User's Manual

Introduction | 5
Introduction
The AeroScout Location Receiver is a component of the AeroScout
Wireless LAN Location Platform. AeroScout’s expertise in wireless signal
measurement has lead to the development of a range of patent-pending
algorithms and techniques embedded in the Location Receiver. These
measure the time of arrival (TOA) of standard 802.11b messages to the
nanosecond. The AeroScout Positioning Server processes the TOA data to
produce accurate location information suitable for mission-critical
applications. Each Location Receiver can process over 300 location
measurements per second, enough to satisfy even the most demanding
applications. In addition to TDOA positioning, the Location Receivers can
also supply signal strength information required for RSSI based location
calculation.
AeroScout Location Receivers are capable of locating:
• AeroScout Tags - small, battery-powered Wi-Fi based tags that can
be used to track people and a variety of assets.
• Standard Wi-Fi clients - laptops, PDAs, barcode scanners and other
wireless devices without the need for any hardware or software
modifications.
Location Receivers communicate with the AeroScout Engine via standard
Ethernet or wirelessly, over a Wi-Fi™ network. No dedicated location
network cabling is required. Location Receivers also support Power over
Ethernet, eliminating costly electrical installation.
The Location Receiver units do not interfere with the wireless local area
network. Even when set up with a bridge to provide location-measurement
data wirelessly, the volume of traffic the Location Receivers generates is
insignificant.
Location Receiver Hardware
The AeroScout Location Receiver includes a Wi-Fi radio module, a
powerful TOA processor and a Low Frequency transmitter module.
Approximately the size of a small access point, Location Receivers include
two external antenna connectors, a DC input power connector and an
Ethernet + Power over Ethernet adaptor.
The Location Receiver can also be connected to a wireless LAN bridge.
Such a configuration is suitable for locations where a wired LAN
connection is not available.