17.02.2022

1 Front-end Solution for 4 Technologies: Favendo Viewer is Technology Agnostic

Asset Tracking Webapp | Favendo GmbH

The Favendo Viewer web-application is designed to be as generic as possible for a good reason. This way, we have even more room for modifications, extensions, and technology integrations. We are particularly proud of the fact that the Viewer can now not only display our proprietary tracking solution based on BLE (RSSI), but also all three of our partner technologies: Quuppa, Actility/Abeeway and Aruba.  

This makes the Viewer the master key among front-end solutions for almost any asset tracking use case. Whether it’s a use case that requires high-precision tracking, whether you’re looking for a solution that can track assets both indoors and outdoors, or whether you already have an WLAN infrastructure using Aruba access points that you want to integrate with the asset tracking solution. All use cases can be easily represented with one front-end solution thanks to the Viewer.  

High precision asset tracking with Quuppa technology  

Quuppa is the world’s leading real-time location system for indoor positioning. The high-performance technology enables users to track the location of tagged assets in real time – with centimeter accuracy. Favendo’s API feeds the Viewer application with location data from Quuppa Location Engine, so assets movements are visually displayed to the user on a map with individualized geofences that reflect the building`s floor plan. With customizable update rates for each use case, i.e., the time interval at which location data is sent, movements on the Viewer are almost as smooth as directly in the Quuppa Console. 

In the video you can see how the Viewer works with Quuppa technology. The demo does not show a real hospital environment, but a test installation in our office in Bamberg, the naming of the assets and rooms is only for the purpose of better illustration.

Mix and Match: Aruba Access Points and Favendo BLE  

We have already explained how an Aruba infrastructure can be used as the basis for a BLE-based asset tracking system. And also, Aruba Access Points, which then act as trackers, can be mapped via the Viewer tool. In concrete terms, this means that beacon trackers and Aruba APs receive the BLE signal from the beacons, forward it to the positioning engine, which in turn feeds the processed position data into the Viewer via Favendo’s API. This way, all asset movements can be seen on the Viewer map with room accuracy.  

Indoor/outdoor tracking with Abeeway devices and GPS  

Especially for use cases in logistics or, for example, the automotive industry, it is relevant to know the location of assets such as vehicles or pallets even outside of buildings. With an indoor/outdoor tracking solution using Abeeway trackers and a combination of BLE & GPS signals, this problem can be solved. GPS signals from tags located outdoors can also be displayed on the map via the Viewer tool. Once the assets move indoors, the signal the tags are using changes to BLE. This allows for seamless indoor and outdoor tracking. The flexible configurability of geofences also allows an outdoor area to be divided into different zones to facilitate asset location.  

As accurate as you need it to be 

Alright, it’s now clear that the Favendo Viewer can display different technologies in a detached way. But what if you’re looking for a hybrid asset tracking solution that combines high-precision Quuppa technology with room-accurate BLE (RSSI) indoors, for example? Or a classic indoor/outdoor solution that works with both Bluetooth and GPS?   

The Viewer is a good choice in such cases as well. Thanks to the customizable and adaptable geofences, it is easy to define different tracking zones with different positioning accuracies or technologies on one floor plan, which then merge seamlessly into one another.  

In practice, it could look like this: You are in the cardiology ward of a hospital. In the patient room area, room-accurate tracking is sufficient because you only want to locate large objects there, such as beds. Here, you can rely on BLE-based tracking with the RSSI method. Optimally, there are even already Aruba access points that can be used. In the area of examinations and operating rooms, however, you need to know exactly where your medical devices, such as infusion pumps, are located, so here you use Quuppa technology. These different location accuracies can be displayed in the Viewer, for example, via different coloured geofences.   

In the same way, combinations of indoor positioning and outdoor tracking with Abeeway Devices will work.  

The technology integration and representation of hybrid asset tracking solutions makes the Viewer application a powerful tool for search & find use cases in a wide variety of industries with a wide variety of requirements. The advantage is: You are not bound to one technology for your asset tracking solution but can combine different technologies and hardware components. This makes an RTLS system not only scalable and powerful, but also cost-efficient and durable!