Skip to main content

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

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 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.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.