Hello Nordic Team,
I am currently investigating the feasibility of building an RTLS (Real-Time Location System) based on trilateration using the new Bluetooth Channel Sounding (CS) feature with the nRF54L15 series.
Our target environment requires deploying around 15 fixed Anchors (acting as CS Initiators) to track the precise X-Y locations of 100+ mobile Tags (acting as CS Reflectors).
I understand that according to the Bluetooth 6.0 specification, Channel Sounding is strictly connection-oriented, requiring an active, paired, and encrypted connection between the Initiator and the Reflector. Given this requirement, I have concerns about the scalability and latency of trilaterating 100+ moving tags.
Could you please share your insights on the following points:
-
Feasibility: Is it practically feasible to manage 100+ Reflectors with 15 Initiators purely using Channel Sounding for trilateration?
-
Architecture Approach: What would be the recommended connection topology for this scale?
-
Should a single tag maintain simultaneous connections with at least 3 Anchors to perform trilateration?
-
Or should the system rely on a "round-robin" approach where a tag connects, measures, disconnects, and hops to the next Anchor?
-
-
Latency for Moving Tags: If we use a round-robin approach, how would the connection/pairing overhead affect the latency? Would the measurement delay cause significant accuracy drops for tags that are in motion?
-
Alternative/Hybrid Solutions: Considering the connection bottleneck, would you recommend relying solely on CS for this scale, or would a hybrid approach (e.g., combining connectionless AoA for general tracking and CS for specific high-security proximity checks) be more suitable?
Any guidance, reference architectures, or performance estimations you could provide regarding nRF54L15's capabilities in such a high-density scenario would be highly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Best regards,