Wirepas RTLS
20X quicker to install in hazardous areas than Wi-Fi solutions
Location tracking of workers and assets in hazardous areas has evolved significantly in recent years. Wirepas has emerged as a cost-effective solution that offers quick installation and requires minimal network infrastructure.
A battery-powered intrinsically safe Wirepas anchor can be installed in minutes.
20% of workers time is spent searching for tools
(Sandvik Coromant)
350 million hours of productivity are lost annually for UK manufacturers due to missing equipment.
(Pathfindr)
5.7 million non-fatal incidents occurred in the EU and US in 2021 alone – 810,000 of those in industrial manufacturing environments.
(National safety council)
Hazardous area environments pose more risks than safe areas, necessitating specific procedures before any physical installation can occur. The time required for these steps can vary widely based on several factors.
Below, we outline some common stages, typical timeframes, and a comparison of Wirepas and Wi-Fi for location tracking deployments.
Desktop Radio Survey
Identifying optimal installation locations. This is applicable to both Wi-Fi and Wirepas solutions and can range from days to months of work.
Physical Survey
Assessing mounting locations and identifying necessary power and data sources. This involves obtaining permits, access approvals, and supervision.
Wi-Fi: 3-4 hours per access point.
Each access point requires a 20-30% overlap with surrounding points to ensure stable connections, which can necessitate additional permits and potentially hiring lifting equipment, along with various safety permits.
Wirepas: 1-2 hours per anchor.
Each anchor needs a link quality connection of 80% or higher to ensure no loss of messages transferred between anchors.
Installation
The physical install can present many challenges and involves several days or weeks to prepare the site for the final installation.
Wi-Fi: Installing power can take days for one access point.
If powering over POE or copper, extensive cable routing is required. This includes planning for cable trays, separating data and power, and assessing the capacity of the main switchboard. You will need to determine if there is space for additional circuit breakers and plan for cable entry points into the building.
Wirepas: Install battery powered anchors in minutes.
Most Wirepas anchors are battery-powered and require no cabling, simplifying installation. The system typically needs minimal gateways—often just one in each area—to offload data to the network, significantly reducing both cost and the time spent designing the installation architecture.
Wirepas anchors offer an alternative that provides just as much accuracy for a fraction of the cost and time required compared to a traditional Wi-Fi based hazardous area tracking solution.
Meet the Extronics Wirepas RTLS
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