How UWB Technology is Revolutionizing Indoor Asset Tracking in 2026

The Rise of Ultra-Wideband in Industrial Asset Tracking

The demand for precise indoor positioning has never been higher. As warehouses grow larger, manufacturing lines become more complex, and hospitals need to locate critical equipment instantly, traditional tracking methods fall short. Enter Ultra-Wideband (UWB) — the technology delivering centimeter-level accuracy where GPS simply cannot reach.

Why UWB Matters Now

Unlike BLE beacons that offer room-level accuracy (3–5 meters), UWB achieves 10–30 centimeter precision using time-of-flight ranging. This leap in accuracy unlocks use cases that were previously impossible:

• Tool tracking on manufacturing floors: Know exactly which workstation a torque wrench is at, not just which building
• AGV navigation: Autonomous guided vehicles require sub-meter precision to safely navigate between racks
• Collision avoidance: Real-time worker-to-forklift proximity alerts that actually work
• Compliance zones: Verify that hazardous materials stay within designated areas

UWB + RFID: The Best of Both Worlds

At Intensecomp, we’ve learned that no single technology solves every tracking challenge. That’s why Inventrack 6.0 supports a multi-technology approach:

Technology	Best For	Accuracy	Range
UWB	High-value tools, AGVs, personnel	10–30 cm	50–100m
Passive RFID	Bulk inventory, pallets, cases	Portal-level	1–10m
BLE 5.0	Zone presence, environmental sensors	1–3m	30–75m
LoRaWAN	Environmental monitoring, outdoor	Zone-level	1–15km

The key is deploying the right technology for each use case. A pharmaceutical warehouse might use RFID portals at dock doors, UWB tags on high-value temperature-sensitive shipments, and LoRaWAN sensors for cold chain monitoring — all feeding into one unified Inventrack dashboard.

Real-World Deployment: Automotive Parts Manufacturer

One of our automotive customers tracks over 12,000 specialized tools across three production halls. Before UWB, technicians spent an average of 18 minutes per shift searching for tools. After deploying Inventrack with UWB:

• Tool search time dropped to under 30 seconds
• Missing tool incidents decreased by 94%
• Production line downtime due to missing tools fell by 87%
• Annual savings exceeded SGD 1.2 million

The UWB anchors were installed on the ceiling grid at 15-meter intervals, with small UWB tags attached to each tool. Inventrack’s 3D floor map shows the precise location of every tagged tool in real time, with movement history and geo-fence alerts.

Getting Started with UWB

Deploying UWB doesn’t require replacing your existing RFID infrastructure. Inventrack 6.0 treats all tracking technologies as inputs to a single asset intelligence layer. You can:

1. Start small — pilot with 50–100 UWB tags in one critical zone
2. Layer on existing RFID — keep your portal-based inventory tracking
3. Scale gradually — add anchors and tags as ROI is proven

What’s Next

With the upcoming IEEE 802.15.4z standard gaining broader chipset support, UWB hardware costs are dropping rapidly. We expect UWB tags to reach price parity with active BLE beacons by late 2026, making centimeter-level tracking accessible for mid-market deployments.

If your operations demand precision beyond what RFID alone can deliver, UWB is no longer a futuristic proposition — it’s a proven, deployable solution today.

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Want to see UWB tracking in action? Contact us for a live demo of Inventrack 6.0’s multi-technology tracking capabilities.