NEW YORK-The CreataLink 2XT wireless data transceiver has garnered positive corporate reception and connections since its debut in late summer, said Scott H. Davis, director of telemetry for the Motorola Inc. Advanced Messaging Group, Boynton Beach, Fla.
Based on Motorola’s ReFLEX two-way paging protocol, CreataLink is designed to foster the advance of telemetry, or wireless remote control.
At least 16 companies involved in the application of machine-to-machine and human-to-machine communications have gotten aboard the CreataLink bandwagon so far, Davis said.
Isochron Data Corp, Austin, Texas, is using the technology in its VendCast System for vending-machine monitoring and control. Besides detecting equipment jams and tampering and providing inventory control, the system provides vending machine operators with information about customer preferences for different products. “They’ve never had marketing reports before. It’s very exciting, like seeing your children grow,” Davis said.
Equally important, the system is cost-effective to install and run in vending machines whose average price is about $1,500, he added. Earlier technologies cost about $1,100, a price too high to justify the investment.
“The (remote monitoring) solution had been almost as expensive as the machine,” Davis said.
HomMed L.L.C., Brookfield, Wis., has incorporated the 2XT into its monitoring system for people suffering from congestive heart failure. Instead of having to travel to a medical facility, these patients can have vital signs and other important indicators read wirelessly at their homes and transmitted directly to their health-care provider. The readings take about three minutes and cost about $6 daily.
“Motorola’s CreataLink 2XT transceiver allows HomMed’s monitoring system to be more efficient by not having to rely on phone lines for transmitting critical data. It also helps eliminate the need for the patient to transmit the data,” said Herschel “Buzz” Peddicord, president and chief executive officer of HomMed.
Several companies, including TechStar, Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Elite Logistics, Freeport, Texas, have incorporated the Motorola transceiver into their asset tracking products. Among the advantages of these newer detection systems is their ability to notify owners of a theft in progress via a variety of media, including pagers and the Internet.
Some older versions require the vehicle owner to discover the theft and report it to authorities before tracking begins, Davis said. The elapsed time involved gives thieves a decided advantage and reduces chances of vehicle recovery.
Several police departments, including one on Long Island in New York state, are testing Elite Logistics’ PageTrack system, coupled with a global positioning system receiver. They place it inside in decoy cars left in areas experiencing high rates of car theft, Davis said. He demonstrated a detailed and ongoing pager readout of one stolen vehicle as the unauthorized operator of one such car drove from one location to another.
Barringer Technologies has incorporated the CreataLink 2XT transceiver into its security and bomb detection machines, which are installed at many airports. With public safety riding on the functioning of these devices, the company wants to know instantly whether they are working properly. It achieves that goal through this technology.
San Diego-based Wireless Telematics is using the Motorola technology for another kind of fixed wireless application, point-of-sale transactions. Its FN-8500 Wireless Web Printer, which is fully Internet Protocol-addressed, retails for less than $400, Davis said. Without need for a computer, phone line or Internet service, businesses can take in-person and e-commerce orders.
CreataLink has a variety of other actual and potential remote control applications, its developers believe. These include timing of outdoor lights for traffic control and on billboards, allowing electric utilities to shed loads during peak demand periods and pipeline operators to open and close valves, permitting facilities operators to open and close security gates and homeowners to turn appliances on and off.
