Swarm Asset Tracker User manual
Swarm Asset Tracker
QUICKSTART GUIDE
Revision 1.11· October 2022
©2022 Swarm Technologies, Inc.
What’s Included: Compatible Accessories:
Quickstart Guide Contents:
❏Overview & Setup
❏External Power
❏Data Transmission
❏Resources/Troubleshooting
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VHF
Antenna
M8 DC Power
Connector (6-28V)
Optional Mounting
Feet (4x)
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Overview & Setup - External View
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Rechargeable
18650
Lithium-Ion
Batteries
Micro-USB Header
(PWR + Data)
6-pin Serial
Header
Power On/Off
Button
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Overview & Setup - Bottom Internal View
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Create your Hive account and sign in:
https://bumblebee.hive.swarm.space/hive/ui/sign-up
After signing up, an activation email will be sent to you.
Navigate to Register Device:
Click Start Scanning to scan your Asset Tracker’s QR Code:
A QR code is provided on the Asset Tracker’s label.
If you are unable to use the browser-based scanner, you can also use your
camera app to scan the Asset Tracker QR code, and enter the auth code in the Hive
manually. See example below:
{"ac":"ABCDE.
12345$%XYZ"}
1
2
3
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Overview & Setup - Register your Device
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●Place the Asset Tracker on a flat surface.
●Turn the Asset Tracker over and remove the 4 enclosure screws
located on the back using a phillips screwdriver.
●The battery insulating tabs can be removed by either removing the
batteries themselves, or by gently pulling on the tabs until
removed.
○The batteries may have to be reinstalled following the polarity
markers shown on the PCB.
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Overview & Setup
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●Press the power on/off button once to turn the device on.
○Dim lights around the edge of the PCB will light up.
○To power the Asset Tracker OFF, press the on/off button again.
●Reassemble the enclosure with the Asset Tracker powered on using
the 4 screws from the previous step.
○The torque specifications for the enclosure screws is between
71 and 85 ozf-in.
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Overview & Setup
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There are multiple options available to mount the Asset Tracker:
Mounting Feet
Magnet Mounts
VHB Tape
The included mounting feet can be attached to the enclosure using either a
heavy duty mount installation method, or using a flush mount installation
method.
The 2 different installation options for the mounting feet are shown on page 9.
Using the magnet mounts requires the use of the mounting feet installed using
the heavy duty method.
The installation of the magnet mounts in shown on page 10.
Part number recommendations for the magnets and screws are provided in
Section 5.2 of the Product Manual.
A pole mounting kit can also be used to mount the Asset Tracker. Installation
instructions for the pole mounting kit are provided on page 11 of this document.
An example of the enclosure with the pole mounting kit installed is shown on
page 12.
A part number recommendation for the pole mount kit is provided in Section 5.4
of the Product Manual.
The Asset Tracker ships with 3 pieces of VHB tape installed on the back of the
enclosure.
To use the VHB tape option, simply remove the tape backing and mount the
Asset Tracker by pressing firmly on the enclosure body. If choosing another
mounting method, then the pre-installed VHB tape can easily be removed.
Part number recommendation for the VHB tape are provided in Section 5.3 of
the Product Manual.
Pole Mounts
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Overview & Setup - Mounting
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Overview & Setup - Magnet Mounts
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Overview & Setup - Pole Mounts
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Overview & Setup - VHB Tape
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●To use the VHB tape option, simply remove the red tape backing and
mount the Asset Tracker by pressing firmly on the enclosure body. If
choosing another mounting method, then the pre-installed VHB tape
can easily be removed.
●Once the selected mounting option has been installed, please attach
the Asset Tracker to the asset of interest.
●Attach the included antenna to the exposed SMA connector on the
Asset Tracker ensuring that the antenna is hand-tight.
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Overview & Setup
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●External power can be provided to the Asset Tracker to charge the
batteries and extend the lifetime of the deployment.
●The pinout of the M8 connector located on the Asset Tracker is
provided below.
Pin Function
3,4 6-28VDC
1,2 GND
Example Power Cable
FESTO: NEBB-M8G4-P-5-LE4
External View of the Asset Tracker’s M8 Connector.
Example Mating Connector
TE: T4010008041-000
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External Power
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●The Asset Tracker’s batteries can also be charged by using the
internally located micro-USB connector. The Asset Tracker should be
in its OFF state with the VHF antenna removed while charging the
batteries via the micro-USB connector.
●The Asset Tracker ships preconfigured for 1 of 3 different asset
tracking profiles.
●The configuration of the Swarm Asset Tracker is 1 GPS
acquisition every 2 hours with 1 transmission per 2 hour window.
Motion detection is also enabled by default.
Visual Representation of the Swarm Asset Tracker’s Configuration
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Data Transmission - Motion Detection Disabled
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●In the first GPS state, the Asset Tracker will attempt to acquire a GPS
fix for up to 4 minutes. The acquired data will be queued for
transmission.
●Once a GPS fix is acquired, the Asset Tracker will transition to its
receiver state (Rx) for up to 40 minutes where it will listen for
satellite beacons to trigger a transmission (Tx).
●The Asset Tracker will then transition to its sleep mode as soon as
the queued message is transmitted, or if 40 minutes have passed. It
will remain in its sleep mode until 2 hours have passed since its initial
power-on time and it will then repeat the same sequence.
●When motion detection is enabled, it acts as a modifier for the
profiles described on the previous page.
●Scenario 1: Motion is detected while the Asset Tracker is awake and
not in sleep mode.
○No change to configured profile
●Scenario 2: Motion is detected while the Asset Tracker is in sleep
mode between acquisition periods.
○If the motion event occurs before the next scheduled normal
wake time, then the device will go back into sleep mode until the
next scheduled wake time.
○If the motion event occurs after the next scheduled normal
wake time, then the device will wake immediately and start a
new acquisition cycle.
●Scenario 3: Motion is detected when the device is ready to transition
into sleep mode.
○The device will continue its profile configuration while it still has
messages pending transmission.
○Once the device’s transmission queue is empty after completing
its profile configuration, the device will enter its sleep mode
indefinitely until a new motion event is detected.
●For all profiles, regardless of whether motion detection is enabled or
not, the device will return to sleep early if all messages are
transmitted.
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Data Transmission - Motion Detection Enabled
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Using your credentials, log into the Swarm Hive to view your
message dashboard, account information, and device settings.
When your device has successfully transmitted through the Swarm
Network, you will see your messages displayed in the Swarm Hive.
Customers can create reports for
transmitted Asset Tracker data using the
new Reports Page. Custom reports can be
generated and data can be viewed in either
tabular, or map format. Several filters are
available such as device, date, and location
filters.
Filtered data can also be exported as a CSV
file to perform analysis as necessary.
Customers can also extract data from the
Hive using either the provided REST API,
or Webhooks.
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Data Transmission - Accessing Data in the Hive
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The image below shows an example of a report generated on the
Swarm Hive. The report can be used to filter data by devices, date
range, and location. The generated report can be viewed in tabular
format or on a map. The data can also be exported and downloaded
as a CSV file.
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Data Transmission - Accessing Data in the Hive
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The table below provides a description of the various parameters
included within the transmitted message.
Identifier Description Units
dt GPS date/time of sample at time of packet creation Epoch seconds
lt GPS latitude Degrees
ln GPS longitude Degrees
al GPS altitude Meters
sp GPS speed m/s
hd GPS heading Degrees
bv Battery voltage mV
tp CPU temperature °C
rs Background RSSI at time of packet creation dB
tr RSSI of most recent satellite beacon dB
ts SNR of most recent satellite beacon dB
td GPS date/time of most recent satellite beacon Epoch seconds
gj* GPS jamming level* N/A
gs* GPS spoofing indicator* N/A
hp* Horizontal dilution of precision* N/A
vp* Vertical dilution of precision* N/A
tf* Time to fix* N/A
*These parameters are Swarm specific and subject to change.
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Data Transmission - Accessing Data in the Hive
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