Wi-fi and RFID used for tracking

[NiteTiger]

Wi-fi and RFID used for tracking
Siemens tags
People can wear the Siemens/Ekahau tags
Wireless tracking systems could be used to protect patients in hospitals and students on campuses, backers of the technology said.

The combination of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and wi-fi allows real-time tracking of objects or people inside a wireless network.

Angelo Lamme, from Motorola, said tracking students on a campus could help during a fire or an emergency.

"You would know where your people are at any given moment," he said.

Marcus Birkl, head of wireless at Siemens, said location tracking of assets or people was one of the biggest incentives for companies, hospitals and education institutions to roll out wi-fi networks.

Both firms were at The Wireless Event, in London, this week selling new products in the area of so-called real-time location services.

Siemens is pushing a complete system, developed with Finnish firm Ekahau, which can track objects or people.

Battery powered

Battery-powered RFID tags are placed on an asset and they communicate with at least three wireless access points inside the network to triangulate a location.


There needs to be standards put in place so the data is not abused for other purposes
Marcus Birkl, head of wireless at Siemens

Mr Birkl said: "The tags have a piece of software on them and they detect the signal strength of different access points.

"This information is sent back to the server and it then models the movement of the tag depending on the shift in signal strength detected."

For the system to work, the building or area that has been deployed with a wireless network needs to have been mapped and calibrated.

To effectively locate objects a wireless access point is needed every 30 metres and Siemens said it was able to pinpoint assets to within a metre of their actual position.

Mr Birkl said: "It's very useful for the health care industry - where there are highly expensive pieces of mobile equipment that move around a hospital.

"At every point in the day health staff need to know where it is."

The system can also be used to track wi-fi equipped devices, such as laptops, tablet PCs and wi-fi enabled phones.

"You can record movements over a period of time. You can see if the security guard in the night makes the right rounds, for example," said Mr Birkl.

He added: "You can set certain boundaries and parameters. If a certain device enters or leaves an area it could trigger an alarm."

'More popular'

As wi-fi becomes more popular in schools, the technology could also be used to track students.

Hospital patient
RFID tags could track patients and equipment

"It has to be aligned with the understanding of the people who are tracked," said Mr Birkl.

There have been privacy concerns expressed in some quarters about RFID tags, especially around the possible use of tags on shopping goods to monitor consumer spending habits.

RFID supporters have pointed out that the tags cannot be read at a great distance, but combining the technology with wi-fi raises the possibility of remote tracking.

Tags on products are typically passive - they have no power source and are only activated when read by a scanner in close proximity. These tags contain only an identifying number and can be small enough to embed in a sheet of paper.

But the tags used in conjunction with a wi-fi network have to be active - they need a power source and have software installed on them that communicates with the wireless access points.

The tags, therefore, are larger in size, and currently are impractical for use on anything other than high value consumer goods or, potentially, on people.

"There needs to be standards put in place so the data is not abused for other purposes," said Mr Birkl.

He added: "But there are clear benefits to keeping people safe."

More than half of respondents to a recent pan-Europe consultation on RFID said regulations were needed to police the use of tags.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

Luckily right now it only works inside a network... What's the potential? james bond like tracking devices that could be attached to a car or person? This is already done with radio transmitters, right? new tech for the same old thing...

 

[stussy22]

ya sounds like technology that has been around for a whlie. what you have in mind they might try to use it for?

 

[treble]

there are already gps trackers so you can track outside the network. of course there is no way to put yourself truly outside the network now. it hangs above everyone all the time. the only way to deal with it is to reduce your signature in their systems

the gps things are still too big for personal implant and rfid is much more up close and personal. the US department of defence is building small autonomous highly menouvarable flying platforms which can carry all manner of surveilence equipment or weapons. RFID readers, GPS device and a wireless comms device would be easily supported on one of these. they can then fly around and scan people while markng their locations.

check www.darpa.gov for lots more nice little death oppression kill toys.

specifically:
http://www.darpa.gov/tto/programs/mav.htm

Automatic weapons systems for urban and non urban areas:
http://www.darpa.gov/tto/programs/crosshairs.htm

This section is all about using machines to control cells or cells to control machines..nanotech and a whole lot more
http://www.darpa.gov/dso/programs.htm

much of that looks like it could be used to control or modify people universal soldier style.

treb

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

yeah... but the network in the article is a specific wi-fi network... not the mobile wireless network...

 

[Verite]

Funny .. how does a rfid tag protect students on campus? .. oh, when you apply the rfid tag to a bulletproof vest.

 

[Scientist]

yes! i read this article too from my news drop down o matic in my browser. Kinda scary, but this technoligy has been around for a while. I dunno about some of these bogus uses for it though - to track students during a fire, give me a f ing break.

 

[Liam]

Well realize that anyone can get infra-red cameras and watch you take a poop... or check out your grow-op. Then theres fun ones like collecting the radio signal from LCD and CRT monitors and reconstructing the image.

Privacy unfortunately is hard to TRULY have when others are interested enough in violating it. I think peoples concern with privacy would be a lot less if there were less reasons to want it! Obvious I know, but if I had nothing to fear, I would have nothing to hide. I FEAR people watching me shit, because society raised me to do so. I just can't crap in front of someone else! My parents on the other hand did, <shudder>.

I FEAR the cops arresting me for getting high, ETC ETC. Really society is what we need to focus on. I think even pedophiles can be dealt with, there was a guy whose brain tumor made him a pedophile, so I'm willing to beleive shrinks/therapy and science can fix that.

Were not gonna be in a world free of fear anytime, so privacy needs to be protected...

 

[Guest]

Buuuurrpp!!!. that was a tasty meal.. mmm.. damn, a micro RFID attached itself onto my intestine.. Maybe they just want to tell me if i'm sick.. "Ring-Ring" "hello?" Hello Mr. Soandso you need to report to the Hospital for analysis. Your appointment is in two hours at the Central Med Center. Failure to arrive at your appointment will result in a loss of your civil liberties, a Fine, and Jail time. "after the med center appointment"... Mr. Soandso is not allowed to leave the Med Center due to Tetrahydrocannabinol in your system... Mr. Soandso is escorted to a jail or prison.
Question: my country dont have Socialized medicine; Is the government in control of it? if so, then the above could very well happen.. I would hope in public healthcare program, the Hospitals could refuse to have police installed into them.. /shrug.. but i dont know.. i'm an idiot in real life..hahaha..
Awe, the good life..! sit back and relax everyone, it only hurts for a second!..

Cannabismavin, a.k.a. Mr. Soandso

 

[NiteTiger]

No one is doubting the technology has been in place for a while, but now we're starting to see the actual campaign begin. Make it voluntary, 'for the sake of the children', and then it escalates from there.

How long before the colleges begin requiring student to have this technology? And Public schools require it like an immunization? Hospitals requiring it for newborns and moms? Drug offenders receive RFID tracking instead of House Arrest?

How about Driver's Licenses? Oh wait, that's already happened.

And those of you who've been following the REAL ID discussions know that this is exactly as laid out in the Air Force's report on injecting RFID tech into the populace.