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Top Myths and the Facts

about RTLS using Wi-Fi


T
oday, Wi-Fi-based Real-Time Location
Systems *(RTLS) are the predominant
means of enabling enterprise-grade location
tracking. The benet of using an existing
wireless infrastructure (Wi-Fi) to enable
asset and people tracking is clear---the
ease-of-deployment, cost-savings from
avoiding dedicated network cabling and
high performance of todays breed of RTLS
using Wi-Fi makes these systems attractive
as compared to proprietary RTLS solutions.
Furthermore, Wi-Fi (802.11) has become
the de facto indoor network for a variety
of applications, adopted and available for
enterprise use worldwide. IT managers know
how to manage Wi-Fi, unlike technologies
such as ultrasound and ZigBee and Wi-Fi
applications enjoy a broader ecosystem and
compatibility with numerous devices, systems
and solutions.
Copyright (c) 2013 Ekahau, Inc.
All rights reserved.







The following myths are cited in order to promote an investment in proprietary (ZigBee or
ultrasound) RTLS networks.
1. Myth: Wi-Fi was not invented for location applications.
Fact: Wi-Fi-based RTLS boasts more customers than any other location technology in use today. Its proven by
thousands of customers using their existing Wi-Fi network infrastructure for clinical-grade RTLS. More than 99% of
enterprises have Wi-Fi available for use that can support RTLS with a high degree of accuracy because of the BYOD
(bring your own device) phenomenon, happening over the last ve years. And unlike cellular RF, Wi-Fi uses an unlicensed
spectrum to avoid the need for operator approvals and make indoor RTLS seamless and cost-effective. Lastly, most IT
professionals understand how to deploy and manage Wi-Fi networks in the enterprise, which makes maintenance simpler
than with proprietary systems.
2. Myth: Wi-Fi-based RTLS uses radio waves to communicate location and radio waves
are unreliable.
Fact: Use of RF requires the right tools---not all Wi-Fi-based RTLS are created equal. Ekahau is the only RTLS vendor
to offer 3D accuracy or oor accuracy with up to 10 meters accuracy for one oor up and down. Radio waves are proven
reliable for applications such as RTLS.
3. Proprietary RTLS systems provide better accuracy than RTLS using Wi-Fi.
Fact: Wi-Fi-based RTLS systems can provide the same or better location resolution at a fraction of the cost of pulling
cabling or plugging in proprietary sensors. Small, battery-powered, wire-free Ekahau infrared beacons can narrow the
location of Ekahau Wi-Fi only RTLS down to 1 meter to achieve bay, bed and even chair-level accuracy without any cabling.
RTLS based on proprietary RF, Ultra-Wideband, ZigBee, Ultrasound and similar technologies requires proprietary
infrastructure in order to yield room and sub-room level location accuracy, although most RTLS applications never need
this level of granularity. While these technologies may be good for a small site, a few rooms or subset location of a large
campus, the cost to wire hundreds of thousands or millions of square feet can be cost prohibitive and eliminate RTLS ROI.
In addition, services agreements are recommended since your IT department may not be willing to take the management
responsibility for a separate wireless infrastructure. And because these vendors differentiate their offering based solely
on accuracy, they are hardware specialists and lack a complete solution including business intelligence software for
robust workow automation, business intelligence reporting and messaging software.
You should also understand the Total Cost of Ownership for proprietary systems since this includes power and
connectivity, wiring and switching, additional training and FTEs to operate and maintain the system, ICRA compliance
costs to tent clinical areas, downtime and shut-down of sections of the hospital for installations, and spare parts costs.
How to Qualify the Location Accuracy You Really Need:
How important is it to know that Nurse John Doe is in Room 1 and not Room 2 (each room is a 20X20)?
Do you need to know if a piece of equipment is on that chair or not?
Copyright 2013 Ekahau, Inc. All rights reserved.
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4. Myth: Wi-Fi is not accurate enough for clinical usage.
Fact: RTLS using Wi-Fi is highly accurate for most healthcare and enterprise applications. A good Wi-Fi RTLS solution
provides room level location accuracy (8 feet or 3 meters) which is required by over 90% of RTLS applications used in
clinical and other settings. Shelf-level accuracy within inches can employ passive RFID solutions, which are more cost-
effective for those limited use cases.
5. Myth: Hybrid RTLS systems need to use other technologies to achieve room-level
accuracy, so theyre not complete solutions.
Fact: Ekahau is the only wire-free RTLS solution using Wi-Fi. Some Wi-Fi RTLS vendors need wired chokepoints to
enable 1m location accuracy. Ekahau uses wire-free, low-cost, battery-powered infrared beacons that are manually
adjustable and offer chair-level accuracy covering 99% of clinical applications, without wires.
6. Myth: Most Wi-Fi has to be designed for density to enable RTLS, and many
enterprises have to upgrade their WLAN.
Fact: Some RTLS systems may require add-ons, however standard enterprise Wi-Fi designs actually exceed RTLS
system requirements for achieving high performance location tracking. Most organizations support VOIP or data
applications and AP density is no longer a factor in RTLS adoption, though it may have been ve years ago. While accuracy
is many times better in close proximity to a Wi-Fi AP, AP layout (placement) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) all play a
role in RTLS effectiveness. Ekahau provides a heat map of the Wi-Fi before enabling RTLS, to ensure the highest level of
accuracy and reliable performance.
7. Myth: RTLS over Wi-Fi consumes large amounts of WLAN network resources and
bandwidth.
Fact: Even with thousands of tags operating over Wi-Fi, the packet frames sent by Ekahau tags are so small and
infrequent compared to normal Wi-Fi network trafc that they do not affect the network capacity signicantly. And
connectionless protocols developed by the Wi-Fi industry leaders make RTLS trafc nearly invisible to the network. In fact,
proprietary systems create more network load than native Wi-Fi RTLS systems. These systems are also OPEX-intensive
because IT personnel have little experience xing non-Wi-Fi networks.
8. Myth: RF infrastructure and Wi-Fi are just too complicated.
Fact: If Wi-Fi was so complicated, 99% of hospitals and enterprises would not have embraced it. More vendors, a
broader ecosystem and standardized IT training on Wi-Fi make it ideal for use in real-time location tracking.
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Copyright 2013 Ekahau, Inc. All rights reserved.







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9. Myth: Wi-Fi RTLS poses interference risks to other medical devices.
Fact: Ekahau RTLS using Wi-Fi (RFID-over-Wi-Fi) has never received an interference report in 10 years of operation.
However, all Wi-Fi-based RTLS vendors are not equal. Some Wi-Fi-based RTLS solutions rely on 125 KHz or ZigBee
technology which is known to randomly cause interference issues with medical devices.
10. Myth: Wi-Fi RTLS cant integrate with my passive RFID vendors and readers.
Fact: Ekahaus Vision RTLS software features an open API which has been integrated with passive RFID systems.
Ekahaus RTLS can display asset, patient and staff locations along with passive RFID tag locations, and barcode audits
from third-party readers.
11.Myth: Wi-Fi isnt clinical-grade.
Fact: Many hospitals use Wi-Fi applications in important clinical work. In fact, in the future, medical devices will have
embedded Wi-Fi connectivity which will enable Wi-Fi-based RTLS vendors to offer tag-less location.
12. Myth: Deploying RTLS over Wi-Fi is complicated to implement and can take a long
time.
Fact: There are different ways to deploy Wi-Fi RTLS. One of the easiest and fastest ways is to conduct a walk-through
RF (Radio Frequency - RF) site survey with a laptop to accurately model the RF characteristics of your facility and Wi-Fi
Access Points. A site survey is used to verify your Wi-Fi networks RTLS readiness for use cases.
If the site survey shows that your Wi-Fi network strength will accommodate your use cases, your RTLS system installation
can start right away. Unlike RTLS using proprietary networks, the deployment of Wi-Fi RTLS takes days, not months.
13. The battery life of tags in a Wi-Fi-based RTLS is short so they will constantly
require charging or new batteries.
Fact: All Wi-Fi-based RTLS are NOT created equal. Some RTLS over Wi-Fi vendors offer rechargeable tags and long
battery life of up to 2 years.
Ekahau Wi-Fi tags come with an option that actively tracks tags only when movement is detected, so that batteries are not
used when items are stationary, enabling up to 5 years battery life on some tags. Ekahau tags with rechargeable batteries
can be used for years without having to change batteries while also offering short re-charge timeframes of 2-4 hours.
Ekahaus Wi-Fi tags also monitor and report battery levels for all tags in the system, alerting if batteries reach low levels
and indicating the location of those tags.














Copyright 2013 Ekahau, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contact:
www.ekahau.com/contact
Global Tech Support:
www.ekahau.com/support
www.ekahau.com

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