Proprietary wireless real-time location services have been available to enterprises for years. Newer systems based on passive RFID technology also have garnered significant attention, especially for supply-chain applications where products are tracked. But some of the most interesting RTLS systems are being built on top of emerging Wi-Fi networks, with considerable success. Pending standards work on 802.11k and 802.11V will improve the interoperability of location services using conventional clients; such work—along with the increased use of Wi-Fi location tags, or "active RFID tags"—will help to drive adoption of RTLS systems from niche uses to a broader horizontal market.
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