By Claus Hetting, WiFi NOW CEO & Chairman
Ultra-wide band (UWB) is the hot new technology for location and asset tracking (and more) but UWB overlaid on Wi-Fi enterprise networks may not always deliver the right UWB coverage – unless of course you use smart antennas. Smart antenna experts Adant have developed just the right product to improve coverage and drive down UWB deployment costs, the company says.
Ultra-wideband (UWB) promises centimetre-level location accuracy when integrated into enterprise Wi-Fi APs – but UWB coverage requirements don’t always align well with enterprise Wi-Fi planning. In other words: To get the UWB coverage you want you, may need more UWB ‘anchors’ (UWB access points) in addition to the UWB radios integrated into the APs. Unless of course you use smart antennas to make sure you have 360 degree coverage from the AP, Adant says.
“Adant UWB smart antenna systems deliver switchable radiation modes – enabling seamless 360 degree coverage – perfect for both ceiling-mounted or tabletop APs. By integrating smart antennas into APs you ensure excellent UWB coverage. In contrast, standard setups without smart antennas typically offer only 120 degree coverage. Our smart antenna UWB technology reduces the number of anchors or APs by up to one third, lowering deployment complexity and cost,” says Daniele Piazza, CEO & founder of Adant.
Adant’s solution includes the smart antenna hardware and a local driver to accurately resolve angle of arrival as well as ranging over the full 360 degree azimuth angle, the company says. The location engine then accurately computes the location of the UWB tags (for asset tracking) or UWB-capable smartphones. The location engine is an optional software component available for both Cloud and on-premise deployments. Adant points out that the modular approach allows customers to tailor the solution to their specific needs whether deploying basic infrastructure or a fully integrated positioning system.
“Our solution can be seamlessly integrated into Wi-Fi APs as part of a unified UWB hardware platform or used in stand-alone UWB anchors. It’s also well suited for IoT gateways, UWB based access control systems, logistics, warehousing, and more. Right now we’re particularly excited about bringing UWB into mainstream enterprise Wi-Fi – enabling new levels of precision and coverage in location-based services,” says Daniele Piazza. Major enterprise Wi-Fi solution providers – such as Cisco and Juniper/Mist – have already incorporated UWB technology into their APs and Cloud-based services.
Adant UWB smart antennas and software are currently available as pre-integrated components for NXP and Qorvo UWB SoCs and associated modules. For more information also see the demonstration video below demonstrating a typical use case for tracking a smartphone and UWB tag. For more insights and discussions we will shortly be conducting a series of UWB webinars – more information to follow.
About Wi-Fi & UWB: At WiFi NOW we’re excited about ultra-wideband technology because it is an excellent complement to enterprise Wi-Fi networks for very high accuracy location as well as a host of other applications. UWB is clearly not Wi-Fi – it is an entirely different standard – but one of its most important applications is to be integrated into enterprise Wi-Fi access points to deliver location, sensing, and much more. For all the details: Join us this June for a series of webinars on UWB with leading experts including this industry update webinar on June 17.
/Claus.
