Designed by Ruictec in China, the TD04 is a LoRa-based low-power tracker that also features BLE and dual-band GNSS. It supports both indoor and outdoor positioning, and is suitable for fleet management, asset tracking, and geofencing over public or private LoRaWAN networks with minimal maintenance.
The device combines GNSS (L1/L5) for outdoor positioning with BLE-based indoor tracking. It automatically switches between the two to optimize accuracy and power usage, delivering around 1–2 m accuracy outdoors and 2–4 m indoors. It is LoRaWAN 1.0.3-compliant, supports OTAA and ABP, and operates across multiple regional bands (EU868, US915, IN865, AS923, and others). Other features include a built-in motion sensor (G-sensor), configurable reporting and heartbeat intervals, iBeacon support, optional Bluetooth gateway mode, BLE-based configuration, OTA updates, and batch firmware upgrades. The device is powered by a 6000 mAh rechargeable battery and support 1.3 W solar panel input, enabling up to six months of standby time with ultra-low sleep current. Combined with its rugged IP67-rated enclosure, this makes it well-suited for continuous outdoor deployment in harsh environments.
Ruictec TD04 specifications:
- LoRa / LPWAN Connectivity
- Protocol − LoRaWAN 1.0.3
- Activation − OTAA (default), ABP configurable via BLE
- Frequency bands − CN470, US915, AU915, AS923, EU868, IN865, KR920, RU864
- Transmit power − Up to 22 dBm (region-dependent, configurable)
- Receiver sensitivity
- −130 dBm @ SF9
- −123 dBm @ SF8
- −115 dBm @ SF7
- Data rate − Region-dependent, manually configurable (ADR disabled by default)
- Communication range − >1.5 km in urban environments
- Location
- GNSS module − Dual-band GNSS (L1 + L5)
- Accuracy − ~1–2 meters
- GNSS behavior
- Automatically enabled when BLE beacons are not detected
- Disabled when indoor BLE positioning is active to save power
- GNSS reporting interval − Configurable (from seconds up to hours)
- Altitude reporting − Supported
- Bluetooth (BLE)
- Bluetooth version − 2.4 GHz BLE 5.0
- Supported formats − iBeacon, custom BLE formats
- BLE positioning − RSSI-based indoor positioning (~2–4 m accuracy)
- BLE scan interval − Configurable (from seconds up to hours)
- RSSI threshold filtering − Supported to avoid weak or false beacon detection
- Beacon support:
- Locator beacons
- Asset beacons
- Proximity and alarm beacons
- Misc − Can operate as a BLE gateway
- Sensor – Built-in G-sensor
- Misc – 3x LEDs (Most probably, for power, GNSS, and BLE)
- Power
- 6,000 mAh rechargeable lithium battery with 5.5 V / 1.3 W solar charging
- Sleep current
- ~20–50 µA (Stationary)
- < 10 µA Deep Sleep (Time-scheduled)
- Max operating current: ~102 mA @ 20 dBm
- Standby time: Up to 6 months (configuration and usage dependent)
- Power management features
- Motion-triggered wake-up
- Scheduled sleep periods
- Adaptive GNSS/BLE switching
- Dimensions – 222 × 66 × 29 mm
- Weight – 348 grams
- Temperature Range
- Operating − −20°C to +80°C
- Storage − −40°C to +85°C
- Ingress Protection rating − IP67
This smart tracker combines LoRaWAN + GNSS + Bluetooth to report location while saving as much power as possible. When powered on, it connects to the LoRaWAN network and begins sending heartbeat messages with battery, motion, and radio status. During normal operation, the tracker stays in a low-power state while stationary, but once motion is detected, it first scans for nearby BLE beacons to determine indoor location without using GNSS. If no BLE signals are found, it automatically enables GNSS to obtain accurate outdoor coordinates. All positioning data, whether BLE-based or GNSS-based, is transmitted over LoRaWAN, allowing long-range reporting with minimal power usage. This automatic BLE-to-GNSS switching makes the tracker well-suited for fleet and vehicle tracking scenarios that move between indoor and outdoor environments while maintaining long battery life.
The Ruictec tracker supports the LoRaWAN 1.0.3 specification, and can be configured with both OTAA (Over-The-Air Activation) and ABP (Activation By Personalization) network activation modes. Configuration is handled via BLE, which allows users to modify keys (DevEUI, AppEUI, AppKey) and frequency plans without physical ports. The front-end visualization is available in the location_web repository, while the back-end logic utilizes the edwei development library. Additionally, the device supports Bluetooth OTA (Over-The-Air) firmware upgrades, including batch updates via a dedicated dongle, and can integrate with third-party systems like Quuppa for high-precision AOA (Angle of Arrival) positioning.
There are already plenty of tracking solutions on the market, and some examples include the Valetron Systems Valtrack V4, which is based on ESP32-C3 and supports 4G LTE connectivity, the MicTrack MT700 relying on LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular networking, and featuring a larger 7,800mAh battery, as well as the Mictrack MT600 4G LTE GPS tracker, which can be used with various GPS software such as the open source OpenGTS and Traccar. The Ruictec TD04 model covered in this article focuses on low-power tracking with LoRaWAN and BLE/GNSS switching.
The Ruictec TD04 LoRa, BLE, and GNSS tracker is available on Tindie for $49.00. Additional information can also be found on their website.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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