Glossary · Location
RTLS (real-time location system)
An RTLS, or real-time location system, tracks the position of tagged people or assets continuously, usually to within a few meters. Most work by installing fixed receivers or anchors across a site that listen to tags, so the accuracy comes with equipment to install and maintain.
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How does an RTLS work?
An RTLS works by placing tags on what you want to track and fixed receivers around the area, then calculating each tag's position from the signals the receivers hear. An international standard series, ISO/IEC 24730, defines an interface for software to use an RTLS and several radio air interfaces.
| Technology | How position is found | Typical setup |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra-wideband | Time of flight between tags and anchors | Anchors on walls or ceilings, surveyed |
| Bluetooth Low Energy | Signal strength or angle at fixed receivers | BLE gateways or locators across the area |
| Wi-Fi | Signal strength at access points | Existing or added access points |
| RFID | Which reader a tag passes | Readers at doors and choke points |
Where does an RTLS make sense?
An RTLS makes sense where a place stays the same and the accuracy is worth the install: a hospital tracking beds, a warehouse tracking forklifts, a plant tracking tools. The infrastructure is a fixed cost that pays back because the area does not change.
A construction site is the opposite case. The site changes every week and a general contractor's anchors do not travel with a subcontractor's crew to the next job. Equipment installed at one site does nothing for a worker who moves to the next.
How is an RTLS different from a time tracking badge?
An RTLS answers where inside a site a tag is. A time tracking badge answers which jobsite a worker is at, for how long, so that hours can be allocated. Those are different questions with different costs.
A cellular badge such as ZeroBadge's needs nothing installed on site and does not promise room-level position. It gives up precision for a record that moves with the worker from jobsite to jobsite. See geofence time clock.
Frequently asked questions
Is GPS an RTLS?
Does a time tracking badge replace an RTLS?
How accurate is an RTLS?
Sources
- 1.ISO/IEC 24730-1:2014, Real-time locating systems (RTLS), Part 1: Application programming interface (API) · International Organization for Standardization
