A Smarter Choice Than GNSS Receiver Rentals: LRTK — Better Long-Term Cost Performance and Immediate Deployability

Table of Contents

• The current state and background of GNSS receiver rentals

• Common issues with GNSS receiver rentals

• Concerns about positioning accuracy and reliability

• Burden of equipment handling and support

• Accumulating costs and hidden burdens

• Failure risk and maintenance uncertainty

• Cost comparison of rental, subscription, and in-house acquisition over long-term use

• Is rental optimal for short-term projects? Considering cost efficiency

• Differences in deployment speed and on-site responsiveness

• Operation and training cost perspective

• On-site efficiency gains from cloud integration

• Reasons to consider options other than rental

• Benefits of introducing simple positioning with LRTK

The current state and background of GNSS receiver rentals

In recent years, demand for GNSS receivers (Global Navigation Satellite System receivers) has been rising at construction and surveying sites. Traditionally, large and expensive equipment handled by specialist surveying teams was the norm and not something general construction sites could easily use. However, with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism promoting *i-Construction* and the industry-wide push for digitalization, the need for high-precision positioning has expanded to small contractors and regional sites. Requests such as “we want to perform advanced positioning efficiently with a small team” and “we want to use digital devices to make up for labor shortages” have increased, and more companies are showing interest in introducing GNSS surveying equipment.

In this situation, renting GNSS receivers has attracted attention as a way to try the latest equipment while keeping initial costs down. Because precision equipment can cost several million yen, buying outright is a high hurdle, so rental—borrowing only for the necessary period—is an especially attractive option for temporary projects. In practice, many short-term surveys and pilot introductions have used rental to reduce costs. With rental, “period of use = cost,” so you don’t need to worry about equipment becoming idle assets, and storage and maintenance burdens are reduced.

On the other hand, there are several issues with using rented GNSS receivers. When usage is frequent or considered from a long-term perspective, rental is not necessarily the optimal choice. Below we organize common concerns raised when renting GNSS receivers, compare costs and operational efficiency for long-term use, and finally introduce LRTK as a noteworthy alternative and its implementation benefits.

Common issues with GNSS receiver rentals

What kinds of problems do users commonly face when renting GNSS receivers? Here we look at the five main issues: accuracy, equipment handling, support, accumulating costs, and failure risk.

Concerns about positioning accuracy and reliability

The greatest value of a GNSS receiver is, needless to say, its ability to provide high-precision positioning. However, renting equipment does not automatically guarantee that anyone can immediately achieve high accuracy. Positioning is affected by environmental conditions and optimal settings, and inexperienced operators may not achieve the expected accuracy. For example, to obtain centimeter-level accuracy using RTK, specialized knowledge is required for base station or network RTK service connection settings and monitoring satellite acquisition status. Rental equipment may come with manuals or initial support, but mastering complex settings within a limited rental period is not easy. Also, depending on site conditions, satellite signals can be interrupted or multipath (signal reflection) can cause problems, making it difficult to consistently secure accuracy. Even if the equipment itself is high-performance, it can become a wasted asset if not properly used. Rental use therefore carries the persistent concern of “can we really achieve the targeted accuracy?” (centimeter-level accuracy (cm level accuracy; half-inch accuracy)).

Burden of equipment handling and support

High-precision GNSS receivers are precision instruments and require careful handling. This is even more important with rental items, where you must be mindful of damage or contamination. Transporting large tripods or poles and fixing/adjusting the equipment each time it is moved or set up on site imposes a physical burden. For staff with limited surveying experience, even properly assembling equipment and leveling can be time-consuming. Some rental companies provide initial operation briefings or phone support, but actual on-site troubles vary widely. When issues such as “positioning is unstable” or “the controller won’t connect” occur, there is not always a specialist who can rush to the site immediately. Often you must decipher manuals and solve problems yourself, which reveals the limitations of support systems. With short-term rentals, by the time users become proficient, the return date may arrive, leaving the team to troubleshoot on site without adequate practice time.

Accumulating costs and hidden burdens

Although rental keeps per-use payments low, note that costs accumulate with repeated use. For example, renting equipment for a few weeks may be cheap compared to purchasing, but if you rent repeatedly throughout the year the total amount becomes significant. For long projects spanning months, rental fees can equal or exceed purchase costs. Extended rental periods may also incur late fees or additional charges. While these costs are easy to process as expenses, you might find that rental fees alone have become a substantial outlay. Additionally, rental often carries separate insurance or compensation fees, and loss or damage can result in high compensation claims. In short, rental can be economical short-term but potentially more expensive long-term.

Failure risk and maintenance uncertainty

Even rented equipment faces the risk of failure or malfunction in the field. If a precision GNSS receiver malfunctions, on-site repair is difficult. With rentals, the company will arrange a replacement, but if replacement takes time, work must stop. Unless you own a spare, relying solely on rental equipment increases the risk of site stoppage. Although rental companies perform periodic maintenance, it is not impossible that sensor calibration drift or battery degradation has progressed depending on the equipment’s usage history. If you own the equipment, you can keep track of routine inspections and calibration schedules, but rental gear’s maintenance history is less visible, raising concerns about unknowingly using equipment with accumulated subtle errors. Also, rental equipment may not be the latest model; lacking new technologies (such as support for new satellite signals or correction services) can result in reduced operational efficiency or accuracy.

Cost comparison of rental, subscription, and in-house acquisition over long-term use

Based on the above issues, let’s compare the long-term costs of renting GNSS receivers with other options: subscription-based services (subscription) and in-house purchase.

First, in terms of initial cost, rental is the least expensive. You borrow only when needed, so no large capital investment is required. Conversely, in-house acquisition (purchase) of a complete high-precision GNSS receiver set can easily cost several million yen. Especially when including base and rover sets, dedicated controllers, and analysis software, the total can be out of reach for small and medium enterprises. Subscription services sit in between, offering equipment use for a fixed monthly fee while greatly reducing initial outlay. In some cases, you can build an equivalent positioning environment for roughly one-fifth to one-tenth of the budget of conventional high-precision GNSS survey sets. If you already use tablets or smartphones in your operations, leveraging those devices can further lower the introduction barrier.

Next, compare running costs (maintenance and operation). For rental, the rental fee incurred each time is the running cost; frequent use increases the total. If you purchase equipment, you incur maintenance such as periodic inspections, calibration, repair costs for failures, and fees for RTK correction services (monthly costs ranging from several thousand to several tens of thousands of yen), all of which are maintenance and management costs. These expenses are a downside of ownership for maintaining high precision. With subscription services, providers typically handle equipment maintenance and software updates, so users rarely need to perform calibration themselves. Correction service fees and data processing software costs are often included in the package, meaning a flat-rate usage fee can cover necessary items. Therefore, subscription running costs are easy to predict and sudden expenditures are suppressed. Overall, over the long term, ownership or subscription is often more economical than repeated rental, with subscription balancing initial cost and maintenance well and showing strong cost performance for long-term use.

Finally, consider asset value. Rental is always an operational expense with no asset retained. Purchased equipment remains a company asset and can be resold or repurposed internally. However, technological obsolescence and end-of-support risks can depreciate value after a few years. Subscription users receive continuous access to up-to-date services during the contract period and can cancel when no longer needed, offering flexibility. Since you don’t need to treat the equipment as an asset, you can avoid worrying about depreciation or obsolescence and always enjoy the latest technology.

Is rental optimal for short-term projects? Considering cost efficiency

For short-term projects or one-off surveys, rental seems the most rational choice. Indeed, if you need a GNSS receiver for just one week, renting is overwhelmingly cheaper than buying. Short-term rental is also effective for “trying high-precision GNSS” on a trial basis. The pay-as-you-use model is unquestionably cost-effective for such short-term use.

However, you need to carefully judge whether the job will truly remain short-term. Initial plans for a few days may be extended by bad weather or delays, inflating rental costs. And even if each job is short-term, if similar surveying tasks occur repeatedly (for example, on-site surveys several times a month), the effort and cost of arranging rentals each time will accumulate. Small amounts per instance can become a substantial expense over a one-year timeframe.

Additionally, rental requires administrative tasks for ordering, pickup, and return each time. In urgent cases, unless you reserve in advance you may not secure equipment when needed. For short-term jobs where you need to “measure right away,” waiting for a rental can cause opportunity loss. Thus, when multiple short-term jobs occur intermittently or urgent responses are required, rental may not be best. If you will use equipment repeatedly within a period, owning or subscribing may be more efficient overall.

Differences in deployment speed and on-site responsiveness

Whether equipment is ready to use when needed directly affects site productivity. With rental, there is a lead time to deployment: you must reserve in advance and wait for shipping or pickup. In urgent cases where “surveying is needed by tomorrow,” it’s difficult to arrange a high-precision GNSS within the same day. During busy seasons, rental equipment may be fully booked and unavailable. In contrast, if you own GNSS receivers, you can start measuring on site as soon as you decide. Powering on the device can take seconds to acquire satellites and initialize RTK, letting you begin work immediately. Eliminating rental-related arrangements creates a system where you can “measure whenever you want.”

From the perspective of on-site responsiveness, having equipment on hand is clearly advantageous. If you want to check discrepancies with plans during construction, an in-house GNSS receiver lets you verify positions immediately. Situations that used to require waiting for a surveying team or postponing answers until the next day can instead be resolved with zero waiting time for decision-making. This enables rapid response to unexpected buried objects or design changes, improving overall construction risk management.

Operation and training cost perspective

The notion that expert knowledge is required to operate advanced GNSS equipment is becoming outdated. Recent GNSS receivers, especially those designed to pair with smartphones or tablets, have dramatically improved usability. Compared with traditional dedicated controller units, smartphone apps allow intuitive positioning operations so first-time users are less likely to be confused. Menus are often available in Japanese and straightforward, and functions like connecting to correction services or setting coordinate systems can be automated with a single button, minimizing user burden.

With rentals, you may not get the same model each time. Users must adapt to different manufacturers’ devices and software each time, incurring learning costs for each rental. Staff may return equipment before becoming proficient, only to face different operation methods next time. If you adopt a specific device in-house, such operational variability is eliminated. Site personnel who use the same device routinely will improve their skills, resulting in faster and more accurate positioning work.

From a training cost standpoint, modern solutions have an advantage. Tasks that once required specialist surveying training can now be handled by anyone after a short lecture. In some municipalities, facing a shortage of veteran surveyors, site staff have been trained to use smartphone-type GNSS receivers for routine maintenance and management tasks. Devices designed to minimize complex operations help address the knowledge transfer issues caused by veterans retiring. If young staff can organically learn and use tools, this benefits personnel development.

On-site efficiency gains from cloud integration

Maximizing the value of GNSS positioning data hinges on cloud integration. Traditionally, survey data were recorded on site and then imported into office PCs for CAD processing and drawing. Now, connecting surveying equipment directly to the cloud can virtually eliminate data processing and sharing time lags.

For example, modern GNSS receivers can save position coordinates to the cloud as they are measured, allowing office PCs to view data in real time. Functions that automatically attach positioning and orientation information to photos taken on site and save them to the cloud are already practical. This lets headquarters immediately grasp on-site conditions and issue accurate instructions. Using conventional rented equipment often delays sharing of measurement results, slowing information flow from site supervisors to management. With cloud-capable equipment, site and office connect seamlessly, speeding decision-making and streamlining report preparation.

Moreover, cloud-based data analysis and processing remove the need to purchase dedicated software; distance and area calculations or 3D point cloud visualization can be performed online. Workflows where point cloud data captured on site are uploaded to the cloud and required cross-sections or volume calculations are generated automatically are now realistic. This drastically shortens the time from measurement to deliverable creation and greatly improves total operational efficiency. Centralized data management also makes it easier to store and search past site histories—an important foundation for future DX (digital transformation).

Reasons to consider options other than rental

As seen above, although GNSS receiver rental has clear advantages, there is substantial value in considering other options (in-house acquisition or subscriptions) when looking at long-term and holistic factors. Below are the main reasons to positively consider alternatives to rental:

• Long-term cost advantages: total costs over continued use are lower. Frequent rental tends to be more expensive than ownership.

• Faster deployment and greater mobility: having equipment ready when needed increases field responsiveness, reducing waiting time and shortening schedules while lowering risk.

• Easier operation and reduced training burden: modern devices are easy to use and can be mastered quickly without specialist knowledge. Continued use of a single model deepens proficiency and reduces errors.

• Efficiency gains from cloud use: immediate data sharing and analysis enable smooth coordination between site and office, eliminating cumbersome paper or USB data transfers.

• Data utilization and quality improvement: owning equipment makes it easier to integrate surveying into routine operations, enabling frequent as-built checks and progress monitoring. Early detection and correction of issues improve construction quality and reduce rework.

Given the above, there are many situations where “not relying solely on rental” brings greater benefits. So what specific solution lets you enjoy these advantages? One promising answer is LRTK.

Benefits of introducing simple positioning with LRTK

LRTK is a new GNSS positioning solution that offers excellent long-term cost performance and can be deployed immediately on site. Specifically, it is a system combining an ultra-compact RTK-GNSS receiver that attaches to a smartphone or tablet, a surveying-dedicated mobile app, and a cloud service. This section introduces the main benefits of adopting LRTK.

First, LRTK has a low initial adoption hurdle. LRTK does not require a conventional fixed base station; attaching a palm-sized (weighing approximately 160 g) receiver to a terminal is enough to start high-precision positioning. Because you can use existing smartphones, there is no need to purchase dedicated terminals. Offered as a subscription model, you can acquire a modern positioning environment with only a monthly fee instead of a costly one-time purchase. This price model makes adoption easier for small and medium-sized companies and local governments alike.

Next, LRTK excels in on-site responsiveness. If you have an LRTK receiver and a smartphone, you can start surveying on the spot. There is no complicated equipment setup; turning on the power and launching the app automatically acquires satellites and correction information. RTK positioning at the centimeter level can be established in a matter of tens of seconds, so long preparation times typical of conventional equipment are unnecessary. Portability is excellent: you can carry a smartphone with the receiver attached in your pocket and quickly measure the required points as you walk the site. It truly realizes “measure anytime, anywhere.”

Regarding positioning accuracy and reliability, LRTK supports multiple satellite constellations such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, and can connect to services like Japan’s quasi-zenith satellite “Michibiki” centimeter-level augmentation service (CLAS) and internet-based network RTK. This ensures stable centimeter-level accuracy (cm level accuracy; half-inch accuracy) from urban areas to mountainous regions. The ability to achieve high-precision positioning using satellite augmentation even outside network coverage is a major strength. On the software side, continuous updates provide accuracy improvements and new features, ensuring reliable on-site use.

The ease of operation is another major advantage. The dedicated app interface is designed to be understandable for field workers, allowing intuitive operations like starting/stopping positioning, selecting coordinate systems, and recording data. Measured points are automatically converted into global geodetic coordinates and can be saved with notes and photos. For example, tapping the survey button at a point instantly records latitude, longitude, height, and plane rectangular coordinates while embedding location information into photos taken with the smartphone. This eliminates paper recording and transcription errors. Field staff training is simple; those familiar with smartphones can start using LRTK after a short explanation.

Finally, cloud integration and all-in-one efficiency are key. LRTK links with dedicated cloud services to back up measured positioning and point cloud data immediately. This enables sharing data with headquarters or other teams in real time. On the cloud, distance/area calculations, 3D visualization, and comparisons with drawing data can be executed with a single click. Advanced functions that used to require separate devices or software—such as stakeout guidance, 3D scanning, and AR visualization of as-built conditions—are achievable on a single device and app with LRTK. New features added are available via online updates, so users always work with the latest tools. Such comprehensive functionality allows immediate realization of on-site DX benefits after introduction.

By moving beyond a rental-centered operation and adopting advanced solutions like LRTK, you can dramatically reduce the costs and effort associated with positioning while improving work quality. From a long-term perspective, LRTK can be a smarter choice than GNSS receiver rental. LRTK brings high-precision positioning closer and more efficiently, and is a promising option to transform future site operations. Considering your company’s positioning needs, why not review LRTK as an option?