BinRange deploys single-anchor UWB ToF ranging on six wheelie bins with 10 m Home/Out threshold

The project replaces an earlier Bluetooth RSSI implementation that suffered rapid battery drain and variable readings caused by reflections, antenna orientation and voltage changes. Six battery tags now transmit under custom firmware on a printed enclosure; a single anchor measures propagation time to classify each bin inside or outside a 10-metre boundary. Home Assistant combines the resulting state with schedules scraped by the Waste Collection Schedule integration.

IEEE 802.15.4z-2020 defines the UWB PHY used for centimetre-level ToF ranging. One anchor suffices for the binary decision required; three or more anchors would be needed only for 2-D triangulation, an overhead rejected after explicit calculation. Environmental obstructions still attenuate the signal, yet the metric itself remains independent of received power.

Operationally the system closes the verification gap between scheduled collection dates and physical bin movement without requiring users to maintain recurring phone reminders. Wireless firmware updates and printed enclosures reduce ongoing maintenance compared with the prior unreliable proxy setup.

Next steps include logging false-positive rates under seasonal foliage and vehicle placement to determine whether a second anchor becomes necessary above a 5 % weekly error threshold.