Apple’s AirTags have brought tracking technology into everyday life. For finding keys, wallets, or luggage, they work remarkably well. But what happens when you need to track hundreds or thousands of assets across a facility or job site, not just a few personal items?
That is where the comparison between Apple AirTags and WISER’s Ultra-Wideband (UWB) industrial tracking solution becomes meaningful. Both technologies aim to help you locate things, but they are designed for very different environments. And to be honest, we do get this question a lot.
AirTags: Smart for the Consumer, Limited for Industry
Apple’s AirTag is an impressive example of consumer-oriented engineering. It is small, affordable, and leverages Apple’s global network of iPhones to help users find lost items. However scaling that convenience to an industrial site is not completely straightforward,
AirTags rely entirely on nearby Apple devices for location updates. If no iPhone is within range, the tag’s location cannot be refreshed. In a warehouse, factory, or outdoor job site where phones are not always present or connected, this dependence creates significant blind spots.
AirTags are also designed for personal use, not for scale. An iPhone can manage up to thirty-two AirTags, which is sufficient for a few belongings and possibly your dog, but far from the hundreds or thousands of assets most operations need to track. There is no central management system for overseeing large tag populations.
Battery life is reasonable for a consumer product, typically lasting about one year under normal conditions. In industrial settings, however, that means replacing or maintaining batteries across thousands of devices every year, creating an unnecessary maintenance burden.
Finally, Apple’s privacy-driven design means historical location data is not accessible. AirTags are intended to help you find an item immediately, not to analyze where it has been over time. Without historical visibility, they offer little value for process optimization, traceability, or compliance.
WISER UWB: Built for Industrial Scale and Intelligence
WISER’s Ultra-Wideband solution begins from a different premise. Tracking is not just about finding an object; it is about understanding how assets move and interact across an entire operation.
Unlike AirTags, WISER tags communicate with fixed infrastructure rather than mobile phones. You, the client, own and control the infrastructure so you can tailor the system to your specific environment and use case. Location updates are available continuously and independently of personal devices. Every tag can be located in real time, anywhere within the covered area, regardless of who is nearby.
WISER’s system is built to scale. It can track tens of thousands of tags simultaneously, each reporting its position with centimeter-level accuracy. This scalability allows entire facilities, fleets, or supply chains to be visible on a single dashboard.
Battery performance is another key distinction. WISER tags are designed for multi-year operation, even in active conditions. That level of endurance allows industrial teams to deploy once and monitor continuously without constant maintenance.
Equally important, WISER’s platform provides an open, accessible API that enables users to retrieve and analyze historical location data. This makes it possible to study asset utilization, identify inefficiencies, and improve workflows. It also supports integration with enterprise systems such as ERP, MES, or safety applications.
Feature Comparison: AirTags vs. WISER UWB
| Feature | Apple AirTags | WISER UWB Solution |
| Intended Use | Personal / consumer tracking | Industrial asset and location tracking |
| Accuracy | 1 to 3 meters under ideal conditions | 10 centimeters to 1 meter |
| Battery Life | About 1 year | 3 to 5 or more years |
| Scalability | Limited (around 32 per phone) | Tens of thousands of tags |
| Network Dependency | Requires nearby iPhone | Independent infrastructure |
| Data Access | No historical data | Full API access to live and historical data |
| Environment | Indoor/outdoor consumer use | Industrial, warehouse, or outdoor facilities |
| Management | No centralized system (32 tags/ phone) | Cloud-based monitoring and analytics |
From Lost Keys to Smarter Operations
AirTags are excellent for what they were designed to do: helping consumers find misplaced items quickly. In an industrial setting where accuracy, uptime, and data integrity matter, they reach their limits quickly.
WISER’s UWB technology extends the simplicity people appreciate in consumer tracking into a platform capable of managing entire operations. It delivers the same confidence, knowing exactly where something is, but at a scale, precision, and durability designed for factories, warehouses, and field environments.
Tracking has evolved from a convenience into a strategic advantage. With WISER, it is no longer just about finding what is lost. It is about knowing what is happening everywhere, all the time.
If you are interested in creating an industrial-scale real time tracking solution that offers the convenience of AirTags, please feel free to reach out. You can contact us via our website, email, or phone.
Disclaimer
Apple and AirTag are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. WISER Systems is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.
