By: Dorothy Stanley, Fellow and Head, Wireless Standards Technique, Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.Wi-Fi systems are so
ubiquitous inside that location-based services are a natural extension. Retail analytics, indoor navigation, and high-value possession tracking(such as medical gadgets in health care)are a simply a few of the usage cases that organizations are deploying utilizing Wi-Fi location-based services to enhance business outcomes. In this post, I’ll explore the development of Wi-Fi location-based services and provide you a preview of where the standards are taking us and how your company can make the most of them.The backstory on Wi-Fi location-based services Historically, Wi-Fi location-based services estimated place based on the receive signal strength indicator(RSSI)from the access point or router to the client gadget. RSSI delivered 10-15 meters accuracy inside, which was a terrific start however limited its use given that signal strength can deteriorate due to ecological conditions. For instance, an RSSI-based security application for hotel employees can not identify room-level precision; a wayfinding application has difficulty assisting visitors through a large public location. Aruba Today’s releases: 802.11 mc aka FTM Fortunately, brand-new strategies have increased area precision indoors and unlocked brand-new chances. The second generation of Wi-Fi location-based services, 802.11 mc also referred to as fine timing measurement(FTM ), is based on round trip time and is much more accurate– as much as
1-2 meters. In fact, the vast bulk of placing and area use cases can be supported using FTM without the requirement to release overlay technologies.Building upon the 802.11 mc requirement, Aruba has purchased auto-locating APs that interact with customer gadgets and improve their position utilizing FTM to assist our customers understand the value of Wi-Fi location-based services at scale. In addition, our AP hardware has been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance under the Wi-Fi Area ® program to guarantee adherence to requirements and interoperability . In addition to Aruba, 802.11 mc standards have actually been embraced by device suppliers such as Google and Zebra developing an FTM-enabled ecosystem.Fine-grained Wi-Fi location-based services on the horizon The third-generation standard for Wi-Fi place referred to as 802.11 az was ratified in December 2022 and can be interoperability certified in the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi Location program; nevertheless, gadgets are just beginning to appear in the market. 802.11 az systems offer sub-1 meter precision, which will enable ingenious new usage cases such as micro-targeting for retail and storage facility asset tracking. It supplies gains in spectral performance to efficiently support bigger numbers of devices by consolidating frame transmissions using mechanisms defined in the 802.11ax-2021 requirement. It will also support Wi-Fi location-based services in 6 GHz spectrum, which is vital provided the rapid adoption of Wi-Fi 6E. Work has already begun on the fourth-generation requirement, 802.11 bk to drive even greater levels of precision. On belay!Explore further: Copyright © 2023 IDG Communications, Inc. Source
