Swiss Company Using Active RFID System To Track Employees

NoviTech, a Swiss provider of turnkey solutions for access monitoring, is using an active RFID system from INGECOM to automatically monitor the location of its employees in real time. The company is rolling out the system at its own headquarters with ambitions to deploy RFID tracking technology to healthcare centers to prevent the wandering of mentally-disabled patients.

The system detects the presence of employees in front of access points and denies or grants access by opening a door. A log file keeps track of the path of any of the employees, only for the purpose of investigation in case of forgery.

Finding the room where a tag is located is simple. All of the controllers send the data to a centralized database for software application to query from and include a set of configurable rules to triggers alerts in case of emergency.

The INGECOM system uses active tags and controllers in the 2.45 GHz range. While the controllers are available in different configurations, the Wi-Fi version allows the company to use existing technology infrastructure. A Wiegand configuration, with reduced throughput, is used in cases where Wi-Fi is not accepted, such as certain medical, banking or military environments. The tags are available in two formats –- a 4-millimeter credit card shape or a domino format that can be used as a keychain holder.

The tags are water-resistant and have a five-year battery life, even with a 1-second refresh rate. The tags also can propagate at distance of more than 3,000 feet in open space when using the range enhancer. The software-programmable range adapter embedded inside the controllers can modify the range to just a single room.

The system has been used successfully at NoviTech since mid-2007 with 20 controllers and 300 tags. The company plans to ramp up the program with 800 tags in use by the end of the year in other locations.

About the Author

Brent Dirks is senior editor for Security Today and Campus Security Today magazines.

Featured

  • Data Driven, Proactive Response

    As cities face rising demands for smarter policing and faster emergency response, Real Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) are emerging as essential hubs for data-driven public safety. In this interview, two experts with deep field experience — Ross Bourgeois of New Orleans and Dean Cunningham of Axis Communications — draw on decades of operational, leadership and technology expertise to share how RTCCs are transforming public safety through innovation, interagency collaboration and a relentless focus on community impact. Read Now

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.