A new solar-powered remote asset tracking and management device is now commercially available for a range of applications, including vessel monitoring systems (VMS), fisheries management, tracking of freight shipping containers, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) applications, monitoring of oil and gas pipelines and heavy equipment telematics data reporting.  

Iridium Edge Solar from Iridium Communications is said to be a secure, maintenance-free, solar-powered remote asset tracking and management device with over-the-air configuration capabilities.

Testing of the device includes capabilities such as real-time, two-way communication, over-the-air configuration ability, built-in Bluetooth low energy (BLE) connectivity and secure, rugged packaging. The addition of BLE technology enables development of customised deployable sensor systems that can be positioned on machinery, vehicles, vessels or across worksites.  

“The Iridium Edge Solar is a unique and versatile solar-powered asset tracking device, when compared to alternatives available in the industry,” said Iridium executive vice president, sales and marketing, Bryan Hartin. “No other solar-powered IoT tracking device matches its geographic coverage, capabilities and cost-effectiveness, and we believe the addition of BLE local wireless connectivity adds a new level of customizability for applications requiring multiple and disparate sensor readings.”

The company asserts that historical problems related to solar-powered satellite Internet of Things tracking devices, such as battery charging failure or solar panels and packaging susceptible to water-intrusion or cracking, are resolved by complete encapsulation of all vital electronics, military-grade rugged packaging and an innovative, intelligent dual-power system, ensuring two-way communications delivery even in low-light conditions.  

Global coverage and services such as Iridium CloudConnect are noted as important features that help to simplify back-office integration through Amazon Web Services, allowing businesses, governments and non-governmental organisations to rapidly scale and deploy the device anywhere in the world for up to 10 years without maintenance.