A portable tool for communicating with an ultra-wideband (UWB) equipped patient support apparatus and/or a UWB-equipped locator unit. The tool may include a housing, a transceiver for communicating with a computer, a first (UWB) transceiver adapted to communicate with a second UWB transceiver, and a controller. The controller may be adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to obtain an identifier from the second UWB transceiver, and to determine whether the second UWB transceiver is positioned onboard a patient support apparatus or onboard a locator unit based on its identifier. If the second UWB transceiver is positioned onboard the patient support apparatus, the tool may determine a specific location of the second UWB transceiver onboard the patient support apparatus. The tool may alternatively be embodied in a software application adapted to be executed on a smart phone and/or personal computer.