New NavTrac Wi-Fi-enabled GPS Devices Support Asset and Inventory Tracking From Inside Buildings to Around the World
ORLANDO, Florida, RFID JOURNAL LIVE, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Ekahau Inc., a leading provider of Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), today announced that its Wi-Fi location tracking software is being integrated into GPS receivers designed by NavSync Ltd., a division of The Connor-Winfield Corp. With this innovative combination of wireless technologies, these new tags vastly expand the ability to track the location of assets and inventory in any environment - from inside a building or across a campus environment to anywhere around the world.
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"Being able to track the location of assets and inventory both indoors and in complex or large outdoor environments with a single device over Wi-Fi is a game-changing innovation," said Tuomo Rutanen, vice president of Business Development at Ekahau. "We are excited to be working with NavSync to bring to market a solution that will significantly enhance the usefulness of location tracking applications in a wide variety of industries - such as container yards, logistics depots and open pit mining operations - where Wi-Fi can be leveraged for connectivity and GPS satellite visibility is available."
The Wi-Fi-enabled GPS tag combines NavSync's NavTrac high performance GPS module with Ekahau's location protocol. Ekahau location protocol is available free of charge as part of the Located by Ekahau program, which enables adding positioning to Wi-Fi-compliant devices. In order to begin tracking those devices, users need to deploy Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE) server software, which can be installed centrally or remotely to support several customer sites over IP networks from a single server location.
NavSync's NavTrac is a fourth-generation design that has gone through extensive testing and Wi-Fi/GPS integration, and has been proven in a wide variety of applications. NavTrac's powerful GPS solution delivers low signal strength GPS tracking data for outdoor and other GPS coverage areas, while the Ekahau Positioning Engine and its patented algorithms are used to calculate the precise real-time location in indoor environments or campus settings where GPS visibility may be limited. Unlike other proprietary solutions, Ekahau's technology enables location tracking over any existing standard Wi-Fi network, without the need for additional hardware or network infrastructure.
The Ekahau-enabled NavTrac Wi-Fi GPS tag is the first solution available in the market that will operate with GPS satellites and any brand or version of standard Wi-Fi network, to deliver a real-time tracking solution that can be quickly deployed and requires little or no upfront infrastructure costs. Location information from the tags can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of enterprise applications using National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) GPS standard protocols, as well as Ekahau's HTTP/XML application programming interface.
"The new Ekahau-enabled NavTrac Wi-Fi GPS receivers provide precise tracking capabilities in tough environments, such as urban canyons and complex indoor areas, while transporting information over any Wi-Fi network infrastructure," Dave Jahr, director of Business Development for NavSync. "The unique combination of NavSync's GPS and Ekahau's Wi-Fi technologies in a single product makes the NavTrac and Ekahau RTLS an indispensable solution for all current and future wireless tracking applications."
The Ekahau-enabled NavTrac Wi-Fi-enabled GPS receivers will be available from NavSync and Ekahau in the third quarter 2009.
About NavSync Ltd.
NavSync Ltd designs and manufactures GPS receiver products specializing in timing and custom navigational applications. NavSync GPS technology enables tracking and acquisition
in areas normally outside standard GPS receiver environments. NavSync Assisted GPS receivers not only track, but also acquire satellites under very harsh signal conditions such as indoor applications and severe urban canyons. NavSync is a division of The Connor-Winfield Corporation, which is a privately held, US based electronics product manufacturer.
After incorporation in 1963, Connor-Winfield focused primarily on designing and manufacturing quartz based timing circuits and oscillators for use in a wide variety of electronics applications. In the 1990's, Connor-Winfield expanded into other product areas, while maintaining a continued focus on its core timing roots. Currently, Connor-Winfield is an international company with diversified businesses engaged in electronic component manufacturing, software products, contract manufacturing, and the distribution of M2M OEM components and end user product solutions. For more information about NavSync, please visit http://www.navsync.com.
About The Connor-Winfield Corporation
Founded in 1963, The Connor-Winfield Corporation (C-W), based in Aurora, IL, manufactures and markets custom-designed electronic components used to control the frequency and timing of signals in electronic circuits. Its timing products are used in infrastructure equipment for the telecommunications and network equipment industries, as well as in electronic systems for military applications, avionics, medical devices, instrumentation , industrial devices, and global positioning systems. Other C-W business units include NavSync Ltd. (GPS receiver manufacturer), Janus Remote Communications (wireless networking products for data collection and sensor networks), Hybrid Circuit Works (custom manufacturing and thick film services), IT3 (ERP Business software solutions), Nova Systems Products, LLC (Combustible gas sensor equipment),and Atria International LLC (Appliance controls design and manufacturing), and 9 Co., LLC (Custom ASIC developer).
About Ekahau Inc.
Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi-based RTLS solutions. Ekahau's RTLS technology is routinely recognized for its superior performance in customer benchmarking and competitive evaluations of Wi-Fi-based location tracking solutions. Ekahau's customers, including several Fortune 500 companies worldwide, are realizing the benefits of Wi-Fi based location services and innovative Wi-Fi network planning and optimization tools. Ekahau's solutions are being used in more than 150 hospitals around the world, as well as by manufacturers, mining/oil/gas companies, government agencies and the military. Ekahau partners include wireless software developers, leading system integrators and international OEM partners, who develop and market wireless enterprise applications. Ekahau is a U.S. based corporation, with offices in Saratoga, Calif.; Reston, Va.; Helsinki, Finland; and Hong Kong, China. For more information about Ekahau, please visit at http://www.ekahau.com.
(c) Copyright 2009, Ekahau, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
