Ultra-Wideband (UWB) (2026): RTLS, Radar Sensing, Standards & Vendors

What Is Ultra-Wideband?

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a short-range radio technology that transmits ultra-short pulses across a wide spectrum and measures time of flight between anchors and tags to find both the distance and the direction between devices, with centimetre-level accuracy. Because it was designed for ranging, it stays accurate in crowded, interference-heavy places and can work in non-line-of-sight conditions. UWB also works as radar: reflected pulses can reveal breathing and heartbeat micro-motions without wearables. Its secure ranging uses encrypted timestamp sequences (STS) and AES-based cryptography to resist spoofing and relay attacks. In hospitals, the source article describes UWB for patient and staff tracking, contactless vital-signs monitoring, asset and equipment visibility, and indoor navigation.

Standards, Consortia & Platforms

4 entries

Standards and ecosystems that make UWB devices interoperable.

01IEEE 802.15 Task Group 4The IEEE 802.15.4 working group for low-rate wireless networks; the standard's UWB physical layers and secure-ranging amendments underpin interoperable UWB. 02FiRa ConsortiumIndustry consortium that promotes interoperable UWB for secure fine ranging and sensing. 03Car Connectivity ConsortiumStandards body behind Digital Key, which uses UWB among other technologies for phone-to-car access. 04Apple Nearby InteractionApple developer framework for building experiences based on the distance and direction between nearby devices, including those with UWB chips.

UWB Chips & Silicon

2 entries

Semiconductor vendors supplying UWB radios.

05QorvoSemiconductor company, now part of Skyworks, that sponsored the source article; supplies UWB solutions for location and sensing. 06NXP SemiconductorsSemiconductor vendor that supplies UWB chips for secure ranging in phones, cars and IoT devices.

UWB RTLS & Location Vendors

5 entries

Real-time location systems and positioning platforms built on UWB.

07PozyxUWB-based real-time location system for tracking people and assets indoors. 08UbisenseReal-time location systems using UWB for industrial and enterprise tracking. 09SewioUWB real-time location system and software for asset and personnel tracking. 10KinexonReal-time location and sensor technology used in sports, industry and healthcare. 11Zebra Technologies Location TechnologiesZebra's location technologies for tracking assets and people in enterprises.

Enterprise Wi-Fi with Built-in UWB

2 entries

Access points that co-locate UWB radios with Wi-Fi, so location services need no separate network.

12Juniper MistJuniper's Mist ecosystem, named in the source article as an early example of UWB radios integrated with Wi-Fi infrastructure. 13CiscoCisco's Wi-Fi 7 Catalyst access points, named in the source article, integrate UWB radios for precision location.

Source

1 entry

The article this page is based on.

14UWB in the Enterprise Hospital: Enabling Precision-Aware Patient Care (Wevolver)Article by Jake Hertz, published 8 January 2026 and sponsored by Qorvo, on UWB for hospital location, radar sensing, asset tracking, navigation and security.

5 entries

Related research directories on this site.

15Internet of Things (IoT)Hub for the Internet of Things in 2026: IoT platforms and device management, analytics, MQTT brokers, 5G and LoRaWAN connectivity, industrial IoT, digital… 16Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) directory: connected devices, remote monitoring, FHIR and DICOM, IEC 62304 and ISO 14971, device security, medical AI, regulators. 17Sensor TechnologyHub for sensor technology in 2026: sensor types, manufacturers, applications across industries, learning resources, sensor data fusion and links to IoT. 18RFID ResourcesCurated RFID hub: FAQs, solution providers, DIY projects, industry news and research papers on radio-frequency identification technology. 19Hardware EngineeringHub of 59 hardware engineering directories for 2026: semiconductors, processors, embedded systems, sensors, robotics, IoT, data center, storage and networking hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ultra-wideband (UWB)?

UWB is a short-range radio technology that sends ultra-short pulses over a wide spectrum and measures time of flight to find the distance and direction between devices with centimetre-level accuracy. It is used for real-time location, secure access and radar sensing.

How is UWB different from Wi-Fi, BLE and RFID for location?

Wi-Fi triangulation, BLE beacons and RFID tags usually locate things to within a few metres, because they were built for other purposes and retrofitted for location. UWB was designed for ranging, so it can tell which room or closet an item is in, and it keeps accuracy through walls and clutter.

How is UWB used in hospitals?

The source article describes tracking patients and staff to the centimetre, alerting when a dementia patient leaves a secure area, contactless breathing and heart-rate monitoring with UWB radar, finding equipment such as ventilators in seconds, and indoor navigation for patients, visitors and mobile robots.

Is UWB secure?

UWB secure ranging uses encrypted timestamp sequences (STS) and AES-based cryptography to protect against spoofing and relay attacks, which the source article says helps it meet healthcare security requirements.

Do hospitals need a separate network for UWB?

Not necessarily. Vendors such as Cisco and Juniper are embedding UWB radios into Wi-Fi access points, and phones and wearables already ship with UWB chips. A hybrid design can use Wi-Fi for coverage and connectivity and UWB for the fine positioning layer.