After recently announcing the release of a bunch of new Bluetooth enabled tools and products, as well as an inventory platform, DeWalt has jumped all-in on internet connected construction sites with the announcement of Construction Site WiFi. Construction sites, especially large complex sites, are becoming more and more reliant on internet connectivity to efficiently manage their projects. This is great news for all of you who count on a consistent internet connection to use programs like Procore, PlanGrid, and Bluebeam, among others, to communicate between different parties on the job site and in the office.
“DEWALT understands how vital the building and construction industries are to local and global economies,” said Tony Nicolaidis, Vice President of Marketing for Connected Systems, said in a press release. “Leveraging technology, our goal is to provide solutions for gathering in-depth jobsite data for better decision-making by general contractors and trade contractors, thus enhancing productivity and safety.”
The DeWalt WiFi system is being described as a ruggedized “mesh” solution, which means that many WiFi access points will be connected to each other. This type of system will greatly reduce network dead spots in buildings and is also easily adaptable and expandable, which is great for an ever-changing construction site.
Following the release of the WiFi will be DeWalt’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Using wireless mesh systems to allow WiFi connections is just the tip of the iceberg, as far as their capability goes. It’s all about data. Much like how cell phone towers give a general idea of where calls have been made from, each WiFi access point can not only determine a location of connected objects, they also allow for many opportunities to add sensors and other data collectors.
The possibilities are endless and a solution like this is a big step towards a smarter and more data automated job site. DeWalt is accepting pre-orders of the WiFi solution on their website right now. The IoT system is currently listed as “coming soon.”
6/5/17 UPDATE: After reaching out to DeWalt, we received some additional information about pricing and availability. DeWalt is anticipating a 4th quarter shipment date for the Construction Site WiFi. The WiFi access points will be purchased by the contractors, as opposed to being able to lease them per project, and each access point will cost $1199.
DeWalt anticipates that the IoT dashboard service will be subscription based. Among the sensors that will be released with the platform are temperature, humidity, motion sensors, and air quality and noise trackers. And that’s just the start. The sensors will generate important data points that will hopefully be used by company’s to greatly increase their safety.
Check out the Rob McKinney’s (the ConAppGuru) interview with Tony Nicolaidis, DeWalt’s VP of Marketing of Connected Systems, for more information about DeWalt’s announcement:
After recently announcing the release of a bunch of new Bluetooth enabled tools and products, as well as an inventory platform, DeWalt has jumped all-in on internet connected construction sites with the announcement of Construction Site WiFi. Construction sites, especially large complex sites, are becoming more and more reliant on internet connectivity to efficiently manage their projects. This is great news for all of you who count on a consistent internet connection to use programs like Procore, PlanGrid, and Bluebeam, among others, to communicate between different parties on the job site and in the office.