AeroScout and Alanco Introduce Tamper-Proof Wi-Fi Tag
07 December, 2005
category: RFID
AeroScout, Inc., the market leader in the field of Wi-Fi based Active RFID solutions, today announced a partnership with Alanco to develop and deliver a 2.4 GHz real-time location solution (RTLS) for the corrections industry. The two companies have successfully completed joint development on the industry’s first tamper-proof Wi-Fi Active RFID tag, and deployed the first pilot site for a European prison customer.
“AeroScout’s technology has enabled us to utilize the benefits of Wi-Fi networks within our critical and high-value inmate-tracking applications, ensuring increased safety and security within prisons,” said Bob Kauffman, Alanco Chairman and CEO. “The partnership with AeroScout extends our addressable market by offering technology that can be utilized in nearly any prison systems worldwide.”
Through the partnership, AeroScout and Alanco have developed an extension to Alanco’s successful TSI PRISM(TM) tracking system, which provides real-time identification and tracking of inmates and officers within corrections facilities, both indoors and out. The system can accurately locate and identify any person wearing a small wireless “tag” device, and this information is integrated into prison monitors. It handles common prison complexities such as a multi-floor, mixed indoor/outdoor environment, as well as the need for cell-level accuracy (using AeroScout’s compact Exciter choke point device.)
The two companies have developed the industry’s first Wi-Fi-based RFID tag with tamper-proof capabilities. The tag, which can be read by standard Cisco wireless access points, immediately detects any attempt to remove or tamper with it. The joint development efforts have also enabled the TSI PRISM system to now use the popular Wi-Fi standard (2.4 GHz) as a communications protocol. The system was designed to be extended to other environments with similar needs, such as psychiatric facilities.
“Multiple industries, including health care, logistics and manufacturing, have already realized the benefits of Wi-Fi-based Active RFID solutions,” said Gabi Daniely, VP of Marketing, AeroScout. “The corrections industry offers a unique set of opportunities and challenges, such as the requirement for tamper-proof tracking, and we are pleased to have successfully developed a set of solutions with Alanco that address the industry’s needs.”
Under the terms of the partnership agreement, AeroScout has granted Alanco exclusive worldwide rights to distribute and create solutions based on AeroScout RTLS technology for the corrections market. The first pilot site for the new 2.4 GHz solution has been successfully deployed in a European prison.