Global positioning systems (GPS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) are receiving renewed attention for security, operations management and logistical applications, bringing new sources of revenue to installing contractors and additional benefits to their customers.


Zebra Technologies Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill., recently commissioned an independent study with Forrester Consulting, Cambridge, Mass. “Internet-Of-Things Solution Deployment Gains Momentum Among Firms Globally-Improved Customer Experience and Supply Chain Optimization Are Leading Business Benefits of IoT Solutions” surveyed information technology (IT) and business decision-makers in nearly 600 global firms in the retail, consumer products, manufacturing, transportation, government, oil/gas, healthcare and hospitality industries. The piece shines new light on the ways different markets can leverage the Internet of Things (IoT)—defined as smart, interconnected devices—to “get more visibility into the identification, location and condition of products, assets, transactions or people to drive more effective and timely business decisions or to improve customer interactions.”


According to the report, connected-world solutions, or the IoT, leverage machine-to-machine technologies (e.g., sensors, GPS technology and RFID tags) to link physical assets to analytics and control systems using the Internet.


Mike Maris, senior director of Transportation & Logistics at Zebra Technologies, said real-time location systems provide detailed information on assets, people, parts and pieces.


“Not only does it provide information on assets, but [it tells] where a driver is and what he needs for a job,” Maris said. “There are even sensoring shocks that alert if a truck is being driven hard and may jar sensitive electronic equipment. Customers are asking about these types of technologies, coming to us with problems and asking how they can solve them.”


Maris said Wi-Fi, real-time location tracking and security sensors are important elements of IoT solutions. Approximately 83 percent of firms in the study identified the Wi-Fi infrastructure and real-time location tracking technologies as important or very important components of IoT solutions. In addition, at least 80 percent of firms identified sensor technologies for monitoring assets and the surrounding environment as important or very important.


RFID, GPS and Wi-Fi applications for contractors and their customers continue to mature and open new specification areas. Mark Fischer, technical consultant with SmartTek Systems, Reno, Nev., said the object is to increase the envelope of what can be offered to customers.


“Dealers need to expand their potential by coming up with new services to generate additional recurring monthly revenue,” he said. “We provide the app and the infrastructure, and the integrator provides the service.”


Fischer said SmartTek tracking includes GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity in smartphones that refines the location of a person or vehicle.


“Accuracy has been increasing,” Fisher said. “Now, you can map locations with Wi-Fi, geo powers for triangulation by sector and even Bluetooth beacons.”


The company offers three different platforms: SmartAlert, SmartGuard and SmartTrack. SmartAlert expands physical security from the home or office to remote locations with a GPS-based panic button.


“It solves a very real problem,” Fischer said. “There’s the inability of the 911 system to locate mobile phones accurately. Once the SmartAlert app is loaded onto the user’s iPhone or Android device, the service works just like a traditional in-home panic button with two activation modes: a virtual button on the phone or a wearable personal communicator. SmartTek services integrate with professional central-station monitoring services. There’s also a privacy function that tracks only on alarm.”


Once a user activates SmartAlert, central station personnel are presented with a map and location-specific emergency responder contact information. The cloud-based platform even provides the central station with public service answering point data.


SmartTrack is a tracking and mobile productivity application.


“It allows companies to track deliveries in real time, without having to install a GPS in a vehicle,” Fischer said. “It’s the whole concept of accountability. It can also be used for man down or lone worker capabilities.”


Finally, SmartGuard monitors real-time location of minors, with tracking and arrival alerts for family members.


Last fall, Honeywell Security, Melville, N.Y., released its Honeywell Total Connect Tracking Services, which gives users the ability to monitor vehicles and high-value property. With Honeywell Total Connect Tracking Services, customers can keep tabs on their vehicles and see tracked vehicles in real time, 90 days of location history, history of vehicle speeds, the length of time drivers spent on routes, and alerts when speed and travel area limits are exceeded. Any connected device can monitor the application.


“During our pilot program, we found dealer and customer response quite receptive, so we knew GPS services would be a popular component of our Total Connect remote services,” said Dean Mason, senior communications project manager for Honeywell Security.


Mason said GPS features and functionality have become more robust with the addition of cellular coordinates.


“Most of our contractors adopt the technology for their own fleet management initially before offering it to their customers,” he said.


Mason added that fleet tracking allows security dealers to offer additional services, which results in a customer less likely to switch service providers. “It’s a natural extension of their business. Now they can provide security to home and business, automation, video and added protection for the vehicle.”