The location engine embedded in Texas Instruments (TI) ZigBee RF devices compares with a similar GPS system that works indoors. The RF infrastructure in ZigBee networks assists in calculating the position of assets or people. Compared with GPS, the location engine is integrated in single chip RF transceivers with MCU at less than 10 percent of the cost--and a fraction of the power consumption of GPS hardware.
Imagine yourself running into the shopping mall, desperately looking for the perfect birthday gift for your spouse. Where do you start? You simply pull up your mobile phone or PDA to search for gift ideas. Your mobile device displays a map of the mall with directions on where to go. As you move through the mall, it displays items of interest.
RF technology makes this scenario possible. The location engine embedded in Texas Instruments (TI) ZigBee RF devices compares with a similar GPS system that works indoors. The RF infrastructure in ZigBee networks assists in calculating the position of asses or people. Compared with GPS, the location engine is integrated in single chip RF transceivers with MCU at less than 10 percent of the cost - and a fraction of the power consumption of GPS hardware. With a ZigBee network in place, the technology works both indoors and outdoors without any need for free line-of-sight to the sky.
