Keep reading to discover how we arrived at these numbers.
Low-Power Tracking and Positioning
Combain’s advanced indoor and outdoor positioning technologies are exceptionally well suited for long-term battery life tracking and revolutionizing asset management, workforce management, and operational efficiency.
GNSS and GPS is not enough
Businesses and logistics companies require accurate, real-time tracking of high-value assets, vehicles, and shipments. Traditional GPS trackers have limitations such as high power consumption, limited indoor tracking, and susceptibility to jamming.
Key challenges include:
- Battery life constraints for tracking devices on long-haul shipments.
- Limited GPS reliability in warehouses, urban canyons, and indoor facilities.
- High costs associated with GPS-based tracking solutions.
- Security risks related to cargo theft and asset loss.
Comparison of Cell ID, WiFi, and GPS Positioning
| Feature | Cell ID Positioning | WiFi Positioning | GPS Positioning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 1-5 mW (very low) | 5-50 mW (low) | 50-1000 mW (high) |
| Accuracy | 100m – 10km (depends on cell tower density) | 10-50m (depends on WiFi access point density) | <5m (clear sky) |
| Availability | Works everywhere with cellular coverage | Works indoors & urban areas with WiFi access points | Requires clear sky, fails indoors & urban canyons |
| Response Time | Instant (uses existing network connection) | Fast (~1-2 sec) | Slow (~5-30 sec for cold start, faster with A-GPS) |
| Targeted Use Case | Low-power IoT, global logistics | Indoor positioning | Outdoor positioning |
| Dependency | Cellular network availability | WiFi access points database | Satellite visibility |
| Power Efficiency vs. Accuracy Trade-off | Lowest power, worst accuracy | Balanced power & accuracy | High accuracy, highest power consumption |
(click for references above)
Cell ID Positioning:
Zandbergen, P. A. (2009). “Accuracy of iPhone Locations: A Comparison of Assisted GPS, WiFi and Cellular Positioning.” Transactions in GIS, 13(1), 5-25. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9671.2009.01152.x
Djuknic, G. M., & Richton, R. E. (2001). “Geolocation and Assisted GPS.” Computer, 34(2), 123-125. DOI: 10.1109/2.901174
WiFi Positioning:
Hsu, C. C., & Lin, C. J. (2015). “Wi-Fi Fingerprinting-Based Indoor Positioning: Design and Implementation.” Wireless Personal Communications, 85(1), 39-53. DOI: 10.1007/s11277-015-2726-2
Bahl, P., & Padmanabhan, V. N. (2000). “RADAR: An In-Building RF-Based User Location and Tracking System.” Proceedings of IEEE INFOCOM 2000, 2, 775-784. DOI: 10.1109/INFCOM.2000.832252
GPS Positioning:
Van Diggelen, F. (2009). A-GPS: Assisted GPS, GNSS, and SBAS. Artech House.
Kaplan, E. D., & Hegarty, C. (2017). Understanding GPS/GNSS: Principles and Applications. Artech House.
Conclusion
- Cell ID Positioning → Lowest power, worst accuracy. Best for coarse tracking, IoT devices.
- WiFi Positioning → Middle ground. It is more accurate than Cell ID, has lower power than GPS, and works indoors.
- GPS Positioning → Most accurate but power-hungry. Best for outdoor geolocation services.
For power-sensitive applications, Cell ID + WiFi positioning is a good alternative or complement to GPS-based tracking.
Combain offers hybrid, low-power tracking solutions that combine multiple positioning technologies to provide seamless indoor and outdoor tracking, featuring:
- Low-energy location tracking for extended battery life.
- AI-enhanced positioning that adapts to different tracking requirements
Asset Tracking and Management
Reducing Lost Time and Equipment Costs
Tracking tools, machinery, and materials is a constant challenge in large-scale construction projects and facility management. Workers frequently lose valuable time locating misplaced items, which leads to delays, inefficiencies, and costly equipment replacements.
With Combain’s positioning system, companies gain real-time visibility into the location of high-value assets. By tagging tools and equipment with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi-enabled devices, teams can instantly pinpoint their location — whether on a truck, or across a large job site.
Real-world Scenario and ROI
A construction firm operating across remote job sites faced constant delays due to misplaced tools and equipment. Workers often had to walk long distances or make repeated trips between storage areas, wasting valuable time and halting progress. After implementing a real-time positioning system, the company significantly reduced search time, streamlined daily operations, and kept projects moving on schedule.
Industry Insights & ROI estimations:
- Every day, workers lose up to 10% of their time simply searching for tools and attachments — a hidden drain on productivity that adds up fast across large crews and projects (ForConstructionPros, 2021)
Assuming a company has 50 workers, each working 8-hour shifts, the calculation shows the following:
- Daily hours lost: 40 (50 workers × 0.10 × 8 hours/day).
- Annual hours lost: 10,000 hours (40 hours × 250 workdays).
- Total annual financial loss: $500,000 (10,000 hours × $50 average hourly labor cost).
- Efficiency Improvement: Assuming a 50% reduction in time spent searching for tools
Implementing a tracking system that costs $100,000 annually reduces asset search time by 50%, generating $250,000 in annual savings.
ROI for Asset Tracking:
A 150% ROI in the first year shows that asset-tracking solutions quickly pay for themselves while greatly enhancing project efficiency.
Low-Power Asset Tracking
SIM Tracking over time and distance
Losing visibility and positioning of high-value assets can lead to serious delays, financial losses, and customer dissatisfaction. In industries operating across off-shore, remote, or complex environments — such as logistics, container shipping, energy, and industrial operations — the priority with positioning is long-term visibility.
For these use cases, low-power, low-maintenance tracking is essential, providing reliable location updates over months or even years, without frequent recharging or manual intervention. As supply chain resilience becomes a top priority, container visibility is no longer a “nice-to-have.” Low-power, long-life tracking solutions are increasingly in demand to provide reliable, cost-effective coverage across ports, rail hubs, warehouses, and open sea, without draining batteries or requiring manual intervention.
Industry Insights & ROI
- Today, over 60% of global consumer goods, representing nearly $14 trillion in value, are transported via container shipping, according to American Prospect (2022).
- Between 2008 and 2022, an average of 1,566 containers were lost at sea each year, according to the World Shipping Council (2023).
- Recent research on container shipping found that economic risks are the most pressing and threatening, surpassing political, technical, legal, social, and environmental risks (Zhou et al., 2022)*.
These insights underscore the urgent need for solutions that minimize financial losses and enhance operational resilience in industries requiring low-power positioning.
(click for references above)
Zhou, Y., Li, X. and Yuen, K.F., 2022. Holistic risk assessment of container shipping service based on Bayesian Network Modelling. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 220, p. 108305.
Real-World Scenario & Value
The logistics industry faces significant pressure to minimize delivery times, optimize routes, and prevent asset loss. Traditional GPS trackers often fall short due to high power consumption, complicated installations, and high costs. Combain’s Cell ID positioning, used in Traxmate IoT SIM Tracking, offers an affordable and maintenance-free alternative by utilizing SIM data to monitor the location of containers, pallets, or delivery trucks.
Value Delivered:
- End-to-End Visibility: Track shipments globally without the need for dedicated GPS devices.
- Zero Touch Maintenance: Ultra-low power consumption and no updates required, making it ideal for passive tracking.
- Delay Reduction: Monitor stuck or misrouted goods in real time and take proactive action.
- Geofencing for Compliance: Set up virtual zones (e.g., customs areas) to alert staff when shipments cross borders.
cost Savings and ROI Calculations
- Company X, a moderate-sized global freight operator, tracks 10,000 containers annually. Previously, each GPS tracker cost approximately $100/unit/year in power and maintenance, excluding upfront costs. The Combain & Traxmate SIM Tracking solution only costs approximately $8/unit/year because of its’ low power consumption and low-maintenance costs.
- Before Combain & Traxmate: $100 x 10,000 = $1000,000/year
- With Combain & Traxmate (SIM-based tracking using Cell ID): $8 x 10,000 = $80,000/year
Total Annual Cost Savings; ~$920,000 (92% cost reduction) using SIM Tracking.
Next Steps
To get started, contact us to schedule a consultation. Learn how efficient asset management and low-power positioning can empower you.
Key Takeaways
What problem does low-power tracking solve?
Low-power tracking enables location updates that can last for months or even years without requiring a recharge. This is particularly important because traditional GPS can drain batteries quickly, may not work indoors, and can be jammed.
This method is ideal for assets that move between warehouses, yards, ports, and vehicles where continuous Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage is not feasible.
What level of cost reduction can be achieved?
By transitioning from GPS hardware and maintenance, which costs approximately $100 per unit per year, to SIM-based Cell ID technology, priced at around $8 per unit annually, you can reduce annual tracking costs by about 92%. For a fleet of 10,000 assets, this change can result in annual savings of approximately $920,000.
What return on investment (ROI) can construction and facilities expect?
In the first year, companies can anticipate an ROI of up to 150% due to reduced search times and fewer lost tools.
Workers typically spend about 10% of their day searching for attachments and tools. By cutting this search time in half, you achieve significant labor savings, allowing tasks to start more quickly.
How does the hybrid positioning method work, and why does it save power?
The Combain system combines Cell ID, WiFi, and Bluetooth to determine a device’s location. It selects the lowest power source that meets the required accuracy and only increases power, for instance, by activating GPS when necessary.
Typically, the power consumption is around 1 to 5 mW for Cell ID, 5 to 50 mW for WiFi, and 50 to 1000 mW for GPS. This prioritization helps to preserve battery life while maintaining accurate location tracking.
What level of accuracy should you expect?
When using Cell ID outdoors, the range is approximately 100 meters to 10 kilometers, depending on the density of the cell towers in the area. Indoors, with WiFi, the range is about 10 to 50 meters, also depending on the density of the access points. GPS can achieve an accuracy of under 5 meters in ideal, clear-sky conditions, but consumes the most power.
Select the most suitable methods based on the location, battery capacity, and the required response time.
Where is the biggest business impact in logistics?
Containerized trade accounts for more than 60 percent of global consumer goods, with a total value of nearly $14 trillion.
Even minor improvements in location awareness can yield substantial operational benefits. Between 2008 and 2022, an average of 1,566 containers were lost at sea each year.
Utilizing visibility tools and geofencing can help identify misrouted or stalled shipments, allowing for quicker recovery. (The American Prospect)
How do you deliver and integrate this in practice?
Utilize the Combain Location API to provide one endpoint for both indoor and outdoor tracking. Depending on your data policy, you can deploy either a cloud-based or on-premises solution.
To simplify the rollout for mixed fleets, integrate with platforms like Traxmate for SIM-based tracking that relies on Cell ID from the network. This approach eliminates the need for app installations and firmware changes, making the process more straightforward.
How can automation improve daily operations?
Implement geofences around yards, warehouses, and customs zones. Trigger alerts for border crossings, long dwell times, or unexpected movements. Integrate usage data into maintenance and inventory workflows. These measures help reduce delays and minimize losses.
What should you consider when planning a project?
Select trackers that have long-lasting batteries. Reuse any existing WiFi access points, and add more WiFi or Bluetooth beacons in areas with weak coverage. Be sure to tag tools, equipment, and wearables.
If your project requires it, ensure seamless service both indoors and outdoors, and include 3D indoor positioning with detailed information on buildings, floors, and rooms.
Precise positioning of assets and personnel in indoor and outdoor environments ensures total visibility and minimizes downtime.
Flexible and cost-effective solutions for positioning in construction and facility management by using WiFi, Bluetooth, and Cell ID-based positioning. This method significantly decreases the need for large infrastructure investments.
Implementing Combain-based positioning in systems like Traxmate enables automatic monitoring of workforce safety and asset usage, helping managers prevent costly incidents and delays.
Combain provides cloud-based and on-premise solutions, enabling businesses to easily scale their positioning systems and integrate them with existing IoT and tracking systems.
Project considerations
- Use long-life battery-powered tracking devices
- Re-use existing infrastructure of WiFi access points
- Complement infrastructure with long-life battery-powered Bluetooth beacons
- Place trackers on equipment, tools, and wearables
- Combain positioning solution works seamlessly indoors and outdoors
- Combain can provide 3D indoor positions with building, floor, and room accuracy