Automated Pallet-Tracking System Adds Connectivity Option
The Pallet Alliance adds LoRa communications capability to its IntelliPallet IoT-enabled wooden pallet tracking platform for wireless connectivity in applications that can’t be cost-effectively addressed using cellular/GPS and Wi-Fi/BLE (Bluetooth low energy)-based networks.
Posted: March 23, 2020
Millions of reusable wooden pallets are lost or stolen every year. A collaboration with two other companies enables the Pallet Alliance Inc. (Carrboro, NC) to offer its IntelliPallet IoT tracking platform with LoRaWAN as well as cellular and bluetooth communications. The partnership provides an inexpensive but viable option for wireless connectivity where cellular/GPS and Wi-Fi/BLE (Bluetooth low energy)-based communications aren’t cost-effective.
Pallet Alliance was the first third-party logistics provider to offer IoT-enabled location and environmental sensors to be integrated into wooden pallets, which comprise more than 90% of the world’s palletized shipping market. The company’s IntelliPallet platform was introduced in November 2019 with AT&T mobile (cellular) and CalAmp Bluetooth connectivity options.
The company has partnered with Semtech, supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and algorithms, and IoT-integration firm Viaanix to offer a third option: long-range, wide-area network (LoRaWAN) protocol.
“This gives us the ability to customize an end-to-end IoT connectivity, location, and data analysis platform,” says Pallet Alliance Principal Mike Jones. “More importantly, the ability to integrate this platform into customers’ existing wooden pallet systems eliminates the expense and disruption involved in converting to plastic or composite pallets.”
The three IoT connectivity protocols complement each other:
- Mobile/cellular systems provide in-transit data for point-to-point location, but require adequate network coverage and have higher power consumption.
- WiFi/Bluetooth connectivity delivers higher bandwidth and function well in indoor environments, but may have limited range.
- LoRaWAN provides secure, long-range connectivity for tracking high-volume shipments with low-cost, low-power-consumption sensors and devices.
“This system delivers total visibility of customer assets as well as automatic notifications by text or email,” says Viaanix CEO Jatin Talreja. “Based on open APIs, the platform seamlessly integrates with SAP/ERP systems, enabling custom dashboards for different levels of users.”
