WASP: A System and Algorithms for Accurate Radio Localization Using Low-Cost Hardware

In this paper, we present a low-cost wireless sensor network platform, called wireless ad hoc system for positioning (WASP), that has been developed for high-accuracy localization and tracking. This platform uses the time of arrival (TOA) of beacon signals periodically transmitted by the nodes at known times for localization. The system was designed to have a unique tradeoff between hardware complexity and processing complexity to provide high accuracy at minimal cost in complex radio propagation environments. To enable the system to perform well in realistic environments, it was also necessary to develop novel extensions to existing algorithms for the measurement of TOA, localization, and tracking. In this paper, we describe the architecture, hardware, and algorithms of WASP and present results based on field trials conducted in different radio propagation environments. The results show that WASP achieves a ranging accuracy of 0.15 m outdoors and 0.5 m indoors when around 12 anchor nodes are used. These accuracies are achieved with operating range of up to 200 m outdoors and 30 m indoors. This compares favorably to other published results for systems operating in realistic environments.