AXCESS International, a leading provider of active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, has announced a new wireless tracking and sensing technology called The Enterprise Dot.
The first product AXCESS will be a software definable, battery-powered Dot-OEM module for product manufacturers, small enough to be embedded into a variety of things such as computers, test equipment, medical equipment, credential cards, pallets, and cartons.
The module, about the size of a quarter, is priced at less than $5 per unit and is being sold now for delivery in 2007.
AXCESS claims the System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design, yields the world’s lowest cost and smallest multifunctional wireless sub-micro device for tracking assets in and around the enterprise. It facilitates the capture, processing and delivery of previously unavailable real time information in a very low total cost of ownership. Industry analyst Forrester Research forecasts the RFID and sensor related markets to grow to $11.6 billion by 2012.
The ActiveTag System uses small, battery powered tags that are automatically activated at control points throughout a facility. They broadcast to receivers networked on the existing corporate LAN/WAN.
“We took our years of experience in analyzing the market needs being addressed by passive RFID, active RFID/RTLS, and wireless sensor products and created a simple, powerful, flexible, and inexpensive world class one-of-a- kind platform,” stated Allan Griebenow, president and CEO of AXCESS. “Two years ago we began this dramatic step to bring forth the promise of an Internet of Things. The Dot(TM) opens up a new world of real-time data collection and management capabilities in the enterprise.”
A software definable wireless transceiver, compatible with the RFID EPC Class I, Gen II standard, is expected to make supply chain tagging more reliable while opening up new applications in sensing and security. The Dot technology is said to surpass competing architectures such as Wi-Fi based and battery-assisted passive RFID where size, cost, signal robustness and power management are problematic.
The active RFID and RTLS portions of the enterprise Dot’s capabilities are built on the successes of their ActiveTag which use small, battery-powered tags (generically called “dual-active” tags) that when automatically activated, transmit a wireless message typically 30 to 100 feet to hidden palm size receivers.
Savi’s active tags can store up to 128 kilobytes of information, read and write at distances of up to 300 feet, and are based on ISO 18000-7 standards operating at 433.92 MHz. It is often used for Container Tracking.
Active smart labels can be coupled to a megabytes of flash memory. The battery power enables the RFID tag to send out a stronger signal than passive tags, with reading ranges of more than 30 feet.
Sensitech has a product called TempTale RF which contains a temperature sensor, radio chip, antenna, and networking capability. Ember has similar mesh networking capability for sensor networking.
By layering active RFID tags, mesh networking, and wireless sensors, may be redefined.
| Features | Passive Tag Systems | Active Tag Systems |
RF-ID Journal, RF-ID News.org, RF-ID News.com, RF-ID Update, RF-ID Weblog, RF-ID Product News and RF-ID Gazette have more.
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