There is a new standard in WiFi called 802.11ac and referred to as 5G WiFi. This is important because the speeds at which data can be transferred have in part enabled this WiFi to be greater used for indoor positioning.
WiFi Speed Development
An American technology firm, Broadcom, have announced what they claim is the 5G WiFi (802.11ac) SoC (System-on-Chip) to deliver sub-metre indoor positioning technology.
This technical breakthrough is possible because the technology operates using FTM (Fine Timing Measurement). Previous versions of indoor positioning relied on RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator, where signal strength and performance can vary depending on environmental factors such as crowd density or temperature.
Translated into the real world this means that handheld navigational devices, no doubt first appearing in our smartphones – both Samsung and apple are known to be working with this technology in a race to bring a mobile phone with the capability to market first, will be able to locate you location very accurately in large public spaces, such as shopping malls, hospitals, sports venues etc.
