Zebra Technologies RTLS 101 What It Is and Why You Need It

In business, knowledge is power, and with it comes efficiency, productivity, safety, and profits. Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) provide this knowledge by delivering precise visibility of critical assets—supply chain, manufacturing, and human, in real-time.

For transportation and logistics enterprises, this knowledge means having end-to-end visibility and traceability of all containers, pallets, and packages.

For manufacturers, it enables intelligent management and flow of all critical assets, whether in the facility or at a sprawling storage yard. In security and safety operations, it means controlling employee access, and ensuring they do not linger in hazardous areas beyond safety requirements.

What is RTLS?
RTLS encompasses several automated identification (auto-ID) technologies that use wireless signals to determine the precise location of tagged assets or personnel.

RTLS systems include “active” transponder tags that transmit a long-range signal (up to thousands of meters with ISO/IEC 24730-2) at regular intervals, location sensors that receive and process tag signals, and a location appliance that collects and correlates the data.

In contrast, “passive” radio frequency identification (RFID) systems have a very short range (up to twenty meters), and only read the tags when a reader is near.

Passive tagging only presents visibility for a small segment of time when the asset passes within range of a reader. As a result, tracking systems may miss a critical time window to capture location information essential for applications with a constantly changing state.

Passive technologies like RFID and bar codes are optimal solutions for a wide range of structured traceability applications where range and short time windows are not critical.