Beyond X and Y: turning location events into operational signal →
The five layers between a raw position event and a business decision. Where most RTLS programmes stop, and where the ROI actually lives.
Insights
Insights: UWB vs BLE, RFID, GNSS-RTK and location intelligence.
Field notes from programmes in flight: BLE vs UWB, GNSS-RTK, RFID trade-offs, supplier fit and what actually shows up in the numbers.
How to read these notes
Field notes beat brochure physics. Use them to brief procurement.
Start with the failure mode
Read the explainer that matches your bottleneck (accuracy, multipath, LoRaWAN) before you RFP.
Cross-check suppliers
Pair an insight with a comparison or supplier page. Independence is the point.
Bring your baseline
Numbers here are methods and ranges. Your site still needs measurement.
Published
Long-form articles, ready to read.
Three deep-dives on the questions clients ask us most.
Passive, semi-passive, or active RFID? A practical decision guide →
Three tag categories, three very different cost profiles. A breakdown of pros, cons, range, and what each one is actually good for in production.
UWB vs BLE for RTLS: when sub-metre accuracy actually matters →
UWB is usually the most precise of these options. The accuracy you get depends on your site, and we confirm it in the survey. It comes at significant infrastructure cost. BLE gets 1-3 m at a fraction of the price. The trade-offs that drive the choice.
Independent comparisons
Supplier head-to-heads, with no supplier in the room.
Short-listing specific products? We don't sell hardware, so our advice stays independent. We can say plainly where each one wins. See all comparisons →
Sewio vs Ubisense: independent UWB comparison →
Mid-market, developer-friendly UWB versus heavyweight, process-critical UWB built for automotive-scale assembly. Which fits your operation.
Impinj vs Zebra: independent Passive RFID comparison →
A silicon-and-reader platform versus a broad enterprise device company, and why the right answer often uses both.
Quuppa vs Aruba: independent BLE location comparison →
Dedicated BLE Angle-of-Arrival precision versus zone-level location that rides the Wi-Fi network you already own.
Guides & how-tos
Practical guides for buyers and project teams.
Straight-talking answers to the questions we get asked before, during, and after an RTLS or RFID project: independent, with no sales agenda.
What an independent RTLS consultant actually does →
Where independent advice changes the outcome, from requirements and tech selection to pilot design and rollout governance.
Working with an independent RFID consultant →
How Passive RFID/UHF RFID projects succeed: tag and reader selection, RF site survey, read-rate testing, and the pitfalls that sink rollouts.
UWB vs BLE for RTLS: accuracy, cost & when to use each →
Sub-metre UWB versus low-cost BLE zones. A clear decision framework based on the accuracy your use case truly needs.
Passive RFID vs RTLS: what's the difference? →
Read-points versus continuous location. When item-level RFID is enough, and when you genuinely need real-time tracking.
How much does an RTLS system cost? (2026 guide) →
Tags, anchors, software, install and run costs broken down, plus the hidden line items that wreck budgets.
RTLS supplier selection checklist →
The questions to put to every supplier (on accuracy, scale, integration, support and lock-in) before you sign anything.
RTLS for manufacturing: use cases, ROI and choosing a system →
WIP tracking, tool location, line-side replenishment and safety: the use cases that pay back, and how to pick the tech.
RTLS for hospitals: equipment, patient flow & safety →
The four hospital use cases that consistently deliver ROI, and the two that look great in slides but fall apart in operations.
RTLS & RFID for logistics: dock, yard & inventory →
Where location and item-level RFID cut dwell time, shrinkage and manual scanning across the warehouse and yard.
Recovering a failed RTLS pilot: what to check →
Pilots run in a controlled corner; rollouts don't. The root causes of stalled programmes and a practical recovery plan.
Working on a specific RTLS or RFID problem? Book a free scoping call
TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINERS & BY ROLE
Explainers and decision frameworks.
Channel Sounding explained
Bluetooth 6.0 ranging: real accuracy, and the tag-density limit
Digital Product Passport
What ESPR actually requires, and when
Ambient IoT vs RAIN RFID
Three meanings of one term, and the real comparison
UWB explained
How Ultra-Wideband RTLS works, and where it fits
RFID explained
Mobile, Fixed and RTLS-grade RFID (ATR7000, RF Controls)
BLE explained
Proximity beacons vs Angle-of-Arrival RTLS
LoRaWAN explained
Long-range LPWAN: when it fits
GPS / GNSS explained
Satellite positioning: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou
GNSS-RTK explained
Centimetre satellite positioning
Wi-Fi RTLS explained
RSSI, AoA, RTT: where it wins
Visual SLAM explained
Camera-based localisation and mapping
For the CFO
Evaluating RTLS/RFID/IoT capex
For the COO
Operationalising RTLS for KPI movement
For the IT/OT leader
Enterprise architecture and OT security
For the plant director
Deploying RTLS on a live line
Multipath: why RTLS misbehaves indoors
How reflections distort UWB and BLE, and designing around them.
RTLS accuracy: what the numbers mean
CEP50 vs CEP95, supplier marketing vs production reality.
Last updated: 5 October 2026