There are many indoor positioning methods (Indoor Positioning Systems) and RTLS (Real-Time Locating Systems) available on the market. Each of these technologies has a different profile in terms of applications, costs and deployment requirements. In buildings, conventional GPS usually does not provide usable performance, which is why other radio-based methods are used in practice. At TIMATE, we developed our own indoor positioning method, aligned with the assumptions of the entire system. The solution supports the positioning of people, personal protective equipment and selected assets indoors, especially where situational awareness, coordination of activities and support for safety procedures matter. That is why the scope, frequency and accuracy of personal positioning have been limited to a level adequate for the intended purpose.
| Feature / Technology | TIMATE | Bluetooth Beacons | Smartphone with an app as a WiFi tag | UWB Tags | Passive Long-Range RFID Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power consumption of the tag/card | Low | Medium | High | Medium | None |
| Minimum size of cards/tags | Small | Small | Large | Medium | Medium |
| Positioning accuracy | Meters | Meters | Meters | Decimeters | Meters |
| Positioning method | PROPRIETARY | RSSI | RSSI | TIME OF FLIGHT | RFID UHF |
| Operating frequency | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz 5 GHz | 3-7 GHz | 860 MHz |
| Positioning frequency | Typically approx. 1 minute, more often in alarm situations | High | High | High | |
| MESH radio network between hubs/anchors | |||||
| Range from tag/card to hub/anchor | Up to 100 m | Up to 20 m | Up to 50 m | Up to 15 m | Up to 10 m |
| Two-way communication with the tag/card | |||||
| Detection of proximity between tags/cards | |||||
| Connecting hubs/anchors to Ethernet | One | No or All | All | All | All |
| Display for the employee in the tag/card | |||||
| Main purpose of indoor positioning | People, personal protective equipment, selected assets | People, objects | People | Vehicles, objects, people | Objects |
| Smartphone required |