For a direction-finding design, we evaluate Nordic's nRF52833 and the nRF5340, both listed by Nordic for Bluetooth Direction Finding. The nRF52833 suits compact tags or locators; the dual-core nRF5340 offers processing headroom. Final selection depends on radio role, power, availability, firmware support, and qualification.

Chip-family names alone are insufficient. The popular nRF52840 is useful in many BLE products, but Nordic does not list it as a direction-finding SoC.

An earlier project using an nRF52840 device thus shows transferable work related to BLE products, as opposed to evidence of nRF52840 device support for AoA/AoD. We check the SoC, PCB, SDK version, controller features, and antenna-switch connections before setting up the BOM.

nRF Connect SDK from Nordic and Zephyr direction-finding examples serve as a practical basis for CTE transmission and reception as well as I/Q data collection.

Production firmware requires configuration data storage, diagnosis, secure updates, power management, and a reliable mechanism for transmitting measurements from each beacon to the position service.

The application must also record antenna-switch patterns and calibration versions; changing either without updating the estimator can quietly corrupt angle results.

In a warehouse, AoA locators can help staff find returnable containers, shared tools, or mobile equipment. The first useful goal might be reliable zone identification rather than continuously drawing a dot on every shelf.

In a hospital, an equipment-finding application can reduce time spent hunting for pumps or wheelchairs, provided coverage, privacy rules, and cleaning workflows are addressed.

For factories, tagged carts or work-in-progress items can trigger arrival and departure events at stations. Here, false transitions may matter more than median position error.

AoD is the solution for wayfinding equipment that truly carries out the measurements from the receiving side, such as specialized handheld devices. Instead of presuming that all mobile phones use direction finding capabilities, we investigate the fleet of devices actually utilized by the users.

Outdoor GPS navigates by means of satellites, while indoor Bluetooth RTLS navigates via signal from transmitters. A hybrid solution may utilize GNSS for outdoor navigation and Bluetooth Low Energy for indoor navigation, but an indoor AoA setup does not turn into a worldwide device even if both systems provide location information.

We first document the site's floor plans, asset types, expected movement, mounting restrictions, network access, and business events. The acceptance test defines a measurable outcome: for example, whether staff can reliably identify the correct room or find an item within a specified time.

We agree on update intervals, battery targets, and the acceptable fraction of missed or incorrect zone events before selecting hardware.

Next, a pilot captures observations at reference points and along realistic routes. We compare predictions with ground truth, inspect error by area, and repeat tests during normal operation.

If the RF environment makes the target unreliable, we change locator placement, adjust requirements, or consider another technology. After the pilot meets agreed criteria, we specify installation and maintenance procedures.