Back in July, DeWALT launched its first generation of 20V Max 2.0 amp (DCB203BT) and 4.0 amp (DCB204BT) lithium-ion tool batteries with Bluetooth® capability. Now, its free Tool Connect™ Battery App, which communicates with these “smarter” batteries, is available on Apple’s App Store as well as Google’s Play Store.
The new app allows Apple and Android devices to pair with the Bluetooth batteries remotely, and DeWALT says the app takes just a few moments to set up. Users can 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.
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. The Diagnostics screen indicates a battery’s state of charge, temperature and connection to Bluetooth®. This screen also allows users to enable and disable a particular battery. By disabling a battery, the user prevents it from being used until it’s re-enabled. This feature makes it easy to shut down equipment at the end of the day to conserve battery life and deter theft.
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 battery sharing. The user can select an amount of time for the tool (with battery) to be lent. When the time is exceeded, the battery shuts down, and the owner receives an alert.
Finally, the Alerts screen provides a comprehensive 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.
Contractors who must inventory multiple tools on a jobsite, and those responsible for cordless tool maintenance, should find this free app a handy way to keep better tabs on their DeWALT Bluetooth® battery investment.
