Capacity

The maximum number of tags, assets, or transactions an RTLS can reliably track simultaneously without performance degradation. Encompasses tag capacity, update rate capacity, peak throughput, data storage, and concurrent users. Limitations arise from network bandwidth, processing power, database performance, and wireless spectrum. Exceeding capacity causes missed updates, increased latency, and system instability.

Maximum number of tags or position updates that an RTLS system can support simultaneously. System capacity depends on multiple factors: infrastructure processing power (base station CPU/memory limiting position calculations per second), network bandwidth (Ethernet typically non-limiting, Wi-Fi can constrain), wireless channel capacity (UWB channels support 50-200 tag updates per second per anchor depending on configuration), and application layer database/API throughput.

Typical industrial RTLS capacity: small systems 50-200 tags, medium 200-1000 tags, large 1000-5000 tags, and enterprise-scale systems 5000-50000 tags across multiple facilities. Update rate significantly impacts capacity - system supporting 1000 tags at 1 Hz may only support 200 tags at 5 Hz due to processing constraints. When approaching capacity limits (typically 70-80% of rated capacity), symptoms include increased latency, missed position updates, and system instability. Proper capacity planning requires understanding not just average tag count but peak concurrent tag counts and required update rates for each application zone.