--- title: Your CAN Bus Doesn't Know It's Bluetooth description: Rugged joystick controllers, CAN-based interfaces, and monitoring systems for crane and lifting applications engineered for precision, safety, and reliability. image: https://blog.oemcontrols.com/hubfs/cranes-blog-featured.png --- [203.929.8431](tel:+2039298431)|[ContactUs@oemcontrols.com](mailto:ContactUs@oemcontrols.com) [![oem-corporate-logo(1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/hs-fs/hubfs/oem-corporate-logo(1).png?width=225&height=65&name=oem-corporate-logo(1).png)](http://www.oemcontrols.com/) - [Products](https://www.oemcontrols.com/all-products/) - [Single-Axis Controllers](https://www.oemcontrols.com/single-axis-controllers/) - [Multi-Axis Controllers](https://www.oemcontrols.com/multi-axis-controllers/) - [Hall Effect/CAN Controllers](https://www.oemcontrols.com/hall-effect-can-controllers/) - [Micro Controllers](https://www.oemcontrols.com/micro-controllers/) - [Handles](https://www.oemcontrols.com/handles/) - [Rotary Switches & Foot Pedals](https://www.oemcontrols.com/rotary-switches-foot-pedals/) - [Electronic Modules](https://www.oemcontrols.com/electronic-modules/) - [Specialty Products](https://www.oemcontrols.com/specialty-products/) - [Industries](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/) - [Agriculture](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-agriculture/) - [Airport](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-airport/) - [Construction & Off-Highway](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-construction-off-highway/) - [Logging](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-logging/) - [Marine](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-marine/) - [Material Handling](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-material-handling/) - [Mining](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/industry-mining/) - [More](https://www.oemcontrols.com/industries/) - [Company](https://www.oemcontrols.com/company/) - [Leadership Team](https://www.oemcontrols.com/leadership-team/) - [Blog](https://blog.oemcontrols.com) - [Community](https://www.oemcontrols.com/community/) - [Partners](https://www.oemcontrols.com/partners/) - [Affiliations](https://www.oemcontrols.com/affiliations/) - [Support](https://www.oemcontrols.com/support/support-services/) - [Certified Product Repair](https://www.oemcontrols.com/support/certified-product-repair-form/) - [Product Repair Program Policy](https://www.oemcontrols.com/support/product-repair-program-policy/) - [Product Cleaning Guidelines](https://www.oemcontrols.com/product-cleaning-guidelines/) - [Pricing](https://www.oemcontrols.com/support/pricing/) - [Prop 65 Compliance](https://www.oemcontrols.com/prop-65-compliance/) - [FAQs](https://www.oemcontrols.com/faqs/) - [Contact](https://www.oemcontrols.com/contact/) - [Sales Team](https://www.oemcontrols.com/sales-team/) - [Home](http://www.oemcontrols.com/home-2/) - [Products](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/) - [Hall Effect/CAN Controllers](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/hall-effect-can-controllers/) - [Single Axis Controllers](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/single-axis-controllers/) - [Multi-Axis Controllers](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/multi-axis-controllers/) - [Micro-Controllers](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/micro-controllers/) - [Handles](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/handles/) - [Rotary & Foot Pedals](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/foot-pedals/) - [Panel Systems](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/panel-systems/) - [Specialty Products](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/specialty-products/) - [Valve Driver Modules](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/valve-driver-modules/) - [Company](http://www.oemcontrols.com/company/) - [Leadership Team](http://www.oemcontrols.com/company/leadership-team/) - [Support](http://www.oemcontrols.com/support/certified-product-repair/) - [Certified Product Repair](http://www.oemcontrols.com/support/certified-product-repair/) - [FAQs](http://www.oemcontrols.com/faqs/) - [Blog](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/) - [Contact](http://www.oemcontrols.com/contact/) - [Employment](http://www.oemcontrols.com/contact/employment/) - [Sales Team](http://www.oemcontrols.com/sales-team/) # Your CAN Bus Doesn't Know It's Bluetooth - [Home](http://www.oemcontrols.com/) /- Your CAN Bus Doesn't Know It's Bluetooth [Previous](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/oem-controls-welcomed-the-aem-manufacturing-express) ### **And That's the Point** If you've ever had to route a new sensor wire through a bucket, an auger, or some other attachment that gets swapped out every other week, you already know the real cost of “just add one more sensor.” It's never just a sensor. It's a connector that has to survive a wash-down, a harness that has to survive vibration, and a technician's afternoon spent chasing a fault that turns out to be a corroded pin. That's the problem Bluetooth-to-CAN gateways are built to solve, and it's worth understanding how they actually work under the hood. Not just as a marketing bullet point, but as a piece of system architecture you might end up integrating. ### **The Core Idea** Instead of wiring a sensor directly into the CAN bus, you let it talk over Bluetooth, and put a gateway module in between that translates. OEM Controls' version of this is the BT500 CANPort. This gateway sits on the vehicle and continuously scans for nearby Bluetooth devices from its Data Delivery line of Tags, Trackers, and Sensors which mount on equipment, attachments, or handheld tools. When the CANPort picks up a transmission, it converts the payload into a CAN message. By default that's a low-priority Type B PGN, though the format is configurable, which matters more than it sounds like it should. More on that below. ### **Why the Message Priority Is the Interesting Part** Anyone who's debugged a noisy CAN bus knows that adding traffic isn't free. The CANPort doesn't just dump captured data onto the bus as fast as it receives it. It manages the rate at which it “trickles” the data out, so it supplements existing engine, hydraulic, and transmission traffic instead of contending with it for arbitration. That's a small design detail that determines whether this is a drop-in addition to an existing network or a source of intermittent bus errors six months after install. If you're the one integrating this into a display or telematics unit, the practical takeaway is simple: you just add a listener for the CANPort's specific PGN, the same way you'd already be listening for any other J1939 parameter group. No proprietary Bluetooth stack, no custom radio driver – just another PGN on a bus you already know how to read. ### **What's Actually Flowing Over the Wireless Link** The capture side supports more than a location ping. Devices in the Tag/Tracker/Sensor line handle both digital and analog inputs, so what shows up as a CAN message downstream can include: - Utilization data – cumulative machine hours, run time - Sensor Values – angle, fuel level, air filter flow, fuel dispensing, tilt, temperature, tire pressure - Serial Streams – data streams from external data loggers or displays. Capture method depends on how the fleet actually operates: drive-by, pass-by, or walk-by, so the same underlying hardware fits a service truck doing rounds, a fixed reader at a gate or fuel island, or a technician walking the yard with a phone. ### **The Environmental Reality Check** None of this matters if the hardware can't survive where it's mounted. The published specs on the BT500 CANPort give a sense of what “field-ready” actually means for this class of device: | Spec | Value | | --- | --- | | **Power** | 8–32 VDC, drawn from the host system | | **Operating temperature** | -40°C to +70°C | | **Sealing** | IP67 | | **Bluetooth version** | 4.2, 5.2 | | **Range** | 20–50 yards, line of sight, application-dependent | | **Install time** | Under 10 minutes | | **Dimensions** | 4.5" x 2.52" x 1.75" |   Worth calling out: that Bluetooth range figure is line-of-sight and application-dependent, which is engineering-speak for “your distance will vary with steel, mud, and geometry.” If you're spec'ing a deployment, it's worth a real-world walk test before you commit to a mounting location. ### **Why This Is a Bus Problem, Not Just a Wireless Problem** It's tempting to think of Bluetooth-to-CAN as purely a wireless engineering challenge – range, interference, battery life on the tag side. But the harder problem is usually the boring one: making sure the data that arrives is something the rest of the system can consume without a special case. That's the real value of routing everything through standard, configurable J1939 PGNs instead of a proprietary API. A telematics platform, a cab display, or a diagnostic tool doesn't need to know or care that a given signal originated from a Bluetooth tag instead of a hardwired sensor, it's all just bus traffic. For engineers, system integrators in particular, that's the detail worth remembering: you're not building a Bluetooth stack, you're mapping a PGN. ### **Where This Fits** - OEMs get a way to add sensing to attachments and tight-cab-space applications without adding a wiring harness or a physical display. - Fleet and service teams get utilization and diagnostic data without a technician opening a panel. - OEMs and System Integrators get standard, application-configurable CAN messages instead of a custom radio integration. If you're evaluating this kind of architecture for your own equipment line, the questions worth asking a vendor are the same ones any of us would ask about a new bus device: - What's the message priority and rate? - What's the ingress and temperature rating? - And how much of the PGN mapping is actually configurable versus fixed? *Have questions about integrating Bluetooth-to-CAN into your platform? Reach out to the OEM Controls engineering team.* [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.oemcontrols.com%2Fyour-can-bus-doesnt-know-its-bluetooth%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.oemcontrols.com%2Fyour-can-bus-doesnt-know-its-bluetooth%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.oemcontrols.com%2Fyour-can-bus-doesnt-know-its-bluetooth%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.oemcontrols.com%2Fyour-can-bus-doesnt-know-its-bluetooth%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Your%20CAN%20Bus%20Doesn%27t%20Know%20It%27s%20Bluetooth) Search this site on Google Search Google ### Subscribe to our blog ### Recent Posts ### Categories - [Blog (43)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/blog) - [Latest Products (23)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/latest-products) - [Hall Effect/CAN Controllers (13)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/hall-effect-can-controllers) - [Multi-Axis Controllers (13)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/multi-axis-controllers) - [Latest Events (12)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/latest-events) - [Single Axis Controllers (9)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/single-axis-controllers) - [Valve Driver Modules (9)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/valve-driver-modules) - [Handles (8)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/handles) - [Micro Controllers (7)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/micro-controllers) - [New & Updated (6)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/new-updated) - [OEM (6)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/oem) - [Tradeshows (6)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/tradeshows) - [Rotary & Foot Pedals (5)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/rotary-foot-pedals) - [ConExpo (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/conexpo) - [Joysticks (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/joysticks) - [Robotics (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/robotics) - [Shelton (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/shelton) - [Specialty Products (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/specialty-products) - [tradeshows (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/tradeshows-2) - [Masuk (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/masuk) - [Hall Effect (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/hall-effect) - [Headquarters (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/headquarters) - [OEM Robot (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/oem-robot) - [OEM Sponsors (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/oem-sponsors) - [cranes (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/cranes) - [APEX (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/apex) - [Challenges Addressed (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/challenges-addressed) - [Controls (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/controls) - [Insider (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/insider) - [Jobs (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/jobs) - [New and Important (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/new-and-important) - [Panel Systems (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/panel-systems) - [STEM (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/stem) - [boot (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/boot) - [manufacturing (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/manufacturing) - [product announcement (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/product-announcement) - [s9 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/s9) - [senator murphy (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/topic/senator-murphy) see all ### Archives - [March 2016 (38)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/03) - [February 2016 (12)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/02) - [April 2016 (5)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/04) - [February 2014 (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/02) - [May 2016 (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/05) - [March 2020 (4)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2020/03) - [April 2014 (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/04) - [August 2016 (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/08) - [March 2017 (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/05) - [May 2018 (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/05) - [January 2020 (3)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2020/01) - [March 2014 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/03) - [August 2015 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/08) - [September 2015 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/09) - [November 2015 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/11) - [January 2016 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/01) - [September 2017 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/09) - [October 2017 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/10) - [December 2017 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/12) - [March 2018 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/03) - [April 2018 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/04) - [June 2018 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/06) - [August 2018 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/08) - [January 2019 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2019/01) - [September 2019 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2019/09) - [February 2026 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2026/02) - [April 2026 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2026/04) - [August 2026 (2)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2026/08) - [May 2014 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/05) - [June 2014 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/06) - [July 2014 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/07) - [September 2014 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2014/09) - [January 2015 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/01) - [February 2015 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/02) - [May 2015 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/05) - [June 2015 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/06) - [October 2015 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/10) - [December 2015 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2015/12) - [June 2016 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/06) - [July 2016 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2016/07) - [January 2017 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/01) - [April 2017 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/04) - [June 2017 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/06) - [July 2017 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2017/07) - [January 2018 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/01) - [February 2018 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/02) - [July 2018 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/07) - [September 2018 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/09) - [November 2018 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/11) - [December 2018 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2018/12) - [March 2019 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2019/03) - [April 2019 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2019/04) - [August 2019 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2019/08) - [October 2019 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2019/10) - [April 2020 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2020/04) - [May 2020 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2020/05) - [June 2020 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2020/06) - [February 2021 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2021/02) - [March 2021 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2021/03) - [November 2024 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2024/11) - [April 2025 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2025/04) - [June 2025 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2025/06) - [August 2025 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2025/08) - [September 2025 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2025/09) - [November 2025 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2025/11) - [December 2025 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2025/12) - [June 2026 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2026/06) - [September 2026 (1)](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/archive/2026/09) see all ![O.E.M-footer](https://blog.oemcontrols.com/hubfs/O.E.M.Controls-Jan2017/Image/footer-logo.png) OEM Controls 10 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 USA Phone: +1.203.929.8431 Email: ContactUs@oemcontrols.com - [Contact](http://www.oemcontrols.com/contact/) - [Employment](http://www.oemcontrols.com/contact/employment/) - [Products](http://www.oemcontrols.com/products/) - [Site Map](http://www.oemcontrols.com/site-map/) Copyright 2016 OEM Controls, Inc. | All Rights Reserved