Base Station

A fixed infrastructure component communicating with mobile tags and relaying information to the central system. Performs functions including receiving/interrogating tags, timestamping signals, forwarding data, and synchronizing with other stations. Requires reliable power and network connectivity. Hardened for harsh environments with appropriate IP ratings and temperature ranges.

Central infrastructure component that coordinates RTLS network operations, manages tag communications, and performs position calculations. In industrial deployments, base stations typically run on industrial PCs or rack-mounted servers (8-32GB RAM, multi-core processors) and connect to field devices via Ethernet (preferred) or Wi-Fi. Base station responsibilities include: synchronizing infrastructure timing (critical for TDoA systems requiring nanosecond precision), aggregating tag signals from multiple receivers, executing positioning algorithms (trilateration, fingerprinting), managing tag configurations and firmware updates, and serving data to application layer. Redundant base station configurations ensure high availability (dual servers with automatic failover, achieving 99.9%+ uptime). Processing capacity determines maximum system scale - industrial base stations typically handle 500-5000 tags with 1-10 Hz update rates. Network latency between base station and field devices should remain under 20ms for optimal real-time performance.