Real-Time Location System: RTLS is an advanced, new generation RFID upgraded to produce instant location information.

Items tagged with normal RFID are read when a reader is brought near a tag or a tagged item is passed near a reader.  RTLS allows a locator unit to "see" the actual location of a tagged item, without the tagged item being near the reader.  Using special locators placed around a property, tags are located using proprietary algorithms.  Tagged items may be as small as a tool or as large as a trailer truck.

RTLS locators are usually deployed as a matrix of locators that are installed at a spacing of anywhere from 50 to 1000 feet.  The system continually updates its database with current tag locations as frequently as every several seconds, or as infrequently as every few hours for items that seldom move.  Most RTLS tag transmissions come from a combination of timed intervals, tag movement, low battery warning, and response to inquiries from the location system.  The frequency of tag location updates may have implications for the number of tags that can be deployed and the battery life of the tag.  A typical application system can track thousands of tags simultaneously and the average tag battery life can be three to five years.

AirGATE Technologies has developed a system called AirTRAC to provide RTLS for assets in hospital environment.

A1000

§ The A1000 node is an ultra-low power module that provides a simple and reliable way to add wireless communication to sensors, asset tags, actuators, and controllers.  A1000 Nodes are optimized to run AirMesh™ software and are packaged as a complete wireless subsystem including: antenna connector.

§ The module is battery-powered and can last years between re-charges or replacement.

§  AirMesh Manager

§ The AirMesh Manager provides Ethernet (10/100 Base-T) connectivity to the A1000 family of nodes for communication and in-system programming.  AirMesh Manager allows remote access to sensor network data via TCP/IP.  The AirMesh Manager is a line powered network node that provides management and quality of service (QoS) functions for a network of nodes. The Manager coordinates routing, aggregates mode packets, collects statistics, and publishes data to a wired network in XML format via an Ethernet port.  The Manager also provides a well-defined XML application interface, which allows programmatic control of an AirMesh Network from any connected application.

Software

§ AirMesh: is self-organizing, self-healing wireless embedded networking platform.  AirGATE’s networking algorithms deliver connectivity with industrial-strength reliability, security, and unprecedented ease of use.   It adds interoperability with the ZigBee specification for wireless monitoring and control applications, including mesh, star, and cluster tree topologies.

§ AirMesh Console:  AirMesh Console is a network management application that leverages the functions provided by the AirMesh Manager API.  The Console enables a single administrator to effectively configure, manage, and monitor multiple AirMesh networks. Console may be connected to a Manager without interfering with other connected applications.

§ AirView™:  Client software for monitoring, visualization, and reporting in an AirMesh network.