Ekahau Launches Next Generation Wi-Fi RTLS Staff Badge and Pager
Ekahau Inc., the worldwide leader in high performance Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), announced the May 8 launch of its newest Wi-Fi staff badge – the Ekahau B4 Staff Badge and Pager. The B4 features an OLED text display and multiple buttons that allow users to receive text messages over Wi-Fi and to acknowledge receipt or to initiate calls and alarms. A unique feature of the B4 badge is a built-in alarm switch for staff duress events.
The B4 badge builds on Ekahau’s highly successful T301BD staff badge which is being phased out of production. The B4 incorporates the latest SOC (system on a chip) Wi-Fi 802.11g radio, CPU and memory along with several new changes in the physical design that enhance the ruggedness and use of the badges. The B4 can be tracked and located by Ekahau RTLS over any brand or generation of Wi-Fi network. The system is typically able to achieve room level accuracy using Wi-Fi as the location method. For areas with poor Wi-Fi coverage or where sub-room location is required, the B4 incorporates an IR sensor that works with the Ekahau RTLS system and the Ekahau LB1 Location Beacons to ensure location accuracy down to within a few feet.
The three call buttons and alarm switch can be programmed to address different calls initiated by the user. For example, a button press can signify a call for assistance in moving a patient, whereas the alarm switch can be used to summon nearby co-workers to help with a life-threatening situation. Due to the system’s unique two-way communication capability, staff members can receive calls for help or other requests directly on the LED display on the badges they are wearing. An audible tone and flashing LEDs alert that there is a new message.
“The new design of the B4 builds on customer feedback we have received over the years as a leading supplier personnel, patient and visitor tracking solutions” said Tuomo Rutanen, senior vice president of marketing and business development at Ekahau Inc. “Ekahau has hundreds of sites where our RTLS system is deployed with our staff badges that are saving lives, improving work-flow and improving operations. We combine precision location, alarming and service request features and a full array of audible, visual and text communications capabilities on the badge itself. These capabilities offer our customers more options to leverage the Ekahau RTLS system to solve both mission critical and every-day problems.”
The Ekahau B4 has a rechargeable battery that allows organizations to run the badges with rapid blink rates and real-time text messaging. Battery life is continuously monitored with multi-color LEDs and the user is alerted if the battery level falls below a specific threshold. The B4 badges can be recharged using a simple AC charger, a USB cable or with a table-top or wall-mount rack charger that charges ten badges simultaneously. Recharge time is approximately 90 minutes and the badges can be configured to last from a few days to several weeks on a single charge.
The B4 starts shipping to customers at the end of May and is available through Ekahau and its resellers world-wide.
About Ekahau Inc.
Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi-based RTLS 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 300 hospitals around the world, as well as by manufacturing, retail and industrial 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 headquarters in Reston, VA, and other offices in Saratoga, CA; Helsinki, Finland; Tokyo; and Hong Kong. For more information about Ekahau, visit www.ekahau.com.