SWARM Asset Tracker User Manual

: June 9, 2024
: SWARM

Table of Contents

Asset Tracker
Product Overview
Device Registration
Mechanical Speciﬁcation
Electrical Interfaces
Mounting Guidance
RF Interfaces
Message Transmission
Transmitted Data
FCC Statement of Compliance
References
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Swarm Asset Tracker
PRODUCT MANUAL

Asset Tracker

Legal Notices
This User Manual provides user information and is provided “as is.” Swarm Technologies and its affiliated companies, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees or onsultants (“Swarm”) assume no responsibility for any typographical, technical, content or other inaccuracies in this User Manual. Swarm reserves the right to revise this User Manual or withdraw it at any time without prior notice. You can find the current version of this Swarm Modem User Manual at www.swarm.space.
SWARM MAKES NO GUARANTEES, CONDITIONS, WARRANTIES, OR REPRESENTATIONS, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS, GUARANTEES, CONDITIONS OR WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
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LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF PRIVACY, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF TIME OR INCONVENIENCE, LOSS OF INFORMATION OR DATA, SOFTWARE OR APPLICATIONS OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS CAUSED BY THE SWARM MODEM-M138 (INCLUDING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND/ OR FIRMWARE) AND/OR ACCESSORIES AND/OR THE SWARM SATELLITE SERVICES, OR ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE ABILITY OR INABILITY TO USE THE SWARM MODEM-M138 (INCLUDING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND/OR FIRMWARE) AND/OR ACCESSORIES AND/OR THE SWARM SATELLITE SERVICES , TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THESE DAMAGES MAY BE DISCLAIMED BY LAW AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SWARM WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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To protect Swarm proprietary and confidential information and/or trade secrets, this User Manual may describe some aspects of Swarm technology in generalized terms. Swarm products may include copyrighted Swarm and third party software. Any such copyrighted software contained in Swarm products may not be modified, reverse engineered, distributed or reproduced in any manner to the extent provided by law. The purchase of any Swarm products shall not be deemed to grant either directly or by implication or otherwise, any license under copyrights, patents, or patent applications of Swarm or any third party software provider, except for the normal, nonexclusive, royalty free license to use that arises by operation of law in the sale of a product.
Content Copyright
You are exclusively responsible for the use of the Swarm Modem-M138, including proper use of third party copyrighted materials. If you violate these terms you agree to defend, indemnify and hold Swarm harmless with respect to any claims or actions by third parties related to your improper use of copyrighted materials and to pay all costs, damages, fines and other amounts incurred by Swarm, or on its behalf, in the defense of any such claims or actions.
Export Compliance
The Swarm Modem-M138 is controlled by the export laws and regulations of the United States of America. The U.S. Government may restrict the export or re- export of this product to certain individuals and/or destinations. For further information, contact the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security or visit www.bis.doc.gov

Revision History

Revision	Date	Comment	Firmware Version
1.00	9/16/2022	Swarm Asset Tracker Product Manual – Initial Release
1.10	10/13/2022	Formatting Updates

Updated Sections 1 and 4
Added Sections 7 and 8
Added FCC Statement of Compliance| 3.0.0
1.11| 10/27/2022| Added FTDI Pinout to Section 4.3
Added USB Charging Note to Section 4.4|

Additional Resources: Please visit our developer tools webpage for quickstart guides and other helpful resources: https://swarm.space /documentation-swarm

Product Overview

The Swarm Asset Tracker is an end-to-end solution for tracking equipment, vehicles, and other remote assets. The Swarm Asset Tracker functions anywhere in the world using Swarm’s global satellite network, and is ideally suited for remote locations that lack terrestrial network coverage.
The Swarm Asset Tracker is an out-of-the-box commercial product that can be set up within minutes to transmit its GPS information and internal battery voltage.

Category	Description
Components	GPS, VHF radio with integrated ground plane, Integrated

rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, indicator LEDs, 3.3V serial interface, USB interface
Onboard Sensors| uBLOX GPS (lat/lon/alt), CPU Temperature, Motion wake/sleep triggers ,
Dimensions and Mass| 120 mm x 120 mm x 45 mm, 227 g
Power| Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery
M8 – External DC Power Connection (6-28V)
Environment| IP67 – Dust and Waterproof Operational: -40 C to +60 C Storage: -40 C to +85 C
Configuration| 1 GPS acquisition every 2 hours with 1 transmissions per 2 hour window Motion detection enabled
Battery Lifetime| 40+ days, or longer depending on transmit interval and motion when not connected to external power
Data rate| 1 kbps (1-way)

Table 1: Overview of the Swarm Asset Tracker.

Device Registration

Create your Swarm Hive account at https://bumblebee.hive.swarm.space/hive/ui /sign-up and sign into your account. Navigate to the Register Device page:

Click Start Scanning to scan your Swarm Asset Tracker’s QR Code that is located on the sticker affixed to the enclosure. If you are unable to use the browser-based scanner, you can also use your camera app to scan the Asset Tracker QR code, and enter the auth code in the Hive manually. See example below:

Mechanical Speciﬁcation

3.1 Dimensions
The overall dimensions of the Asset Tracker and its weight are summarized below.

Parameter	Value
Length	120.0 mm
Width	120.0 mm
Height with Antenna	250 mm
Weight	227 g

Table 2: Modem Mechanical Dimensions and Weight.
For detailed dimensional drawings of the Asset Tracker’s enclosure, please refer to the drawings available here for Hammond P/N 1557D.
3.2 Environmental
The environmental specifications of the Asset Tracker are summarized below.

Parameter	Value
Operating Temperature Range	-40 °C to +60 °C
Storage Temperature Range	-40 °C to +85 °C
Operating Humidity Range	0% to 95%, non-condensing
Storage Humidity Range	0% to 95%, non-condensing
Ingress Protection	IP67 – Dust and Waterproof

Table 3: Environmental Specifications.

3.3 Torque Speciﬁcations
The torque specifications for the Asset Tracker are summarized below.

Parameter	Recommended Value
Enclosure screws kit	78 ozf-in
Antenna SMA connector	10 in-lbs
M8 power connector	8.8 in-lbs

Table 4: Torque Specifications.

Electrical Interfaces

The following subsections contain information for the electrical interfaces of the Modem.
4.1 DC Power Interface and Charging
External DC voltage can be supplied from the asset via an onboard male M8 circular connector pictured below. The asset should be capable of supplying the required current in order to recharge the onboard batteries. The Asset Tracker can also be charged via micro-usb, see Section 4.5 for more details. The unit will ONLY charge between -10C and +50C. All other functions will work uninterrupted across the operating temperature range.

Asset Tracker
Connector Pinout| Function| Internal Wire Color
---|---|---
3,4| 6-28 VDC| BLUE, GRAY
1,2| GND| RED, BLACK

Example Mating Connector
TE: T4010008041-000
Example Power Cable
FESTO: NEBB-M8G4-P-5-LE4

Input Voltage [VDC]	Typical Current Draw [mA]
6	1000
9	620
12	460
18	300
24	230
28	200

Table 5: External Power Current Draw.

4.2 Power On/Off Control
In order to power the Asset Tracker ON, press the ON/OFF button once. You’ll see dim lights around the edge of the PCB light up. In order to power the Asset Tracker OFF, press the ON/OFF button again.

4.3 Serial Data Interface
The serial data interface is a CMOS serial UART 3-wire (serial Rx, serial Tx, and ground) interface at 3.3V digital signal levels over which the Modem transfers commands, responses, and message data. The FTDI header for the serial data interface is accessible inside the enclosure after removing the 4 screws at the bottom. The serial communication parameters can be found below.

Pin Number	Function
1	GND
2	N.C
3	N.C
4	Asset Tracker Rx
5	Asset Tracker Tx
6	N.C

Table 6: FTDI Serial Header Pinout

Parameter	Value
Baud Rate	115200
Data Bits	8 Bits
Parity	None
Stop bits	1 Bit
Flow Control	None

Table 7: Serial Data Interface Specifications.
In addition, the electrical characteristics for SERIAL_RX, SERIAL_TX can be found below.

Symbol	Parameter	Min	Typ.	Max	Unit
VIL	I/O input low level voltage	-0.3	–	0.3*3.3V	V
VIH	I/O input high level voltage	0.7*3.3V	–	3.3V	V

Table 8: Electrical characteristics for SERIAL_RX, SERIAL_TX.

All customer messages, data, and settings are stored in non-volatile memory. As such, after a power cycle, customer settings as well as any messages that have not yet been transmitted over the Swarm network will be retained on the Modem. The read/write lifetime of the Modem memory exceeds 20 years.

4.4 USB Power and Data Interface
A USB interface is provided via a micro-usb connector accessible inside the enclosure after removing the 4 screws at the bottom. The connector can be used to charge the Asset Tracker and for configuration of the Asset Tracker. The unit will ONLY charge between -10C and +50C. All other functions will work uninterrupted across the operating temperature range. The current consumption during USB charging is 500mA.

Notes:
The Asset Tracker should be in its OFF state with the VHF antenna removed while charging the batteries via the micro-USB connector.

Mounting Guidance

This section describes the recommended mounting practices for successful deployment of the Swarm Asset Tracker.
5.1 Mounting Feet
Please refer to this document on Hammond’s website for instructions on how to install the enclosure mounting feet.
5.2 Magnet Mounts
Magnet mounting can also be utilized. A total of 4 magnets per Asset Tracker are recommended for reliable mounting of the device. An example magnet part number is provided below along with the recommended screw part number.

Example Magnet Mounts
McMaster Carr: 7132T27
Example Screws for Magnet Mounts
McMaster Carr: 91292A108

5.3 VHB Tape
The Asset Tracker can also be mounted using double sided Very-High-Bond (VHB) tape. A link is included below for a variety of VHB tape options that can be selected and used based on the specific requirements of the user application and deployment environment.

Example Screws for Magnet Mounts
McMaster Carr: VHB Tape Options

5.4 Pole Mounting Kit
Pole mounting kits can be purchased from Hammond Manufacturing at this link. The mounting kit can be used to secure the Asset Tracker to a variety of surfaces quickly and securely. Please refer to this document on the Hammond website for mounting instructions.

Recommended Pole Mounting Kit
Hammond: PMB Series

RF Interfaces

This section describes the physical characteristics of the RF connectors and specifications of the RF Interface.
6.1 RF Antenna
For illustrative purposes, a picture of the Swarm ¼-wave antenna is shown in Figure 9.

6.1.1 Antenna Characteristics
The Modem is certified with the following antenna as described below. No power reduction compensation is required for use with this antenna.

Swarm Coiled ¼ Wave Antenna

Parameter	Value
Length	22.0 cm
Diameter (Connector)	11.2 mm
Diameter (along major length)	7.6 mm
Weight	31.5 g
Operating Temperature	-55 °C to +130 °C
Operating Humidity	0-100% humidity, condensable
Impedance	50 Ohms nominal
Polarization	Linearly Polarized
VSWR (between Swarm Bands)	Max Δ < 0.5
Gain	2.0 dBi
Nominal Output Power	30 dBm (Declared)
Frequency	137.000-138.000 MHz (Rx)

148.000-150.000 MHz (Tx)
Connector| SMA male (U.FL to SMA female cable required)
Antenna Ground Plane| Required, integrated into the Asset Tracker
Antenna Height Requirement| 1m above the ground/solid surfaces
Antenna Classification| Mobile, Fixed
Minimum separation distance from body| 36 cm

Table 9: Antenna Characteristics for Swarm Coiled ¼ Wave Antenna.

Message Transmission

7.1 Motion Detection Disabled
The default configuration of the Swarm Asset Tracker is 1 GPS acquisition every 2 hours with 1 transmission per 2 hour window. Motion detection is also enabled by default. A visual representation of the default configuration is shown in Figure 9 below.

In the first GPS state, the Asset Tracker will attempt to acquire a GPS fix for up to 4 minutes.
The acquired data will be queued for transmission. Once a GPS fix is acquired, the Asset Tracker will transition to its receiver state (Rx) for up to 40 minutes where it will listen for satellite beacons to trigger a transmission (Tx). The Asset Tracker will then transition to its sleep mode as soon as the queued message is transmitted, or if 40 minutes have passed. It will remain in its sleep mode until 2 hours have passed since its initial power-on time, and it will then repeat the same sequence.

7.2 Motion Detection Enabled
When motion detection is enabled, it acts as a modifier for the profile described in Section 7.1.
If motion is detected while the Asset Tracker is awake and not in its sleep mode, there will be no change to the configured profile.
There are two possible scenarios that could occur if motion is detected while the Asset Tracker is in its sleep mode. If the motion event occurs before the next scheduled normal wake time, then the Asset Tracker will go back into its sleep mode until the next regularly scheduled wake time. If the motion event occurs after the next scheduled normal wake time, then the Asset Tracker will wake immediately and start a new acquisition cycle.
The Asset Tracker will continue to follow its profile configuration while it still has messages that are queued for transmission if motion is detected when the device is ready to transition into its sleep mode. When the transmission queue is empty after following the profile configuration, the device will enter its sleep mode indefinitely until a new motion event is detected.
For all profile configurations, regardless of whether motion detection is enabled or not, the Asset Tracker will return to its sleep mode early if all queued messages are transmitted.

Transmitted Data

8.1 Description of Transmitted Parameters

Identifier	Description	Units
dt	GPS date/time of sample at time of packet creation	Epoch seconds
lt	GPS latitude	Degrees
ln	GPS longitude	Degrees
al	GPS altitude	Meters
sp	GPS speed	m/s
hd	GPS heading	Degrees
bv	Battery voltage	mV
tp	CPU temperature	°C
rs	Background RSSI at time of packet creation	dB
tr	RSSI of most recent satellite beacon	dB
ts	SNR of most recent satellite beacon	dB
td	GPS date/time of most recent satellite beacon	Epoch seconds
gj*	GPS jamming level*	N/A
gs*	GPS spoofing indicator*	N/A
hp*	Horizontal dilution of precision*	N/A
vp*	Vertical dilution of precision*	N/A
tf*	Time to fix*	N/A

Table 10: Description of Transmitted Parameters.
*These parameters are Swarm specific and subject to change.

8.2 Accessing Transmitted Data using the Swarm Hive
8.2.1 Map Page
The Map Page on the Swarm Hive will show the last known location of the device along with historical data. After logging in, the user can navigate to this page and filter devices using the Device ID of the Asset Tracker.
8.2.2 Reports Page
The Swarm Hive can be used to generate reports for Asset Tracker data. Reports can be configured using the Reports Page after logging into the Swarm Hive. The reports can be customized by using the provided filters for device ID, date, and location. The data for each report can be viewed on a map, and also in tabular format. The data from each report can also be exported and downloaded as a CSV file.

8.2.3 REST API
Customers can extract data from the Swarm Hive by using the provided REST API.
Documentation for the REST API can be found on the Swarm Hive’s API Docs page linked here.
The API Docs page provides a list of REST endpoints that are available from Swarm for customers to use. Each endpoint can be tested using the interactive API Docs page to test the functionality and also view the expected response.
8.2.4 Delivery Webhooks
Customers can choose to have transmitted data automatically pushed to their own backend server using the Swarm Hive’s webhook functionality. Webhooks can be configured using the Delivery Page on the Swarm Hive that is linked here. Each delivery method can be customized using the parameters provided, and existing delivery methods can also be edited as required.

FCC Statement of Compliance

Swarm Technologies, Inc.
435 N. Whisman Rd.
Ste 100
Mountain View, CA 94043
Model: ATM138
Contains FCC ID: 2AVE9-M138
Contains IC: 25817-M138
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
© 2022 SWARM TECHNOLOGIES
SWARM ASSET TRACKER PRODUCT MANUAL ·
REV 1.11 · OCTOBER 2022