Nortrak Enables Real-Time Portable Power Station Tracking for UK Distribution Network Operators

Nortrak partnered with Digital Matter to develop a customised IoT monitoring solution using the Dart3 GPS tracker, enabling UK Distribution Network Operators to reliably track and manage portable power stations in real time for improved efficiency, security, and customer support.

Challenge

In the UK, distribution network operators (DNOs) manage local electricity networks and rely on portable power stations (PPS) to deliver critical backup power to vulnerable customers during maintenance and outages. To safeguard power supplies and reduce losses, DNOs need a reliable, scalable method to track PPS locations for targeted theft recovery, while monitoring unit status to ensure uninterrupted power for users.

Solution

Nortrak created an IoT solution to monitor location and condition data of PPS units with a customised Internet of Things (IoT) solution featuring Digital Matter’s Dart3 BLE tracking device and the cloud-based asset tracking platform.

Outcomes

Since deploying the IoT PPS monitoring solution, Nortrak has helped distribution network operators achieve:

• Cost-effective, scalable, reliable PPS tracking.
• Real-time insights to PPS location and status data.
• Actionable data to retrieve stolen PPS.
• Proactive and efficient exchanges of PPS units with low charge.
• Better customer service and experiences.

In the UK, distribution network operators (DNOs) keep power flowing to homes and businesses by managing local electricity networks. Regulated by the UK's Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, they play a vital role in supporting vulnerable customers who rely on in-home medical devices, stair lifts, or other critical equipment. During faults, maintenance, or outages, DNOs often provide portable power stations (PPS) to ensure those customers stay connected and safe. 

PPS are compact, lightweight, and rechargeable for multi-year use. They're essential for maintaining power during outages. Their features and price tag make PPS attractive targets for thieves and misuse, with units often re-purposed for camping, fishing and powering devices inside vehicles.

One Nortrak customer is a leading PPS manufacturer supplying UK DNOs, recognised for its quiet, long-life, market-leading zero-emission units. After testing with four of the UK's six DNOs, which jointly provide power to over 23 million customers, the manufacturer was chosen to supply the DNOs. A reliable method to track and manage PPS units was required, ensuring ready availability for customers needing backup power, and quick retrieval in case of theft. 

How Nortrak adapted the Digital Matter Dart3 to connect a purpose-built IoT monitoring solution and deliver real-time insights into PPS location and status.

Nortrak recommended an Internet of Things (IoT) asset monitoring solution to track PPS locations remotely. IoT offers a practical, scalable way to monitor assets across vast geographical areas, replacing time-consuming, resource-intensive manual checks with on-demand, cost-effective, technology-based visibility to the connected devices.

The team designed and deployed a fit-for-purpose solution that combines advanced GPS tracking and IoT technology to remotely monitor PPS location and status information. Central to the solution is Digital Matter’s Dart3 4G BLE GPS tracker, a compact, high-performance GPS tracking device delivering precise, real-time monitoring. 

Powered from the PPS, with backup battery support, the Dart3 delivers precise location data and features flash memory to save data when out of coverage, and geofencing to alert when assets move in or out of set areas. The device issues tamper alerts if disconnected, automatically switches to "recovery mode" in the case of theft or loss to activate real-time tracking for retrieval, and is easily configured and managed remotely.

To enable reliable location monitoring, a custom wiring harness was designed to fit a Dart3 tracker inside each PPS unit. The Dart3 continuously captures GPS location data and securely transmits it via cellular networks to a cloud-based asset tracking platform. A centralised readymade information hub, that aggregates, stores, and shares data from each Dart3 to an online visual map, enabling customisable reporting and secure remote device management from a user-friendly web interface.

While designing the IoT location tracking solution, Nortrak realised the PPS front panel displays valuable status data, including battery level, usage and fault codes. Working with Digital Matter, Nortrak commissioned custom firmware to extend the Dart3’s capabilities to capture and transmit the information displayed on the LED panel to the platform.

By combining GPS location tracking with real-time status monitoring, Nortrak turned each PPS into a connected asset, giving DNOs real-time insights into PPS locations, battery levels, input and output power usage, fourteen different fault codes, and drop detection alerts indicating a unit has been dropped, or subjected to sudden impact. Antony Norton, Managing Director, Nortrak, says,

“Our customer needed more than GPS tracking. Digital Matter’s Dart3 stood out because it draws power directly from the PPS, making it reliable and always-on. Integrating the Dart3 with our customised firmware to monitor PPS status information turned every PPS unit into a connected, manageable asset. Once deployed, the Dart3 delivers on-demand, precise data that the cloud-based asset tracking platform turns into insights that are invaluable for DNOs supporting large numbers of vulnerable, geographically dispersed customers with PPS units.”

Real-time IoT insights help DNOs reduce the time, cost, and risk of PPS management at scale.

Nortrak's PPS monitoring solution gives DNOs a dependable, commercially viable, brand-new method for PPS management. DNOs benefit from:

• On-demand location insights replace manual, time-consuming, costly on-site checks and support targeted PPS recovery in the event of theft.
• Automatic real-time alerts directly notify individuals, teams, or departments of faults, drop alerts, and other issues.
• Improved customer care as PPS users receive timely PPS support, with fewer unexpected failures, proactive replacements, and smoother service.
• PPS asset optimisation because DNOs can analyse data over time to better understand which customers or regions require more frequent support.
• Proactive, data-driven maintenance is possible because trend patterns give DNOs information to predict when PPS are likely to need maintenance, re-charging, or replacements.