asset tracking does complement small tool tracking software as asset discovery is sped up.

For the same reason, bulk scanning actions are also improved with RFID as, with a handheld reader, it is a simple case of pulling your reader’s trigger to scan multiple tags at once.

However, the price is more significant so it comes down to the potential ROI. If it costs more to implement RFID than losing many assets and the main savings are time savings (or QR code asset tags), then it might be worth opting for the slower, yet still proven and viable, option.

itemit’s asset tracking software makes tracking small tools and equipment simple. The best thing about itemit is that you can mix and match tracking technologies, meaning you can start of with smaller, custom QR code asset tags and scale up to RFID asset tracking operations.

With itemit, bulk actions, including auditing and location tracking, are simple whether you’re using RFID systems or just scanning barcodes or QR codes.

The system is built to create your accurate asset register automatically and with ease, all while you scan and track your assets. It’s also built to be simple and shareable, meaning you and your colleagues can pick up the system and start scanning right away.

To find out more about itemit’s asset tracking software, you can contact the team at team@itemit.com. You can also fill in the form below to start your 14-day free trial.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

In this guide:

1. The Core Concept Of Asset Tracking Software
2. How This Helps With Remote Asset Tracking
3. How This Helps When Returning To The Office

In this guide:

1. The Core Concept Of Asset Tracking Software
2. How This Helps With Remote Asset Tracking
3. How This Helps When Returning To The Office

Over the past couple of years, the way we worked changed. Most of us started to work from home and put up with different challenges, including distracting pets and children. Now, we’re in an “in-between” state where many are headed back to the office and many are remaining working from home.

So, how can asset tracking software help, whether you’re staying at home or headed back to the office?

Asset tracking software is built on one single principle: assets are unique. Therefore, you can log them onto a system and add critical information against them.

In other words, you may have several laptops in your office, but these laptops are all distinct from each other. They will have different marks or scratches. This, in turn, helps track these assets when they’re moving around as each may go to a different colleague’s house.

Asset tags can help with this type of unique asset tracking, too. Asset tags are also unique, meaning you can link your tags with your assets. These will be in the form of QR codes or barcodes, most likely.

Then, every time you scan an asset’s tag, the last seen location updates automatically and the asset’s profile is opened, ready for speedy data edits.

When the move to remote happened, asset tracking software was already built in such a way to be helpful. This is as the unique element of tracking assets was what was most necessary in tracking assets when they had left the office.

What was more helpful was that many assets, including expensive fixed assets, were moving for the first time in years. This is as they would still need to be used, monitored, or kept safe. This made the criticality of asset tracking software much more transparent.

Many asset tracking software companies rose to the challenge, adding a wide range of helpful features to let people log, track, monitor and update any changes an asset would go through, even when it was moving to remote.

One such feature is the ability to assign an individual to an asset to log “ownership”. So, each of your laptops can be assigned to their respective owners. Another helpful feature developed was a powerful check in check out system to log which assets were away from the office and which ones had to remain.

So, how do you use asset tracking software when returning to the office? You apply the same principle of unique assets and unique data, no matter the asset. This way, you can apply the same rules of asset tracking to fixed assets as IT assets. 

Then, you can use asset tags to log when assets return to the office. This can be done with a simple scan to update the change in GPS location, or it can be done with bulk scanning features to update the change in one fell swoop.

Then, similar to bulk-adding assets to the office location, once you think everything is back and where it should be, you can also audit your assets and bulk scan them, just to ensure your records are correct and accurate.

So, no matter where your assets are or how they’re behaving, you can use asset management systems and operations to ensure they’re working well and being used responsibly.

To find out more about how itemit’s asset tracking software can help your business, you can contact the team at team@itemit.com. You can also fill in the form below to start your 14-day free trial.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started