How Do You Know if Your Drill Has a Tracking Device

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A few months ago, Dewalt teased united states of america with an announcement that they would exist coming out with new Dewalt Connect Tools which featured integrated Bluetooth technology.

We haven't heard a peep out of Dewalt since then, at to the lowest degree almost annihilation Tool Connect related, but a few new products popped upwardly on Dewalt.com. There'south quite a bit of information there.

To start, the initial launch will focus on drills and drivers, but we already knew that. The listings on Dewalt.com are for the drills, with no new information virtually the Dewalt Tool Connect impact commuter.

Please keep in mind that some of this information is field of study to modify equally the launch nears.

SKUs Listed

• DCD792 meaty brushless drill
• DCD797 compact brushless hammer drill
• DCD997 premium brushless hamer drill

In that location are listings for several purchasing options – blank tools (e.g. DCD792B), compact battery kits (due east.k. DCD792D2), and the premium hammer drill will exist bachelor as a blank tool or in a kit with Tool Connect battery packs (DCD997P2BT). There might be other options or bundles as well.

Following are v things nosotros just learned nigh Dewalt Tool Connect tools and tech, and then a few lesser things that have become clearer since the original teaser announcement.

1. Tool Customizations: Speed and LEDs

On the drills, users will exist able to plan in three customized RPM settings. There's no mention virtually whether yous can set whatever torque limits.

Users will likewise be able to customize the brightness and "afterglow" delay of the congenital-in LED worklights.

two. Tool Connect Connector is a Permanent Attachment

As mentioned in our Dewalt Tool Connect preview, there will be a newConnector, which allows you to "connect" any 20V Max tool.

Information technology allows for several enhanced features:

• Convert any Dewalt Cordless 20V Max Tool to a BLUETOOTH enabled device
• Can be set to disable the tools one time they are out of range
• Allows y'all to track and manage your tools
• Integrated bombardment allows for tracking when 20V Max battery is not fastened
• IP68 grit and waterproof rating

They say this about the Connector:

The Connector permanently attaches onto the foot of the tool to prevent removal. Then, your current 20V MAX* battery just slide into the Connector. The ultra-slim design does not interfere with the tool's ease of use and adds nearly no additional weight.

Okay, so the Connector permanently attaches to the human foot of your 20V Max tool. It presumably has a coin cells, similar to those in the new Tool Connect tools to allow for tracking even when a 20V Max bombardment pack is non continued.

It will besides send y'alltool diagnostics. Unfortunately, there's no mention of existence able to customize your existing tools. Bummer. I'd dearest to disable the red lite on my Dewalt 20V Max LED spotlight sample, which I accomplish for more than others.

3. "Last Seen" Feature

The Tool Connect Last Seen feature: helps reduce wasted time and money by providing the street address of where your [Tool Connect tool] was terminal in range of your Tool Connect enabled device.

One of the features listed for the Connector is that you tinset to disable the tools once they are out of range. That's possibly why the Connector is a permanent attachment.

This seems like a good feature, and if anyone disagrees, consider that information technology's better to have it and not want it than to want it and not accept it. If it's not something you want to use, simply don't enable that characteristic.

I'chiliad guessing that the "3 new ways to connect" means:

1. Directly past the tool
2. Tag attachment
3. Connector attachment

There'southward also the battery packs, which I estimate would be anexisting fashion to connect.

iv. Some Will Exist Congenital in the The states

The piffling sticker right next to the trigger switch says it all.

v. Coil Cell Batteries

As with Milwaukee'southward One-Key tools and Tick tracker, the Tool Connect tools will accept money cell batteries, so that tracking is enabled even when a bombardment pack is non connected.

There Volition exist Tool and Bluetooth Battery Kits

ii years ago, Dewalt announced new 20V Max Bluetooth battery packs, which offered some remote monitoring and command features.

It looks similar in that location'due south a new brood of Tool Connect battery packs that are fully compatible with the new system'due south features. Well, maybe non new battery packs, simply at least new features.

It is unclear as to whether the 4.0Ah batteries – the first Bluetooth-equipped batteries – will exist fully compatible with the new app.

The new Dewalt Tool Connect premium hammer drill kit, DCD997P2BT, comes with (2) DCB205BT battery packs, which are already on the market. One of the features for these batteries istrack and manage, and so the battery packs might exist trackable as are the new tools.

Tag

At that place'due south no new information virtually the Dewalt Tool Connect TAG tracking accessory. I assume information technology will part in the same way as Milwaukee'south Ane-Central Tick tracker.

Inventory Manager

Hands and chop-chop assign tools to jobsites and users on the Tool Connect Inventory Managing director software, increasing accountability and reducing lost tools.

This is something that will be nice to have as a spider web app that can as well be accessed from tablets, laptops, or desktop computers.

We already knew inventory management was coming to the app, so this actually isn't anything new.

Tool Diagnostics

The app will tell you lot things similar internal coin cell battery life, temperature (of the motor or battery pack?), number of trigger pulls, and how long the tool has been running.

Is the number of trigger pulls something that users will be interested in knowing?

First Thoughts

I'm still hoping that the Connector will allow for customizations of existing Dewalt tools, but that'south probably too tall of a wish.

I also observe myself hoping for a little more, just this looks to be a dandy first.

Milwaukee announced their 1-Key production family at the same time that Dewalt announced their Bluetooth battery pack.

Many of these new Dewalt features and products seem to practice the aforementioned thing – or like – equally Milwaukee One-Central counterparts. It'southward not appropriate to bound to the decision that Milwaukee is the leader and Dewalt the follower, even though it certainly appears that way.

My best guess is that Dewalt had some of their Tool Connect products and features already on their roadmap, with perhaps some beingness influenced past Milwaukee One-Cardinal. But if so, that would have helped to make them potentially meliorate.

For instance, their tracking feature is calledLast Seen. That, and its description, is a lot clearer to me. I too had been seeing Milwaukee's Tick every bit a potential theft recovery aid, and mentions of information technology helping in recovering stolen tools didn't practice much to convince me otherwise. Information technology took seeing what the Tick can do and Non do for me to realize its limitations and user network dependency.

The benefit in existence "later" with tech like this is that Dewalt had more than time to learn and refine their products.

Hopefully the tools volition be reasonably priced. Right now, in that location'due south no pricing info. More than details volition be available every bit the tools go closer to an official launch, or at least an official declaration.

Part of me is always wooed by new tools and tech, simply the calm side of me is growing increasingly enthusiastic as well.

So now there are 3 professional tool brands offering customizable and connectable tools, and tracking technology. Milwaukee, Dewalt, and oh yeah – Bosch, if they ever get around to releasing their customizable tools and TrackTag tracking device in the USA.

There's no word all the same as to whether the Dewalt tracking engineering volition require a subscription or not, but I conceptualize that information technology volition be complimentary.

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Source: https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-tool-connect-update/

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