The Impact of Ultra-Wideband Technology in Indoor Locations

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a radio technology helping to transform the landscape of indoor positioning systems. This technology has the potential to help how we navigate, track assets, analyze retail business data and monitor behaviour within indoor spaces. If you are considering a UWB-powered real-time location system (RTLS), this blog will explore UWB technology, its business benefits and real-world use cases, helping you make an informed decision.

What Is Ultra-Wideband Technology?

UWB technology is a wireless communication method that uses a large amount of radio spectrum to share information across short distances using low energy levels. This technology enhances the accuracy of data transmission, indoor positioning and location tracking.

Below are some of the best use cases showcasing the versatility of UWB technology: 

1. Asset Tracking

UWB offers complete transparency of assets and their movements within indoor premises. Therefore, you can ensure the utmost inventory space and warehouse layout management practices, eliminating the chances of loss and theft of assets within an indoor environment.

2. Wayfinding 

UWB technology enhances indoor navigation capabilities, helping smartphone users locate themselves and other areas of the indoor environment with centimeter-level accuracy. This technology also surpasses the limitations that occur while using global positioning systems (GPS).

3. Personnel Monitoring

Personnel monitoring is becoming essential for dynamic industries – including hospitals, warehouses and corporate offices – to ensure safety and increase employees’ productivity while at the indoor location. UWB technology is helping businesses to adopt a precise workflow management solution.

4. Location Analytics

UWB-powered analytics technology makes it easy to understand foot patterns and dwell times within a facility. This approach allows you to leverage actionable insights to optimize your layout strategies and elevate the overall navigation experience.

What’s New in Ultra-Wideband Technology?

Integration with IoT devices, 5G connectivity and machine learning algorithms are modern technology integrations available. 

1. Integration with IoT Devices

UWB technology integrated with IoT technology including asset tracking tags, wearable devices, beacons and sensors and retail and medical devices enhances precision, efficiency and connectivity.

2. Machine Learning (ML) Algorithms

UWB technology integrated with ML algorithms can help indoor location business owners in multiple ways including gesture recognition, anomaly detection and localization.

3. 5G Integration

Adopting 5G’s connectivity and UWB’s precise location tracking can offer customer-centric and visitor-centric industry types, including retail and healthcare personalized indoor experience, optimize infrastructure layouts, enhance asset tracking capabilities and ensure smooth workflow management in complex indoor environments.

Some Drawbacks of Ultra-Wideband Technology For Indoor Location Tracking

1. Deployment Cost and Efforts

Hardware installation of UWB technology for your business will involve strategic placements of UWB nodes. The cost and efforts for deployment is high when compared to other indoor location global positioning systems. 

2. Communication Range 

The UWB technology is known for its precise accuracy, however, its communication range is shorter than that found in other indoor positioning systems. The range can be increased by installing additional UWB nodes, however this would add to the overall costs.

3. Power Usage

This modern technology may result in increased power consumption when transmitting signals over long distances and complex infrastructures.

Conclusion

If you are questioning whether or not a Ultra-Wideband solution is right for your business needs, budget and environment, it is worth considering Mapsted’s location-based technology solution. Cost-effective and fully scalable, Mapsted indoor positioning systems offer long-distance indoor navigation capabilities in complex infrastructures like retail shopping malls, higher education facilities, transportation hubs and more.

In addition, Mapsted’s location-based analytics technology when integrated into your location positioning practices will increase the efficiency of traffic flow analysis, asset tracking, pattern visualization, real-time analytics, predictive analytics and other strategic customer insights for your businesses’ indoor locations. 

If you found this technology blog engaging, get more insights on other strategic technology trends transforming the way businesses operate in the 2024. In addition, don’t miss out on our enlightening video to unlock the potential of Mapsted’s location-based technology – your next step in exploring our cutting-edge solutions that redefine business efficiencies, customer experience and loyalty.