Favendo RTLS Knowledge

Often erroneously also on-premise. On-prem means software that runs locally or refers to a licensing model for server-based computer programs. It is only since local use has increasingly been replaced by Software as a Service (SaaS) or Cloud Computing that the opposite term to “cloud-based” has emerged. In the area of RTLS, on-prem solutions are relevant above all for self-sufficient use on cruise ships and where the user attaches great importance to data security.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication. Based on RFID, this technology is also an international transmission standard for wireless data transmission over short distances. Data is exchanged via electromagnetic induction using loosely coupled coils and at a maximum transmission rate of 424 kBit/s. Since the maximum range of 10 cm is even shorter than with RFID, for example, the strengths of the technology lie less in the area of positioning than, for example, in mobile payment and contactless access controls.

Indoor positioning via magnetic field measurement: This method of positioning makes use of the magnetic field of the earth. It takes advantage of the fact that modern buildings have a specific magnetic fingerprint, which results from the interaction of the earth’s magnetic field with the building materials used and the architectural features. The more steel used in the building, the better for this positioning solution. So what proves to be disturbing when positioning via radio signals is what makes positioning possible in this case. The steel is responsible for the characteristic interference of the earth’s magnetic field. Positioning with an accuracy of one to two meters should be possible with the help of the compass integrated in modern smartphones.

With a range of up to 10 km in rural areas and 2 km in urban areas, LoRaWan (Long Range Wide Area Network) is one of the technologies with the highest range for positioning. The low-power wireless network protocol was developed for communication on the Internet of Things, the specifications are defined and freely available by the LoRa Alliance, a non-profit organization initiated by industrial companies from all industries. In addition to the long range, the ability to penetrate buildings is one of the advantages, and to a certain extent underground rooms can also be supplied.

Location- based Services are mobile services that, with the help of location-dependent data, provide the end user with relevant content on the smartphone for him / her at this moment and at that location, or provide services of a different kind. Location-based services are used in many industries, such as in retail / stationary trade, in transport, in tourism and as a component of successful digitization in Industry 4.0.

Short for Internet of Things; 1999, the British technology researcher and co-inventor of the RFID chip at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Kevin Ashton, with the term “IoT” referred to the connection of physical things with a structure of virtual representations. Sebastian Berg, a scientist at RWTH Aachen University, prefers the German synonym “Industry 4.0”. While the American “Internet of Things” is more concerned with products, the focus of Industry 4.0 is on production.

A beacon is a small transmitter that transmits signals with a range of up to 40 meters on the Bluetooth low-energy standard. Beacons send a signal at a specific time interval that can be assigned by the correct receiving device. In most cases, the device is a smartphone or tablet with the corresponding app. In the signal, an ID is transmitted with which each beacon can be identified. There is a distinction between the standards iBeacon (Apple) and Eddystone beacon (Google). Eddystone beacons can, unlike iBeacons, send an URL.

The term granularity is often simply used to describe the accuracy of positioning. A distinction is often made between presence, zone and position tracking. In the first case, the system only checks whether an asset is “there”, i.e. whether it is located in the building. In the second case, the system checks whether an asset is located within a certain zone (see Geofencing). With position tracking, the exact position of the asset is constantly tracked.