Asset Tracking, Smart Metering and IoT
Solutions
Conceptualization
INTRODUCTION
This document briefly discusses fleet management, asset tracking, IoT solutions and
detection. The document looks at the various assets that can be tracked and produce
viable business profits. There are a number of products that can be offered from the
options of fleet management.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE TRACKED ?
Any asset that has a physical presence is referred to as a tangible asset. All tangible
assets can easily be tracked with a proper asset management system. Some examples
of tangible assets would include property, buildings, equipment, inventory, cash, stock,
bonds and livestock.
4 TYPES OF ASSET TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
GPS Asset Tracking
A common asset tracking technology is GPS. The principle is simple: A GPS tracking
device is attached to an asset which will send special satellite signals that are
processed by a receiver.
What Are the Pros of GPS Asset Tracking?

No Transmission Costs – With asset tracking via GPS, you have no
transmission costs.

Low Power Consumption – In addition, GPS only requires very little
battery and therefore it is a good way to be used long term for reusable
assets without high maintenance.

Medium Accuracy – With the accuracy of only a few meters, it’s the perfect
technology for bigger objects.

Long Range – GPS signal is only limited by coverage. So if you are in an area
with good GPS signal, you are good to go.

Real-Time Tracking – GPS receivers can track the exact location of a GPS
device and provide data in real-time.
What Are the Cons of GPS Asset Tracking?

Limited to Outdoor Environments – As the GPS technology struggles to
obtain signal in indoor environments, you won’t be able to use GPS asset
tracking in indoor locations like warehouses or supermarkets.

Expensive hardware – You need to get a GPS tracking device for each asset
which can be quite expensive depending how many assets you want to equip.
Bluetooth Asset Tracking / Beacons
Another popular technology used for asset tracking is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
What Are the Pros of Bluetooth Asset Tracking?

High Accuracy – Bluetooth accuracy depends on the number of beacons
used. With a high number you can reach a high level of precision (around 1
to 2 meters).

Low Power Consumption – The batteries used for the Bluetooth
technology are very power-efficient and last around two years.

Easy to Manage – BLE readers are generally less expensive than readers for
other technologies. As most smartphones are equipped with bluetooth, you
won’t need to get a lot of equipment and may even be able to use phones
instead.
Bluetooth Asset Tracking
What Are the Cons of Bluetooth Asset Tracking?

Short Range – With only about 50 meters of range, bluetooth requires a
fairly tight grid to be able to track assets reliably.

High Investment Costs – In order to get the highest accuracy possible and
really benefit from this solution, you need to invest in a high number of tags,
which can get quite expensive.
3. Passive RFID Asset Tracking
Last but not least, another popular technology is passive radio-frequency
identification (RFID). It uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached
to objects. The system consists of a tiny transponder, a transmitter and a radio
receiver. When triggered by a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data
back to the reader.
RFID Asset Tracking
What Are the Pros of Passive RFID Asset Tracking?

No Battery Required – RFID requires no battery, making it a very easy to
manage asset tracking method.

Low Cost Tags – The chips that are used within the tags only cost a few
cents.
What Are the Cons of Passive RFID Asset Tracking?

Higher Cost Readers – While tags are affordable, readers can get quite
costly.

Active Scan – Assets need to be actively scanned in order to be registered.

High Interference – Passive RFID technology has high metal and liquid
interference.
The Most Accurate and Versatile – Our AR-Based Asset Tracking
& Indoor Navigation Solution!
Every business is different and therefore has very individual needs. As mentioned
before, there is no one size fits all solution. We highly recommend analyzing your
status quo and defining what you need exactly. Only then you will be able to pick a
system that fits your needs and can truly increase your business’s efficiency.
Assets are Marked With QR-Codes
It doesn’t always need to be a hardware-heavy setup. If you want to avoid high
investment costs, you should consider an AR-based solution with QR-codes to track
your assets efficiently. The handheld devices combined with QR codes combine the
benefits of
Our AR-Based Tracking on iOS Device
What Are the Pros of AR-Based Asset Tracking?

Cost Efficient – An AR-based asset tracking solution does not need an
expensive, hardware-heavy setup. You can get started with very little
investment.

Easy Implementation – Every asset to be included in the tracking system is
provided with a unique QR code or barcode. The QR-code or barcode is
then registered in the system to save the asset’s information and exact
location. After interpreting the data, the asset’s saved location can be
retrieved via the software.

No Expensive Hardware – Using your device of choice (e.g. smartphone or
tablet) you can easily navigate to the asset’s location.

Easy to Integrate – our AR-Based asset tracking solution uses devices like
normal iOS or Android phones or tablets. The software can be integrated to
your existing ERP.
What Are the Cons of AR-Based Asset Tracking?

No Real-Time Tracking – With this AR-based method, real-time tracking
is not available. But for many processes, this is not even required.
INDUSTRY NEEDS AND RECOMMENDED TRACKING SYSTEM
INDUSTRY
TRACKING SYSTEM
TRANSPORT
AGRICULTURE: LIVESTOCK
CO-OPERATE
FOOD PACKAGE
AGRICULTURE: CROPS
MILITARY
GPS/ RFID
GPS / SURVEILLANCE CCTVs
RFID
RFID/BLUETOOTH/ SURVEILLANCE
DRONE SOIL ANALYZER
RFID/BLUETOOTH
There are a number of industries that utilise different methods of tracking and it is
usually dependant on the available asset which must be monitored.
SURVEILLANCE CCTVs

The most attractive product to offer attached to surveillance CCTVs is the
aspect of remote monitoring, as Powertel with the availability of Internet access
in remote areas like rural areas we can offer such services. It can go in hand
with livestock asset management. Brands like Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Hanwha
Techwin, IDIS and Honeywell. They have an inbuilt remote monitoring aspect.
The user can view his/her property via the mobile/PC remotely to monitor
every location with the CCTV.
Remote monitoring using mobile application
ADVANTAGES OF THIS REMOTE MONITORING PRODUCT
This product can be offered in different ranges depending on the number of sites a
customer wants to detect and view. The product can range from 4,8,16 and 32 channels.
The application is already in-built. The product can be quoted and the customer pays
in advance. This product is suitable for farmers and rural or any remote areas. There
are readily experienced workforce to perform the installations.
Affordable Fleet Management Platforms
Here are some vehicle tracking platforms that offer white labeling options and can be
used in Africa, along with their approximate cost per vehicle per month:
1. Traccar is an open-source GPS tracking platform that can be white labeled. It
offers a wide range of features, including real-time tracking, alerts, reports, and
more. The cost per vehicle per month depends on the hosting and support
options chosen, but it can start at as low as $1 per month.
2. GpsGate is a fleet management platform that can be white labeled. It offers
advanced features such as real-time tracking, geofencing, routing, and more.
The cost per vehicle per month starts at around $6.
3. Wialon is a GPS tracking and fleet management platform that can be white
labeled. It offers a wide range of features, including real-time tracking, reports,
and alerts. The cost per vehicle per month starts at around $5.
4. Omnitracs is a fleet management platform that can be white labeled. It offers
features such as real-time tracking, dispatching, and compliance management.
The cost per vehicle per month varies depending on the specific features
chosen.
5. Fleetio is a fleet management platform that can be white labeled. It includes
GPS tracking, maintenance tracking, and fuel tracking. The cost per vehicle per
month starts at around $5.
NB: The cost per vehicle per month can vary depending on the specific features and
requirements of the business, as well as the number of vehicles.
SMART METERING SOLUTIONS
This solution is already being implemented in the ZETDC. Since already existing the only
solution is to probably offer SIM cards for the coming LTE. The other angle is to check if the
smart meters can have RJ45 ports and supply internet directly to them, create a large dense
network of fiber to the home whereby a customer that uses a smart meter also gets internet
service from Powertel and ZETDC can track their smart meters. Depending on if LTE
succeeds or not but it can be FTTH to supply the internet.
Internet Of Things Solutions
Internet of things is based on four simple building blocks also called IoT architecture
layers
1) Sensors
2) Internet of Things (IoT) framework & gateway
3) cloud server
4) mobile app/PC App
IoT Architecture
Sensor
Sensors are everywhere, sensors sense data from the atmosphere or place. Sensors will
sniff a wide variety of information ranging from Location, Weather/Environment
conditions, running machine, from the human body, engine maintenance data to
health essentials of a vehicle.
IoT Gateways & frameworks
As the name rightly explains, it is a gateway to the internet for all the things/devices
that we want to interact with. Gateways act as a carrier between the internal network
of sensor nodes with the external Internet or World Wide Web.
They do this by collecting the data from sensor nodes and transmitting them to the
internet infrastructure.
Cloud server
The data transmitted through the gateway is stored & processed securely within the
cloud server i.e. in data centres. This processed data is then used to perform
intelligent actions that make all our devices Smart Devices. In the cloud, all analytics
and decision making happen considering user comfort.
4. Mobile applications
The intuitive mobile apps will help end-users to control & monitor their devices
(ranging from the room thermostat to vehicle engines) from remote locations.
These apps push important information from the cloud on your smartphones, tablets.
After analytics, Information is in the form of graphs, bars and in pi-diagram and
display to the user in a user-friendly manner.
From mobile application, we can send a command to sensors to change default values,
like changing default temperature of air conditioner and many more.
POSSIBLE USAGE AREAS OF IOT AT POWERTEL
-
IoT Smart Grid
Tracking Services
Monitoring of mines
Monitoring of any critical Assets