BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is a short-range wireless communication standard designed to transmit small amounts of data with minimal power draw. In returnable asset tracking, a BLE tag fitted to the asset broadcasts a signal that BLE gateways placed in warehouse zones pick up to register the asset's presence in that zone.

What is the range of BLE in a warehouse?

In industrial environments, the effective range of a BLE beacon is 10–50 metres depending on interference and obstacles. Tracking granularity depends on gateway density: one gateway per zone gives zone-level presence; higher density narrows it down to aisles or bays.

Does a BLE tag use much battery?

No. BLE is designed for ultra-low power consumption: a standard BLE beacon runs for 2–5 years on a coin cell, depending on the broadcast interval. Unlike GPS, it needs no cellular connection or satellite antenna — energy draw is radically lower.

BLE for continuous presence in the yard and warehouse

Automatic zone counts and continuous presence inside your facilities — no manual scans. Know exactly where every asset is, from the moment it enters your site to the moment it leaves.

BLE Tracker

Indoor presence for the assets that stay inside

Vitum's BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) layer gives precise, continuous indoor presence to returnable assets that live inside your facilities — warehouses, production plants, yards. It delivers automatic zone-based counts, replaces manual inventories, and keeps a live view of what's where, without the operational overhead.

The platform ingests BLE signal through the same device-agnostic layer as GPS and QR — so you get indoor presence alongside outdoor tracking in a single view, not a second system bolted on.

Technology

How BLE works in a warehouse

1. Beacon / Tag

A small BLE tag fixed to the asset broadcasts a low-energy radio signal every few seconds — no button press, no network connection required.

2. Gateway / Zone reader

Fixed BLE gateways installed in each warehouse zone pick up beacon signals and send them to the cloud with a timestamp and zone ID.

3. Automatic count

The platform aggregates detections and updates inventory in real time — zero manual scans, zero spreadsheets.

What BLE does

Built for indoor assets — here's what it covers

Warehouses & logistics centres

Locates returnable assets inside large facilities and cuts search time.

Production plants

Tracks tools, equipment and containers through the production process.

Automatic zone counts

Keeps inventory current without a single manual count.

Dwell & control zones

Flags when an asset enters, exits or sits too long in a zone.

Long battery life

BLE beacons run for years, keeping maintenance low.

No hardware lock-in

The value isn't in the tag — it's in the platform intelligence

BLE ingests through the same device-agnostic layer as everything else — any tag, any OEM, no new lock-in. You add presence data to the platform you already run, not a second system.

Frequently asked questions about BLE

GPS, BLE or QR — pick the right technology per asset

Criteria	GPS	BLE	QR
Best for	Assets on the move, outdoors	Continuous presence in the yard / warehouse	Identity on every asset, anywhere
How it locates	Satellite, real-time	Beacons & gateways, indoors	One scan, by a person
Coverage	National & international	Inside your facilities	Wherever someone scans
Cost per asset	Highest — deploy selectively	Low (needs gateway density)	Near-zero
Earns its place when	The analysis flags a chronic non-returner	The yard is where the money leaks	Day 1, on the whole fleet

Not sure which you need?

In most projects they complement each other, and the analysis tells you the mix. Our team helps you define it from your asset types, environment and where your money is actually leaking — not from a device catalogue.