Key Takeaways
- The Griffin Air automatically detects when an asset is airborne and disables radio transmissions to stay airline-compliant, then resumes communication and transmits logged sensor data once the aircraft lands.
- With DO-160 certification, up to seven years of battery life, and Bluetooth 5.2 gateway functionality, the device works across air, road, warehouse, and storage environments without reconfiguration.
Low-power IoT hardware solutions provider Digital Matter is now offering a rugged, long-life, Indoor/Outdoor GPS asset tracker purpose-built for air freight and global supply chain operations.
The compnay’s Griffin Air, designed for high-value and condition-sensitive cargo, combines intelligent airline-compliant flight detection, multi-year battery operation, and integrated Bluetooth gateway functionality in a single deploy-once device built to support visibility across air, road, warehouse, and storage environments.
Air freight tracking environments introduce unique operational requirements, including strict airline compliance standards, limited in-flight connectivity, short device lifespans, and fragmented visibility across transport modes. Many existing solutions prioritize either compliance or short-term shipment tracking, forcing organizations to compromise on battery life, deployment flexibility, or broader operational visibility. The Griffin Air was developed to remove those trade-offs, according to Digital Matter officials.
Why This is a Product for Global Logistics Operators
Air freight tracking has historically forced organizations to choose between compliance, visibility, and operational practicality, said Ilan Gluck, EVP and Head of GTM, North America at Digital Matter.
“By combining intelligent flight-aware tracking with multi-year battery life and a rugged deploy-once design, the Griffin gives global logistics operators a scalable way to maintain visibility across the entire asset journey without adding operational complexity,” said Gluck in a statement.
Technical Specs of Griffin Air
The Griffin Air automatically detects when an asset is airborne and disables radio transmissions to maintain airline compliance without requiring manual configuration or workflow changes. While airborne, the device continues to passively collect configured sensor data and event information. Once the aircraft lands, the Griffin Air resumes communication and transmits logged sensor data, helping maintain visibility into shipment conditions throughout the journey.
The device carries DO-160 certification and has been approved for use across major global carriers, enabling deployment across international air cargo networks without additional handling requirements or per-shipment certification processes.
Powered by user-replaceable AA batteries, the Griffin Air delivers up to seven years of battery life depending on tracking mode. The device supports 4G Cat 1bis connectivity with 2G fallback for reliable global operation.
Are There Capabilities Beyond Location Tracking
The Griffin Air is built for continuous deployment across the broader asset lifecycle. The device operates seamlessly across air freight, road transport, warehouses, workshops, distribution centers, and storage environments without requiring separate hardware or reconfiguration. GPS, Wi-Fi access point scanning, and cellular triangulation work together to provide reliable indoor and outdoor positioning across complex logistics and industrial environments.
In addition to location tracking, the Griffin Air operates as a Bluetooth 5.2 gateway capable of capturing data from connected BLE tags and sensors. This enables condition monitoring, asset identification, and expanded operational visibility for applications including pharmaceutical cold chain logistics, aerospace equipment tracking, returnable transport items, and high-value industrial assets. Configurable impact, tip, and rotation alerts further help organizations identify potential mishandling events during transit.
“Most air freight tracking devices were designed either for compliance or for short-term shipment visibility, but not for long-term operational deployment,” Gluck stated. “The Griffin Air was built specifically to bridge that gap. It intelligently adapts to air freight environments while continuing to support the broader tracking, condition monitoring, and lifecycle visibility requirements organizations increasingly need across modern supply chains.”