Link Labs Releases Its Patented Xtreme Low Energy (XLE) Technology

By Tiera Oliver

Associate Editor

Embedded Computing Design

August 23, 2021

News

Link Labs Releases Its Patented Xtreme Low Energy (XLE) Technology

Link Labs announced the release of its Xtreme Low Energy (XLE) technology for IoT asset tracking. A patented wireless communication method, XLE is designed to extend the battery life of Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) tags by more than 400%, or by up to three years longer, and enables accuracy in asset location within one meter.

XLE is offered in Link Labs’ AirFinder OnSite IoT asset tracking platform, which launched in March 2021.

Bluetooth LE is a type of wireless communication technology that enables IoT devices to connect and communicate with each other. Because it's designed to transfer a small amount of data at one time, Bluetooth LE consumes a low level of power while increasing transmission speed and accuracy in determining an asset’s location. When used in an asset management system, these qualities can make a positive impact on a company’s costs – by not having to replace batteries frequently in hundreds to thousands of IoT devices, companies can save costs on both the purchase of replacement batteries and the labor required to change batteries.

According to the company, Link Labs’ XLE technology conserves even more of the battery life of an asset’s Bluetooth LE tag through phase-ranging, which also more accurately identifies an asset’s location to within one meter, or three feet. When tags and beacons communicate with one another using XLE, a phase measurement provides a precise location by triangulating the location of a tag from at least three beacons. Similarly to GPS, tags in an AirFinder OnSite system measure ranges to known points to calculate their own x/y/z coordinates. Per the company, using this method, XLE battery tags can last up to seven years, whereas traditional Bluetooth LE tags typically last around three years.

XLE is only available in Link Labs’ AirFinder OnSite IoT platform, which makes it possible for companies of all sizes to track thousands to millions of high-value assets in campus-based environments. XLE can cover a large area but can also be scaled down based on specific business needs or only where coverage is needed.

For more information, visit: https://www.link-labs.com.

Tiera Oliver, Associate Editor for Embedded Computing Design, is responsible for web content edits, product news, and constructing stories. She also assists with newsletter updates as well as contributing and editing content for ECD podcasts and the ECD YouTube channel. Before working at ECD, Tiera graduated from Northern Arizona University where she received her B.S. in journalism and political science and worked as a news reporter for the university’s student led newspaper, The Lumberjack.

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