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Wireless Applications

Sensicast Ships Third-Generation Mesh Sensor Network System

September 25, 2006

The system's new SensiNet Services Gateway integrates wireless sensor networks with legacy control systems, internal applications, M2M platforms, and Web 2.0 interfaces.


NEEDHAM, MA /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- Sensicast Systems, a worldwide provider of wireless sensor networks for industrial automation and monitoring enhancement, announced it is shipping SensiNet 3.0—the industry's "first" end-to-end wireless mesh sensor network solution that can be tailored to specific applications using a self-configuring building-block approach.

Sensicast's third-generation mesh networking offering, SensiNet 3.0, is based on a building-block deployment approach for fast installation and scalability (from small networks to large/multifacility networks of hundreds of sensors). SensiNet's patented wireless mesh network technology enables end-user customers, such as plant and building managers, to quickly install and operate comprehensive yet tailor-made systems to wirelessly track conditions and processes in their facilities.

Modular building-block elements of SensiNet 3.0 include:

  • SensiNet Smart Sensors (battery-operated, long-MTBF, rugged components) interface directly with thousands of industry-standard sensor probes to monitor a range of physical data types (e.g. temperature, current, pressure).
  • SensiNet Mesh Routers are used in large-scale networks to extend the range of Smart Sensors, as well as to create a redundant network backbone infrastructure. Mesh Routers can be placed in convenient locations and are automatically self-configuring for optimum performance.
  • The new SensiNet Services Gateway is a hardware appliance with embedded connectivity and data reporting functionality that manages the SensiNet network and integrates it with legacy systems (e.g., ICONICS, Intellution, Wonderware, RSView and others), basic built-in data visualization applications, and standard Web 2.0 interfaces (e.g., SOAP, OPC, ODBC, XML). The gateway functions as the hub of the network through a browser-based control panel, which lets network administrators configure and monitor network properties and topology, as well as Smart Sensor battery levels and data reporting intervals.

"Through the SensiNet 3.0 platform and the new SensiNet Services Gateway, operations managers now have unprecedented access to actionable information to improve their production processes or better control their facilities," said Gary Ambrosino, CEO of Sensicast Systems Inc. "Now it is fast and easy to deploy wireless sensor networks and have them transparently connect to existing automation software."

The new SensiNet Services Gateway is designed as a plug-and-play smart component that delivers powerful interface services and integrated applications, including:

 

  • An ODBC interface for databases
  • SOAP connection for Web 2.0 applications
  • OPC connectivity for popular automation software
  • ModBus TCP/IP support for industrial control systems software
  • Remote M2M interface for connection to software-as-services platforms

"Sensicast's comprehensive building-block approach to providing all the elements—sensors, mesh routers, and the new gateway connectivity solution to legacy systems—facilitates rapid deployment of wireless sensor network solutions in industrial and commercial environments," said Neena Buck, vice president of emerging frontiers at Strategy Analytics, an international research and consulting firm focused on smart technologies and pervasive computing. "By providing connectivity between mesh networks and existing systems, the new SensiNet Services Gateway will now allow companies to integrate data from new mesh networking-based monitoring applications with systems that are already in use, leading to a much more comprehensive picture of system operations."

Sensicast's wireless sensor network systems are currently deployed in hundreds of facilities worldwide, yielding quick and significant benefits for operators, including:

  • FDA-compliant temperature monitoring for pharmaceutical manufacturers and food and beverage distributors
  • Reduced energy consumption, by measuring power consumption concurrently with systems performance, from factories to urban apartment buildings
  • Wirelessly enhanced field service operations through remote monitoring of humidity and moisture
  • Enhanced process control in metals and plastics manufacturing
  • Web-based alarms and reporting for rapid response and compliance documentation

For more on SensiNet 3.0 and the new SensiNet Services Gateway at visit the company's Web site.

About Sensicast
Sensicast provides comprehensive wireless mesh sensor networks that help operating managers dramatically reduce costs and improve efficiency. Sensicast's robust and easy-to-deploy SensiNet systems continuously report real-time operations data from applications, processes, and facility conditions. SensiNet is a patented, self-installing, self-healing "Zero-IT" solution that captures critical data through Smart Sensors and makes the information available and actionable through internal and Web-based access. Sensicast's solutions address the needs of a wide range of industrial and commercial enterprises—including remote monitoring of temperature, energy use, moisture/humidity, and other data types—while also facilitating predictive maintenance and governmental/environmental compliance.

Sensicast and SensiNet are registered trademarks of Sensicast Systems Inc. All other trademarks or service marks are property of their respective owners.






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