MaUWB for Home Assistant: UWB Positioning, Industrial RTLS, and the Role of W5500 Ethernet

Ultra-Wideband, or UWB, is increasingly appearing in smartphones, digital car keys, asset trackers, smart buildings, factories, and warehouse automation.

But UWB is not simply another wireless communication technology.

While technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are commonly used to connect devices and transfer data, one of UWB's most important strengths is its ability to answer a different question:

Where is the device, and how far away is it?

Makerfabs' MaUWB for Home Assistant is an interesting example of how UWB positioning can be combined with a conventional IP network.

The product combines:

ESP32-S3

STM32/DW3000-based MaUWB subsystem

WIZnet W5500 Ethernet

PoE

ESPHome

Home Assistant

The interesting part for WIZnet users is not simply that a W5500 has been added to another ESP32 board.

It is the architecture behind the product:

UWB provides ranging and positioning information, while Ethernet provides the fixed network path that carries that information into an automation or application system.

What Is UWB?

Ultra-Wideband is a short-range wireless technology that uses a very wide radio bandwidth.

The FiRa Consortium describes UWB systems as using channel bandwidths of 500 MHz or more. This wide bandwidth enables very precise timing measurements.

Instead of estimating distance primarily from received signal strength, UWB ranging can measure the Time of Flight (ToF) of radio signals between devices.

Because radio waves travel at approximately the speed of light, accurately measuring this travel time makes it possible to estimate the distance between two UWB devices.

Depending on the implementation and environment, UWB systems can provide centimeter-level ranging or positioning accuracy.

This capability has made UWB particularly interesting for applications such as:

Indoor positioning

Asset tracking

Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS)

Digital car keys

Access control

Personnel tracking

AGV and robot localization

Industrial safety

Smart home automation

Device finding

UWB is therefore less interesting as a replacement for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth data networking than as a technology for adding spatial awareness to connected systems.

How UWB Is Actually Used

A common industrial UWB RTLS deployment can be understood using four basic elements:

UWB Tag → UWB Anchors → Positioning / Location Engine → Application

The exact architecture varies depending on the ranging method and system design, but this is a useful model for understanding many real deployments.

UWB Tags

Tags are attached to things that move.

For example:

Workers

Forklifts

AGVs

Pallets

Containers

Tools

Production equipment

Medical equipment

Vehicles

The tag exchanges UWB ranging signals with surrounding UWB infrastructure.

UWB Anchors

Anchors are normally installed at known or fixed locations around the monitored area.

They may be installed on:

Factory walls

Warehouse ceilings

Production lines

Building structures

Loading areas

Logistics facilities

Multiple anchors allow the system to derive the position of a moving tag.

Positioning or Location Engine

Ranging information is converted into useful location information.

Depending on the system architecture, ranging and position calculations may take place on the tag, anchor, gateway, edge computer, or localization server.

The result might look like:

Forklift 17 → X: 24.3 m, Y: 16.8 m

or:

Pallet A123 → Welding Buffer Area

Application Layer

Location information can then be consumed by business or automation software.

For example:

UWB Tags
→ UWB Infrastructure
→ Network
→ RTLS Server
→ MES / WMS / ERP / Digital Twin / Home Assistant

This final step is important.

The value of UWB is not simply that it can measure distance.

The value appears when the physical location and movement of people, machines, and materials become information that software can understand and act on.

How UWB Is Being Used in Industry

UWB-based location technology is already being applied in manufacturing, logistics, warehouse automation, and safety systems.

Several published deployments show what this looks like in practice.

Manufacturing: Tracking Work in Progress

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech Republic has used a UWB-based RTLS deployment to monitor material flow between its press and welding operations.

According to a case study published by Sewio, pallets were tagged so that their positions could automatically feed an electronic Kanban system.

The case study reports that information lead time was reduced from approximately eight hours to one second and safety stock was reduced from eight hours to four hours.

The important idea is not the individual number, but the change in how manufacturing information is collected.

Instead of:

Material moves → employee scans or records it → system is updated

the process becomes:

Material moves → UWB detects its location → production system is updated

Location therefore becomes another type of production sensor data.

Smart Factory and Digital Twin

VELUX Modular Skylights provides another example.

A published Qorvo case study describes a UWB RTLS installation covering a 2,304-square-meter factory using 12 anchors and 59 tags.

The system tracked workers, forklifts, automated worktables, and work in progress.

The position information was used for applications including material delivery and production-flow visibility.

Qorvo reports that the project resulted in:

10% productivity improvement

50% improvement in maintenance performance

10% reduction in work in progress

This illustrates an important direction for industrial UWB.

UWB is not limited to answering:

“Where is my asset?”

When large amounts of location data are collected continuously, the same data can be used for:

Process analysis

Material-flow optimization

Spaghetti diagrams

Traffic analysis

Equipment utilization

Digital twins

Production optimization

Location becomes operational data.

Warehouse and Logistics

Another published example comes from Budweiser Budvar Brewery in the Czech Republic.

The brewery manages more than 20,000 pallets across indoor and outdoor facilities.

According to Qorvo's published case study, a UWB RTLS deployment used 70 anchors to cover approximately 15,000 square meters, with tags installed on 15 forklifts.

The reported system provided approximately 30 cm positioning accuracy in that deployment.

The position information could then be integrated with warehouse and ERP systems.

This type of application helps answer questions such as:

Where is a particular pallet?

Which forklift moved it?

How long did it remain in a particular area?

Which routes are frequently congested?

How efficiently is warehouse space being used?

Again, the value comes from converting physical movement into digital information.

UWB Is Expanding Beyond a Single Market

UWB is no longer limited to specialized industrial positioning systems.

It is being adopted across several device categories.

The FiRa Consortium's 2025 Annual Report, citing ABI Research, reports that annual shipments of UWB-enabled devices are projected to increase from 436 million devices in 2024 to nearly 1.4 billion devices in 2030.

The report includes UWB adoption across categories such as:

Cellular devices

Automotive

Wearables

IoT applications

Smart home

Consumer electronics

Networking

PCs and accessories

Connected home devices

This is an important change.

UWB is developing simultaneously in both consumer and infrastructure markets.

A smartphone may use UWB to find an object.

A vehicle may use it for a digital key.

A factory may use it to track pallets and forklifts.

A warehouse may use it to understand material flow.

And a smart home may use location information to create automations based not only on whether a device is connected, but also on where it is located.

From UWB Radio to Network Infrastructure

This creates an interesting system-design question.

UWB handles ranging very well.

But once a fixed UWB anchor has produced ranging or positioning information:

How should that information reach the rest of the system?

A fixed UWB infrastructure device still needs a connection to applications, servers, or controllers.

Possible backhaul technologies include:

Wi-Fi

Ethernet

Mesh networking

Other wireless networks

Ethernet becomes particularly interesting for permanently installed anchors.

A fixed anchor normally does not need to move, and an Ethernet cable can provide a dedicated network path without relying on Wi-Fi coverage for its backhaul connection.

If PoE is supported, the same installation cable can also provide power.

This is not merely theoretical.

Commercial UWB RTLS anchors listed by the FiRa Consortium include products offering Ethernet with PoE as one of their uplink options.

A useful infrastructure model is therefore:

Mobile UWB Tag
↓
UWB
↓
Fixed UWB Anchor
↓
Ethernet / PoE
↓
LAN
↓
RTLS / Automation / Cloud Application

This is also the architectural idea that makes Makerfabs' MaUWB for Home Assistant interesting.

Introducing MaUWB for Home Assistant

Makerfabs describes MaUWB for Home Assistant as an upgraded version of its earlier MaUWB ESP32-S3 UWB platform.

The original development platform already combined an ESP32-S3 with Makerfabs' MaUWB technology.

For the Home Assistant version, Makerfabs removed the OLED display and added:

W5500 Ethernet

PoE

Enclosure

Makerfabs specifically describes the product as being intended to make the design more suitable for field installation and positioning/RTLS projects.

Its published specifications include:

ESP32-S3

16 MB flash

8 MB PSRAM

Wi-Fi

BLE 5.0

W5500 Ethernet

PoE

MaUWB subsystem

Open hardware and firmware

Makerfabs also specifies a maximum UWB range of 500 m.

However, that value should be understood as a vendor-stated specification. The product page does not publish the antenna arrangement, environment, packet settings, test methodology, or measured dataset used to establish the 500 m figure.

Inside the MaUWB Architecture

The UWB and Ethernet functions are separated into different parts of the design.

Makerfabs describes its MaUWB architecture as combining:

STM32 + Qorvo DW3000-series UWB + PA/LNA

The STM32 handles UWB-related ranging tasks and communicates with the ESP32-S3.

The public Home Assistant configuration shows this communication occurring through UART.

The ESP32-S3 then handles the higher-level ESPHome and Home Assistant integration.

The W5500 provides the wired Ethernet connection.

The resulting architecture can be summarized as:

DW3000
→ STM32 / MaUWB
→ UART
→ ESP32-S3
→ W5500
→ Ethernet
→ ESPHome
→ Home Assistant

This separation is important.

The W5500 does not calculate the UWB distance or position.

It is also not part of the timing-critical UWB ranging process.

Its role is to provide the wired IP network interface between the ESP32-S3 and the LAN.

In other words:

UWB handles spatial information.
W5500 handles network connectivity.

Published W5500 Configuration

Makerfabs' published ESPHome configuration identifies the Ethernet controller as the W5500.

The configuration uses:

ethernet:
  type: W5500
  clk_pin: GPIO14
  mosi_pin: GPIO12
  miso_pin: GPIO13
  cs_pin: GPIO21
  interrupt_pin: GPIO47
  reset_pin: GPIO11

The MaUWB subsystem is separately connected to the ESP32-S3 through UART:

MaUWB UART TX: GPIO17
MaUWB UART RX: GPIO18
Baud rate: 115200

This makes the division between the two systems very clear:

UWB subsystem → UART → ESP32-S3

and

ESP32-S3 → SPI → W5500 → Ethernet

The UWB radio and the Ethernet interface therefore remain functionally independent.

Ethernet and PoE Change the Installation Model

The earlier MaUWB ESP32-S3 module already supports Wi-Fi and BLE.

The Home Assistant version adds Ethernet, PoE, and an enclosure.

This changes how the device can be installed.

A fixed positioning node can be connected directly to a wired LAN, while the same Ethernet connection can also be used as the power path when connected to compatible PoE infrastructure.

From a system-design perspective, this is particularly useful for equipment installed on:

Ceilings

Walls

Corridors

Production areas

Warehouses

Smart buildings

Instead of separately planning network connectivity and a local power adapter at every fixed node, PoE can allow both functions to share a single cable.

The available Makerfabs documentation confirms that the product supports Ethernet PoE.

However, it does not specify the PoE controller, IEEE PoE classification, available power budget, or measured conversion efficiency.

Those details should therefore not be assumed from the currently published documentation.

Connecting UWB to Home Assistant

Makerfabs also provides a Home Assistant implementation rather than only publishing the hardware.

Its example setup uses:

One HA_MaUWB device

Three MaUWB Direct devices

One tag

Multiple anchors

Raspberry Pi running Home Assistant and ESPHome

The HA_MaUWB device is connected to the Home Assistant network through Ethernet.

After firmware is flashed, the device receives an IP address and can be added through the Home Assistant ESPHome integration.

The complete positioning dashboard requires additional configuration.

Makerfabs' guide describes:

Configuring UWB device roles

Flashing the HA_MaUWB firmware

Connecting the HA_MaUWB to the router through Ethernet

Adding the device through the ESPHome integration

Installing the Plotly Graph Card through HACS

Adding the supplied UWB tools configuration

Creating helper entities

Configuring anchor coordinates and graph boundaries

Adding the positioning dashboard

This distinction is useful because simply adding the ESPHome device does not automatically create the complete positioning interface.

From Position to Automation

Home Assistant makes the MaUWB architecture interesting beyond simply displaying a distance value.

Once location becomes a Home Assistant entity, it can potentially become an input for automation logic.

For example, developers can experiment with concepts such as:

Person enters workspace
→ UWB detects position
→ Home Assistant triggers local automation

or:

Tracked device reaches a defined area
→ Position changes
→ Automation condition is evaluated

The Makerfabs example focuses on demonstrating positioning inside Home Assistant rather than presenting a complete industrial RTLS platform.

That distinction is important.

MaUWB for Home Assistant should not automatically be described as an industrial-certified RTLS product based on the currently available documentation.

Instead, it provides an accessible platform for experimenting with an architecture that is highly relevant to RTLS:

precise wireless ranging on the device side and wired networking on the infrastructure side.

Why This Product Is Interesting for WIZnet

For WIZnet users, the most interesting point is the system architecture rather than the UWB algorithm itself.

A common IoT architecture is:

Sensor
→ MCU
→ Network
→ Application

MaUWB adds spatial sensing to the same idea:

UWB ranging subsystem
→ ESP32-S3
→ W5500 Ethernet
→ Application

The radio technology and IP network each solve different problems.

UWB answers:

“Where is it?”

Ethernet answers:

“How does that information reach the application network?”

This pattern can potentially be applied to many other systems involving:

Industrial positioning

Robotics

AGV infrastructure

Warehouse tracking

Smart buildings

Access systems

Indoor navigation

Location-aware automation

The sensor or mobile side may be wireless, while the fixed infrastructure remains wired.

Open Hardware and Firmware

Makerfabs has published a public repository for the MaUWB Home Assistant project.

The repository contains hardware, software, and firmware directories.

Published resources include:

Hardware design files

Schematic

PCB files

Gerber files

Firmware

ESPHome configuration

MaUWB ESPHome component

Home Assistant-related configuration

This provides developers with more information than the product page alone and makes it possible to inspect how the UWB and Ethernet portions of the product are separated.

Conclusion

UWB is evolving from a specialized ranging technology into part of a much broader spatial computing and positioning ecosystem.

In consumer devices it can help find objects or enable digital keys.

In factories and warehouses it can track workers, materials, forklifts, and production flow.

In smart buildings it can make automation aware not only that a device is connected, but also where it is.

As UWB moves into infrastructure applications, another problem becomes important:

How should fixed positioning nodes connect back to the network?

MaUWB for Home Assistant presents one answer.

It combines:

**UWB for ranging

ESP32-S3 for application processing

W5500 for Ethernet

PoE for installation

ESPHome and Home Assistant for application integration**

The W5500 is not the positioning engine.

That is precisely what makes the design interesting.

It shows how a specialized wireless sensing technology can be combined with conventional wired Ethernet to build a complete connected positioning node.

For developers exploring UWB, RTLS, location-aware IoT, or smart-space applications, MaUWB for Home Assistant provides a useful example of how spatial sensing and wired network infrastructure can coexist in the same architecture.

FAQ

Does the W5500 perform the UWB positioning calculation?

No. Makerfabs documents the MaUWB STM32/DW3000 subsystem as handling the UWB ranging work. The W5500 provides Ethernet connectivity for the ESP32-S3 side of the system.

How is the MaUWB subsystem connected to the ESP32-S3?

The published ESPHome configuration uses UART on GPIO17/GPIO18 at 115200 baud.

How is the W5500 connected?

The published configuration uses SPI-style signals with GPIO14 for clock, GPIO12 for MOSI, GPIO13 for MISO and GPIO21 for chip select, plus GPIO47 interrupt and GPIO11 reset.

Is Home Assistant positioning available immediately after adding the ESPHome device?

No. Makerfabs' guide additionally requires the Plotly Graph Card through HACS, supplied dashboard YAML, helper entities, anchor coordinates, boundary values, and positioning-card configuration.

Is the hardware schematic available?

Yes. Makerfabs' public GitHub repository includes a V2.1 schematic, PCB board file, and Gerber archive.

Does Makerfabs prove the 500 m range on this page?

The Home Assistant product page lists 500 m maximum UWB range, but the cited page does not publish a test methodology or measured dataset supporting that number. It should therefore be read as a Makerfabs specification.

Documents

Makerfabs — MaUWB for Home Assistant product page — Product identity, W5500 Ethernet PoE statement, ESP32-S3 specifications, MaUWB description, 500 m vendor range specification, and open-hardware/firmware claim.

Makerfabs — Home Assistant MaUWB GitHub repository — Published hardware, firmware, software, ESPHome configuration, and Home Assistant dashboard files.

Makerfabs Wiki — How to Use MaUWB for Home Assistant — Raspberry Pi, ESPHome, Ethernet, Home Assistant integration, anchor/tag setup, and positioning-dashboard procedure.

Makerfabs — MaUWB ESP32-S3 UWB module — Background on the MaUWB STM32/DW3000 architecture and its separation from the ESP32-S3 controller.