RF Code Presentation To T-20 Standards Committee

Presentation Outline RF Code Overview & Product RTLS Markets RTLS Technology Comparison Summary & Proposal

RF Code Product Family TagTracker Software oReal-time data collection oScalable system architecture oStandards based Reader oWireless connectivity oHigh tag throughput Tag oLow Cost oSmall Handheld Locator oMobile Platform for finding assets

RF Code Overview Based in Mesa, Arizona Comdex 1999 “Best of Show” Third largest positioning/locating system installed base by tag count (after GPS & Savi) Corpus Cristi Army Depot –Largest single indoor locating installation 18 million square feet 50,000 tags initial deployment 400 readers Hybrid fix/portable reader infrastructure –Hybrid use yield resolutions down to +/- 18 inches

Example RF Code Customers

RTLS Vendors Over the last few years there has been a dramatic growth of RTLS vendors each with distinct technology and product features. … and there are more…

Current RTLS Technologies Location derived through: –Beacon –Beacon with Location Reference Devices –Location Transponders –Differential Time of Arrival –Space Time Focusing Systems –More coming on line: Narrow pulse UWB Functionality tradeoffs: –Tag Cost –Location accuracy –Ability to detect movement through threshold or portal –Tag density –Infrastructure complexity –Infrastructure cost –Bidirectional communications

Active Beacon Tags Tag Cost Good (<$5 in quantity; <$3 achievable) Tag Density Good (100,000’s tags/location; 1-10 second beacons) Threshold Detection Poor (Dictated by resolution) Resolution Medium +/- 25 feet common +/- 10 feet achieved Resolution is algorithm dependent Other attributes: –Inexpensive and simple infrastructure –Handheld locators allow for improved resolution (+/-18 inches) –No ability to write to tag Reader Tagged Asset 100m Tagged Asset To “System”

T3 High Frequency Range: 0 – 300m Tags Reader Location Reference Device Low Frequency Range : 0 – 3.5m T1 T2 To Server Active Beacon Tags With Location Reference Device Tag Cost Good (<$5 in quantity; <$3 possible) Tag Density Good (100,000’s tags/location; 1-10 second beacons) Threshold Detection Excellent (Using H field LRD’s) Resolution Good (Two modes: Coarse +/ feet, Fine: +/- 18 inches) Other attributes: –Inexpensive infrastructure –Handheld locators allow for improved resolution in coarse zone areas (+/- 18 inches) –Ability to write to a tag –Long range

Location Transponders Reader Tagged Asset 100m Tagged Asset To “System” Tag Cost Poor (<$20 in quantity; <$10 possible) Tag Density Medium (10,000’s tags/location; second beacon rate) Threshold Detection Poor (Requires +/- 6 inch resolution; beyond current state of the art & FCC limits) Resolution Good (+/- 10 feet practical; +/- 3 feet achievable) Other attributes: –Single antenna yields a distance –Expensive infrastructure but not as complex as DTOA –Ability to write to tags long range –Handheld locators not practical –Range versus resolution tradeoff

DTOA Systems Reader Tagged Asset 100m Tagged Asset To “System” Tag Cost Poor (<$20 in quantity; <$10 possible) Tag Density Poor (1,000’s tags/location; 5-10 minute beacons) Threshold Detection Poor (Requires +/- 6 inch resolution; beyond current state of the art & FCC limits) Resolution Good (+/- 10 feet practical; +/- 3 feet achievable) Other attributes: –Expensive & complex infrastructure –No ability to write to tags (at least not long range) –Handheld locators not practical –Range versus resolution tradeoff

Space Time Focusing Systems Reader Tagged Asset 1000m Tagged Asset To “System” Tag Cost Good (<$5 for Passive) Tag Density Good (100,000’s tags/location; 5-10 second beacon rate) Threshold Detection Good (+/- 18 inches) Resolution Medium (+/- 18 inches) Other attributes: –Targeted for outdoor use –Handheld locators not practical

RTLS Technology Comparison Legend: 1 is Bad 10 is Good

The RTLS Markets Asset Tracking Manufacturing Supply Chain Theme Parks

What does that mean to the marketplace? Theme Park Implementation B Implementation C Implementation D Implementation E Implementation F GPS Implementation A Manufacturing WIP Supply Chain Asset Tracking Legend: Technology is an excellent fit to the application Technology has some issues for the application Technology has major issues for the application

State of RTLS Market RTLS ENCOMPASSES A RANGE OF APPLICATIONS BEST SERVED THROUGH A RANGE OF TECHNOLOGIES

Proposal High Precision RTLS Low Precision RTLS Current RFID Standards GPS Common API, Address And Data Format ASP’s Independent Software Vendor Solutions Customer Specific Solutions WinCEPalmWAPPC

Summary & Proposal Summary –There are multiple technology approaches Each makes a tradeoff in key functionality areas –The market has not selected a clear leader –The market is likely to select multiple technologies based on application Proposal –Segment the technologies to reflect the applications –Bridge the gap between current RFID standards and RTLS API Address Level Data Level