System and method for enhanced asset tracking and security for border protection and other applications

A system comprising:

• one or more tamper detecting tape nodes attached to a container storing one or more assets, each of the one or more tamper detecting tape nodes comprising a first type of wireless communication system and configured to detect tampering events that occur to the container, store tampering event data corresponding to the tampering events in a storage or memory of the tamper detecting tape node, and wireless communicate with other wireless nodes of the system;
• one or more scanning tape nodes attached to a lifting apparatus configured to move the container, each of the one or more scanning tape nodes comprising:
• the first type of wireless communication system having a first wireless communication range, and
• a second type of wireless communication system having a second wireless communication range greater than the first wireless communication range,
• wherein each of the one or more scanning tape nodes is configured to:
• communicate with the one or more tamper detecting tape nodes when the lifting apparatus is within a first range of the container, the first range corresponding to the first wireless communication range;
• a the tracking system controller configured to receive data from the one or more scanning tape nodes, track the container and the one or more assets, and maintain a database comprising data on the container and the one or more assets,
• wherein the one or more scanning tape nodes are configured to receive tampering event data and identifier data from the one or more tamper detecting tape nodes, and a first scanning tape node of the one or more scanning tape nodes is configured to transmit the received tampering event data and the identifier data to the tracking system controller-using the second type of wireless communication system.

A method comprising:

• assigning, a local master node role, to a first tape node of a plurality of tape nodes;
• assigning, a local secondary node role to other tape nodes of the plurality of tape nodes;
• operating the first tape node, according to the local master node role;
• responsive to the first tape node having a battery level lower than or equal to a first threshold level, reassigning a local secondary node role to the first tape node;
• and
• responsive to a second tape node of the first plurality of tape nodes having a highest battery level among the plurality of tape nodes, reassigning the local master node role to the second tape node, wherein afterwards, the first tape node operates according to the local master node role, and the second tape node operates according to the secondary node role.