You don't need one, it's just a convenience feature in addition to the other indicators, alongside other Bluetooth features like anti theft.
Also that stuff is not always done by the same people doing more meaningful things. I could easily build a Bluetooth charger. I could probably teach a beginner to design that kind of thing in months.
I couldn't do the same for a solar inverter that was any better than existing stuff though. I couldn't figure out the DSP involved in making a better pacemaker. I'm not a mechanical engineer, so I couldn't do anything to make the physical part of a tool better, except by adding more software self protection for it. If I worked at a tool company, what could I be doing instead of Bluetooth?
Ah, then let's add BT to everything: flash drives, pens, women hygiene pads and, of course, sandwiches sold on the beaches.
Right?
Nobody needs BT in the power tools to prevent theft. No amount of BT would help you to retrive the stolen goods (see all those stories when police don't give a fuck for all these AirTags). Please, get a life.
I would love it if flash drives had Bluetooth. What else are we supposed to do now that phones don't have expandable storage anymore?
In DeWalt's case, they are shut off if you get out of BT range. I would imagine it just slightly deters crackheads, or perhaps it helps fight organized retail theft gangs which are apparently a problem for tool companies.
Occasionally police do care about airtags. It's better than nothing. Better than trying to defend your property with force, when the criminal is going to be far better at fighting than me, because it's part of their profession. It's a cheap extra deterrent that makes their job a little harder.
Looks like you forgot what you need a battery there too. At this point just buy a phone and use it as flash drive. You can even call on it if you lost it, or lock it through Google account.
> I would imagine it just slightly deters crackheads
Crackheads steal first.
> it helps fight organized retail theft gangs which are apparently a problem for tool companies
Just like automobile anti-theft devices aren't a problem for the organized crime the measly BT shit wouldn't be a problem for organized crime.
> In DeWalt's case
It's an inventory system in the first place, not anti-theft.
> It's better than nothing
You just asking to add a battery, bluetooth module, micro-controller (at least) or a full blown computer (Raspberries as mundane programmable OTC parts in the electric scooters comes to mind from a recent news), some app - can you guarantee what a 5 y.o. cordless drill would work with a your new phone? Or more like your new phone would allow a 5 y.o. app to install and work?
> Better than trying to defend your property with force
You are trying to solve an administrative problem with a technical means.
> It's a cheap extra deterrent that makes their job a little harder.
It's not cheap. It's additional $5 (at least) BOM for everything and you would pay way more than $5 for it in the end product.
Also that stuff is not always done by the same people doing more meaningful things. I could easily build a Bluetooth charger. I could probably teach a beginner to design that kind of thing in months.
I couldn't do the same for a solar inverter that was any better than existing stuff though. I couldn't figure out the DSP involved in making a better pacemaker. I'm not a mechanical engineer, so I couldn't do anything to make the physical part of a tool better, except by adding more software self protection for it. If I worked at a tool company, what could I be doing instead of Bluetooth?