AUSTIN & DALLAS, TX /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- RF Code Inc., a leader in automating physical asset management using RFID-enabled solutions, announced the availability of a wireless environmental monitoring solution that provides real-time information about the temperature and humidity conditions surrounding IT assets. Ideal for monitoring environmental conditions in IT-dense areas, such as data centers and offices, the new R155 active RFID sensor (or tag) provides an affordable way for companies to implement eco-friendly monitoring easily. The announcement comes during the Active RFID, RTLS & Sensor Networks 2008 Conference, where RF Code is highlighting the sensor (Booth 7). The company will also be keynoting a session during the Active RFID in Asset Tracking track, along with IBM.
A number of trends are pushing companies to rethinking how to better manage the temperature and humidity that affects their IT investments, as well as their budgets—among them, the increasing density in the data center, including circuit density and the rising number of servers. The result, as Processor magazine recently reported, is that "data centers account for 1.5% of the nation's electricity use—an amount expected to double in the next five years." (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report.) Couple that with the fact that, according to the Nemertes Research, "Eighty-seven percent of data centers were built before 2003," and it's easy to conclude that in the face of increased environmental demands, many facilities are probably not environmentally equipped to handle today's heat and humidity challenges or are using older technologies to do so.
The traditional approach to environmental monitoring is to deploy large, wired environmental monitoring systems. These typically are costly to install and to reconfigure over time. RF Code's new solution provides an affordable, painless way to incorporate wireless environmental monitoring into an organization's asset protection strategy.
But the density and ubiquity of IT assets throughout an enterprise represents a significant CAPEX that companies don't want jeopardized by temperature or humidity issues. Today's announcement helps address this issue.
"The low cost and size of our wireless environmental sensors are what make the solution so compelling," said Mitch Medford, RF Code CEO. "No wires to deal with means very low installation costs and a system that is easily re-configurable as the monitoring needs for a data center change over time."
How the Solution Works
Based on RF Code's patented, award-winning active RFID technology, the R155 humidity-temperature tag monitors and reports the relative humidity and ambient temperature in its immediate environment, as well as its unique ID to any of RF Code's active RFID fixed and mobile readers, The information is then sent to the company's Zone Manager software, which correlates the information with the asset location so that appropriate action can be taken quickly.
About the Sensor
The battery life for the humidity-temperature tag typically exceeds 3.5 years. The tag operates at a low duty cycle and a 10 s beacon rate. The R155's form factor ensures clear signal transmission in high-density deployments. Featuring a low-battery alert, the tag will continue to monitor humidity and temperature for at least three months following the alert. After that, the tag will continue to broadcast its unique ID and low-battery indication with each beacon, but will no longer report temperature and humidity.
For more information, email [email protected].
About RF Code
RF Code Inc. automates the ability to discover, track, and monitor high-value physical assets across the enterprise. Using the company's award-winning platform for active RFID, customers know instantly and on demand the precise location of each individual asset. This spares them the high cost, time intensity, and compliance risk of a manual inventory. RF Code and its world-class roster of global partners develop solutions used in demanding industry environments, including IT, healthcare, defense, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, transportation, and homeland security.
RF Code and the RF Code logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of RF Code Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.