Archive
Within the mobile ‘proof of attendance’ solutions from Mobile-e-Solutions have always been able to provide a ‘tag goes to phone’ scenario where a person has an RFID key fob, id card or bracelet and goes to a static phone that they touch to prove their attendance at that phone.
A big issue has been how to secure that phone so that it cannot be vandalized or stolen – without having a person permanently manning the location.
We now have the answer…
SECURE PHONE HOLDERS
These are weather proof, secure and lockable phone holders for use in all weather situations, either indoor or outdoor. There is a touch pad on the front of each box, behind which is the NFC part of the mobile phone. The user simply touches his tag to the pad and our software does the rest – a truly ‘touch and go’ scenario.
There are three types of phone holder: –
- Wall Mounted Box.
- Solar Powered Post (illustrated right)
- Non Powered Post.
Whatever solution is chosen, the phone inside is running the RFID solution, in a ‘touch and go’ scenario and every time a person touches the pad in the holder with their tag, the phone instantly transmits that information, via GPRS, to our back-end database.
There will shortly be a release of the software (for the phones) that will transmit an ‘I am still running’ signal every few minutes (if there has been no tag activity). This will enable managers to be able to monitor remotely, that the device is still operational.
This is a very cost effective method of providing a remote clocking machine that can be used & located almost anywhere. For a remote location this product allows you to know who, where and when personnel visit a site.
If you would like more information please email us <here>
Archive
Reslink, Mobile-e-Solutions European partner, today announced that its mobile solutions are now compliant with, and certified against, the first Workforce-XML data integration standard which enables the passing of IN, OUT and TIMESTAMP information directly from NFC-based mobile phones to enterprise systems that are also compliant with the same Workforce-XML AR01X standard.
In practice, this means that any client with a Time/Attendance, Rostering, Workforce or Field Force Management solution who wishes to capture proof-of-attendance data from their mobile employees, simply by them touching an RFID tag with their mobile phone, is now able to do so on a “plug & play” basis, provided that their back-office application is also compliant to this industry-standard. Data will be sent directly to the workforce management solution from the mobile phone without the need to develop special integration routines.
Mark Ellwood, Sales/Channel Manager of Reslink states “By implementing open standards we are able to work with any compliant software seamlessly and add value not only as a single provider but also to organisations wanting a mixed solution of data collection devices. This development makes it even easier for clients and resellers to quickly integrate Reslink’s mobile applications into their own”.
About Workforce-XML (www.workforce-xml.org)
Workforce-XML represents a consortium of organisations looking to create open industry standards between data collection devices and workforce management software, with the aim of increasing choice for end-users whilst at the same time reducing total costs of ownership.
Archive
The following news story appeared on the BBC web site on 11th January 2008:-
NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION (NFC)
An NFC or Near Field Communication tag is the technology that allows devices to communicate with each other simply by being put close together and they are starting to be incorporated into phones.
When a phone with built-in NFC is near a Bluetooth speaker, also with NFC built-in, the two devices can pair and work together. In some countries we can already buy tickets on the web and use handsets to redeem them when we get to the concert.
In Japan they already use this kind of technology to pay for things. The phone knows how much is in your bank – the transaction takes place with a simple swipe.
NFC chips in photo frames due out this year will automatically recognise a friendly phone and start the transfer of your pictures or print them out again without wires or the need to manually set up a Bluetooth connection.
“NFC isn’t just about phones. Imagine being able to take your home remote control and touching it to all the different components you’ve got and all of a sudden you’re miraculously connected,” explained Deborah Arnold of the NFC Forum.
“Or the same thing in your home office, if you were to take your mouse and touch it to all your devices you have a wireless office. NFC is very intuitive.”
To read the full article please click <here>.
Archive
Mobile-e-Solutions are pleased to announce that the latest version of the mobile phone RFID solution contains additional features to help protect lone workers in potentially hazardous or even dangerous situations.
As well as “overt” notification functionality, the product now allows for “discreet” notification too – whereby the worker wishes to request assistance without making their potential assailant aware that they have done so.
For DISCREET lone worker protection, the solution operates as follows:
Worker carries an NFC-enabled mobile phone with our software on-board that they may also be using for their daily work tasks
They carry an item with a passive RFID tag inside it – that is their ALERT tag which could be a pen, a matchbox, thermometer, etc….
When they feel threatened, they simply put the ALERT tag close to their phone – inside the same pocket, or next to it on the desk
The phone immediately sends a silent alert to the back-office system, providing a database record and notifying any monitoring staff
At the same time, the phone silently dials a pre-defined number, allowing the person on the end to listen in, speak, or record what is happening.
For OVERT lone worker protection the solution operates in a similar manner but the phone can beep and vibrate to let the employee know that their alert has been sent. In these cases the employee could have an alert tag sewn into their uniform, embedded in their id card, etc.
Reslink’s use of “context-sensitive” tags (patent pending) makes this possible as the phone application is able to distinguish an Alert tag from other types of tags that the worker uses during their daily routines to prove where they are and what they are doing.
Jukka Hautala, Reslink MD comments: “it’s an all-in-one solution – real-time proof-of-attendance, data capture, and now lone worker protection, all available via the users’ mobile phone”
