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Are there a broad set of use cases in a single platform or does expanding require additional costs and modules? 10. How responsive is the company to customer requests? 9. What kind of location accuracy does the platform provide? 8. Does the vendor offer a comprehensive training program for all levels of staff? 7. Is the RTLS solution a proven platform in your industry? 6. Did the company acquire different technologies to create its solution or was it purpose-built from the ground up? 5. Does the technology integrate with your other systems to improve ease of use and organization compatibility? 4. What type of RFID technology is used and what are the pros & cons of the technology in relation to your needs? 3. Does the vendor offer a variety of tags to suit your different needs? 2. Here are 10 factors to consider when choosing an RTLS vendor: 1. The benefit of GPS positioning is that it does not require the deployment of specific infrastructure.Ī range of RTLS vendors offering RFID technology exists in the marketplace and it can be difficult to discern the differences between them. Active RFID devices are typically smaller, lighter, have longer battery life and are less expensive than devices used for GPS positioning.
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The person or object being located carries or wears an active RFID tag to allow the system to locate them within 10m (32ft). Active RFID based RTLS utilizes a custom deployed array of devices to allow the location of people and equipment within a local area or inside buildings. GPS is used by most smartphone devices for position location and there are many handheld and mobile devices that provide location information using GPS. inside buildings) the satellites may not be visible and cause the system to fail. The system is available throughout the world and can provide an accuracy of better than 100 m (328 ft) in most places. Global positioning systems (GPS) uses signals received from earth orbiting satellites to determine the 3-dimensional location of objects. Active RFID tags operate using a high radio wave frequency and this provides for a greater operating range so that the tags can be detected over longer distances. In this way, Active RFID tags serve as “beacons” to track the real-time location of assets. Active RFID systems are battery powered to continuously broadcast their location. Unlike barcode tracking, RFID tag data can be read outside the line-of-sight and without physical contact between the tag and reader. RFID is a form of wireless communication that uses radio waves to uniquely identify and track objects using a tag and a reader. Other solutions utilize Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular technologies.
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And active RFID is one method that can be used for RTLS. The system provides a 2-dimensional X-Y location for objects. RTLS is a technology used to locate objects within an area. A real-time location system (RTLS), is a system used to provide automatic management and tracking of people or objects within healthcare, commercial, and industrial environments. This is used for similar purposes as bar-codes. Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology used to identify objects when in close proximity to a reader.
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