Beacons and Tags — Overview
Beacons and tags are the devices tracked by the BLE network. Each device emits Bluetooth® Low Energy signals captured by the antennas installed in the site's zones and reported to the server over MQTT, making it possible to determine location by zone, trigger panic alerts and monitor assets.
This section gathers the reference catalog of the models, organized by usage category. Each page brings the overview, highlights, technical specifications, dimensions and applications of the device.
In ION Guard, the physical device is registered under the Beacons entity, where it is given a logical type (Panic Button, Asset Tracker or Person Tag) and a compatible hardware driver. This catalog describes the hardware; registration and operation in the software are covered in the tracking module documentation.
Categories
- Safety wearables / Personnel tags — wearables (wristbands, badges and cards) for people safety: panic/SOS button, presence by zone and, on some models, high-accuracy positioning.
- Asset tags — attached to equipment, tools and inventory for location tracking and history by zone.
- Repeaters (network nodes) — detect nearby beacons and relay the strongest signal to the gateway, reducing the number of gateways.
- Finder — consumer tracker for personal belongings.
| Category | Models |
|---|---|
| Wearables / Personnel | B7, B9, B10, C10, MWC01, MWB02, MWC05 |
| Asset tags | E8, MBT01, MBT02, MTB09 / MTB10 |
| Repeaters | MWC01 / MBT02 Repeater |
| Finder | F6 |
The comparisons below are split by topic for easier reading. Physical dimensions are in the Dimensions and weight section.
Connectivity and positioning
| Model | Category | Bluetooth® | Range | Positioning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B7 | Wearable | LE 5.0 | — | Quuppa AoA / RTLS |
| B9 | Wearable | LE 5.0 | — | RTLS |
| B10 | Wearable | LE 5.0 | 100 m | Quuppa AoA / Mesh |
| C10 | Wearable | LE 5.0 | 100 m | iBeacon / Eddystone |
| MWC01 | Wearable | LE 5.1 / 5.0 | 150 m | AoA (5.1 version) |
| MWB02 | Wearable | 6.0 | BLE anchors | BLE anchors + Channel Sounding |
| MWC05 | Wearable | BLE + Wi-Fi + GNSS / LoRaWAN® | 2–5 km (LoRa) | GNSS + Wi-Fi + BLE |
| E8 | Asset tag | LE 5.0 | 150 m | iBeacon / Eddystone |
| MBT01 | Asset tag | LE 5.0 | 150 m | iBeacon / Eddystone |
| MBT02 | Asset tag | Connectable LE (3rd gen.) | 150 m | iBeacon / Eddystone |
| MTB09 | Asset tag | LE 5.0 | 120 m | BLE broadcasting |
| MTB10 | Asset tag | LE 5.0 | 80 m | BLE broadcasting |
| MWC01 Badge Repeater | Repeater | LE (repeater) | — | High accuracy |
| MBT02 Asset Repeater | Repeater | LE (repeater) | — | — |
| F6 | Finder | LE 5.0 | 50 m | Apple Find My |
Battery and runtime
| Model | Category | Battery | Runtime | Rechargeable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B7 | Wearable | Coin cell (replaceable) | — | No |
| B9 | Wearable | Non-rechargeable | — | No |
| B10 | Wearable | Li-Po 100 mAh | up to 60 days | Yes (magnetic) |
| C10 | Wearable | Li-MnO₂ 800 / 500 mAh | 2 / 1.5 years | No |
| MWC01 | Wearable | 320 / 270 mAh | 8 / 3 months | Yes (magnetic) |
| MWB02 | Wearable | 260 mAh | up to 6 months | Yes (magnetic) |
| MWC05 | Wearable | 800 mAh | up to 180 days | Yes |
| E8 | Asset tag | CR 230 mAh | 1 year | No |
| MBT01 | Asset tag | CR 220 mAh | 2 years | No |
| MBT02 | Asset tag | CR 500 mAh | ~2 years | No |
| MTB09 | Asset tag | 220 mAh (fixed) | ~3.5 years | No |
| MTB10 | Asset tag | 80 mAh (fixed) | ~1.2 years | No |
| MWC01 Badge Repeater | Repeater | 290 mAh (rechargeable) | 16 days (active <8 h) | Yes |
| MBT02 Asset Repeater | Repeater | 500 mAh (coin cell) | 3 years | No |
| F6 | Finder | CR 230 mAh | 1 year+ | No |
Protection, sensors and alerts
| Model | Category | IP rating | Sensor | Button / SOS | Anti-tamper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B7 | Wearable | IP67 | Accelerometer | SOS | No |
| B9 | Wearable | IP67 | — | — | Yes (cut-off) |
| B10 | Wearable | IP66 | Accelerometer | SOS + vibration | No |
| C10 | Wearable | IP65 | Accelerometer | Panic button | No |
| MWC01 | Wearable | IP67 | Accelerometer | Button + vibration | No |
| MWB02 | Wearable | IP67 | Accelerometer | Persistent SOS | No |
| MWC05 | Wearable | IP65 | Accelerometer | Dual (SOS + prog.) | No |
| E8 | Asset tag | — | Accelerometer (opt.) | — | No |
| MBT01 | Asset tag | IP65 | — | — | Yes |
| MBT02 | Asset tag | — | Accelerometer | — | Yes |
| MTB09 | Asset tag | — | — | — | No |
| MTB10 | Asset tag | — | — | — | No |
| MWC01 Badge Repeater | Repeater | IP67 | Accelerometer | Vibration | No |
| MBT02 Asset Repeater | Repeater | — | Accelerometer | — | Yes (disassembly) |
| F6 | Finder | — | — | Button | No |
Some differentiators appear only on certain models and are detailed on their pages: MBT02 (connectable, with pick-to-light/sound), F6 (90 dB buzzer, LED and Apple Find My integration), repeaters (RGB/red LED and LF/HF/UHF RFID on the MWC01).
Dimensions and weight
Physical comparison of the devices. Measurements follow the format width × height × thickness (or Ø diameter × thickness on circular models).
| Model | Category | Form factor | Dimensions | Weight | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B7 | Wearable | Wristband (replaceable coin cell) | — | — | — |
| B9 | Wearable | Eco-friendly wristband (FDA) | — | — | — |
| B10 | Wearable | Wristband (interchangeable silicone cases) | Body Ø38 × 10 mm · wristband case 270 × 41 × 11 mm · hanging case 47 × 40 × 11 mm | 11 g (body) / 30 g (w/ wristband) / 22 g (w/ hanging case) | — |
| C10 | Wearable | Card/badge | 85.5 × 54 × 4.5 mm | 18.5 g / 15.5 g | — |
| MWC01 | Wearable | Credit-card-sized badge | ~85.6 × 54 mm (CR80 standard) | 20 g | — |
| MWB02 | Wearable | Multi-mode wearable (wristband, lanyard, helmet, chest) | — | — | — |
| MWC05 | Wearable | Slim badge with CR80 badge holder | CR80 standard | — | — |
| E8 | Asset tag | Tag with keychain hole | 36.5 × 23.7 × 5 mm | 6.5 g | ABS |
| MBT01 | Asset tag | Location tag | — | 6.4 g | ABS |
| MBT02 | Asset tag | Connectable tag | — | 17 g | ABS |
| MTB09 | Asset tag | Coin-sized (smaller than a coin) | Ø22.9 × 6.3 mm | — | — |
| MTB10 | Asset tag | Ultra-compact coin-sized | Ø22.9 × 4.7 mm | — | — |
| MWC01 Badge Repeater | Repeater | Badge/card | — | 19 g | ABS + PC |
| MBT02 Asset Repeater | Repeater | Tag | — | 17 g | ABS |
| F6 | Finder | Portable (keychain) | — | 20 g | ABS |
The smallest device is the MTB10 (Ø22.9 × 4.7 mm), aimed at ultra-compact high-volume deployments; the lightest is the MBT01 (6.4 g). Among the wearables, the B10 is the most versatile in form factor, with interchangeable wristband and pendant cases.
How to Choose
A quick guide by need — each item points to the most suitable models:
- Panic / SOS button for people: B7, B10, MWB02, C10, MWC01, MWC05
- Anti-tamper / unauthorized removal (patients, elderly, children): B9 (wristband that alerts when cut) and MBT01 (tag that alerts when pulled off the asset)
- Asset tracking: E8 (cost-effective), MBT01 (anti-tamper), MBT02 (connectable, pick-to-light/sound), MTB09 / MTB10 (ultra-compact, high volume)
- Outdoor coverage and long range: MWC05 (LoRaWAN® + GNSS, 2–5 km) — the others depend on indoor BLE antennas/gateways
- High-accuracy indoor positioning (AoA / anchors): B7, B10, MWC01 (AoA version), MWB02
- Reducing the number of gateways: MWC01 / MBT02 Repeaters, which relay the strongest signal to the gateway
- Personal / consumer use (keys, luggage): F6, compatible with Apple Find My
Reading Notes
- "—" means the characteristic was not disclosed in the product's official datasheet (not necessarily that the feature is absent).
- MWC01 and MBT02 come in two natures: the tag/badge version (documented individually) and the Repeater version (combined package). Their specifications differ considerably — mind that when comparing.
- MTB09 / MTB10 are documented on the same page; main differences: range (120 m × 80 m), battery (220 × 80 mAh) and thickness (6.3 × 4.7 mm).
- Only the MWB02 uses Bluetooth® 6.0; the other wearables use BLE 5.0/5.1.
- Only the MWC05 offers real outdoor positioning (GNSS + LoRaWAN®); the others depend on BLE gateways/anchors.