How Wi-Fi Location Services Enable IoT Asset Tracking

To locate IoT devices, you need a wireless communication network. Most IoT tracking systems rely on GPS or cellular location services for this connection. Unfortunately, these technologies have some drawbacks for enterprise asset tracking systems.

Cellular connectivity is expensive. GPS doesn’t work well inside buildings, or even in cloudy conditions. If your business depends on reliable data about asset location and condition monitoring, GPS and cellular tracking may not be enough.

Fortunately, there's a third option that offers unique advantages. It's called Wi-Fi Location Services, and whether you know it exists or not, you probably use it frequently. It's how Google Maps, Uber, and millions of other everyday apps know exactly where your phone is—even when GPS isn't available.

“Most IoT tracking systems rely on GPS or cellular location services. Unfortunately, these technologies have several disadvantages for enterprise asset tracking systems.”

In this article, we'll explain how traditional Wi-Fi location services work. But we won't stop there.

Once you understand the basics, we’ll introduce an innovative approach to asset tracking via Wi-Fi location services. At Troverlo, we’ve patented a new approach to providing reliable, affordable, and secure data about the location of your assets, wherever they are in the world—all by turning Wi-Fi location systems on their head.

How Wi-Fi Location Services Work

Wi-Fi Location Services works on the same principle as GPS or cellular location tracking: triangulation. To locate a device using triangulation, you need at least three "nodes" that the device can detect, such as cell towers, satellites, or Wi-Fi access points.

The signal strength between the device and the node tells the positioning system how far apart the two objects are, but it cannot specify a direction. This creates a circle of possible locations, equidistant from the central node.

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However, if you have at least three nodes, the circles will overlap in one area. A device that detects all three nodes will definitely be somewhere in the overlap.

Troverlo

In GPS, satellites are nodes. In cellular triangulation, cell towers are nodes. In Wi-Fi location services, the nodes are the billions of Wi-Fi access points around the world.

However, as you might suspect, triangulation alone can't always pinpoint the exact location of a radio. It identifies an area, not a point. To zero in on a device, the Wi-Fi Location Service relies on another data source.

How to Improve the Accuracy of Wireless Network Database

Companies that use Wi-Fi location services in their products (think Google, Facebook, and many lesser-known digital operators) maintain massive databases of Wi-Fi access points. They collect data about the strength and identity of each Wi-Fi signal, compiling a unique “Wi-Fi fingerprint” for each access point. These companies also continually update these databases to reflect the ever-changing Wi-Fi landscape.

Triangulation identifies the general area of ​​a Wi-Fi device. With additional signal data from the Wi-Fi fingerprint, the Wi-Fi Location Service can almost pinpoint the exact location of that device at any given moment.

For enterprise asset tracking systems, this technology has some distinct advantages over GPS or cell tower triangulation. Wi-Fi location services include:

1. More accurate discovery of indoor devices. Walls, roofs, and even weather systems can block satellite signals. This reduces the effectiveness of GPS as a device moves indoors (or as the weather changes). Wi-Fi signals pass directly through walls, and access points are often located indoors—and Wi-Fi fingerprinting provides more accurate location data than cellular triangulation.

2. Easier on device batteries. Wi-Fi location services use less power than GPS or cellular connections. They are less draining on batteries, an important consideration for mobile asset tracking systems.

3. More useful in urban areas. Unfortunately, satellite signals have a tendency to bounce off tall buildings. This can reduce GPS accuracy in highly developed areas such as cities. Wi-Fi signals do not have this problem.

4. Cheaper than cellular plans. Cell towers are expensive. Mobile network operators pass these costs on to network users, which is why cellular connectivity is cost-prohibitive for large fleets of assets. Wi-Fi location networks emerge en masse, with no single payer — and therefore cost much less to use.

One drawback of traditional Wi-Fi location services is that it requires connectivity to work - data about nearby Wi-Fi networks needs to be sent to the Wi-Fi location service to determine its location. To avoid the need for connectivity, some IoT vendors are leveraging traditional Wi-Fi location service infrastructure in reverse. By reversing the connectivity relationship and having the asset tracking device act as an access point, Wi-Fi location services can track the location of a device as it moves.

Use Wi-Fi positioning systems for location tracking and data collection

How does Troverlo leverage the Wi-Fi ecosystem to deliver cost-effective, accurate, and secure services? Our patented technology first configures the asset to be tracked to behave like a Wi-Fi access point.

In other words, an asset tracking tag — or any Wi-Fi-enabled device — emits a signal that simulates a hotspot. Countless nearby Wi-Fi devices collect the location data of the source of that signal and send it to independently run Wi-Fi fingerprint databases (remember those?)

Troverlo works with many of the operators of these databases to break down data silos to create a centralized global observation network. In other words, when a Wi-Fi database partner sees an asset tracking tag, that information immediately flows back to the global observation network. It tells you where your assets are—without GPS, a cellular plan, or even an active Wi-Fi connection.

Such a system isn’t limited to location data, either. It can embed any data, up to 32 characters, into the signal’s service set identifier (SSID), which is more than enough for most sensor readings. This is how Wi-Fi location services can support both asset tracking and condition monitoring data.

How secure are Wi-Fi asset tracking systems?
This novel approach to asset tracking never collects personally identifiable information (PII), making it extremely secure. Database partners contributing to the Global Observation Network anonymize all findings, so there is no PII in the dataset at any time.
With the right asset tracking partner, users can further protect sensitive data by categorizing assets into specific groups and adjusting platform settings to assign viewing rights only to authorized users.
In short, using Wi-Fi location services for asset tracking in reverse provides reliable security and privacy for all users.

Use cases for tracking IoT assets via Wi-Fi location services

Who benefits from Wi-Fi asset tracking services? Here are some example use cases for the technology we just covered:

• Consumer electronics companies use Wi-Fi asset tracking to collect anonymous data about how their products are used. This helps them develop more successful products in the future. It also allows customers to sign up for product maintenance programs.
• Enterprise IT departments use Wi-Fi asset tracking to gain 100% visibility into corporate device inventory. They can discover company assets even when not connected to the internet, a powerful solution for inventory management and loss prevention.
• OEMs use Wi-Fi asset tracking to build telematics and other IoT capabilities into their products. The technology is low-cost and affordable enough to track nearly anything, from hand tools to industrial vehicles — opening up IoT services for equipment that was previously unaffordable to price.
• Logistics providers use Wi-Fi asset tracking to track nearly everything they handle. They can also give customers greater insight into their operations without the need for expensive cellular connections or laborious barcode scanning.

By leveraging existing decentralized infrastructure, this innovative Wi-Fi tracking system minimizes costs while increasing accuracy and reliability. If you need to track assets—including inexpensive devices that previously didn’t seem worth tracking—Wi-Fi asset tracking may be the solution you’re looking for.