Ekahau Embeds RTLS in Nordic ID RFID Readers to Add Location Tracking to Passive RFID Tags and Barcode

RESTON, Virginia, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Ekahau, the worldwide leader in high performance Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), today announced that, in conjunction with Nordic ID, it has developed a solution for adding location information to passive RFID and barcode labels. The Ekahau-Nordic ID solution is used to track low-cost assets like surgical implements, drug supplies, and other inventory.

     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090513/347052 )

Since 2002, Ekahau's RTLS technology has enabled users to track any assets in real-time throughout a hospital campuses using active Wi-Fi tags. Now, working with Nordic ID, Ekahau's RTLS is also capable of tracking passive RFID and barcode labels, as well as managing, storing and viewing assets and their respective location history in the same database.

The combined Ekahau-Nordic ID solution consists of Ekahau RTLS software and Nordic ID Merlin and Morphic mobile computers (handheld RFID and barcode scanners). The scanner's location is determined via RTLS and then associated with RFID/barcode information on the asset being scanned. The location and asset information can then be viewed and managed with the Ekahau Vision business logic and analytics software, which lets users see asset locations on a real-time map , generate asset reports and audit trails, and alert users if any items are low or in the wrong location.  

Arttu Huhtiniemi, Vice President of Product Management at Ekahau explained: "Previously there were two primary ways to keep track of RFID and barcode assets: the first was to manually input the location on a piece of paper or database - which is resource-intensive and is prone to human error. The second alternative, only available for RFID, has been to install costly reader gates throughout the facility. The Ekahau-Nordic ID solution changes the game without installing any additional hardware. All you need is Ekahau software and Nordic ID handheld scanners. With those, you can walk into a room and press a button on the scanner to audit and put your assets in the database and on the map."

Teemu Ainasoja, CEO at Nordic ID, Inc. said: "We are excited to work with Ekahau to bring more convenience to tracking RFID and barcode assets. For example, our newest RFID scanner, the Nordic ID Morphic, is known for its extremely small size, light weight, ease of use, and affordable price point, in combination with Ekahau RTLS, makes it ideal for everyday use in hospitals, logistics, retail, manufacturing and warehousing."

The Ekahau-Nordic ID solution is available today from Ekahau and its distribution partners. For more information, please visit http://www.ekahau.com/passive.

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, Calif.; Helsinki, Finland; Tokyo; and Hong Kong. For more information about Ekahau, please visit http://www.ekahau.com.

About Nordic ID

Nordic ID provides mobile computers for professional use enabling customers to improve their inventory management, customer service, communication and supply chain control. Nordic ID has over 10 years of experience in RFID and satisfied RFID customers in the apparel industry, for example Gerry Weber and its suppliers.

The Nordic ID Merlin and the Nordic ID Morphic are registered trademarks of Nordic ID. Nordic ID excels in device integration and therefore the product families cover multiple variations in terms of communication (WLAN, GPRS, Bluetooth, USB and Ethernet) and data collection (1/2D barcodes, UHF RFID and in the Nordic ID Merlin also HF RFID).

For more information, please visit: http://www.nordicid.com

SOURCE Ekahau Inc.