Question 1

What is a Real Time Location System (RTLS)?

Accepted Answer

Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) automatically identify and track the location of objects or people in real time, most often indoors.

Question 2

What is RTLS software?

Accepted Answer

RTLS software calculates tag locations, displays them on a floor plan and provides the data to applications through an interface.

Question 3

What is RTLS in IoT?

Accepted Answer

RTLS is an IoT-based network of connected devices: small tags are attached to equipment or carried by people.

Question 4

What is RTLS asset tracking?

Accepted Answer

RTLS asset tracking is based on devices that track people and assets and are connected to a cloud platform.

Question 5

What are the benefits of RTLS?

Accepted Answer

RTLS makes it visible where people and equipment are. It saves time spent searching, improves safety and produces data for developing operations.

Question 6

What technologies can be used to implement RTLS?

Accepted Answer

RTLS can be implemented with UWB, Wi-Fi, infrared, Bluetooth Low Energy or RFID. UWB is the most accurate and robust of these.

Question 7

Which industries benefit most from positioning?

Accepted Answer

Care and healthcare benefit the most, where positioning improves resident and worker safety, as well as manufacturing, logistics and retail.

Question 8

What is the difference between asset management and asset tracking?

Accepted Answer

Asset tracking is a tool used to carry out asset management: it locates and monitors physical assets and reduces unnecessary equipment purchases.

Question 9

What is UWB?

Accepted Answer

UWB, or Ultra-Wideband, is a radio technology that uses very low energy and a large bandwidth for short-range communication and accurate positioning.

Question 10

How does UWB RTLS work in practice?

Accepted Answer

Anchors detect the UWB pulses sent by tags and relay them to the positioning server, which calculates locations. Distance is based on signal travel time.

Question 11

How accurate is UWB compared to other technologies?

Accepted Answer

UWB accuracy is 10-30 cm. Active RFID reaches about three metres, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth reach a few metres.

Question 12

Does the UWB signal pass through walls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. UWB signals travel through solid objects such as walls and floors.

Question 13

Does UWB interfere with Wi-Fi or other devices?

Accepted Answer

No. UWB operates outside the crowded ISM bands and does not interfere with Wi-Fi devices or other radio signals.

Question 14

Can UWB transfer data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. At reasonable distances, the data transfer capacity is about 7 Mbit/s.

Question 15

What is the range of UWB?

Accepted Answer

UWB can detect a device from under 200 metres away, but it works most effectively at 50-100 metres.

Question 16

Which radio standard does UWB rely on?

Accepted Answer

Iiwari's UWB radio technology is based on the IEEE 802.15.4a and IEEE 802.15.4z standards.

Question 17

What frequency does UWB use?

Accepted Answer

UWB radios can use frequencies from 3.1-10.6 GHz, i.e. a band more than 7 GHz wide.

Question 18

What is the UWB frequency in Europe?

Accepted Answer

In Europe, UWB devices use the 6.0-8.5 GHz band, with an average power density of at most -41.3 dBm/MHz EIRP.

Question 19

How long does a tag battery last?

Accepted Answer

Iiwari's UWB tag lasts more than two years at a typical update rate, and the battery can be replaced by the user.

Question 20

What is the difference between UWB and Bluetooth Low Energy?

Accepted Answer

UWB measures distance from signal travel time and passes through walls, while BLE estimates distance from signal strength and effectively requires line of sight.

Question 21

How does Iiwari differ from Apple AirTag and Samsung SmartTag+?

Accepted Answer

Consumer tags locate an item relative to a phone. Iiwari is a professional, installed infrastructure with agreed accuracy, latency and update rate.

Question 22

Which interfaces are used to integrate with the system?

Accepted Answer

Iiwari offers a REST API and a websocket. Other integrations have been implemented when needed.

Question 23

Is there documentation for the interface?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the API documentation is available on GitHub.

Question 24

Can I get both real-time and historical data from the interface?

Accepted Answer

Yes, both are available through the interface.

Question 25

Are there any limits on API calls?

Accepted Answer

There are no hard limits. Usage is based on a fair-use principle scaled to the size of the installation.

Question 26

Are there ready-made analytics tools for the data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Dash interface and API provide analytics on historical data, such as time spent in different zones.

Question 27

How is data accessed securely?

Accepted Answer

Data is fetched over an HTTPS connection from the REST interface. All requests are authenticated against a user account.

Question 28

How is data protected against unauthorised access?

Accepted Answer

User permissions restrict access, a firewall configuration protects the system, and all data-related actions are logged.

Question 29

How are backups and availability arranged?

Accepted Answer

Important data is backed up daily to a separate cloud service. The target is at least 99.9% uptime.

Question 30

How does the system scale?

Accepted Answer

The system is HA-clustered, and capacity can be increased horizontally within a few hours.

Question 31

How long is data retained, and can it be exported?

Accepted Answer

Data is retained indefinitely at no extra cost, and it belongs to the customer – export is possible.

Question 32

Is the system GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Iiwari complies with the GDPR, and a data processing agreement is in place.

Question 33

Where is the data located?

Accepted Answer

The current cloud cluster is located in Finland and Europe. Clusters can be set up elsewhere, or the system can be deployed on-premises, if needed.

Question 34

How is individual privacy taken into account?

Accepted Answer

Processing of location data is based on occupational safety and quality of care, not time tracking or individual monitoring. Direct care time is measured at group level.

Question 35

What if we cannot use the cloud or a SaaS model?

Accepted Answer

An on-premises installation is possible for an additional fee, and alternatively we sell a combined hardware and software package at a fixed price.

Question 36

What is the pricing model for cloud and data?

Accepted Answer

The cloud service and API are included in the hardware and monthly fees.

Question 37

Are there extra costs for data transfer or API usage?

Accepted Answer

No, as long as usage stays within fair-use limits.

Question 38

What does indoor positioning cost overall?

Accepted Answer

The price depends on the size of the space, the number of anchors and tags, and the chosen features. We provide a quote per site.

Frequently asked questions about RTLS and UWB

What does RTLS mean?

Why use positioning?

How does UWB positioning work?

Technical properties of UWB

Frequencies and tags

UWB vs. Bluetooth and consumer tags

Interfaces and integrations

Security, availability and retention

Privacy and compliance

Costs and billing

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