GuardRFID Completes Field Trials Of Its RTLS System For Hazardous Areas

GuardRFID completes trials of its solar-powered and fully wireless RTLS system for Personnel Accountability & Safety, Asset tracking & Security, and Time & Attendance in the Permian Basin in West Texas

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) - GuardRFID, a leader in active RFID/RTLS technology for industrial environments, today announced that it has successfully completed field trials of its RTLS system that is solar-powered and fully wireless, suitable for deployment at remote locations, or where power and/or connectivity may not be easily available. The trial was conducted at a test yard of a major Oil & Gas exploration company in the West Texas Permian Basin, using GuardRFID’s recently certified technology for use in the most hazardous and potentially explosive locations, as well as new solar-powered infrastructure equipment that the company has developed. The test system was deployed in early December 2015, and since then has exceeded performance goals that had been set at the beginning of the trial.

The entire trial system is completely wireless, using Wi-Fi communications for local connectivity within the yard, and utilizing a cellular uplink from the yard to one of GuardRFID’s enterprise RTLS servers in Vancouver, Canada. This configuration is a true representation of RTLS installations that can be implemented within geographically disparate global industrial yards, such as Oil & Gas wells and platforms, with their monitoring and management being accomplished from a centralized corporate data center.

GuardRFID tags, intended for use in hazardous areas are certified for the most explosive environments, designated as Zone 0 (IECEx/ATEX classification) or Class1/Div1 (UL/CSA classification). Several such tags, certified as being Intrinsically Safe devices, are available for placement on personnel, as well as on small or large equipment. These tags operate within a system that comprises of GuardRFID’s infrastructure devices (Industrial Tag Reader – EX, and Industrial Tag Exciter – EX) that also carry IECEx and UL/CSA certifications for use in hazardous environments.

GuardRFID’s active RFID technology, operating in the 433 MHz UHF band, is proven to perform reliably in the most difficult industrial environments, where other technologies based on higher frequencies (e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, UWB) fail due to limited communication range, high complexity of installation, or high power consumption. The technology is compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and operates in a frequency band that is suitable for global consumption and not constrained by local regulatory requirements.

“We have been deploying our RFID/RTLS technology in industrial environments for several years now, but this is the first time we have eliminated all the wiring from a system installation”, said Dalibor Pokrajac, GuardRFID’s CTO. “This six months trial, conducted in an environment which is a true representation of a remote industrial site that lacks electrical power and network connectivity, has truly demonstrated our system’s robustness and versatility. This, combined with the highest hazardous area certifications our equipment carries, and the system’s compatibility with worldwide regulatory requirements, further enhances GuardRFID’s position as a dominant supplier of RTLS technology for large scale industrial enterprises that have a global footprint.”

About Guard RFID Solutions, Inc.
Guard RFID Solutions, Inc. develops Active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies and products for Healthcare, Industrial, and Enterprise applications. Guard RFID Solutions, Inc.’s products can accurately track and locate equipment, materials, and people for enhanced automation, workflow, monitoring, and security solutions—all on one flexible platform. Guard RFID Solutions, Inc. is federally incorporated in Canada, with its head office in British Columbia.