 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| FRIDAY - AUGUST 29, 2003 - ISSUE NO. 73 | ||
Dear Friends and Industry Colleagues, Well, I guess I don't need to tell you it's Friday again—you already know that. I hope you had a good week. Following are some news clips to catch you up on what's been going on in the world of Paging and Wireless Data. Following that, there are several product promotions to keep you up to date with technology in our field. Please read the following article by Allan Angus who has come up with a solution to one of the major problems in Wi-Fi networking. This is the kind of idea that will breathe new life into the whole wireless messaging industry—highly recommended. |
NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work just fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0 / ISO 8859-1) | |
| PAGING AND WIRELESS DATA NEWS | ||
New Proposal for ReFLEX™ and IEEE 802.11 If you are interested in Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, etc.) and paging as well, I would like to recommend a new white paper by my friend Allan Angus (PE, TVP Architecture at WebLink Wireless). I just finished reading his paper and I think it has great potential. For those of you familiar with my "Wheel of Fortune" presentations on innovative, non-traditional uses of paging technology, you will understand what I mean when I say that this is another spoke in the wheel. In other words, here is another great contribution that paging technology can make to the world of wireless business. This paper identifies a major problem in Wi-Fi communications and recommends an elegant solution. As many people start to use Wi-Fi equipped lap-top computers, PDAs, and other cool new devices being introduced almost daily, it doesn't take them long to find out that they can't contact another mobile user anytime they want. Say you are sitting in a wireless "hot-spot" at Starbucks enjoying a cup of Arabian Mocha Java, or my favorite the original dark Espresso Roast, and you want to connect with a friend's or a co-worker's Wi-Fi device—well you can't do it! (Unless you are both in the same Starbucks.) Yes, a simple thing like "call completion" is not supported. The problem is that Wi-Fi or wireless computer networks, whose technical name is IEEE 802.11x, can't find out where the other person is located so you can call them to chat with IM or transfer files. So wouldn't it be nice if someone would build a new nationwide, high-powered radio system, that could penetrate into buildings, and cover most of the populated areas of the country, to solve this problem? Gosh, that would probably cost a over billion dollars. But not-to-worry, there are already existing wireless systems that are ideal for solving this problem. So this paper explains, "it is impossible to push information to the mobile computer either when it is inactive and has no IP address anywhere or when its current IP address is not known to the computer that has information to push." It then presents "a solution that tightly integrates WLANs with ReFLEX™ NPCS networks to provide the missing link, namely, a common control channel." Now comes the really cool part. Without getting into the technical details (you can read the paper for that), the solution is to simply send your IP address to the person you want to connect with, over a ReFLEX messaging network. Think of it as a situation identical to wanting to talk to someone on the telephone and not knowing where s/he is. What do you do? Well, you just send the person a numeric page with your telephone number in it and s/he calls you back. It's the same thing as traditional paging only with your IP address instead of your telephone number. BRILLIANT! And not only does this paper offer the solution, it also explains how to do it by adapting existing protocols known as SIP and SDP (Session Initiation Protocol and Session Description Protocol). For those of you technically inclined, you can download the white paper in "pdf" format here. Background reading on SIP and ADP is also available here. This is a very-well-thought-out recommendation.
New Spanish language Mac news website debuts Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 11:46 AM EDT The Editor of NoticiasMac.com recently launched a new website for all things Macintosh for Spanish language users. The site has been running for a few weeks now and has gained good acceptance among the Spanish speaking community. Visit NoticiasMac.com here. BARI Looks To Snap Up i3 Mobile August 28, 2003 i3 Mobile may be down and out financially, but the company is still a hot ticket. BARI Holdings Irrevocable Trust has its eye on the customized information provider, and doesn't plan to take no for an answer. BARI trustee Anthony Baratta is leading the charge to acquire i3 Mobile to enhance his Info On The Go technology. The patent-pending technology for Info On The Go is designed to give users instant information about anything from real estate to restaurant menus on their wireless devices. Users will gain access to information instantly by pressing a button on their wireless device in the direction of a base unit. One of i3 Mobile's main problems was the service was too expensive, believes Baratta. He estimates the per-click charge at two to three cents. After charging out of the gate, i3 Mobile has suffered operating losses, staff cuts and was forced to stop offering its mobile subscription information service to better manage its cash resources and working capital. The company has been looking for a potential merger partner for nearly a year. Source: Wireless Week Paging Equipment For Sale in Brazil (as reported last week) There is a large amount of paging equipment for sale in Brazil. The current owner bought the equipment from PageNet of Brazil when they deactivated part of their network. One exception is a GL3200 which is still located in Miami. It was never put into the production system because of the decision not to implement ReFLEX. About one-half of the parts are brand-new and in boxes. Other parts came from a big GL3930/3000 that was dismantled and sold for junk. The owner is willing to have the equipment packed and shipped anywhere but would like to receive payment before shipment. He is also willing to give a discount to anyone wanting to purchase the whole lot of equipment. If you are interested in any or all of this equipment, please get in touch with me. I will put you in contact with the owner and then you and he can work out all the details between the two of you. A link to the equipment list follows. Equipment List Proxim's Tsunami™ MP.11a Wireless OFDM NLOS System Affordable High performance Point-to-Multipoint Solution Cost effective, complete business class last mile access networks Secure and reliable LAN extension for metropolitan networks Easy-to-deploy multi camera networks for security and surveillance My comments: It uses OFDM modulation (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) which was invented by those smart Canadians and is used for High Definition Television transmission in Europe because it is based on mathematical formulas that predict signal nulls and therefore allow for the cancellation of signal reflections which cause "ghosting" in television reception. So this product offers "non-line-of-sight" operation which I guess means that it can communicate over hills and around buildings. Off the record, they claim up to 30-mile coverage. That might be a stretch, but this is sure a big advantage over 802.11b which con only communicate a few feet indoors. There are some specially designed 802.11b systems for outdoor use, that incorporate amplifiers and special antennas, but I remain unconvinced as to their usefulness. I think this would be my choice for a quick, inexpensive way to get into the WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) business. Of course I would get a base and a subscriber unit and try them out before making a heavy investment. If you would like to know more, check out Proxim's web site. WLAN company Mobility Networks shuts down Aug. 27, 2003 1:53 PM EST Privately held Mobility Networks, which sold technology to wireless carriers that linked wide area networks with Wi-Fi hot spots, has shut down and ceased operations. . . Dubbed WiFiRAN, Mobility Networks' technology allowed mobile operators to offer WLAN services without making any changes to their existing wide area networks. The company said mobile operators could leverage current investments in their infrastructures to offer authentication, charging/billing and security to public wireless LAN networks. The company’s shutdown comes at an interesting time, as T-Mobile USA Inc. continues to build out its Wi-Fi network and AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and others look to offer or resell Wi-Fi services. Source: RCR Wireless News Wi-Fi On Trains ACE and PointShot bring wireless Internet to mobile commuters Stockton, Calif. and Ottawa - August 25, 2003 - PointShot Wireless, a developer of wireless solutions for mobile environments including trains, buses and vehicles, announced today it has signed an agreement with California rail operator Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) to implement the first-ever U.S. trial of a Wi-Fi enabled train. The three-month trial is scheduled to begin in mid-September and will provide free Internet access to ACE passengers, allowing them first-time access to email, the Internet, corporate intranets, instant messaging and digital entertainment while in transit. ACE has installed PointShot Wireless’ RailPoint™ Wi-Fi solution on its trains to serve a community of business travelers, commuting daily from Stockton to San Jose, California. The service is free-of-charge during the trial, and ACE passengers only need a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computer or PDA to access the broadband wireless service. “Onboard Internet access is the logical next step for a passenger-focused service like ACE,” said Chris Juelch, ACE’s project manager for the PointShot endeavor. “Most ACE riders are business commuters, so the PointShot Wireless system will help them dramatically increase their onboard productivity. We’re excited to add this new level of service to the ACE commuting experience.” PointShot Wireless’ RailPoint™ is a mobile wireless solution that lets rail operators such as ACE better attract loyal travelers, increase yield and generate new revenue streams by offering differentiated onboard connectivity, communication and content services to passengers. In addition, RailPoint enables new business applications for operators, including onboard communication, real-time ticketing and advanced security features. ACE expects 25-to-30 percent of its passengers will immediately utilize the service to stay connected and be more productive while commuting. In fact, a recent survey conducted at ACE found that nearly one-third of passengers surveyed would utilize such a service to take online courses or obtain a college degree while aboard ACE trains. PointShot Wireless enables the Wi-Fi service with a satellite-delivered broadband downlink and cellular uplink to an onboard Wi-Fi access point. ACE is the second rail operator in North America to use Wi-Fi as a competitive differentiator. Intel Canada, Bell Canada and PointShot Wireless successfully implemented a trial for Canadian travelers last month on VIA Rail Canada passenger trains. Similar deployments are planned in the United States and Europe later this year. “Our Wi-Fi trial with ACE advances the company’s strategy to build and deliver comprehensive and transparent wireless services to mobile users,” said Shawn Griffin, president and CEO of PointShot Wireless. “With our SolutionPoint platform, we are allowing rail operators and other mobile markets to deliver new wireless solutions to their customers, generate new revenues and open new market segments.” Source: PointShot Wireless Press Release | ||
| FEATURED ADVERTISERS SUPPORTING THE NEWSLETTER | ||||||||
 AAPC’s Mission Statement Defines Purpose
Our industry must move forward together or perish individually. If you want to get involved, please click here. Come and join us! Their "newsroom" is a great source of information. They also host the Paging Technical Committee site. There is a lot of good paging-industry information here. Click on the logo above to find out about joining. |
Sophisticated And Affordable
The Zetron 2000 Series Paging Terminals are designed for the paging operator needing a flexible, modular approach to system operation, with the capacity to expand to a region-wide or national network. The terminals are incrementally expandable in both capacity and options. The 2000 Series can act as the hub of an integrated communications system and are suitable for the larger private paging system. The terminals are incrementally expandable in both capacity and options, so a system can start small and grow as required. The terminals are available with advanced features such as PageSaver voice messaging. They connect with a wide range of PBX or PSTN equipment and can be integrated with security systems, monitoring and control systems, nurse call, product control, building management systems etc. www.zetron.com/paging. | |||||||
 ISC Technologies is the industry leader in the pre-owned Paging equipment marketplace. We specialize in purchasing, reconditioning, reconfiguring and sales of quality paging infrastructure. We can customize and configure equipment at a fraction of the cost of new. All equipment carries a standard warranty to insure your trouble free operation. At ISC Technologies we service what we sell and more. Our factory-trained technicians repair most Quintron, Glenayre, Motorola, and Skydata equipment. All of our repairs are done on a Time and Material basis, saving you money over flat rate repair. From vacuum tubes to surface mount equipment, we are ready to handle your repair needs quickly and cost effectively.
|  Wireless Communication Solutions The Hark ISI-400LX is a hardware device that encapsulates serial data into TCP/IP for transmission over the Internet. It can also be configured to convert incoming TAP messages from the serial port and send them over the Internet to paging providers in email (SMTP) or Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) format. The ISI-400LX with the optional external modem can connect to a secondary dial-up ISP when a failure on the ethernet port is detected.
This device is the perfect companion for the Hark Gateway products. An ISI can be located at a remote location for receiving TAP, TNPP, or Billing traffic using a local ISP eliminating long distance phone charges.
| |||||||
 ProfitPlus by Netflow—the software that streamlines pager billing and system maintenance. ProfitPlus interfaces to your Zetron terminals allowing easy changes to pager settings and billable services. Zetron Interface: Multiple Zetron Series 2000 terminals supported. Default pager settings. Terminal/phone number association. Future activation/deactivation dates. Easy group maintenance. Automatic Billing Records: Point of Sale transaction automatically enters pager airtime into monthly billing cycle. Contract pricing. Recurring and one-time billing capabilities. Tracking: Agent commissions. Phone number inventory/analysis. Product inventory transfer from stockroom to sales locations to customer. Capcode usage reports. Duplicate capcode detection.
Contact Netflow, Inc at: 800-236-5861 | 
| |||||||
Supports both current and future radio paging network needs. Offers both analog (2-tone, 5/6-tone, Quick-Call I and II) formats with voice and digital (Golay, POCSAG and FLEX™) paging formats. Can be tailored to meet special operating requirements of your organization. Features redundant AC and DC power supplies, plug-in hard disk drives, standard MS Windows 2000 operating system, voice prompts, caller password screening, direct connection to your dispatch console and more. You can use common time source for logging. Supports PURC transmitter control or can be connected to existing transmitter control system. Redundancy option with geographic separation is available to provide additional protection for critical message control points. Let us discuss your specific needs. Other PMG models are available with more features and capacities. Also inquire about TGA’s Special Network Application Platform (SNAP)* featuring e-mail messaging inbound and outbound with Web Site Hosting, and don't forget:
* TGA SNAP is a trademark of TGA Technologies, Inc. |
Developers and Manufacturers of Paging and Mobile Data Equipment Selective is a developer and manufacturer of intelligent paging receiver/decoders and mobile data equipment. The PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal is a large display pager designed for desktop or in-vehicle mounting and it, along with our range of other Paging Data Receivers provide a significant message processing capability. The PDT and PDR range have multiple uses and capabilities including:
Our mobile data equipment includes a range of Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which may be interfaced to a variety of wireless networks including trunked and conventional radio, paging, GPRS & CDMA cellular, Mobitex etc. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and GPS solutions, Dispatch & Messaging software. Local area paging systems, paging interception and message reprocessing software, field force automation and mobile dispatch solutions. We export worldwide.
| |||||||
Coming soon.
|  TRANSMITTERS AND RECEIVERS Salcom's synthesized UHF and VHF transmitters, receivers and transceivers are utilized in many areas of the telecommunications industry, often in conjunction with Salcom signalling products. To realize additional market segments for the RF products, specialized OEM products have been developed utilizing the standard core technology. Most of these products are utilized in third party telecommunications and telemetry systems. PAGING EQUIPMENT EMERGENCY TRANSCEIVER SEA AIR AND LAND COMMUNICATIONS LTD | |||||||
USED PAGERS FOR SALE
Motorola Bravo Plus (numeric) units: 900 MHz or VHF POCSAG Shelf-ready: $5.90 not on frequency Mixed units (untested): $4.00 Units Needing LCDs: $3.00
| ||||||||
Your company's logo and product promotion can appear right here for 6 months. It only costs $400 for 26 issues—that's $15.38 an issue. | Would You Like To Advertise Here? If you have any wireless equipment that you would like to buy or sell, please let me know. I don't charge individuals for listing something for sale. If a sale is made through this newsletter, I ask the seller to send me a 10% commission, much the same as the voluntary payments that are requested on the Internet for shareware. It's on the honor system. There is no cost to the buyer. There is a small charge for companies wanting to put their products in the newsletter and on my web site. There is no obligation for payment of a commission for this kind of basic advertising. I would be very pleased, however, to get involved in the sales process as a manufacturer representative—for quality wireless products and reputable companies. It's only $15.38 per issue for the basic advertising package. ($400 for 6 months or 26 issues.) Details about the advertising plans can be read here. | |||||||
| OTHER PAGING AND WIRELESS DATA PRODUCTS AND SERVICES | ||||||||||||||||
Two-way Radio Products
| Radio Paging Transmitters
VHF PAGING TRANSMITTER
To request pricing and delivery information for the PTX-150, please click here. You can check out their paging products here. | |||||||||||||||
| Wireless Automation & Telemetry Check out the following four categories of two-way wireless data communications. We have the ability to customize solutions to meet your (or your customer's) needs.
To visit their web site for more information, click here. |
CUSTOM APPLICATIONS
If you see someone in the field (like salespeople, technicians, and delivery people) using paper forms, their company could probably save a pile of money, and get much better timeliness, accuracy and efficiency, by using converting to Outr.Net's Wireless Forms. Custom applications for as little as $995, delivered in just a few days. Outr.Net has a web page on Wireless Forms for Timeports at: http://www.outr.net/overnight_pw.htm Their latest newsletter is: "Crossing the Chasm" with Mobile Data http://www.outr.net/newsletter_chasm.htm Please call me so we can discuss your need or your idea. | |||||||||||||||
Unication Co., Ltd. Introducing the new line of 802.11b products Quantity—1,000 minimum each item—per order
These are wholesale, direct-from-the-factory products. To send me an e-mail for pricing information please click here. | Sea Air & Land Communications Ltd. Designers and Manufacturers of Communications Systems You can check out their web site here. | |||||||||||||||
Legacy Technology Solutions LLC
Paging infrastructure repair with warranty. Please ask for Virgil Jarrard, President, and tell him Brad Dye sent you. They are located in the Dallas suburbs, and they occasionally have some good deals on reconditioned paging equipment as well. Check with them for current product availability. You can send Virgil an e-mail by clicking here. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Wireless Messaging Software InfoRad® Wireless Office (Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP) is designed for the professional who needs full-featured wireless messaging capabilities. Features include enhanced user interface, message log with search function, scheduled paging, group and individual message addresses, TAPI Smart™, multiple protocol SMS communication compatibility. AlphaCare™ support services available. With a 32-bit architecture, InfoRad Wireless Office is designed for compatibility with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. For more information on InfoRad Wireless Messaging software, and a free demo, please click on the logo. | ||||||||||||||||
| UNTIL NEXT WEEK | ||||||||||||||||
Here is an incredible photo of what the big electric power blackout in the USA on August 14, 2003 might have looked like. Unfortunately it is a hoax. "The e-mailed photo is, in fact, a cropped, doctored version of a well-known composite image created from satellite photos taken between 1994 and 1995 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program." [Correction added on 8/30/03 thanks to Richard Krigsman.]
If you like this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend or co-worker. There is no cost, no obligation, and there are no membership restrictions. It is generously supported by the companies you have seen above.
FLEX, ReFLEX, FLEXsuite, and InFLEXion, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola, Inc. | ||||||||||||||||
| UNTIL NEXT WEEK | ||||||||||||||||
CLICK HERE
TWO-WAY PAGING
For over 55 years, RELM has manufactured and marketed two-way FM business-band radios as well as high-specification public safety mobile and portable radios, repeaters and accessories, base station components and subsystems. Products are manufactured and distributed worldwide under RELM Communications, Uniden PRC and BK Radio brand names. 
Distribution agreements for Dealers and Stocking Distributors are available in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. 
If you have the ability to sell and service two-way radio equipment and would like to represent Uniden PRC, BK Radio, and RELM Wireless, please let me know as soon as possible. This is a unique opportunity. Requests for other countries will also be considered. Please call me today. 
