WiFi Positioning Systems for Indoor Asset Tracking

Wi-Fi Positioning Systems for Indoor Tracking

Accurately tracking assets indoors is a recurring pain point in the telematics industry. Traditional GPS/GLONASS signals struggle to penetrate indoor environments, and when a device doesn’t have a direct line to these signals, it fails to determine accurate location data.

So how do you manage assets inside buildings, warehouses, or those that frequently move between indoor and outdoor areas?

Wi-Fi-based solutions offer a powerful answer - using Wi-Fi positioning systems to locate devices based on nearby wireless access points. These systems rely on analyzing Wi-Fi signals and signal strength from nearby APs to provide accurate location information without needing a physical connection to the networks.

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Wi-Fi Positioning Systems (WPS)

Two of our devices (The Yabby Wi-Fi and The Oyster Edge) feature Wi-Fi Sniffing modules to track assets inside warehouses, factories, garages, basements, and other buildings where even the best GPS just doesn't work.

So how does Wi-Fi positioning work?

The Wi-Fi positioning module on these devices scans for nearby Wi-Fi access points.
The device doesn’t connect to these networks. Instead, it detects available Wi-Fi enabled devices and Wi-Fi APs, recording the signal strength of each.
The device may also send the Cell ID of the tower it's connected to, which assists in the positioning algorithm.
Using Wi-Fi triangulation and known Wi-Fi positioning methods, the device estimates its location with surprising accuracy - even indoors.

How does Wi-Fi positioning work? It leverages the MAC addresses and signal strengths of surrounding Wi-Fi networks to locate devices, allowing for reliable indoor localization where GPS is ineffective.

This method is ideal for organizations with existing WFi infrastructure, offering a cost-effective alternative to other positioning technologies like UWB or RFID.

Wi-Fi vs GPS

Feature	GPS	Wi-Fi Positioning
Best Use Environment	Outdoors	Indoors
Accuracy Indoors	Poor – struggles inside buildings	Reliable – provides location inside buildings
Power Consumption	Higher – cold starts can take 30+ seconds	Lower – scans complete in seconds
Performance in Remote Areas	Strong – works well with clear sky view	Limited – requires nearby Wi-Fi access points

Indoor Positioning: What about Accuracy?

The accuracy of Wi-Fi indoor positioning is impressive, especially in urban and commercial areas with high Wi-Fi AP density. Expect location accuracy between 10m and 40m in most environments. This level of detail supports reliable indoor navigation, asset tracking, and determining location across large facilities.

Featured Devices with Wi-Fi Positioning

The Yabby

The Yabby Edge is a compact, battery-powered tracker available with either GPS/GLONASS (Yabby3) or Wi-Fi positioning (Yabby Edge Cellular). Ideal for indoor tracking, its small form factor makes it easy to conceal on high-value indoor assets.

The Oyster Edge

The Oyster Edge uses GNSS, Wi-Fi access point scanning, and Cell Tower data for reliable indoor and outdoor tracking, switching to Wi-Fi when GPS signals drop. This rugged, battery-powered LTE M, NB IoT device includes a Bluetooth 5.2 Gateway to track assets and monitor wireless sensor data. With 10+ years of battery life and cloud-based location solving, it’s ideal for long-term deployments and condition monitoring.

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Selecting the Right Access Points

The effectiveness of Wi-Fi positioning is directly tied to the quality and density of wireless access points in the environment. To maximize accuracy and reliability in a Wi-Fi based indoor tracking setup, consider the placement and signal coverage of your existing infrastructure.

Devices rely on scanning surrounding Wi-Fi devices and APs to deliver precise location data. Ideally, your indoor space should have multiple detectable Wi-Fi APs with distinct MAC addresses and minimal overlap to ensure better triangulation.

By leveraging a real-time location system that incorporates Wi-Fi positioning systems, businesses can enhance visibility into asset movements and streamline indoor navigation efforts using the same infrastructure already deployed for connectivity.

When to Use Wi-Fi Indoor Positioning Systems?

When indoors, traditional GPS devices will struggle to get a fix, which uses a substantial amount of power. This becomes a serious problem if the GPS is also battery-powered. Devices with Wi-Fi sniffing modules will use less power when tracking assets indoors or tracking assets that frequently travel between indoors and out, such as:

Delivery Vehicles
Trailers
Refrigerated Trucks
Stock / Inventory on Palettes
Parcels
Beer Kegs
Bikes
And much more!

Devices that support Wi-Fi positioning systems are well-suited for use in complex supply chain environments, retail, healthcare, and smart building applications.

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When Not to Use Wi-Fi Positioning?

Wi-Fi positioning isn’t necessary if your asset consistently has a strong GPS signal. It’s also less effective in rural or remote areas with limited Wi-Fi access points, which can lead to data usage spikes if devices constantly fail to locate nearby networks. In such cases, GPS remains the preferred method for location services.

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