Tool Box Buzz

DEWALT Bluetooth Battery Technology w/ Tool Connect App

The crew of Tool Box Buzz just returned from the DEWALT Experience 2015 media event at their manufacturing plant in Charlotte NC. DEWALT is unveiling several new tools and some real cool technology. DEWALT’s new Tool Connect App allows users to pair Bluetooth enabled batteries with compatible smartphones. DEWALT is going to offer two lithium ion batteries with Bluetooth technology in the 20v MAX platform, the 2.0 Amp (DCB203BT) and the 4.0 Amp (DCB204BT). These batteries will pair up with Apple and Android smart devices on the free “Tool Connect” app.

Why Bluetooth Technology?

Bluetooth enabled batteries solve a number of jobsite problems and the Tool Connect app takes just a few moments to set up.  Users can simply connect their compatible DEWALT batteries to their Bluetooth enabled smartphone or tablet (by initiating the pairing process) and view the inventory of paired units on the Tool Connect™ App home screen.  This home screen allows users to remotely turn all compatible DEWALT Bluetooth batteries on or off at once, monitor battery charge level, view Bluetooth signal strength, and pair additional batteries. For the general contractor or boss on the jobsite, this technology allows greater control over the tools on residential, MRO and commercial work sites.

How DEWALT Tool Connect Works:

From the Tool Connect app home screen, users can select an individual battery to view its diagnostics and change settings by tabbing through four pages:  Diagnostics, Actions, Info, and Alerts.

Diagnostics:

The Diagnostics screen indicates an individual battery’s state of charge, temperature, and connection to Bluetooth.  This screen also allows users to turn on and disable a particular battery. By disabling a battery, the user prevents it from being used until it is turned back on.  This feature makes it easy to shut down equipment at the end of the day to conserve battery life and reduce theft.

Actions and Info:

The Actions screen allows the user to customize their alert preferences depending on what information they need and when they need it.  These options include; Alert if Out of Range, Disable if Out of Range, Alert at Low Battery Charge, Alert at High Temperature, and Alert at Charge Completion.  In addition, this screen offers a Lending Button, which allows for sharing of batteries.  The user can select an amount of time for the tool (with battery) to be lent and when the time is exceeded, the battery shuts down and the owner receives an alert.

Alerts:

The Alerts screen provides a detailed list of all of the alerts that have been generated by the Tool Connect App and the compatible DEWALT Bluetooth batteries.  From here, users can select an alert to view more details or clear some or all alerts in the log.

 Availability and Testing:

We have been told that DEWALT plans to release these batteries sometime late July where DEWALT products are sold. The DCB203BT, 2.o Amp battery will retail for $99 and come with a 2 year of free service.  The DCB204BT, 4.0 Amp will retail for $139 and come with three years of free service.

While at the manufacturing plant each of the Tool Box Buzz crew got to built our own XR 20v Hammer Drill kit and included in the kit were the new 20v Lithium Ion batteries with the Bluetooth technology. DEWALT is preparing the Tool Connect software and should have it to us in the near future so we can start testing and using this new technology. We will keep you posted with our results!

3 Comments

1. Kimber Janney

   June 7, 2015 at 8:21 am

   I feel like I have enough to manage already without having to use an app to manage batteries. I just want the batteries to work. Smart batteries are a great idea, but batteries and chargers should have overload protection and manage themselves. I don’t want another app! (Does Dewalt pay attention to their surveys?)

   Reply
2. Duncan

   August 15, 2015 at 5:37 pm

   This whole “bluetooth battery” thing is a gimmick. What Dewalt should have done is update all their tools to “bluetooth tools” like Milwaukee did with their whole One Key thing. If thieves don’t know about bluetooth, they can just take it and you find that it’s missing and you can disable it. If they do know about it and they figure out what Dewalt is doing, then they can just take whatever they can and you’re out anyway. Thus, Dewalt’s bluetooth batteries fall FATALLY SHORT of becoming anywhere near practical.

   Reply
3. Randy

   October 27, 2015 at 10:15 am

   Can’t say I agree, at my job batteries or the most common thing stolen, most everyone has the tools already, or your using them, only to go back to your charger & find one of your batteries stolen, plus with 300 ppl at my job, where do I begin to look?

   Reply

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