Why go wireless?

• Published in: Buildings Vol. 96; no. 1; p. 18
• Main Author: Merrick, Kathleen
• Format: Magazine Article Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nashville Endeavor Business Media 01-01-2002
• Subjects: Advantages; Bar codes; Facilities management; Fire extinguishers; Handheld computers; Productivity; Software; Wide area networks; Wireless communications; Wireless networks; United States > US
• ISSN: 0007-3725; 2471-3112

Imagine a fire and safety technician inspecting a facility using a hand-held computer to scan barcodes placed on fire extinguishers and other safety equipment. Each time a barcode is scanned, the time, date, and location of the information is automatically recorded into the hand-held computer. The device even prompts the user through a series of tasks required to complete the inspection. When the technician has collected data from the last fire extinguisher, he touches a button on the hand-held computer, sending all collected data to a host PC, right then and there. A facilities professional sitting at the PC has immediate access to all of the day's inspection information, and can then print out detailed reports in minutes. If it sounds too good to be true, it is not. The rapid evolution of wireless technology has given birth to software applications that render once time-consuming building operations fast, efficient, and highly effective.