RTLS and Asset Tracking

Q: "How does RTLS asset tracking work?"

"Each asset carries a small Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag. Battery-powered mesh beacons installed throughout the building pick up signals from these tags and relay position data through a wireless mesh network to a central gateway. The Crowd Connected platform calculates real-time positions and displays them on an indoor map."

Q: "What tags are compatible with the system?"

"Crowd Connected's system works with any standard Bluetooth Low Energy tag, as well as our own tracking tags. This gives you the widest possible choice of form factors - from small asset labels to clip-on wearables - at the lowest possible cost."

Q: "How does the cost compare to traditional RTLS?"

"Our approach is typically 65-90% cheaper than alternatives like RFID, Cisco Spaces, UWB, and Bluetooth Angle of Arrival systems. The savings come from battery-powered wireless beacons (no power or network cabling), a mesh network architecture (one gateway per building), and compatibility with low-cost off-the-shelf BLE tags."

Q: "How much area does one gateway cover?"

"A single gateway covers up to 25,000 m2. The beacons form a self-organising mesh network, relaying data to the gateway without requiring line-of-sight or individual network connections."

Lower cost and quicker to deploy than any other RTLS solution

Mobile app showing asset locations on an indoor map

Existing RTLS solutions are too hard to buy, install and integrate

Our next generation solution changes all that

Operational efficiency from day one

An end-to-end solution that puts mobile equipment and people on a map of your building, and covers every RTLS use case with built-in reports and charts.

Compatibility with the widest choice of third party tags

Use our tags, or track virtually any Bluetooth Low Energy tag on the market

The lowest-cost and quickest to deploy infrastructure on the market

No power, no network, no tools required. Long battery-life devices fixed to the wall with self-adhesive.

Tiny, battery powered wire-free devices. No power. No ethernet.

They connect to each other to form a network, sending data to the cloud via just one gateway per building.
A single low cost overlay in your building enables asset tracking, people tracking and indoor navigation.
Tracking tags are off-the-shelf Bluetoooth Low Energy devices. Allowing the widest possible variety of form factors, at the lowest possible cost.

Complex code required for mobile app programming

Verena Holmes Building at Canterbury Christ Church University

Smart Campus Innovation - Unified Asset Tracking and Navigation

In the state-of-the-art Verena Holmes Building, Canterbury Christ Church University partnered with Crowd Connected and MapsPeople to prove that a single sensor network can solve two major challenges. By integrating Crowd Connected’s technology with their existing maps from MapsPeople, the university has successfully activated real-time asset tracking, allowing staff to instantly locate laptops and lab equipment, while simultaneously laying the digital foundation for blue-dot indoor wayfinding.

“Crowd Connected handled the positioning sensors and integrated their API with the MapsPeople map... It brought both technologies together efficiently.”

Gareth Stears

Director of Digital Services

Canterbury Christ Church University

Ground-breaking price performance

90% cheaper than RFID

Because we don't need expensive wired sensors in every room.

90% cheaper than Cisco Spaces

Because we avoid the excessive license costs charged by the networking giants.

65% cheaper than Bluetooth Gateways

Because our battery powered sensors are so much cheaper and easier to install.

85% cheaper than Angle of Arrival

Because we avoid the expensive and complex AoA sensor installation

Qualified tracking tags

Crowd Connected provides a standard tag for both asset and personnel tracking.
But the open Bluetooth LE compatibility means we’ve already qualified a wide range of form factors from partner manufacturers.

Many BLE tag form factors are available and are compatible with Crowd Connected

Fully featured web and mobile apps help deliver value on day one

Our web console and mobile app deliver value on day one, without requiring any integrations

Locate an asset

Search for a specific asset

Clicking on the asset on the map will bring up additional information that has been configured for the asset.

Web app shows asset location on an indoor map

Locate an type of asset

Filter by asset type

Filter by asset type or department to see the locations of all wheelchairs or IV pumps.

Web app shows location of all the assets of the required type

Locating nearby assets

Our ‘Find my nearest’ mobile app allows you to find nearby assets, and navigate to them.

Combines blue dot with RTLS to provide an optimised ‘Find my nearest’ solution.

Mobile app shows users current location and the location of nearby assets

Counting Assets

Charts for max, min and average levels

The charting available in the console shows how the number of assets in a location changes over time, allowing you to see the maximum, minimum and average levels.

Web app shows charts that visualise the maximum and minimum asset counts over time

Inventories

Reports to track stock levels

The Inventory feature allows you to list all the assets at a location in a given time window, along with a total count.

Web app provides asset lists for inventories and stock checks

How indoor asset tracking works

Asset tracking uses a combination of small Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags attached to equipment and a network of battery-powered beacons installed throughout a building. Each tag broadcasts a signal that’s picked up by surrounding beacons, which relay the data through a wireless mesh network to a central gateway, and from there to the Crowd Connected cloud platform.

The platform calculates the real-time position of every tagged asset and displays it on an indoor map, accessible via a web console or mobile app. Staff can search for specific items, filter by asset type or department, and navigate directly to an asset’s location using blue-dot wayfinding.

Traditional RTLS (real-time location systems) typically require expensive wired infrastructure - power-over-ethernet sensors, network cabling, and specialist installation. Our approach eliminates all of that. The beacons are battery-powered and self-adhesive, the mesh network requires no cabling, and a single gateway covers up to 25,000 m². This makes deployment days rather than months, and running costs a fraction of conventional alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

How does RTLS asset tracking work?

Each asset carries a small Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag. Battery-powered mesh beacons installed throughout the building pick up signals from these tags and relay position data through a wireless mesh network to a central gateway. The Crowd Connected platform calculates real-time positions and displays them on an indoor map.

What tags are compatible with the system?

Crowd Connected’s system works with any standard Bluetooth Low Energy tag, as well as our own tracking tags. This gives you the widest possible choice of form factors - from small asset labels to clip-on wearables - at the lowest possible cost.

How does the cost compare to traditional RTLS?

Our approach is typically 65-90% cheaper than alternatives like RFID, Cisco Spaces, UWB, and Bluetooth Angle of Arrival systems. The savings come from battery-powered wireless beacons (no power or network cabling), a mesh network architecture (one gateway per building), and compatibility with low-cost off-the-shelf BLE tags.

How much area does one gateway cover?

A single gateway covers up to 25,000 m2. The beacons form a self-organising mesh network, relaying data to the gateway without requiring line-of-sight or individual network connections.

Learn more about asset tracking technology

Crowd Connected RTLS mesh architecture with battery-powered beacons and BLE tags relaying to a single gateway, on a light abstract background.

RTLS vs WiFi and BLE gateways: which is better for asset tracking and indoor positioning?

RTLS vs WiFi access points vs BLE gateways - we compare accuracy, cost, deployment speed, and total cost of ownership for asset tracking and indoor positioning.

Why indoor positioning needs a rethink and how our patent delivers it

Most indoor positioning systems still rely on fingerprinting - expensive, fragile, and high-maintenance. We explain why, and how our patented Anchor-Shift Fusion algorithm delivers self-calibrating accuracy without it.

Asset Tracking and Navigation at Canterbury Christ Church University

How the Verena Holmes Building became a model for the smart campus