RTK vs PPP: Which High-Precision GNSS Technology Fits Your Use Case?

Both deliver centimeter-level positioning — but they solve different problems. Here is how to decide.

Two paths to centimeter accuracy

Standard GNSS is accurate to about 1.5 meters. Getting to centimeters requires removing the errors — ionosphere, troposphere, satellite clock and orbit — and there are two practical ways to do it: RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) and PPP (Precise Point Positioning).

How RTK works

RTK uses a nearby base station with a known position. The base broadcasts correction data, and the rover cancels common errors against it. Result: centimeter-level accuracy — but only within roughly 10–50 km of a base station, and you need a continuous correction link (NTRIP over cellular, or a local radio).

How PPP works

PPP computes corrections from global reference networks and broadcasts them via satellite or internet — no local base station needed. It works anywhere with a view of the sky, but historically took longer to converge and was less robust in urban areas. Modern services like PPP-RTK and PPP-B2b have closed much of that gap.

The comparison

	RTK	PPP
Accuracy	1 cm + 1 ppm	Sub-decimeter to centimeter
Base station	Required (local)	Not required
Coverage	~10–50 km radius	Global
Convergence	Seconds	Seconds to minutes
Correction link	NTRIP / radio	Satellite / internet

How to choose

• Precision agriculture & surveying → RTK: you already deploy a base or subscribe to an NTRIP network.
• Fleet/UAV in remote areas → PPP: no infrastructure to build, works globally.
• Best of both → a module that supports RTK and PPP (PPP-B2b/PPP-RTK), so the device can use local corrections when available and fall back to PPP elsewhere.

Our RTK modules (TAU951M-P2, TAU951M-K2) carry an internal RTK engine and support PPP-B2b/PPP/PPP-RTK on request — one part that covers both worlds. Explore the RTK series.

RTKPPPHigh Precision