RTLS and UWB Indoor Positioning in Ireland

Real-time location systems for Irish businesses and sports facilities

GBA Solutions plans and installs real-time location systems (RTLS) using UWB indoor positioning for sports facilities, factories, construction sites and other indoor spaces in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We look after the whole thing: the anchor layout, configuring and connecting the hardware, and the software that turns location data into answers.

We're a technology company in County Kildare, and most of what we do is software. RTLS is where software meets hardware, and that's why we take it on. A location system is only as good as what you do with the data, so we start with the question you want answered, not with the kit.

What an RTLS is made of

Tags worn by people or attached to equipment, tools or vehicles.
Anchors fixed to walls, columns or ceilings, which stay put once installed and form the reference points for every position.
UWB positioning, which measures how signals travel between tags and anchors to work out precise locations indoors.
A network that brings the anchors back to a switch and on to the server.
Software that calculates locations and then interprets them over time: how long something stays in an area, how often it moves and what it's close to.
Dashboards, alerts and reports that put that information in front of the people who need it.

For a fuller explanation, read our guide What is RTLS and where does it actually make sense?

A real installation: UWB tracking in an indoor sports facility

Our most recent RTLS project is in an indoor sports facility, where athletes will wear tags and the system will track where they are in the hall in real time. The project is in its final stages. Here's what we did and how we did it.

The space

The hall is 60 metres long and 20 metres wide, with different training areas around the floor. It's a big, open space with a high roof, which suits UWB well, but athletes move quickly and the system has to keep up with them anywhere in the room.

Planning the anchor layout

Before any hardware was ordered, we drew the room to scale and worked out where each anchor should go. The plan has nine anchors spread around the walls, numbered one to nine clockwise, with their exact distances along each wall marked. Spreading them evenly matters: each tag needs a clear line to several anchors at once, wherever it is in the hall. Almost all of the anchors are mounted at 6 metres, high enough to see over people and equipment.

Choosing the hardware

We chose UWB anchors that use Power over Ethernet, so each one gets its power and its data through a single network cable. That kept the electrical work simple: one cable from each anchor position back to a switch in the comms room, and no separate power points at height.

Setting up every anchor on the bench first

This is the step that saves the most trouble later. Every anchor leaves the factory with the same default network address. With Power over Ethernet, all nine would switch on at the same moment once installed, all claim the same address and clash with each other, and you can't unplug them one at a time from the top of a ladder.

So we set each anchor up on the bench before installation. One at a time, each was powered up, given its own fixed network address and labelled with that address and the position it was going to. We kept a record of each anchor's hardware address too, so if one ever stops answering we know exactly which physical unit it is.

Installation with the electricians

Because every anchor was labelled with its position, the electricians could mount each one in the right place at 6 metres and cable it straight back to the comms room. All nine are now installed and connected.

Connecting to the building's network

Once the anchors were up, they had to fit into the facility's own network, which uses its own addressing. Because each anchor is reachable individually, it can be moved to its final address from a laptop in the comms room, without anyone going back up a ladder. From there, the remaining settings are configured remotely and the tags and software are brought online.

What we learned

Plan the anchor positions on a scaled drawing before buying anything.
Configure network addresses on the bench, never at height.
Label every anchor with its address and position before it goes to the electricians.
Keep a simple map of which physical anchor is where, for troubleshooting later.
Agree early how the anchors will fit into the site's own network, so they don't need re-addressing.

Where RTLS and UWB make sense

RTLS earns its place where movement and timing matter and manual tracking isn't reliable.

Sport and performance

Tracking athletes in a training hall, so coaches can see how the space is used and how athletes move during sessions.

Manufacturing

Finding where work regularly stalls between production stages, and how long equipment sits idle between uses.

Construction and site safety

Checking whether exclusion zones are respected in practice and spotting congestion on busy sites. Outdoors, GPS can work alongside UWB.

Warehousing and equipment

Knowing where trolleys, tools and equipment actually are, and how much they're really used.

Healthcare

Understanding patient and staff flow, and where shared equipment ends up during the day.

Use of space

Seeing how a building is really used across a day or a shift, rather than how everyone assumes it's used.

When RTLS isn't the right answer

We'll tell you if it isn't. RTLS is usually a poor fit where a rough location is good enough, where the area is very large and uncontrolled, where anchors can't be installed, or where the data wouldn't change any decisions. Sometimes the real issue is a process or behaviour that software alone won't fix, and we'd rather say so than sell you hardware.

How an RTLS project runs

Every project follows the same steps as the installation above.

1

Start with the question

We work out what you need to know, and whether location data is the right way to find it out.

2

Survey and plan

We measure the space and plan the anchor positions and heights on a scaled drawing.

3

Hardware and bench setup

We source the anchors and tags and configure every anchor on the bench before installation.

4

Installation

Your electricians mount and cable the anchors to our plan, and we connect them to your network.

5

Software and data

We bring the tags and software online and build the reports, alerts or dashboards that answer your question.

6

Support

We look after the system once it's running, and since every anchor is reachable remotely, most changes don't need a site visit.

Frequently asked questions

What is an RTLS?

RTLS stands for real-time location system. It works out where people or equipment are inside a building or site, as it happens, and turns that into information you can use, such as how long something spends in an area or how people move around a space. It's made up of tags, fixed anchors and software.

What is UWB indoor positioning?

UWB, or ultra-wideband, is a radio technology that measures how signals travel between a small tag and anchors fixed around a room. Because it measures distance very precisely, it can tell which zone or work area a tag is in, which GPS can't do indoors.

What's the difference between RTLS and GPS?

RTLS is the whole system: tags, anchors, positioning and the software that makes sense of the data. GPS is one way of finding a location and works well outdoors, but not inside buildings. Indoors, RTLS usually uses UWB, and a good system can combine UWB indoors with GPS outdoors.

How many UWB anchors do I need?

It depends on the size and shape of the space and on what's in the way. As an example, the indoor sports facility we fitted out is 60 by 20 metres and uses nine anchors placed around the walls. We plan anchor positions on a scaled drawing before anything is installed.

How high do UWB anchors need to be mounted?

High enough to see over people and equipment. In the sports facility we worked on, the anchors are mounted at 6 metres. The right height depends on the ceiling, the walls and what the space is used for.

Do UWB anchors need their own power supply?

Not if they support Power over Ethernet. The anchors we've installed take both power and data over a single network cable back to a switch in the comms room, so electricians only need to run one cable to each position.

Can RTLS track athletes in a sports hall?

Yes. That's exactly what our current installation is built to do: athletes wear tags and the system tracks where they are in the hall in real time. Sport and performance analysis is one of the places UWB works best, because the space is indoors and precise positions matter.

Where does RTLS make sense, and where doesn't it?

It makes sense where movement and timing matter and manual tracking isn't reliable, such as factories, construction sites, sports facilities, warehouses and healthcare settings. It's usually a poor fit where rough location is enough, the area is huge and uncontrolled, anchors can't be installed, or the data wouldn't change any decisions.

Do you supply the hardware or just the software?

We handle the whole system: planning the anchor layout, sourcing and configuring the anchors, working with your electricians on installation, connecting everything to your network, and building or setting up the software that turns the location data into something useful.

Can RTLS data connect to our other systems?

Yes, and that's where most of the value is. Location data can feed reports, alerts and the business systems you already use. We build software around Google Cloud and Firebase, so we can connect RTLS data to dashboards and custom applications.

Thinking about tracking people or equipment indoors?

Tell us what you want to find out and we'll tell you honestly whether RTLS is the right way to do it.

Get in touch +353 87 180 7873