DEWALT DCE040 Connector

I thought it would be this great addition to my brand new circular saw but I think it is just a gimmick. I would like to say that it works as advertised (Hemce, the 5 stars. I cannot lie and must be honest) but who needs this? It does absolutely nothing for me nor provides any added value. But, it works as advertised so I must inform you guys of that... but know this... once you lock this on your tool... it is permanently attached and can never be removed. It says that in the instructions so DO NOT just slap it on if you do not want that.

I really like these new connectors Dewalt came out with. I like the fact that I can open the app after loading up tools while on a job site to see if any of my dewalt cordless tools are out of range. If they are I know that something may have accidentally been left on the job site. If all of my tools are in range while I’m standing in my work trailer then I know all cordless tools are accounted for. You can also program which tool the connector belongs to in the app so you know exactly which tool is missing. The app lets you turn tools on and off, check battery levels, notify you when charging is complete, and check the diagnostics on tools. The dewalt cordless tools that have the Bluetooth built into the tool let you program different settings for the tools that have adjustable settings like setting desired RPM’s ranges.

This does what it says it will do. It securely connects to your existing DEWALT 20V MAX tools, and allows you to enable/disable the tool, track it's last "seen" location (which is dependent on the Tool Connect phone app seeing it, with power), "lend" the tool, and it has a "Lost Tool" feature which I have not yet tried but I'm guessing is, like a Tile, will alert/update its location if a battery is inserted and someone else with the app "sees" it to report its whereabouts back to you via your cloud account.This does not show you battery status, trigger pulls, etc. like the integrated Tool Connect devices do. Also with the Android app, I have noticed that sometime it'll take a couple tries to enable/disable it, whereas the integrated devices work flawlessly. I would like to see this improved upon to provide the aforementioned features and improved reliability in the enable/disable feature so it works the first time. Regardless, I am installing these on all my non-Tool-Connect DEWALT 20V MAX tools.Some people have mentioned that it doesn't work and had locked up their tools. I ran into this issue with the first one I bought and freaked out. I contacted DEWALT's customer support and they responded quickly and were helpful. I learned that the tool must have a battery attached for it to work. If it's been sitting without a battery connected for a while, it won't work, so just insert a battery and give it a couple minutes, and (if you set it up and paired it correctly) it will come alive and show up on your phone. No battery, no workie.Overall, it does what it claims to do, so can't knock it for that. But I knocked off a star for lacking just fundamental features and not always reliably connecting. Once you adjust to its "quirks" though it works well enough. I'm hoping a V2 firmware upgrade might come along to address these shortcomings, but I'm guessing by then I will have upgraded to integrated Tool Connect" tools or they'll have a version 2 that will satisfy these lack of features and reliability. Do note, once it's attached to your tool, it can only be removed with a special tool at DEWALT factory authorized service centers, so the whole tool would have to be sent in to remove it. The instructions do tell you to connect it to a battery FIRST to pair it, and THEN connect it to the tool. I would definitely suggest heeding this instruction so you don't end up bricking your power tool.8/18/20 Update:I bought some more of these, which set up and connectivity was fine, however it would not attach to my DCS391 circular saw. I inserted a battery into my saw just to check, and it locked in just fine. On closer inspection, I noticed that the tabs line up, but that the battery locking detent was where it was getting hung up (the tab on the DCE040 was very stiff). After all looked good, I finally just drove the connector home hard into my saw with the lower part of my palm and it locked in place. So just fyi, this may not attach to all your tools equally and may require some coaxing to lock in and work properly.

I understood the basic limitations of this when I bought it, but even still I was disappointed when I installed it.The idea is fantastic, but the execution is comparable to watching the Hindenburg disaster.Feedback:The app itself definitely needs work. It isn't very intuitive to use, and the functions may or may not work, depending on cosmic ray counts and the trajectory of Halley's Comet.- Right now in the inventory list, the image of the connected device is just the connector adaptor (Since all of my tools are connected using connector adaptors, it isn't easy figuring out which tool is which). I wish there was a way to say which tool you're connecting to, and modify the tool image for easier identification, as well as provide info like the manual for that specific tool.- Since we're covering up the serial number of the tool with this, there should be a place for us to store that info in the app in case we need it later.- The enable/disable/identify functions don't work every time. Even when sitting right next to the connector, the app functions for enabling/disabling/identifying the tools really only work around 70% of the time.- There is a function to disable the tool when it is out of range, as well as send an alert through the app. Neither of these functions work. I activated these functions and left the tools at home. Not only did I not receive any alerts, but my wife was still able to use them when I was in a completely different city, 30 miles away.- When the disable function finally does initiate successfully, all but one of my tools become disabled. For some reason, my Jobsite LED Spotlight tool still operates wo/any problem when I disable it in the app.- The "Identify" function is definitely lacking on both sides. It takes too long to actually initiate it from the app, and all it does is flash a dim blue light on the adaptor. This is completely useless if you're trying to locate your tool. These connectors should have a speaker built-in to send out a loud audible sound for easier locating.- The app needs work when it comes to detecting whether or not the devices are connected or not. I walked down to the end of my street (350ish feet away) and the app still thought the devices were connected, even though it wouldn't let me perform and functions that far away (which would explain why the "out of range" features never triggered.Overall, this product, while being a great idea, was a complete disaster. I hope the developers continue to roll out updates and fix all of these bugs soon.

I already owned two of these and needed more for my tools. I am able to keep track of my tools better as I have many tools on many jobs. They work perfect with DEWALT site management system and definitely worth the money if you’re trying to keep track of all your tools