JLG Adds Cloud Features to ClearSky
JLG is upgrading its ClearSky Smart Fleet IoT platform with two new features: Digital Access Control and over-the-air machine software updates. Both capabilities will be delivered through the ClearSky Smart Fleet single connectivity beacon installed on JLG machines.
Read today’s top news.
“With these new enhancements, we’re not just enabling connectivity—we’re empowering action,” Ara Eckel, director of product management for connected solutions at JLG, said in a statement. “This is a critical step forward in delivering a comprehensive, digitized customer experience that transforms how fleets are managed.”
Digital Access Control allows fleet owners and managers to restrict or enable machine operation through the ClearSky Smart Fleet mobile app, eliminating the need for manual keypad entry.
Users will be able to set machines into one of three states: Restricted (lockout) with no operation permitted, Creep Mode or Creep + Transport Mode for limited-speed functionality, or Unrestricted for full capability. By shifting access control to the app, JLG says it is positioning the platform for future digital expansions, including role-based permissions and job site-level access profiles.
“This evolution from keypad to cloud-connected control reflects JLG’s broader strategy: transitioning from simply connecting machines to connecting job sites,” Eckel said.
JLG is also digitizing the previously manual process of updating machine software. Annual ANSI-required updates typically require technicians to visit each machine, connect a laptop, install new software, and reprogram machine personalities.
Using ClearSky Smart Fleet, fleet managers or technicians will now be able to download software updates remotely to the connectivity beacon and apply updates wirelessly to multiple machines at once through the mobile app or web portal. A person onsite will still be required to trigger the machine during the update. The beacon’s memory also allows machine personality settings to be restored after updates are completed.
“By digitizing machine software updates, we’re eliminating unnecessary physical interaction and delivering the time efficiencies our customers expect from IoT,” Eckel said.