RTLS Glossary: Real-Time Location System Terms and Definitions
Real-time location systems use wireless technologies, location-processing software, and operational applications to determine where people, equipment, and other tagged objects are located.
This glossary explains the main terms used in RTLS, indoor positioning, staff duress, asset tracking, location-based intelligence, and emergency response. It also covers terminology used in correctional facilities, behavioral health centers, healthcare, and other critical infrastructure, secure environments and complex architecture.
Actall Product and Platform Terms
ATLAS
ATLAS is Actall’s dual-band real-time location system. It combines 900 MHz communications with 2.4 GHz location signals to determine the room, sub-room, or operational zone occupied by a tagged person or asset.
ATLAS includes tags, locators, gateways, a location engine, and management software. It is designed for facilities where walls, floors, metal, equipment, and building layouts make location difficult. ▲
ATLAS Asset Tracking Tag
An ATLAS tag designed for attachment to equipment or another movable asset. The tag transmits identification and location information so the system can display the asset’s current or last reported location. ▲
ATLAS Gateway
A network device that receives messages from ATLAS tags and locators and transfers the data to the location engine. A gateway connects field devices to the system’s processing and software layers. ▲
ATLAS Heavy Duty Tag
A wearable ATLAS transmitter designed for staff safety applications. Available functions can include a panic button, emergency pull cord, person-down detection, and location reporting. ▲
ATLAS Locator
A fixed device that detects short-range signals from nearby ATLAS tags. The location engine compares locator observations to determine which room, zone, or defined space contains the tag. ▲
ATLAS Patient Tag
A wearable tag used to locate a patient or resident. Actall offers different tag formats for environments with different security, durability, and tamper-resistance requirements. ▲
Bosch Security Escort
Bosch Security Escort is a discontinued wireless personal security and locating system. Existing installations may include transmitters, receivers, transponders, databases, and monitoring software.
Actall supports continuity and modernization options for organizations that still depend on installed Security Escort hardware. ▲
Crisis Controller
Crisis Controller is legacy Actall monitoring software used with PALS 9000 and some earlier system configurations. Its functions include alarm display, location mapping, notification, reporting, and device supervision. ▲
HubSens
HubSens is Actall’s location and event-processing platform. It ingests data from supported field systems, processes location and device information, and publishes normalized events to user interfaces and third-party applications.
HubSens can process data from ATLAS and supported legacy systems, including Bosch Security Escort and selected Inovonics infrastructures. ▲
HubSens Location Appliance
The server or computing appliance on which HubSens runs. It performs location processing without requiring the location engine itself to provide the main operator interface. ▲
PALS
PALS stands for Personal Alarm Locating System. It is the name used for Actall’s established staff duress and alarm-location product family. ▲
PALS 9000
PALS 9000 is an end-of-life Actall personal alarm and locating system. It used infrared and radio-frequency technologies to identify alarm locations and deliver events to a monitoring center.
PALS Sentry and ATLAS provide migration paths for facilities that still operate PALS 9000 equipment. ▲
PALS Sentry
PALS Sentry is Actall’s personal alarm and locating system for staff duress applications. It uses ultrasonic locating technology and dedicated receivers to identify the room or protected space in which an alarm was activated.
PALS Sentry focuses on alarm initiation, alarm location, and notification in correctional, clinical, and other secure environments. ▲
PrismUI
PrismUI is Actall’s browser-based system management and visualization application. It provides maps, dashboards, device administration, testing tools, reporting, alarm display, and workflow configuration.
PrismUI can also connect location events to systems such as CCTV, SMS notification, alarms, and physical input/output devices. ▲
Security Escort Support Service
Actall’s Security Escort Support Service helps organizations maintain and plan the replacement or modernization of Bosch Security Escort installations. Services may include technical support, system assessment, onsite maintenance, component repair, replacement parts, and transition planning. ▲
Sentry Pen
The Sentry Pen is a discreet mechanical transmitter used with PALS Sentry. A staff member can activate it to initiate a duress event without using a conventional badge-style panic button. ▲
A
Acceptance Testing
Formal testing completed before an RTLS deployment is accepted by the customer. Testing should confirm coverage, alarm delivery, location accuracy, latency, device supervision, integrations, and performance in each required area. ▲
Access Control
A system that manages entry to doors, gates, rooms, or controlled areas. Access control records a credential at a defined doorway. RTLS can add continuous or zone-based location information between access-control points. ▲
Accuracy
The degree to which a reported location matches the tag’s actual location. Accuracy should be specified in operational terms, such as building, floor, room, zone, or distance.
Accuracy does not mean the same thing as precision or granularity. ▲
Active RFID Tag
A radio-frequency identification tag with its own power source and transmitter. Active tags can broadcast at set intervals or when an event occurs.
Active RFID is often used when longer read ranges, repeated updates, sensor data, or real-time tracking are required. ▲
After-Action Review
A structured review conducted after an incident, drill, evacuation, or operational event. RTLS history can support the review by showing movements, alarm times, response routes, dwell times, and the sequence of events. ▲
Alarm
A system state indicating that a condition requires attention or action. Examples include panic, person-down, pull-cord, unauthorized-zone, low-battery, and loss-of-communication alarms. ▲
Alarm Acknowledgment
An operator action confirming that an alarm has been seen or received. Acknowledgment does not necessarily mean that the incident has been resolved. ▲
Alarm Annunciation
The visual or audible presentation of an alarm to an operator, control room, response team, or connected system. Annunciation normally includes the alarm type, tag identity, time, and location. ▲
Alert Fatigue
A reduction in user attention caused by frequent, repeated, or low-value alerts. Poorly configured thresholds and false alarms can cause staff to delay or ignore a valid event. ▲
Angle of Arrival
Angle of Arrival, or AoA, is a positioning method that calculates the direction from which a radio signal reaches an antenna array. Multiple direction measurements can be used to estimate a tag’s position. ▲
API
An application programming interface is a defined method through which software applications exchange commands or data. An RTLS API may provide location updates, device states, alarms, histories, or system configuration data. ▲
Asset Tracking
The use of tags and location software to determine where equipment, tools, vehicles, containers, medical devices, or other movable items are located. ▲
Audit Trail
A time-stamped record showing system events and user actions. An RTLS audit trail may include alarms, location changes, acknowledgments, configuration changes, device faults, and operator activity. ▲
Availability
The proportion of time during which a system can perform its required function. Availability depends on more than server uptime. It can also be affected by network failures, field-device faults, software errors, and maintenance. ▲
B
Backhaul
The communication path that carries data from gateways or field networks to servers, cloud platforms, or control systems. Ethernet, fiber, cellular, and private wireless networks can provide backhaul. ▲
Badge Tag
A wearable RTLS tag in a badge or badge-holder format. It can identify a staff member, transmit location updates, and include a duress button or another alarm input. ▲
Beacon
A device that broadcasts a wireless identifier or reference signal. Depending on the system design, a mobile device may detect fixed beacons, or fixed infrastructure may detect mobile beacon tags. ▲
Bluetooth Low Energy
Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, is a 2.4 GHz wireless technology designed for low-power communication. BLE is used for proximity detection, beacons, asset tracking, indoor positioning, and sensor networks.
BLE performance depends on antenna placement, infrastructure density, signal interference, building materials, and the positioning method used. ▲
C
Calibration
The process of adjusting system settings so location results reflect the physical environment. Calibration can include signal thresholds, locator relationships, antenna settings, zone boundaries, and location-engine parameters. ▲
Cellular Location
Positioning or tracking that uses mobile telecommunications networks such as LTE or 5G. Cellular systems can provide communication over wide areas, but indoor location accuracy depends on the implementation. ▲
CCTV Integration
A connection between RTLS events and closed-circuit television systems. An integration may direct an operator to the relevant camera, change a video layout, or trigger recording when an alarm occurs. ▲
Chokepoint
A doorway, gate, corridor, tunnel, stairwell, or other controlled passage through which movement must pass. Readers or locators positioned at chokepoints can record entry, exit, or direction of travel. ▲
Clinical Asset Tracking
The use of RTLS to locate medical equipment such as wheelchairs, infusion pumps, portable monitors, oxygen equipment, and emergency response assets. ▲
Commissioning
The process of configuring, testing, documenting, and placing an installed system into service. Commissioning confirms that hardware, software, maps, zones, alarms, integrations, and operating procedures work as specified. ▲
Complex Architecture
A physical environment in which construction materials or layout make wireless location difficult. Examples include reinforced concrete, steel, multiple floors, narrow corridors, tunnels, secure doors, mechanical spaces, and adjacent rooms with different tracking requirements. ▲
Confined Space
An enclosed or partly enclosed work area that has restricted entry or exit and may expose workers to hazards. Location, lone-worker, and emergency-response requirements may apply, but the tracking hardware must suit the classified environment. ▲
Control Room
A staffed location from which personnel monitor security, safety, facility, or operational systems. An RTLS control-room interface can display alarms, people, assets, zones, and system faults. ▲
Corrections RTLS
An RTLS configured for jails, prisons, detention centers, correctional healthcare units, or other custody environments. Common applications include staff duress, incident response, restricted-area alerts, movement accountability, asset tracking, and workflow analysis. ▲
Count
A formal process used by a correctional facility to confirm the number and location of incarcerated people. Counts may be scheduled, emergency, standing, or movement-related.
RTLS can provide supporting location data, but its role in an official count depends on facility policy and system performance. ▲
Count Automation
The use of electronic systems to reduce manual work involved in population counts. A deployment must account for tag assignment, tag compliance, tampering, location certainty, exceptions, and verification procedures. ▲
Critical Infrastructure
Assets and systems whose loss or disruption would affect security, safety, health, economic activity, or essential public services. Examples include power generation, electricity networks, water treatment, transport, communications, and fuel infrastructure. ▲
D
Data Normalization
The process of converting information from different devices or systems into a common structure. Normalization allows an application to handle location, alarm, identity, and device data without requiring a separate workflow for each source. ▲
Data Retention
The period for which location records, alarms, audit logs, and other system data are stored. Retention policies should define the operational purpose, access rights, legal requirements, privacy controls, and deletion process. ▲
Dead Zone
An area where a tag cannot communicate with the required infrastructure or where the system cannot determine a usable location. Coverage testing should identify dead zones before operational acceptance. ▲
Device Supervision
Automated monitoring that confirms whether a tag, locator, gateway, receiver, or other component continues to communicate. The system can create a supervision alarm when a device fails to report within a set interval. ▲
Directional Antenna
An antenna designed to concentrate transmission or reception in a selected direction. Directional antennas can help separate adjacent spaces, monitor a passage, or reduce unwanted signal reception from another area. ▲
Dwell Time
The amount of time a person, asset, vehicle, or item remains in a defined location or process stage. Dwell-time analysis can identify queues, delays, congestion, and unused assets. ▲
Duress Alarm
An alarm initiated when a person believes that they are in danger or require help. A location-enabled duress alarm identifies the user and provides their current or resolved location. ▲
Duress System
A combination of alarm devices, locating infrastructure, software, communications, and response procedures used to summon assistance.
A duress system should be assessed on alarm delivery time, coverage, location certainty, supervision, availability, false-alarm performance, and response integration. ▲
Dual-Band RTLS
An RTLS that uses two radio-frequency bands for different parts of the location or communication process. A dual-band design may combine a short-range location signal with a longer-range alarm or data path. ▲
E
Edge Processing
The processing of data close to the devices or facility where it was generated. Edge processing can reduce dependence on an external cloud connection and may support local operation during a wide-area network outage. ▲
Elopement
The unauthorized departure of a patient or resident from a supervised or secure care setting. A location system may generate an alert when a tagged person approaches or crosses a defined boundary. ▲
Emergency Evacuation
The organized movement of people away from a hazard. RTLS may support evacuation by showing last known locations, movement toward exits, and whether tagged personnel have reached a muster area. ▲
Emergency Pull Cord
A removable cord or pin attached to a wearable device. Pulling it from the device creates an alarm without requiring the user to press a button. ▲
End of Life
End of Life, or EOL, is the stage at which a manufacturer stops producing, selling, updating, or supporting a product. EOL does not always mean that installed equipment stops functioning, but it can create maintenance, cybersecurity, and component-supply risks. ▲
Event
A recorded change or occurrence within the system. Examples include a tag entering a zone, a panic button being pressed, a device going offline, or an asset remaining in a location beyond a defined time. ▲
Event Engine
Software that evaluates incoming data against configured rules. It can create alarms, notifications, workflows, reports, or commands when defined conditions occur. ▲
Evacuation Validation
The process of confirming that required personnel have left an affected area or reached a safe location. RTLS can provide evidence based on detected tags, but procedures must address missing, damaged, exchanged, or unworn tags. ▲
F
Failover
The transfer of a service or connection to a secondary component after the primary component fails. Failover can apply to servers, storage, network connections, gateways, and control-room workstations. ▲
False Negative
A failure to detect or report a condition that occurred. A missed duress alarm or failure to identify entry into a restricted zone is a false negative. ▲
False Positive
An alert or location result that indicates a condition that did not occur. Frequent false positives can increase workload and reduce trust in the system. ▲
Firmware
Software embedded in a tag, locator, gateway, receiver, or other device. Firmware controls device behavior and may require updates to correct faults, improve performance, or address security issues. ▲
Fixed Duress Button
A permanently installed panic, hold-up, or emergency button. It identifies the location of the installed device rather than continuously locating the person who activates it. ▲
Floor-Level Location
A location result that identifies the correct floor but not the specific room or zone. Floor-level accuracy may support some operational use cases but is often insufficient for staff duress response. ▲
Forensic Psychiatric Hospital
A secure behavioral health facility that treats people involved with the criminal justice system or people who require a controlled clinical environment. Staff duress, patient movement, access control, and emergency response are common operational concerns. ▲
G
Gateway
A device that connects a field-level wireless network to another network or software platform. In an RTLS, gateways commonly transfer tag, locator, alarm, and telemetry data to a location engine. ▲
Geofence
A virtual boundary defined within location software. The system can create an event when a tag enters, leaves, or remains within the boundary.
Indoor geofences are often based on rooms or configured zones rather than geographic coordinates. ▲
Global Navigation Satellite System
Global Navigation Satellite System, or GNSS, is the general term for satellite-based positioning systems, including GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou.
GNSS works well outdoors with access to satellite signals. It is less effective inside buildings, underground, beneath heavy structures, or around signal obstructions. ▲
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System, or GPS, is the satellite-positioning system operated by the United States. GPS is one part of the wider GNSS category. ▲
GNSS-Denied Environment
An area where satellite signals cannot provide a usable position. Underground mines, tunnels, buildings, covered terminals, and industrial structures can be GNSS-denied environments. ▲
Granularity
The operational level at which a location is reported. Examples include site, building, floor, zone, room, bed space, or coordinate.
Granularity should match the decision that the location data must support. ▲
H
Hazardous Area
A location where flammable gas, vapor, dust, or another explosive atmosphere may be present. Equipment used in the area may require certification for the applicable zone, class, division, gas group, and temperature rating. ▲
Head End
The central computing, communications, and software equipment used to receive, process, store, and display information from field devices. ▲
Headless Application
Software that performs processing or provides services without making its own graphical interface the primary way users interact with it. Other applications communicate with it through an API or another interface. ▲
Hybrid RTLS
A location system that combines more than one positioning or communication technology. Examples include BLE with GPS, UWB with Wi-Fi, or 2.4 GHz locating with sub-GHz communications. ▲
I
Industrial Internet of Things
The Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT, applies connected devices, sensors, communications, and software to industrial operations. ▲
Indoor Positioning System
An Indoor Positioning System, or IPS, determines the position of a device or user inside a building. IPS often supports navigation or wayfinding, while RTLS normally emphasizes tracking objects from a central system. The terms can overlap. ▲
Infrared
Infrared, or IR, uses light outside the visible spectrum. IR locating can provide room-level containment because the signal does not normally pass through walls.
Its performance can depend on line of sight, tag orientation, obstructions, reflective surfaces, and locator placement. ▲
Ingress and Egress
Ingress means entry into an area. Egress means exit from it. Location and access systems can record or control movement across ingress and egress points. ▲
Inmate Movement Accountability
The process of confirming where incarcerated people are expected to be, where they were last observed, and whether movement followed an authorized schedule.
Some organizations prefer the terms incarcerated person or person in custody. Terminology varies by jurisdiction. ▲
Interference
An unwanted signal or environmental effect that disrupts communication or location measurements. Sources can include other radios, machinery, electrical equipment, networks operating in the same frequency band, and high device density. ▲
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things, or IoT, describes connected physical devices that collect, exchange, or act on data. ▲
IP Rating
An Ingress Protection rating classifies an enclosure’s resistance to solid particles and water. The required rating depends on cleaning methods, weather exposure, dust, moisture, and the installation environment. ▲
J
Jail
In the United States, a jail is generally a local facility that holds people awaiting trial, serving shorter sentences, or awaiting transfer. Definitions and operating models vary by jurisdiction. ▲
L
Last Known Location
The most recent valid location reported for a tag. It does not confirm that the person or asset remains in that location. ▲
Latency
The time between an event occurring and the corresponding information becoming available to the user or connected system.
Location latency, alarm-delivery time, display time, and notification time should be measured separately. ▲
Line of Sight
An unobstructed path between a transmitter and receiver. Some technologies depend on direct or reflected line of sight more than others. ▲
Location Analytics
The analysis of current and historical location data to identify movement patterns, response performance, dwell time, congestion, utilization, process variation, or policy exceptions. ▲
Location-Based Intelligence
Operational information created by combining location with identity, time, status, events, and business context. ▲
Location Engine
Software that processes observations from readers, locators, anchors, or gateways and converts them into a resolved location, proximity state, or zone. ▲
Locator
A fixed field device that detects or exchanges signals with tags. Locator can be used as a general term, although some vendors use reader, anchor, receiver, sensor, or access point. ▲
Lockdown
A temporary restriction on movement within a correctional, healthcare, educational, or secure facility. A lockdown may apply to the whole site or selected areas. ▲
Lone Worker
A person working without direct or immediate support from another worker. Lone-worker systems can include scheduled check-ins, panic alarms, person-down detection, inactivity alerts, and location reporting. ▲
LoRa
LoRa is a long-range, low-power radio modulation technology. It provides the physical radio link used by some IoT and location-system devices.
LoRa and LoRaWAN are related terms but are not interchangeable. ▲
LoRaWAN
LoRaWAN is a low-power wide-area networking protocol that uses LoRa radio links. It defines how end devices, gateways, network servers, and application servers exchange data. ▲
Low-Power Wide-Area Network
A Low-Power Wide-Area Network, or LPWAN, connects low-data-rate devices over longer distances while limiting device power use. LoRaWAN is one form of LPWAN. ▲
M
Man-Down Alarm
A man-down or person-down alarm is created when a wearable device detects a fall, tilt, lack of movement, or another configured condition.
The function normally uses an accelerometer and timer. It should be tested for the activities, postures, and working conditions found at the site. ▲
Middleware
Software positioned between devices and operational applications. Middleware can collect, normalize, route, store, or enrich data from different technologies. ▲
Mobile Duress
A personal alarm function carried by the user. Unlike a fixed panic button, a mobile duress device must determine or transmit the user’s location when the alarm occurs. ▲
Monitoring Center
The computing and display environment used to receive and manage alarms, events, maps, notifications, and system status. ▲
Multipath
A radio-propagation effect in which a signal reaches a receiver through more than one path because it has reflected from walls, metal, equipment, or other surfaces.
Multipath can distort distance, signal-strength, and timing measurements. ▲
Muster Point
A designated safe area where people assemble during an evacuation or emergency. ▲
Mustering
The process of identifying who has reached a muster point, who remains in the affected area, and whose status is unknown.
RTLS can make mustering faster, but the result depends on tag use, coverage, reader placement, and the emergency procedure. ▲
N
Near Field Communication
Near Field Communication, or NFC, is a short-range wireless technology used for identification, access, payments, and device interaction. NFC normally requires the device or tag to be brought close to a reader. ▲
Nearest-Responder Dispatch
The use of current staff locations to identify and direct suitable personnel who are closest to an incident. The workflow must also consider role, availability, authorization, and the route through the facility. ▲
Network Redundancy
The use of alternative network paths or components to maintain communication after a failure. ▲
O
On-Premises
Hardware or software installed within the customer’s own facility or controlled computing environment. On-premises operation can reduce reliance on an external connection but still requires maintenance, backup, security, and lifecycle management. ▲
OpenAPI
OpenAPI is a standard format used to describe HTTP-based APIs. It allows developers and systems to understand available endpoints, data structures, authentication requirements, and commands. ▲
Outage
A planned or unplanned period during which equipment, a process, or a facility is unavailable. In power generation, a planned outage can bring a large temporary workforce onto the site for inspection and maintenance. ▲
P
Panic Button
A button that allows a person to request assistance. Panic buttons can be fixed, wearable, wired, wireless, silent, audible, or integrated into an RTLS tag. ▲
Passive RFID Tag
An RFID tag without its own radio transmitter. It receives energy from a reader signal and responds by reflecting or modulating that signal.
Passive RFID is suited to identification and checkpoint-based detection. It does not normally provide continuous real-time location by itself. ▲
Patient Flow
The movement of patients through admission, assessment, treatment, transfer, and discharge. Location data can reveal waiting time, handoff delays, room use, and movement between care areas. ▲
People Tracking
The use of assigned tags or devices to determine the location or movement of individuals. A deployment requires policies covering purpose, access, retention, security, privacy, and acceptable use. ▲
Person-Down Alarm
A gender-neutral alternative to man-down alarm. It describes an alert generated when a wearable device detects a fall, tilt, or lack of movement. ▲
Ping Rate
The frequency at which a tag transmits a location or status signal. A faster ping rate can improve update speed but may increase network traffic and battery use. ▲
Positioning
The process of estimating a device’s physical location. Positioning can produce coordinates, a room, a zone, a floor, or a proximity relationship. ▲
Precision
The consistency of repeated location results. A system can produce precise results that are consistently wrong, so precision should not be used as a substitute for accuracy. ▲
Presence Detection
Confirmation that a tag is within range of a reader, room, doorway, or defined area. Presence does not always provide coordinates or continuous movement. ▲
Prison
In the United States, a prison is generally a state or federal facility that holds people serving longer sentences. Definitions and organizational structures vary. ▲
Proximity
An estimate or determination that one device, person, asset, or location is near another. Proximity does not necessarily provide an exact position. ▲
PrismUI Workflow Engine
The PrismUI function used to define actions that follow configured events or operating procedures. A workflow can issue notifications, change displays, activate outputs, or interact with connected systems. ▲
R
Radio Frequency
Radio frequency, or RF, describes electromagnetic signals used for wireless communication, identification, sensing, and positioning. ▲
Radio-Frequency Identification
Radio-Frequency Identification, or RFID, uses radio waves to identify tagged objects or people. RFID includes passive, battery-assisted, and active technologies operating across different frequency bands.
RFID is a broad technology category. Not every RFID system is an RTLS. ▲
Ranging
The measurement or estimation of distance between two devices. Ranging methods include signal strength, time of flight, phase measurement, and two-way message exchange. ▲
Reader
A device that detects, interrogates, or receives data from a tag. Depending on the system, the same type of device may be called a reader, receiver, locator, anchor, or sensor. ▲
Real-Time
Delivery of information within the time required to support the intended decision or action. Real-time does not mean that processing takes no time.
A specification should state the acceptable latency and update interval. ▲
Redundancy
The use of additional components or paths so a system can continue operating after a failure. Redundancy can apply to servers, storage, networks, power supplies, gateways, and monitoring stations. ▲
Restricted-Area Alert
An event created when a tagged person or asset enters, leaves, or remains within an area contrary to a configured rule. ▲
Role-Based Access Control
Role-Based Access Control, or RBAC, limits software functions and data according to the user’s assigned role. It can control who may view locations, acknowledge alarms, change configurations, access history, or administer devices. ▲
Room-Level Location
A location result that identifies the room occupied by a tag. It is an operational classification rather than a fixed distance measurement.
Room-level performance should be tested at doors, room boundaries, adjacent spaces, and locations where signals may cross floors or walls. ▲
RSSI
Received Signal Strength Indicator, or RSSI, is a measure of the power of a received radio signal. Location systems can use RSSI to estimate proximity or determine which locator has the strongest observation.
RSSI is affected by distance, walls, people, tag orientation, antennas, reflections, and interference. It is not a direct distance measurement. ▲
RTLS
RTLS means Real-Time Location System or Real-Time Locating System. It is a combination of tags, wireless infrastructure, location processing, software, and integrations used to determine the location of people or objects within an operational time requirement. ▲
S
Secure Environment
A facility or area in which movement, identity, access, communications, or equipment must be controlled. Examples include correctional facilities, forensic hospitals, courts, government buildings, and protected infrastructure. ▲
Segregation
The separation of people within a correctional facility for safety, security, disciplinary, protective, or clinical reasons. Location systems may support movement rules but do not determine the legal or operational basis for segregation. ▲
Signal Attenuation
The reduction in signal strength as a radio, infrared, or ultrasonic signal travels through distance, walls, floors, people, equipment, or other materials. ▲
Signal Bleed
The detection of a signal in an adjacent room, floor, or zone where the tag is not located. Signal bleed can cause incorrect room or floor assignments if the system design does not distinguish the spaces. ▲
Site Survey
An assessment of the facility before system design or installation. It examines layout, construction materials, power, networks, coverage requirements, interference, mounting positions, operational processes, and integration points. ▲
Standard Operating Procedure
A Standard Operating Procedure, or SOP, defines how staff should complete a recurring task or respond to an event.
RTLS software can support an SOP by presenting instructions, issuing notifications, recording actions, and connecting systems. It does not replace training or management responsibility. ▲
Staff Duress
A situation in which a staff member uses a personal or fixed alarm to request immediate help. A staff-duress system should communicate the person’s identity, alarm type, location, and time to the required responders. ▲
Staff Safety System
A system intended to reduce risks to employees through alarms, location information, communication, monitoring, and response workflows. The term can include duress, lone-worker, person-down, mustering, and restricted-area functions. ▲
Sub-GHz
Radio frequencies below 1 GHz. RTLS and IoT systems may use bands around 433, 868, 900, or 915 MHz, subject to regional rules.
Sub-GHz signals can support longer-range communication than higher-frequency, low-power signals, but performance still depends on antennas, materials, interference, power, and system design. ▲
Sub-Room Location
A location result that divides a room into smaller operational areas. Examples include a group of cells, part of a dayroom, one side of a corridor, or a treatment bay. ▲
Supervision Alarm
An alarm created when a device fails to communicate within its configured supervision interval. It indicates that the system can no longer confirm the device’s operating state. ▲
System Integrator
A company that designs, installs, connects, tests, and supports systems from one or more technology providers. An RTLS integrator may be responsible for cabling, networks, hardware, software, interfaces, commissioning, and training. ▲
T
Tag
A device attached to an asset or assigned to a person so the system can identify, communicate with, or locate it. Tags can also contain buttons, pull cords, accelerometers, tamper sensors, or environmental sensors. ▲
Tamper Alert
An event indicating that a tag, strap, enclosure, seal, or installation may have been removed, opened, cut, or interfered with. ▲
Telemetry
Automated data sent by a remote device about its condition or measurements. RTLS telemetry can include battery level, communication status, tamper state, motion, signal observations, and sensor readings. ▲
Time Difference of Arrival
Time Difference of Arrival, or TDoA, estimates position by comparing the arrival time of the same signal at multiple synchronized receivers. ▲
Time of Flight
Time of Flight, or ToF, calculates distance from the time required for a signal to travel between devices. ▲
Tracking History
A stored record of resolved locations and movements over time. Tracking history can support incident review, workflow analysis, investigations, compliance, and performance measurement. ▲
Triangulation
A positioning method that uses measured angles from known reference points to estimate a location. ▲
Trilateration
A positioning method that uses estimated distances from known reference points to calculate a location.
Trilateration uses distance. Triangulation uses angles. ▲
U
UHF RFID
Ultra-High-Frequency RFID normally refers to RFID systems operating in the UHF band. Passive UHF RFID is widely used for inventory and item identification. Active UHF or sub-GHz systems can be used for longer-range identification and tracking. ▲
Ultrasonic Location
A locating method that uses sound above the normal range of human hearing. Ultrasonic signals tend to remain within enclosed rooms, which can support room identification.
Performance can be affected by room geometry, obstructions, noise sources, receiver placement, and the way the transmitter is worn. ▲
Uptime
The proportion of time a component or service remains operational. A server can have high uptime while the complete RTLS has lower availability because of field-device, network, or integration failures. ▲
Ultra-Wideband
Ultra-Wideband, or UWB, is a radio technology that transmits across a wide bandwidth and can support time-based ranging and positioning.
UWB can provide location at a finer coordinate level than many proximity systems, but it generally requires suitable anchors, infrastructure, synchronization, and site design. ▲
Utilization
The extent to which an asset, space, or resource is used. RTLS can measure time in use, time idle, movement frequency, and time spent in defined areas. ▲
V
Vertical Signal Bleed
An incorrect location result caused by a signal being detected on the floor above or below the tag. It is a common design concern in multi-story facilities. ▲
Visitor Tracking
The use of a temporary tag, credential, or device to record a visitor’s location or movement. Policies should define consent, purpose, retention, access, and return of the tracking device. ▲
W
Wander Management
A system used to identify or prevent unsupervised movement by a patient or resident who may be at risk. Functions can include exit alerts, door control, zone rules, and staff notification. ▲
Wayfinding
Guidance that helps a person navigate through a building or site. Wayfinding is commonly associated with indoor positioning on a mobile device, while RTLS commonly allows an operator to locate tagged people or assets. ▲
Wi-Fi Location
Positioning that uses Wi-Fi access points, signal measurements, timing, or network observations. It can reuse some existing infrastructure, although location performance depends on access-point placement, device behavior, network design, and the chosen method. ▲
Workflow Analytics
Analysis of movement, location, time, and event data to understand how work is performed. It can identify waiting, excess travel, queues, missed handoffs, congestion, and variation from the expected process. ▲
Workflow Engine
Software that starts or controls actions according to configured rules. A workflow may create notifications, display instructions, switch cameras, operate outputs, or record completion steps. ▲
Worker Safety
The systems, procedures, training, equipment, and management controls used to reduce risks to employees and contractors. RTLS can support worker safety, but it does not replace hazard controls, staffing, training, or emergency planning. ▲
Z
Zone
A named physical area defined within the location system. A zone can represent a room, corridor, housing unit, yard, work area, muster point, restricted space, or another operational location. ▲
Zone-Based Location
A method that reports which defined zone contains a tag rather than calculating continuous coordinates. Zone-based location can provide clearer operational results where the required decision is based on rooms or controlled spaces. ▲
Industry-Specific RTLS Terms
Corrections and Secure Facilities
Housing Unit
A part of a correctional facility containing cells, dormitories, dayrooms, staff stations, and supporting spaces for a defined population. ▲
Pod
A housing-unit layout in which cells or rooms are arranged around a shared dayroom or central control position. ▲
Movement Control
The rules and processes used to authorize, schedule, observe, and record movement through a secure facility. ▲
Restricted Housing
A housing arrangement that separates an incarcerated person from the general population and applies additional movement controls. Terminology and legal requirements vary by jurisdiction. ▲
Control Center
The correctional facility function that monitors alarms, doors, cameras, communications, movement, and incidents. ▲
Behavioral Health and Healthcare
Behavioral Health Facility
A facility that provides mental health or substance-use treatment. It may operate as an open clinical environment, a secure unit, a forensic hospital, or part of a correctional system. ▲
Patient Observation
A clinical process used to monitor a patient at a level set by their assessed risk and care plan. RTLS may provide supporting movement information but does not replace required direct observation. ▲
Patient Visibility
The ability to determine a patient’s current or recent location. The term should not imply that location data alone provides clinical observation or confirms the patient’s condition. ▲
Frequently Asked Questions
What does RTLS stand for?
RTLS stands for Real-Time Location System or Real-Time Locating System. It identifies the location of tagged people or objects within the time required by the operational use case. ▲
What is the difference between RTLS and GPS?
GPS uses satellite signals and is primarily suited to outdoor positioning. RTLS can use several technologies to locate people and assets indoors, underground, across defined zones, or in other places where GPS is unavailable or unsuitable. ▲
What is room-level RTLS?
Room-level RTLS reports the specific room occupied by a tag. It should distinguish adjacent rooms, corridors, floors, and boundary areas with the level of reliability required by the use case. ▲
Which technologies can an RTLS use?
An RTLS may use active RFID, BLE, UWB, Wi-Fi, infrared, ultrasonic signals, GPS, GNSS, LoRa, LoRaWAN, cellular networks, or a combination of technologies.
The correct choice depends on the required location granularity, latency, environment, battery life, coverage, integrations, and cost. ▲
What is the difference between RTLS and RFID?
RFID is a broad category of radio-based identification technologies. RTLS is a complete system for resolving and using location data in operational time.
Some RTLS platforms use active RFID, but passive RFID identification at a doorway or reader does not by itself provide continuous real-time location. ▲
What should an organization test before accepting an RTLS?
Acceptance testing should cover required locations, room boundaries, floors, alarm latency, update rates, false results, lost communications, battery alarms, integrations, failover, operator workflows, and the site’s difficult physical areas. ▲
Can RTLS integrate with existing security and operational systems?
RTLS can exchange events and data with other systems when suitable interfaces are available. Common integrations include CCTV, access control, alarm monitoring, mass notification, SMS, operational dashboards, asset-management software, and incident-management systems. ▲
Is RTLS the same as employee surveillance?
RTLS is a technology that can collect employee location data. Whether its use amounts to surveillance depends on its purpose, configuration, policies, access controls, retention, and employment context.
Organizations should define why data is collected, who may access it, how long it is kept, and how it may be used before deployment. ▲
To discuss a staff duress, people-tracking, asset-tracking, or legacy-system requirement, contact Actall.