Indoor asset tracking in multi-story buildings is difficult because low-cost radio signals are affected by attenuation, multipath propagation, human blockage, dense 2.4 GHz interference, and floor-to-floor ambiguity. This paper presents the design and engineering validation of a low-cost tracking system based on Bluetooth Low Energy asset tags and ESP32-C6 wireless gateways. In the prototype, beacons attached to assets broadcast identifiers, fixed transponders scan advertisements and record received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, and a wireless/cloud backhaul stores observations for a web dashboard and historical CSV logging. The evaluation focuses on floor-level and area-level asset awareness rather than statistically verified coordinate-level positioning. Experimental observations show strong adjacent detection (–20 dBm), a reduced signal strength at 1 m (–68 dBm), packet loss around 10 m under noisy conditions (–94 dBm), and a weak maximum observed detection at approximately 28 m under favorable line-of-sight conditions. Vertical testing showed no signal through a single floor slab at approximately 3.9 m separation and only occasional weak detection around –92 dBm at approximately 2.34 m separation. Configuration tests show differences in the observed RSSI values across the transmit power, strength code, and internal capacitor code settings, with Config 2 and Config 4 providing the strongest observed RSSI in several scenarios. These observations do not establish detection stability or isolate the physical effects of the device-specific codes. The results support a preliminary deployment strategy based on per-floor gateways, conservative receiver spacing, and site-specific beacon configuration.
Citation: Xudong Gao. Design and engineering validation of a Bluetooth low energy indoor asset tracking system with ESP32-C6 wireless gateways for multi-story buildings[J]. Big Data and Information Analytics, 2026, 10: 257-274. doi: 10.3934/bdia.2026013
Indoor asset tracking in multi-story buildings is difficult because low-cost radio signals are affected by attenuation, multipath propagation, human blockage, dense 2.4 GHz interference, and floor-to-floor ambiguity. This paper presents the design and engineering validation of a low-cost tracking system based on Bluetooth Low Energy asset tags and ESP32-C6 wireless gateways. In the prototype, beacons attached to assets broadcast identifiers, fixed transponders scan advertisements and record received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, and a wireless/cloud backhaul stores observations for a web dashboard and historical CSV logging. The evaluation focuses on floor-level and area-level asset awareness rather than statistically verified coordinate-level positioning. Experimental observations show strong adjacent detection (–20 dBm), a reduced signal strength at 1 m (–68 dBm), packet loss around 10 m under noisy conditions (–94 dBm), and a weak maximum observed detection at approximately 28 m under favorable line-of-sight conditions. Vertical testing showed no signal through a single floor slab at approximately 3.9 m separation and only occasional weak detection around –92 dBm at approximately 2.34 m separation. Configuration tests show differences in the observed RSSI values across the transmit power, strength code, and internal capacitor code settings, with Config 2 and Config 4 providing the strongest observed RSSI in several scenarios. These observations do not establish detection stability or isolate the physical effects of the device-specific codes. The results support a preliminary deployment strategy based on per-floor gateways, conservative receiver spacing, and site-specific beacon configuration.
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Xudong Gao. Design and engineering validation of a Bluetooth low energy indoor asset tracking system with ESP32-C6 wireless gateways for multi-story buildings[J]. Big Data and Information Analytics, 2026, 10: 257-274. doi: 10.3934/bdia.2026013
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