Expansion Hardware
Asset Tracking
Bluetooth beacons that track trailers, containers, and unpowered equipment through a nearby GO device.
Updated August 1, 2026
Asset Tracking (Geotab IOX-BT) pairs with a nearby GO device to track movable assets that can't run a telematics device on their own: trailers, containers, generators, and tools. Attach a Bluetooth low-energy beacon to the asset, and it relays location and status through the closest GO device into MyGeotab, so you can see where an asset is even when it's not attached to a powered vehicle.
Specs
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth low energy beacon paired to a nearby GO device
- Tracks
- Trailers, containers, generators, tools, and other unpowered equipment
- Data
- Location and status relayed into MyGeotab through the paired GO device
Highlights
- Tracks equipment that has no engine and can't run its own GPS device
- Beacon relays through the nearest GO device, no separate cellular connection needed
- Same MyGeotab reporting as vehicle tracking, for assets instead of vehicles
Why Unpowered Equipment Needs a Different Approach
A vehicle GPS tracker draws power from the vehicle's own electrical system and typically carries its own cellular connection, which works fine for anything with an engine. A trailer, generator, or hand tool has neither, so putting a standard powered tracker on it either isn't possible or requires a separate battery and data plan that adds real ongoing cost per asset.
Asset Tracking sidesteps that problem entirely by not trying to be a standalone powered tracker. The Bluetooth beacon runs on its own low-power battery and relays through whichever GO-equipped vehicle happens to be nearby, borrowing that vehicle's existing cellular connection instead of needing one of its own.
What This Setup Is Not Built For
The Bluetooth relay model has a real tradeoff: an asset sitting somewhere with no GO-equipped vehicle nearby, in a yard with no tracked trucks present, or shipped on a truck that isn't part of the fleet, won't report its location until something with a GO device comes back into Bluetooth range. That's a fundamentally different behavior from a powered, independently cellular-connected tracker that reports continuously regardless of what else is nearby.
That makes Asset Tracking a strong fit for equipment that mostly travels with or stays near the fleet's own tracked vehicles, trailers behind company trucks, generators staged at active job sites, and a weaker fit for assets that spend significant time completely isolated from any tracked vehicle. Knowing which category a given piece of equipment falls into is worth confirming before assuming it'll get continuous coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Can I track equipment that doesn't have an engine, like a trailer or generator?
Yes, that's what Asset Tracking is for. A Bluetooth beacon attaches to the asset and relays its location through the nearest GO device, so you don't need a powered, cellular-connected tracker on every piece of equipment.
Does asset tracking need its own cellular plan?
No. It communicates over Bluetooth to a nearby GO device, which handles the cellular connection back to MyGeotab, so there's no separate data plan per asset.
How close does the asset need to be to a GO device to report location?
Bluetooth low energy has a short range, typically tens of meters, so the beacon needs to stay reasonably close to a GO-equipped vehicle to relay its location. It's best suited to equipment that usually travels with or near a tracked vehicle.
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