Three Main Indoor Positioning Technologies: Bluetooth AoA, RSSI Beacon, and UWB.
Bluetooth AoA provides sub-meter accuracy through angle detection, ideal for cost-sensitive precision tracking.
RSSI Beacons rely on signal strength estimation, offering simpler deployment for basic proximity tracking (5m accuracy) in retail and hospitality, though susceptible to environmental interference.
UWB provides the highest accuracy (<10cm) via GHz-level pulse transmission, but requires dedicated infrastructure at higher cost, typically deployed in industrial settings like factories and power plants.
AoA balances accuracy and affordability, Beacons serve low-cost proximity-based use cases, and UWB excels in mission-critical applications. Both Bluetooth solutions (AoA and Beacons) offer better battery life and lower deployment complexity than UWB, which needs its own dedicated infrastructure.
Technology
Bluetooth AoA
Bluetooth RSSI
UWB
Protocol
Anchor: BT5.1
Tag: BT4.0+
Anchor: BT4.0+
Tag: BT4.0+
Anchor: UWB
Tag: UWB
Typical Accuracy
0.3–0.5m
5–10m
0.1–0.3 m
Refresh Rate
High
Low
Medium
Compatibility
Various BLE AoA tags such as mobile phones, bracelets, watches, beacon, etc.
Additional special tags for return channels such as LoRa are required
UWB Tag
Tag Power Consumption
Low
High
High
Anchor Cost
General
Low
High
Tag Cost
Low
High
High
IoT Anchor Capability
Yes
No
No