BLE vs UWB Asset Tracking
BLE provides 4-6 meter zone-level accuracy at $1-5 per tag per month. UWB provides sub-meter precision at $10-30 per tag per month with more expensive infrastructure. Most facilities do not need sub-meter accuracy everywhere. A hybrid approach, BLE facility-wide and UWB in high-precision zones, gives you both without overspending.
CEO at Sandhed.
| Feature | BLE | UWB |
|---|---|---|
| Position accuracy | 4-6 meters zone-level. Sub-3 meters with professional site survey in specific zones. | 10-30 centimeters. Consistent sub-meter accuracy across the deployment area. |
| Monthly cost per tag | $1-5/tag/month depending on vendor and cadence. Sandhed Track starts at $1.10. | $10-30/tag/month. Infrastructure cost per square meter is also higher. |
| Tag battery life | 2-7 years depending on update frequency. BLE is inherently power-efficient. | 6-18 months typical. UWB ranging draws significantly more power. |
| Infrastructure cost | Anchors $50-150 each. Coverage radius ~20m. Lower density required. | Anchors $300-1,000+ each. Coverage radius ~15m. Higher density required. |
| Installation complexity | Self-install possible. Mount anchors, power on, scan tags. | Professional site survey and calibration typically required. |
| Best for | Zone-level tracking: pallets, tools, equipment, general asset visibility. | Precision tracking: AGVs, robotic arms, surgical equipment, assembly line positioning. |
| Tag size | Coin-cell powered, small form factor. Easy to attach to any asset. | Larger form factor due to UWB radio and battery. Some tags require rechargeable batteries. |
The Accuracy Question
Most indoor tracking use cases need zone-level accuracy, not centimeter precision. Knowing that a pallet is in Aisle 7 is useful. Knowing it is at coordinates (14.238, 7.412) is not, unless you are guiding a robot to it.
The indoor tracking market has long conflated accuracy with value. UWB vendors lead with sub-meter specs because precision is easy to demonstrate and hard to argue against. But precision costs money, and most facilities do not need it everywhere.
A warehouse tracking 2,000 pallets needs to know which zone or aisle each pallet occupies. A 4-6 meter BLE accuracy answers that question at $1.10/tag/month. Deploying UWB for the same purpose would cost 10-20x more monthly with significantly higher infrastructure spend.
The exception is automation. If you are guiding AGVs, coordinating robotic pick arms, or tracking assets on a moving assembly line, sub-meter accuracy is genuinely necessary. UWB is the right choice for those specific zones.
The practical approach is to match accuracy to the use case, not deploy the most precise technology uniformly across the entire facility.
Total Cost of Ownership
A 10,000 m² facility with 500 tracked assets costs roughly $120,000/year with UWB versus $15,000-$30,000/year with BLE. The 4-8x cost difference comes from hardware, infrastructure density, installation services, and per-tag subscription fees.
UWB infrastructure costs more per square meter because anchors are more expensive ($300-$1,000+ versus $50-$150 for BLE) and require higher density. A 10,000 m² facility needs roughly 25-30 UWB anchors versus 15-20 BLE anchors.
Tag hardware costs differ by 2-5x. BLE tags like Sandhed Track start at $19 with a coin-cell battery lasting 2-7 years. UWB tags typically cost $50-$150 with batteries lasting 6-18 months, creating ongoing replacement costs.
Installation adds another cost layer. UWB deployments require professional site surveys, anchor calibration, and ongoing maintenance of the precision model. BLE deployments can be self-installed in hours.
Monthly subscription fees reflect the infrastructure difference. BLE tracking from Sandhed Track runs $1.10-$3.49/tag/month. UWB platforms typically charge $10-$30/tag/month.
The Hybrid Approach
Deploy BLE facility-wide for general asset visibility. Add UWB anchors only in zones that genuinely need sub-meter precision. This gives you the coverage of BLE and the accuracy of UWB where it matters, at a fraction of full UWB deployment cost.
Sandhed Track is designed for this hybrid model. The Sandhed platform supports both BLE (via Sandhed Track) and UWB (via Quuppa, Ubisense) on the same floor plan and in the same analytics views.
A typical hybrid deployment might cover 90% of a facility with BLE for general asset tracking at $1.10/tag/month. The remaining 10%, perhaps an automated storage area or a precision assembly zone, gets UWB coverage for sub-meter positioning.
The key advantage is that you do not need to choose one technology for the entire facility. Start with BLE everywhere. Add UWB to specific zones when a concrete use case justifies the precision premium. No replatforming, no data migration, no separate dashboards.
This approach also avoids premature infrastructure investment. Many facilities deploy UWB everywhere in year one, then discover that only 2-3 zones actually needed that level of precision.
Decision Framework
Choose BLE if your primary goal is asset visibility and inventory awareness. Choose UWB if you are automating material handling or need to comply with centimeter-level tracking regulations. Choose hybrid if you have a mix of both needs.
Start with the question: what decision will this position data inform? If the answer is finding assets, understanding zone utilization, or tracking dwell times, BLE is sufficient and dramatically cheaper.
If the answer is guiding autonomous vehicles, coordinating robotic operations, or meeting regulatory requirements for precise asset location in cleanrooms, UWB is justified for those specific areas.
For most facilities, the answer is a mix. General operations benefit from BLE visibility. Specific automation or compliance zones benefit from UWB precision. The right architecture supports both on the same platform.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with BLE. Add UWB when you need it.
Deploy Sandhed Track for facility-wide BLE tracking at $1.10/tag/month. Add UWB to specific zones later without replatforming.