Glossary

BASICS

Asset

A piece of equipment, tool, container, or item whose location and availability matter to daily operations, for example in manufacturing, logistics, or on a construction site.

Asset Tracking

The automated capture and monitoring of an asset's location, availability, and usage, typically using RFID, GPS, or other sensor technologies. The goal is to always know where an asset is, whether it's available, and how often it's used, without manual searching.

IoT (Internet of Things)

The connection of physical devices and objects via the internet or wireless networks so they can send, receive, and exchange data automatically, usually without manual input. Sensors, tags, and readers that capture location or status data on their own and transmit it to software are typical examples. Asset tracking is one of the best-known IoT applications in day-to-day operations.

RTLS (Real-Time Location System)

A system for determining the real-time location of objects or people within a defined area, such as a warehouse or production floor. RTLS rely on technologies like RFID, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or UWB (Ultra-Wideband) to continuously capture position, movement, and dwell time and display them on a map.

Zone-Level Localisation

Determining which zone or area an asset is currently in, rather than pinpointing an exact coordinate to the centimetre. Many RTLS deployments deliver only this coarser level of precision on purpose, since it's enough for most operational questions, such as whether a pallet is still in a particular hall, and it's cheaper to implement than a centimetre-precise solution like UWB.

Track & Trace

The monitoring of objects along their entire journey: both their current position (tracking) and the history of past locations and movements (tracing). This makes it possible not only to say where an asset is right now, but also what path it took to get there.

Inventory / Stocktaking

The process of recording an asset count and reconciling it against target figures, traditionally done with a clipboard or spreadsheet. With asset tracking, this reconciliation happens automatically and continuously instead of once a year, so discrepancies surface immediately instead of at the next manual count.

Utilisation Rate

A metric showing how often or how long an asset is actually in use relative to its availability. A low utilisation rate reveals equipment sitting idle and helps avoid unnecessary purchases.

Plug and Play

A solution that's ready to use right away, without lengthy installation or changes to existing infrastructure. Track Boxes and RFID tags can be put into operation without running cables or rebuilding existing systems.

TECHNOLOGY

RFID

Radio Frequency Identification - a technology that transfers data wirelessly via radio waves between a tag (transponder) and a reader, with no line of sight required. Passive tags draw their power from the reader's radio signal and carry no battery; active tags have their own battery and a longer range.

Barcode vs. RFID

Barcodes have to be scanned one at a time and in direct line of sight; a hidden or dirty code can't be read. RFID tags, by contrast, are detected without contact or line of sight, even through packaging or material, and multiple tags can be read at once instead of one by one.

NFC vs. RFID

NFC (Near Field Communication) only works over a few centimetres and is designed for direct one-to-one contact, such as holding a smartphone up to a tag. RFID in an asset tracking context has a range of several metres and reads many tags at once from a distance, built for capturing entire inventories rather than single objects.

LF, HF, UHF (RFID Frequency Bands)

RFID operates in different frequency ranges depending on the application. LF (Low Frequency) has a short range but is robust around metal and liquids. HF (High Frequency) offers medium range and underlies NFC, among other things. UHF (Ultra High Frequency) achieves the longest range, several meters, and reads multiple tags at once.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

A satellite-based system for determining location outdoors. For asset tracking, GPS works well outside buildings, for vehicles or construction-site equipment, for example, but it can't reliably provide a position indoors since satellite signals don't get through. Indoors, RFID, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or UWB take over instead.

UWB (Ultra-Wideband)

A radio technology that sends very short pulses across a wide frequency spectrum, making it possible to pinpoint a location to within a few centimetres. UWB is used in RTLS when especially precise location data is needed, for example to pin down a single tool to an exact shelf slot.

HARDWARE

RFID Tag (Transponder)

A small chip with an antenna that's attached to an asset and can be read wirelessly by RFID readers. Passive tags draw their power from the reader's radio signal, carry no battery, and are therefore maintenance-free, ideal for permanent use on tools, containers, or machinery.

Track Box

A mobile capture unit that automatically registers RFID tags within range and transmits their location to software in real time. It requires no fixed wiring, so it can be placed flexibly wherever assets actually move.

Track Box vs. Conventional RFID Reader

Conventional RFID readers are usually installed in a fixed location and require wiring and a permanent power supply, making them well suited to fixed read points such as gates or doorways. A Track Box, by contrast, is mobile, battery- or solar-powered, and can be mounted flexibly without any fixed infrastructure, for example on vehicles or at changing locations.

SOFTWARE & INTEGRATION

ERP/WMS/MES Integration

Connecting an asset tracking solution to existing enterprise systems so that location and usage data arrives there automatically, without being entered a second time by hand. An ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning, e.g., SAP) manages resources, orders, and finances across the company. A WMS (Warehouse Management System) monitors and controls production in real time, right on the machines and equipment. Through interfaces (APIs), asset data flows directly into these systems and becomes available there for reporting and processes.

API / Interface

A defined connection point through which two software systems exchange data automatically, without anyone entering values by hand. Through an API, for example, Track Box software can pass location and usage data directly to an ERP or WMS system.

Cloud Software (SaaS)

Software delivered centrally over the internet rather than run on a company's own servers (Software-as-as-Service). This makes updates, maintenance, and access from multiple locations possible without having to operate in-house IT infrastructure.