…Since GPS is not available inside buildings due to the lack of line-of-sight to the satellite, systems for indoor positioning and navigation inside buildings must rely on other technologies. The most commonly used positioning technologies include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. One…
…Trilateration is a method used to determine the position of sending units via distance measurement. Such a sending device can, for example, be a smartphone that is carried by a person or a Bluetooth beacon that is attached to a mobile asset. Triangulation additionally takes the angle into account.…
…The operating system Android makes it relatively easy to develop indoor navigation apps and systems. It supports multiple positioning technologies, such as Wi-Fi, beacons and VLC. Application fiels of indoor positioning using Android Client-based positioning technologies can be realized with…
…If you want to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) you need visual contact to several satellites, which is not always given. In outdoor areas it can be interrupted by trees, clouds, tunnels or skyscrapers. Indoors there is hardly a chance to receive GPS signals. Moreover, with GPS it is not…
…Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a short-range radio technology which can be used for indoor positioning. This technology is particularly in demand in manufacturing and logistics, where accuracy of 10-30 centimetres is required. This short-range radio technology uses an extremely wide frequency range with a…
…There are basically two different techniques for indoor positioning: Client-based Solution The client-based positioning is made possible by an existing infrastructure, such as Wi-Fi access points or beacons. These regularly transmit signals which are received by a mobile device. The device…
…Using Wi-Fi for client-based indoor positioning can be beneficial because in many cases existing infrastructure can be used. This could be for example Wi-Fi enabled cash register systems, routers and client hot spots. It is not even necessary that the devices are connected with the access points to…
…The Bluetooth radio standard Bluetooth is a radio technology for wireless data transmission over short distances, which was developed in the 1990s. With this technology, data can be exchanged between computers and/or smartphones, but also everyday devices such as wireless speakers, keyboards or…
…Indoor Navigation by Apple: iBeacons, Indoor Survey and Indoor Maps For indoor positioning, Apple relies on its own in-house developed iBeacon, which is based on the BLE standard. With the app Indoor Survey, business owners can use Apple’s indoor positioning in their premises. With Indoor Maps,…
…The Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a low power radio system designed for IoT devices. It is characterized by a high reception range between the transmitter and receiver of approximately 2.5 kilometers in the inner-city area. Furthermore, short, bi-directional communication thrusts are…
…Modern smartphones have multiple sensors, which can be combined to get a more precise indoor positioning result. Using vertical sensor fusion has one big advantage: combining various sensors results in a more homogenous and more reliable outcome than using just one type. Most smartphones have the…
…Beacons have boomed since 2013 - when Apple introduced its iBeacon standard. 2015 Google followed with Eddystone. Today, there are many beacon suppliers on the market. For indoor navigation purposes, beacons are placed at regular intervals in the building. They then regularly transmit signals via…
…Using an employee app, employees can book meeting rooms, arrange to meet colleagues (“buddy finder”), navigate around the building, and call up the cafeteria menu. The management of changing workplaces can also be realized via such an app. Links Indoor Positioning in Offices Exemplary Employee App …
…RFID technology makes it possible to identify and locate objects, people and animals and to read and save data contactless through electromagnetic waves. For RFID position tracking you need a transponder and a reading device. The transponder can save data. Unlike other positioning technologies,…
…In most cases, indoor positioning is based on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. In order to use indoor navigation, the user needs a mobile device (smartphone) and a corresponding app. Indoor navigation is particularly helpful for orientation in complex buildings, such as train stations,…
…Devices with the iOS operating system version 4.3 or higher do not support client-based (device-based) positioning via Wi-Fi. Apple relies exclusively on iBeacon technology for indoor positioning. This means that a client-based indoor navigation project that works exclusively with Wi-Fi would…
…In large industrial buildings it can be useful to track the position of work equipment (robots, machines, vehicles) or goods (pallets, boxes). Indoor asset tracking is the solution. The object to be tracked is equipped with a beacon and can thus transmit its position continuously. If an object…
…Augmented Reality means adding elements to the reality you see through the camera of your device. In contrast to that, Virtual Reality means that users immerse into a virtual surrounding completely, for example by using a Head Mounted Display. Augmented Reality is very suitable for location based…
…VLC (Visible Light Communication) can transfer data by means of light. The light can be emitted by an LED or a fluorescent tube and has to be received and converted by a photo detector for example a smartphone camera. The lamp “flickers” in a way that humans don’t recognize it and that way…
…Indoor navigation by Google: Indoor Maps Google itself writes about Indoor Maps: “View floor plans of commercial locations such as airports, department stores, shopping centres or railway stations in Google Maps.” Google’s system locates the user inside the building via Wi-Fi trilateration. The…
…Beacons are small transmitters that send out simple signals to devices in their vicinity. Since modern beacons are based on the Bluetooth Low Energy standard, their range is a maximum of 30 meters indoors and their energy consumption is low. Beacons consist of a tiny transmitter unit and a battery.…
…Indoor position determination is an important consideration for retail – indoor navigation helps clients find their way in large supermarkets and malls via app. But the technology is equally suitable for public buildings with shopping areas, such as airports and railway stations. Depending on the…