RTLS Asset Tracking 101

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What is a Real Time Location System (RTLS)?

Knowing the exact location of your assets in real-time cannot be overstated. That’s what makes RTLS so valuable.

A Real-Time Location System (RTLS) is an advanced asset tracking solution that uses RTLS technology to automatically identify and monitor the location of assets, equipment, or people within a defined area.

By collecting and analyzing real-time location data, businesses gain complete visibility into the movement and status of critical resources. This enables faster decision-making, reduces search times, and enhances operational efficiency across industries from manufacturing to healthcare, right through to logistics.

How does RTLS Work?

The real time location system represents a shift in asset management. By providing instant location data, RTLS can drastically reduce search times, prevent asset misplacement, and enhance security.

Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) work by using asset tracking technology—such as RFID, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Ultra-Wideband (UWB)—to determine location of tagged assets or individuals within a defined space. These tags communicate with fixed readers or sensors positioned throughout the facility, allowing the system to calculate precise locations based on signal strength, timing, or triangulation methods. The location data is then processed and displayed on a digital platform, giving users real-time visibility into the movement and status of assets.

This enables organizations to streamline operations, enhance security, and make data-driven decisions using reliable, real-time insights.

As an award-winning GPS manufacturer, Digital Matter takes pride in integrating RTLS seamlessly, ensuring our clients experience the power of real-time tracking.

The main parts of an RSTL system

An RSTL is made up of several parts that work together to deliver accurate and efficient asset tracking. At the core are active RFID tags, which are battery-powered devices attached to assets that continuously transmit signals. These signals are picked up by fixed readers installed throughout the environment. Using radio frequency identification technology, the system calculates the asset’s location based on signal strength, time of arrival, or other methods.

The location data collected is then sent to a central software platform where it can be analyzed and displayed in real-time, providing actionable insights for improved tracking, safety, and operational efficiency.

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Benefits of our RTLS Solutions

The power of a real time locating system goes beyond mere asset tracking. It is the foundation that businesses can build data-driven strategies, understand asset utilization patterns, and optimizing workflow processes.

Our RTLS solutions are designed to keep the diverse needs of industries in mind. From LoRaWAN asset tracking for wide-area applications to specialized solutions like agriculture sensors, our range caters to a multitude of operational requirements. Our solutions are scalable, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Other key benefits include:

Reduces search times for assets.
Prevents misplacement or loss of equipment.
Enhances operational efficiency and security.
Provides real-time data for decision-making

RTLS System Applications

Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) are used across a wide range of industries to enhance visibility, safety, and efficiency. Here are a few key examples:

Healthcare

RTLS is used to track medical equipment, monitor staff and patient locations, and ensure efficient workflow in healthcare facilities like hospitals. It helps reduce wait times, improve patient care, and locate life-saving devices quickly.

Explore Medical Equipment Tracking

Manufacturing

RTLS enables real-time tracking of tools, parts, and vehicles on the production floor, helping streamline operations, reduce downtime, and improve inventory management.

Learn About GPS Tool Tracking Devices

Logistics & Warehousing

In supply chain environments, RTLS provides precise location data for pallets, forklifts, and shipments, improving inventory accuracy and reducing delays.

Explore Supply Chain Tracking Systems

Retail

RTLS helps retailers monitor customer movement, optimize store layouts, and track high-value inventory to improve loss prevention and customer experience.

See Shopping Cart & Trolley Tracking Systems

Aviation & Airports

RTLS tracks baggage, ground support equipment, and personnel, ensuring smooth and timely operations on the tarmac and in terminals.

Learn about IoT in Aviation

Mining & Oil & Gas

In hazardous environments, RTLS improves worker safety by tracking personnel in real-time and providing rapid response capabilities in case of emergencies.

See Mining & Oil GPS Solutions

RTLS Asset Tracking Use Cases

Building Smarter Indoor and Outdoor RTLS Solutions with the Oyster Edge

Working with clients across healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics, GeoTracker Co-Founder Ravi Tolani realized that many existing RTLS solutions were inaccessible. “If you look at the market today, there are too many technology options, RTLS can take a long to set up, and it can get costly”, he says.

Additionally, many existing RTLS solutions are designed for indoor location tracking only; if a tagged asset leaves the building or indoor vicinity, it can no longer be tracked.

“Transiting from indoor to outdoor has also been a big challenge in the industry,” says Tolani. “If you’re tracking your pallets in a factory or wheelchairs in a hospital and they transition outdoors or across locations, you’re going to lose sight of that asset.”

Working with the team at Digital Matter, we built GeoTracker a Smarter RTLS Solution with the Oyster Edge. Utilizing the Oyster Edge, a Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT battery-powered Indoor/Outdoor asset tracking device and Bluetooth Low Energy Gateway, GeoTracker is simplifying and supplementing existing real-time location systems by offering a full Indoor-to-Outdoor asset tracking and management solution.

Learn more about how GeoTracker is simplifying and supplementing real-time location systems with the Oyster Edge Indoor and Outdoor battery-powered asset tracking device, Bluetooth® Low Energy, and custom mapping solutions.

Read the full case study