A CalAmp Tag is a smart proximity sensor you can attach to equipment. Often, the tags are associated with a particular vehicle — the goal being making sure that all the right tools are on the right vehicle. If a tagged item is left behind at a worksite or otherwise lost, CalAmp can identify its last-known location (based on the GPS data from either its assigned vehicle's LMU or just the closest vehicle's device and when the tag was last in proximity to it) and alert you so that you can find it quickly.


Here is one example of a CalAmp Tag:


Note: There are two main procedures to follow when using a CalAmp Tag: First, the tool on which you have placed the tag must be added as an asset itself; then, you optionally can associate that tagged asset to the vehicle asset it belongs to. These steps are presented in the first two sections below. If the CalAmp Tag asset has already been added (and the tag belongs to a particular vehicle asset), you can skip down to the second section, "Associating CalAmp Tags with a Vehicle." The third section in this article covers how to remove a CalAmp Tag association, such as if the tool has been reassigned to another vehicle or it doesn't need any vehicle assignment.

Adding a CalAmp Tag Asset


To add a CalAmp Tag asset to the application, follow these steps:


  1. Affix the CalAmp Tag to the piece of equipment.
     
  2. In the CalAmp application, click  in the sidebar menu on the left.
     
  3. Click Assets on the flyout menu that appears.
     
    The Admin - Assets screen will appear.
       
  4. Click Add New at the top right of the screen.
     
    The Add Asset dialog box will appear.
       
  5. Type a name to use for the CalAmp Tag asset in the Asset Name field, such as Vehicle 103's Laptop.
     
  6. If your organization uses aliases as a secondary identifier for your equipment, you optionally can type one for this CalAmp Tag in the Alias field.
     
    By default, the group you currently have selected in the Group Chooser will be set for the group to add the tag to.
     
  7. If you would like to place it in a different group, click the Group drop-down arrow and select the group from the list.
    Note: You'll need to place the tag in the same group (or parent) as the vehicle asset you will assign it to later so that it's available to the vehicle during the association steps.
  8. Click the Asset Type drop-down arrow and select Tool.
     
  9. Add the tag as the device for the CalAmp Tag asset, using one of the following two methods:
    Note: Before you proceed, make sure that you know the tag ID number of the CalAmp Tag that you attached to the piece of equipment in step 1. You can see this in the image of the tag at the beginning of this article under the bar code.
     
    The first method below uses the Device drop-down list, and the second uses a grid with detailed device information. To add the tag using this latter way, skip down to "9b: Using a Detailed Devices Grid."
    9a: Using the Device Drop-Down List
     
    1. Click the Device drop-down arrow.
       
      A list of your LMUs and CalAmp Tags will appear. Results that are grayed out are already assigned to other assets.
        
    2. In the Select Device field, type part of the tag's ID number.
      Note: Alternatively, you can scroll down the list of tags until you find the one you want.
    3. Click the name of the tag to assign to your new asset.
      Caution: You won't be able to select a tag that is already assigned to another asset. If you have physically removed a previously used tag from a tool and want to affix it to a new tool, remove the tag's assignment from the other tool asset in the CalAmp application before trying to add it to the new tag asset (by clicking to the right of the Device field in the original asset's Edit Asset dialog box and then Continue). (See Editing an Asset if needed.)
      Note: If the tag ID you chose was assigned to a different group than the one you are placing the new CalAmp Tag asset in, it will be moved to the asset's group.
      The name of the tag you chose will appear in the Device field.
       
    4. Skip down to step 10.
       
  10. 9b: Using a Detailed Devices Grid
      
    1. Click Select from Detailed Device List above the Device field.
       
      The Devices dialog box will appear.
       
       
      By default, your devices will be listed by name in ascending order (from lowest to highest for numbers, or from A to Z for words).
       
    2. Type part of the device name or ESN in the Search box and then press Enter.
      Note: Alternatively, you can sort or filter the Device Name or ESN column to find the device (see Sorting and Filtering Column Data if needed) or scroll down the list of devices until you find the ID number on the tool's tag.
    3. Click the row with your tag's ID number to assign it to your new CalAmp Tag asset.
      Caution: You won't be able to select a tag that is already assigned to an asset. (The rows of devices that are currently associated with an asset will be gray, and their assets will be specified in the Asset Name column.) If you have physically removed a previously used tag from a tool and want to affix it to a new tool, remove the tag's assignment from the other tool asset in the CalAmp application before trying to add it to the new tag asset. (See Editing an Asset; you'll need to edit the original tag asset, selecting  to the right of the Device field in the tool's Edit Asset dialog box and then Continue.)
    4. Click Done.
      Note: If the tag ID you chose was assigned to a different group than the one you are placing the new CalAmp Tag asset in, it will be moved to the asset's group.
      The tag ID number you chose will appear in the Device field.
       
  1. Click the Install Date  and select the date you attached the CalAmp Tag to the tool.
    Note: If you just placed the tag, you can click Today at the top right of this field to have today's date entered for it.
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the Add Asset dialog box, skipping all the other fields.
    Note: Optionally, you can change the unit of measurement by clicking the Odometer Reference Unit drop-down arrow and specifying mi for miles or km for kilometers. (Its prepopulated value of Use Default will use your default CalAmp setting for this.)
     
    You also can provide an explanation of what the tool is in the Description field, if more clarification than its name is needed.
     
  3. Click Done.
       
    Your new CalAmp Tag asset will appear in the Admin - Assets list.


Associating CalAmp Tags with a Vehicle


To associate CalAmp Tag assets with an assigned vehicle asset (if any), follow these steps:


  1. In the sidebar menu on the left, click .
     
  2. Click Assets on the flyout menu that appears.
     
    The Admin - Assets screen will appear.
       
  3. If the vehicle asset is in a subgroup of the one you have selected in the Group Chooser, make sure that View Subgroups is toggled on at the bottom of the screen.
     
  4. In the row of the asset, click at the far right. (To find the asset, you can sort or filter the Name column, if needed, as shown in Sorting and Filtering Column Data.)
      
  5. Click Assign Assets.
     
    The Assign Assets dialog box will appear.
      
  6. Optionally, click the Asset Type drop-down arrow and select Tool (if you have used that asset type for all your CalAmp Tags). (By default, all asset types are selected, which can make for a long list.)
     
    This will limit the number of results in the grid and make it easier to find the tag to assign, as only assets with the type Tool will be listed.
      
  7. In the grid, find the row of the CalAmp Tag you want to assign to the asset. (You can sort or filter the Name column, if needed, as shown in Sorting and Filtering Column Data.) 
    Note: As mentioned in the first section, "Adding a CalAmp Tag Asset," the CalAmp Tag must be in the same CalAmp group (or a parent of it) as the vehicle in order for it to be available in the grid.
  8. Select the check box in its row. ( means selected, and  deselected.)
    Caution: CalAmp won't let you select a tag that's already associated with another vehicle. (If the tag already has an assignment, it won't have a check box in its row, and there will be an asset specified in the Asset Assignments column for it.) If you need to reassign a tool to this vehicle, first remove it from the other asset, as shown below in the section "Dissociating CalAmp Tags from a Vehicle."
  9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for all the CalAmp Tags you need to associate with the asset.
     
  10. When you are finished adding CalAmp Tags, click Save.
     
    The CalAmp Tags you assigned to the vehicle asset will appear under Asset Assignments in its row in the Admin - Assets grid, and a success message will appear at the bottom of the screen.
      
  11. Click OK to dismiss it. (Or you can wait a few seconds, and it will automatically close.)
    Note: You may need to refresh the page to see the tags' names in the grid.


Dissociating CalAmp Tags from a Vehicle


To dissociate CalAmp Tag assets from a previously assigned vehicle asset (such as if a tool now belongs on a different truck or no longer needs any vehicle association), follow these steps:


  1. In the sidebar menu on the left, click .
     
  2. Click Assets on the flyout menu that appears.
     
    The Admin - Assets screen will appear.
       
  3. If the vehicle asset is in a subgroup of the one you have selected in the Group Chooser, make sure that View Subgroups is toggled on at the bottom of the screen.
     
  4. In the row of the asset, click at the far right. (To find the asset, you can sort or filter the Name column, if needed, as shown in Sorting and Filtering Column Data.)
      
  5. Click Assign Assets.
     
    The Assign Assets dialog box will appear.
      
    The asset's currently assigned CalAmp Tags will be selected and highlighted in the grid. (You can also see them at the top left of the grid.)
     
  6. Deselect the check box in the row of the tag you want to remove from this asset's associations. ( means selected, and  deselected.)
     
  7. Repeat step 6 for all the equipment with CalAmp Tags you want to dissociate from the vehicle asset.
     
  8. When you are finished removing CalAmp Tags, click Save.
     
    A success message will appear at the bottom of the screen.
      
  9. Click OK to dismiss it. (Or you can wait a few seconds, and it will automatically close.)