How to integrate theft-prevention tracking capabilities in IoT devices

Microcontrollers and wireless modules combine to add connectivity and theft-prevention features to IoT devices for automotive, industrial, medical, and smart-home use.

Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) integrate theft-prevention tracking capabilities into their IoT devices. This article reviews key trade-offs and considerations for selecting wireless tracking technologies and highlights the crucial role microcontroller units (MCUs) play in these devices. It also discusses different wireless protocols for anti-theft tracking, from Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Lastly, the article explores physical and digital anti-theft capabilities beyond location tracking.

The role of MCUs in IoT anti-theft tracking systems

OEMs evaluate cost, theft risk, and power trade-offs before integrating theft-prevention tracking into IoT devices. Based on these parameters, they select tracking technology to match specific form factors, power envelopes, BOM constraints, and application requirements.

A dedicated microcontroller unit (MCU) functions as the central hub for IoT anti-theft systems, managing wireless tracking modules, along with infrared and motion sensors. These low-power, high-performance MCUs process analog and digital inputs, coordinate data exchange, and verify authentication requests. They analyze signals from security sensors to detect unauthorized access, trigger alerts, and control output devices such as buzzers and LEDs for deterrence. Additionally, MCUs manage power consumption to maintain efficient and reliable tracking performance.

Figure 1. Infineon’s PSoC 6, a versatile, low-power MCU designed for secure, high-performance IoT applications. (Image: Mouser)

OEMs select MCUs for IoT anti-theft tracking systems based on power efficiency, performance, security features, and interoperability with various radio modules.

Seamlessly pairing with different radio modules, many popular MCUs support theft-prevention tracking, such as the Infineon PSoC 6 series shown in Figure 1, STMicroelectronics STM32, Texas Instruments (TI) SimpleLink, NXP Kinetis, and the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52 lineup.

Selecting wireless technologies for anti-theft tracking

IoT device OEMs integrate wireless radios illustread in Figure 2 to support specific anti-theft tracking applications, optionally adding a secondary radio module when existing connectivity is insufficient. GPS, for example, provides precise long-range outdoor tracking, though accuracy can degrade indoors. In contrast, BLE and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) offer short-range, high-precision indoor positioning.

Figure 2. A detailed illustration highlighting multiple IoT asset tracking solutions, including RFID, LoRaWAN, BLE, NFC, Wi-Fi, UWB, and GPS. (Image: Redbeam)

LPWAN technologies, such as Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), trade bandwidth for extended range and power efficiency in both indoor and outdoor tracking scenarios. Mesh technologies such as Zigbee and Z-Wave provide indoor coverage for anti-theft tracking. At the same time, LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi can be used for the same purpose when cellular networks or verified Wi-Fi routers and access points (APs) are available.

RFID supports asset identification and tracking, with read ranges typically between a few centimeters and up to 100 m, depending on whether passive or active RFID is used. Lastly, near-Field Communication (NFC), a subset of RFID, offers very short read ranges for asset rather than theft tracking — usually less than 10 cm.

From smart home devices to asset tracking

Wireless theft-prevention tracking technologies can be integrated into a wide range of IoT devices across multiple verticals, including:

Smart home devices: GPS enables outdoor tracking and BLE supports indoor positioning, while LTE and 5G deliver connectivity for real-time geofencing breach alerts.
Industry 4.0 (IIoT): LoRaWAN or Sigfox provide extended coverage and jamming resistance for anti-theft tracking of industrial assets, particularly in large facilities. RFID supports asset identification and anti-theft tracking in manufacturing environments where entry and exit are strictly controlled.
Automotive: cars and trucks leverage GPS for real-time location tracking and 4G or 5G connectivity as a backup. UWB and BLE enable precise vehicle location in indoor parking garages.
Medical: GPS and satellite connectivity precisely track IoT devices integrated into high-value equipment outdoors, which is particularly important during transport. RFID tracks and identifies devices in hospitals, while BLE supports short-range indoor positioning.
Wearables: BLE and GPS provide close-range and general movement tracking, while NB-IoT delivers real-time alerts in geofencing deployments.
Agricultural sensors: GPS tracks soil sensors, cameras, and irrigation systems to help prevent mobile equipment theft. In parallel, LoRaWAN or Sigfox maintain reliable long-range connectivity for other sensor data transmission.
Figure 3. The Tile Bluetooth asset tracker is used to locate or track keys, wallets, and remotes.(Image: Amazon)
Smart luggage: GPS prevents theft or loss during outdoor transit, while BLE or RFID help users identify their luggage inside busy airport terminals and train or bus stations.
Asset tracking: GPS and RFID support location tracking and asset identification in warehouses. Bluetooth LE (Figure 3) enables short-range proximity tracking and real-time alerts in homes or other controlled scenarios.

Move beyond location tracking

In addition to conventional anti-theft location tracking, many IoT devices incorporate motion detection, geofencing, automatic alerts, remote disablement, and tamper detection. If an IoT device is stolen or compromised, robust digital and physical security measures help prevent unauthorized access until it can be recovered. These measures span tamper-resistant enclosures, multi-factor authentication, secure and encrypted elements for MCU key storage, conformal coating, and protected trace routing.

Although typically more challenging to steal than stand-alone devices, IoT edge devices integrated into larger systems such as HVAC, industrial machinery, and medical equipment may still require theft-prevention tracking capabilities. Conversely, some devices, such as smart luggage, mini asset trackers, and pet location tags, are designed to enable precise tracking.

Certain smart home devices — such as security cameras and video doorbells — fall in between. Ultimately, detailed cost-benefit analyses determine if integrating anti-theft tracking technology is worth the impact on power consumption, BOM costs, and form factor.

Conclusion

Many OEMs integrate theft-prevention tracking capabilities into their IoT devices. Managed by low-power, high-performance MCUs, wireless radios span multiple technologies: GPS, LTE and 5G, RFID, LPWAN, Wi-Fi, and BLE. These radios support theft-prevention tracking across various applications, such as smart home devices, surveillance cameras, medical equipment, IIoT systems, vehicles, and luggage.