Stand-alone modem adds GPRS to M2M comms

The Trac Monitor is a stand-alone wireless modem for remote data access control and audio transmission for devices in the field.

Alpha Micro today launched Trac Monitor (total remote access and control), a stand-alone wireless modem for remote data access control and audio transmission for devices in the field.

Aimed exclusively at the "fixed wireless" market, where electrical devices in fixed locations could benefit from a wireless connection, Trac Monitor has many potential applications for example the remote polling of data from electricity meters.

This rapidly growing market is opening up an increasing number of opportunities for electronic devices in the field to be connected to a central fixed device by utilising wireless, GPRS technology.

Trac Monitor provides a number of benefits to users, once the unit is attached to an electrical device; an almost constant connection is created with a host computer, removing the need to visit the device in the field to collect data, saving vast amounts of money on man power, making the process more efficient and removing the need to work in harsh or remote environments.

With all the major mobile telcos offering competitive data-only packages to end-users and corporate organisations, using a GPRS modem as a means to communicate between devices, it is far more economical than using a conventional phone line.

Trac Monitor can be attached to any electrical device with a serial RS232, creating an almost instantaneous link with a fixed host.

Christos Papakyriacou, Managing Director, Alpha Micro Components, said: "There are many places where it is impossible to use a fixed telephone line to connect two devices, either due to lack of infrastructure or due to the remoteness of the unit".

"For instance, many countries in Eastern Europe, and also parts of the UK, have an underdeveloped fixed telephone line infrastructure, but their new GSM networks make GPRS solutions, like Trac Monitor, an ideal alternative".

Trac Monitor has an infinite number of applications, from monitoring stock levels in a vending machine to the monitoring of equipment in a sewage works.

With machine-to-machine communication becoming more popular, companies are beginning to realise the value of remote monitoring and so the potential for fixed wireless devices is set to increase.

Trac Monitor comes integrated with TCP/IP and PPP protocol stacks, which allow simple remote interrogation of the device via any standard web browser.

Developing an efficient protocol software stack for an embedded system can take many years, but Trac Monitor eliminates this design process, significantly accelerating time-to-market and saving on costly design time.

Some of the other features of Trac Monitor include: triband operation - 900/1800/1900MHz; data and SMS support; V.21, V.22, V.22bis, V.32 modem emulation; serial and power standby modes; and true fixed IP addressing permitting two-way communication.

Papakyriacou concludes: "Trac Monitor is the perfect solution for the fixed wireless market".

"The unit can be easily attached to virtually any electronic devices, wherever it is located, allowing it to become GPRS enabled without the need for a costly redesign".

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