This article describes how to deploy Aruba Asset Tags and Control Tags in your location.

Aruba Tags Overview

The Aruba Meridian Asset Tracking Infrastructure includes Aruba Tags, Meridian Tags mobile app, Aruba Access Points (APs) with BLE Radio, Aruba Meridian Editor and Meridian Tags server.

Aruba's asset tracking solution only works with Aruba access points with BLE. It does not work wit third party APs and Tags.  The asset tracking solution does not require the use of Aruba battery powered beacons nor does it use battery powered beacons for tracking tags.

Deploying an Aruba Tag

To deploy and configure Aruba Tags and control tags, download the Aruba Tags mobile app from the Apple App Store.  This app is only available for IOS mobile devices.  There is no Tags mobile app available for Android mobile devices.  The Tags mobile app is used to add the tag for tracking, place control tags on the map, and configure the tag properties.   The mobile device using the tags mobile app must be connected to the web so it can communicate with the Meridian Tags server.

The main view options on the Aruba Tags app are:

• Tags View.  Scan and view nearby tags.
• Map View.  Show tag locations on the map.
• Location View.  Switch between different Meridian locations.

Step 1. Adding the Aruba Tag for Tracking

To add Aruba tags for tracking, make sure the bluetooth device on the mobile device is enabled.  The Tags app uses the bluetooth signal from the Aruba tag to identify the tag you are adding to the location.  More in-depth description about tagging assets using the Tags app can be found here.

• Launch Aruba Tags App.  Launch the Tags app and use the same username and password that is used to access Meridian Editor.
• Turn on Aruba Tag.  To turn on the tag, flip the tag to the backside and rotate the dial clockwise from O to l.  The Aruba Tag ships turned off by default, so it must be turned on for the Tags to start broadcasting and allow the mobile app to find it.   

• Add the Tag.  To add the tag, launch the Tags app and make sure you are in the Tags view.  The two options for adding tags are: 
  • Option 1: Add by scanning for and clicking on the Tag's MAC address
    • Click on the MAC address of the tag. The tag's MAC address is the same as the SN printed on the backside of the tag.
    • Enter the tag properties and click Add.  You may have noticed that the MAC address of the tag is not visible.  At the time or publishing, this is a known behavior and we are working to resolve.  To see the MAC address, tap and hold on the window, it will turn gray, and the MAC address will be visible.

Option 2: Add By Placing the Mobile Device on top of the tag.

1. In the search page, click on Add.
2. Place the mobile device on top of the tag.
3. When the tag is found, click on Confirm.
4. Enter the tag properties and click Add.  You may have noticed that the MAC address of the tag is not visible.  At the time or publishing, this is a known behavior and we are working to resolve.  To see the MAC address, tap and hold on the window, it will turn gray, and the MAC address will be visible.

Step 2. Verifying that the Tag is Being Tracked

After the tag has been added, wait 10-15 minutes before trying the view the location of the tag on the map.  When enough data has been sent to the Meridian Tags server, the location of the tag can be viewed in either the mobile app or in Meridian Editor.

Viewing the Tag on the Tags App

To view the tag on the map in the Tags app, navigate to the Tags view, find the tag and tap on it.  If the location of the tag is available, a map will load in the top portion of the page with a tag image showing the location of the tag.  If the top portion does not display the tag on a map, then the tag location is not available yet. To view the tag on the map, tap on map on the top portion of the page.  A prompt will appear with an option to Show on map.  Click Show on map and the map will load showing the location of the tag on the map.

Viewing the Tag in Editor

To view the tag in Meridian Editor, log in to your Editor account and navigate to the Tags menu, find the tag and click on it.  Below are the properties of the tag:

• Description of the Tag
• When it was hear heard
• Where is was last heard on the map

In Meridian Editor, you will only be able to view one tag at a time.  There is no option to filter or show all tags at the same time.  Additional viewing features can be done using the Developers WebSDK or Asset Tracking APIs.

If the tags are not displayed on the map, please review the appropriate configuration guides to make sure that the infrastructure is communicating with Meridian server.

Deploying a Control Tag

The location of the tag is calculated on the Meridian server based on the tag's RSSI values reported by the APs in the infrastructure.   Therefore, the quality of the tag signal heard by the AP is critical for tracking assets.  In the physical world, there may be environmental factors that can diminish or interfere with the tag's signal in a way that causes bad values to be reported to Meridian.  When this happens, the user may get un-satisfactory results on the location of the tag.   Tag location may be delayed or may be displayed in a location that is outside the acceptable range.

To help administrators improve the accuracy of tracking tags, Meridian implemented control tags as a tool to quantify the difference between a tag's physical location and the tag's observed location as reported by the APs. The same Aruba tag hardware that is used for asset tracking is the same hardware that is used as a control tag. The difference in configuration is that a control tag is placed on the map in a specific location, but a tag used for tracking is not.

Before deploying Control Tags in your location, verify with customers@meridianapps.com that the control tag feature is enabled for the map where control tags are to be deployed.  This is not a standard feature and must be enabled for the functionality to work.  This feature must be enabled on each map where control tags are deployed.

Note: Control Tags do not automatically improve the accuracy of tracking tags. They are used only as a tool to quantify the difference between a tag's physical location and the tag's observed location as reported by the APs.

 

Step 1.  Reviewing Map for Control Tag Placement

On the Meridian map, take a look at where all the APs are placed.  Imagine a boundary line using the APs placed on the outer perimeter of the map.  Tags cannot be tracked outside of this perimeter.  The same is true for control tags, so do not place any control tags there.  If tracking outside of this perimeter is required, then additional tags will need to be deployed to bring the area inside the perimeter. 

Step 2.  Planning the Control Tag Deployment

For best results, place control tag in the marginal areas where you experience problems with tracking tags or where the accuracy is not as good as you expect.  If you find that the location of the observed tag exceeds your expectations for tracking, you can take actions, such as add more APs, in the area to improve the accuracy.

Recommended places for deploying control tags:

• Place a control tag in areas where RF is a problem.  
• Place a control tag where you expect a tag or tags to be placed most of the time
• Place control tags in areas where you want improved accuracy

Places where you should NOT place control tags:

• Outside the AP perimeter.  This will not help in locating a tag if it is placed outside the perimeter.
• Less than 10 ft from another control tag.  

Step 3.  Adding the Tag

Follow the steps as described in Deploying An Aruba Tag > Adding the Aruba Tag for Tracking

Step 4.  Changing the Tag to a Control Tag

Control Tags are configured using the Tags app just like an asset tag, but additional steps are taken to place it in a fixed location on the Meridian map.  This is a fingerprinting technique for improving the accuracy of tracking tags.

The control tag is not visible by default to reduce clutter when viewing the tags on the map.  

Analyzing Tag Tracking Accuracy

After the control tag has been placed on the Meridian map, it will exist in the Meridian data store as an observed tag and a tag with a known location on the map.  The observed control tag location is based on the RSSI value heard by the APs.  The known location is based on the x,y coordinates provided by the Tags app when the tag was place on the map.  These values are helpful in analyzing the accuracy of tracking the tag so you can understand where problem areas are.

Viewing the Location of the Observed Control Tag

To view the location of the observed control tag, follow these steps:

Viewing the Location of the Actual Control Tag

To view the location of the observed control tag, follow these steps:

Summary

Deploying Tags and control tags is really not that difficult.  To start tracking a tag, scan for the tag and start tracking it.  To deploy a control tag, scan for the tag, start tracking it, and then take an additional step to place it on the map. The APs deployed in the infrastructure will take care of reporting the tag data to Meridian servers.  The location engine is in the cloud, so the infrastructure just has to report what it hears to the Meridian server. 

The real challenge is understanding how to improve the accuracy of asset tracking when things do not work as expected. Improving the accuracy will require some work to review how far apart the observed control tag is from the actual control tag on the map.  From there, augment with additional AP or move existing APs around.  This may take some trial and error before you have it dialed in to a satisfactory level but it can be done.