Combining Bluetooth and Ultrasound for Precise, Cost‑Effective Real‑Time Location Tracking

Innovation is often sparked by a mix of legal, ethical, environmental, cultural and technological forces. At Link Labs, we harnessed that mix to craft AirFinder’s groundbreaking fusion of Bluetooth and ultrasound, delivering unmatched RTLS performance across hospitality, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Balancing regulatory demands with the need for room‑level precision drove Link Labs’ engineers to refine an already trusted Real‑Time Location System (RTLS) that serves a broad range of sectors, from hospitality and healthcare to manufacturing.

Today, businesses in these industries rely on AirFinder to meet compliance mandates while slashing tracking costs through a more accurate and streamlined solution.

Elevating RTLS Accuracy with Ultrasound

Indoor asset tracking typically relies on passive or active tags. Passive tags—such as barcodes, QR codes or passive RFID—require external readers and can be costly to deploy. Active RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags, on the other hand, enable real‑time monitoring.

Bluetooth tags deliver accuracy between 1 m and 10 m (3 to 32 ft), depending on the underlying infrastructure. Achieving higher precision demands more beacons and a denser network, which inflates both upfront and ongoing expenses.

Because Bluetooth signals penetrate walls, a beacon positioned on the other side of a partition can misidentify an asset’s room. For scenarios that demand room‑level certainty—such as a hospitality staff member pressing a panic button—this limitation can be unacceptable. Scaling the BLE network to meet that requirement quickly becomes cost‑prohibitive.

Link Labs solved this dilemma by marrying Bluetooth with ultrasound in a single, patented tag. Ultrasound waves are absorbed by walls, allowing the tag to pinpoint its location within a room without the need for additional infrastructure. The hybrid approach delivers room‑level accuracy while keeping costs low.

From the moment hospitality operators demanded a room‑level solution, Link Labs engineers developed the combination of ultrasound and Bluetooth. We continue to innovate, addressing new challenges in RTLS accuracy and delivering scalable, problem‑solving solutions for asset tracking.

Just‑Right Precision®

Choosing the right level of precision—and the associated ROI—is a critical first step in selecting an RTLS solution. We help you assess the value of various tag types and infrastructure configurations, ensuring you only invest in the accuracy your operations truly require.

When deployed strategically, Bluetooth and ultrasound work in tandem to reinforce each other’s strengths. Need ultrasound tags for some assets but BLE tags for others? AirFinder’s interoperability lets you mix and match without complexity.

What Sets AirFinder RTLS Apart?

AirFinder runs on its own network layer, independent of your internal Wi‑Fi. This separation keeps IT integration straightforward and guarantees that critical alerts never depend on an overloaded system.

Battery longevity is a key factor in maintaining an RTLS. Because the infrastructure itself typically doesn’t rely on batteries, maintenance costs stay low. Our patented battery‑management firmware extends tag life to years, and the AirFinder platform provides real‑time monitoring and control for all tag types.

Link Labs is not a hardware manufacturer; for standard BLE tags we use off‑the‑shelf components updated with our firmware, keeping your costs down while offering the scalability you need. The true value of an RTLS lies not only in location data but also in the alerts, reporting and analytics that drive operational efficiencies and tangible ROI.

In Summary

Partnering with Link Labs empowers customers to boost RTLS accuracy and reduce costs across IoT deployments. The unique blend of Bluetooth and ultrasound in AirFinder delivers precise, room‑level location data at a fraction of the price of traditional solutions.

Interested in how this technology can transform your operations? Contact us today to explore the possibilities.