-
Ultra-wide band (UWB) operates in the international and free-of-use band (ranging from 3–7 GHz and, soon, up to 8 GHz), proven to be interference-free—even at fully packed locations and with a high density of tags. Typical range of the radio is up to 200 meters with directional-horn antennas.
-
UWB is the best technology to position. It is highly accurate, predictable and uses low power. There are other solutions for indoor positioning—using Bluetooth beacons or Wi-Fi access points, for example—but frankly, these don’t work as well as UWB for accurate location and reliability. These solutions are based on signal strength, and there are simply too many factors that can vary signal strength by 50% or more (for example, the orientation of a smartphone). By contrast, UWB positioning is based on time-of-flight measurement of an extremely narrow pulse, like radar, so it can achieve high accuracy and is not sensitive to variations in signal strength.
-
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4z Enhanced Impulse Radio (EiR) Task Group is defining a series of PHY enhancements to improve the capabilities of UWB devices using the LRP and HRP PHY clauses. MAC changes to support the PHY changes are also being made. Specifically, this amendment enhances the HRP and LRP UWB PHYs and associated ranging techniques. Areas of enhancement include additional coding, improvements to existing modulations to increase the integrity and accuracy of the ranging measurements, and additional information element definitions.