1. Michael Maurer - President & C.T.O.
433MHz SecurTRAK
vs
2.4Ghz
WIFI & Zigbee

2. Miami VA Med Ctr
5 Buildings, 7 Floors
500,000 Square Feet

3. Short 2.4GHz wavelength
Susceptible to Interference & Shared
Network
Security and System Backup issues
from power requirements to access
point locations
Outside tracking an issue

4. SecurTRAK (433Mhz) vs WIFI (2.4Ghz)
SecurTRAK Wifi
Accuracy 1-3 Meters (Proven) Accuracy Inconsistent
99.9% Reliable Prone to Interruption
Instantaneous Alerts
Delays Common & Potentially
Dangerous
Completely Secure Vulnerable to Hackers
Long Battery Life Shorter Battery Life
AutoCAD Compatible Displays?
Small Tamper-Proof Tags
Larger Tag
Potential Tampering

5. SecurTRAK vs Mesh vs Wi-Fi
SecurTRAK Mesh Wi-Fi
Application
Focus
Safety and
Security
Monitoring and
Control
Web, Email,
Video etc
System
Resources
8B - 4KB 4KB - 32KB 1MB+
Battery Life
(days)
730 - 1,000+ 100 - 1,000+ .5 - 5
Maximum Data
Rate (KB/s)
130 - 230 20-250 11,000+
Transmission
Range (meters)
1 - 200+ 1 - 100+ 1 - 100
Success
Metrics
Secure,
Reliability,
Speed
Reliability,
Power, Cost
Speed,
Flexibility

6. Wi-Fi has SHORT 2.4Ghz
wavelength signal which is
BLOCKED by
• Old construction material
• Metal in walls
• Thick brick walls
Therefore, more network
devices must be installed per
square foot to get marginal
accuracy
RFID Tag
Brick wall/Metal
Wi-Fi Node
Signal is reflected or blocked
and tag message NOT heard

7. MGM Node
RFID Tag
Brick wall/Metal
MGM uses 433Mhz which has a LONG
wavelength signal which is NOT BLOCKED
by
•Old construction material
•Metal in walls
•Thick brick walls
Signal passes through
and tag message IS heard

8. Better penetration 433MHz allows coverage of
entire floor using only a few
readers.
If using Wi-Fi and 2.4GHz...
RF Reader
Distance from Nearest Readers used for triangulation
Staff/Patient
Good Penetration means less infrastructure overall for
better accuracy

9. Poor Penetration 433MHz allows coverage of
entire floor using only a few
readers.
If using Wi-Fi and 2.4GHz...
We would need more
infrastructure due to poor
penetration at that frequency
Poor Penetration means more infrastructure = more cost
Wi-Fi Reader
Distance from Nearest Readers used for triangulation
Staff/Patient

10. Constantly changing specifications
could cost more money in the long
run due to need of new equipment
caused by specification changes
Constantly changing specifications
802.111997
802.11a
1999
802.11b
1999
802.11g
2003
802.11n
2009
What’s next?
802.11?
???

11. Triangulate???
Wi-Fi access points cannot triangulate since they
have no method of determining Azimuth location
of device
Due to this, suggested location of tagged device
could be on the 1st or ground floor depending on
any number of circumstances = Inaccuracy
Ground
Floor
1st
Floor
Tagged Asset
Wi-Fi AP
Wi-Fi AP

12. 12
Security is paramount in the VA
 This is why our equipment is installed as part of
the infrastructure in walls and ceilings out of easy
reach of tampering.
 Equipment monitored for tamper alerts and when
they go down for any reason
Installing pluggable devices are not in
secure locations and can be easily
unplugged
12

13. 13
Interference can come from anywhere
 There are lots of equipment in the VA running on
different frequencies and with different materials.
Being able to monitor and track equipment every
and anywhere is paramount to a successful
secure system
2.4GHz technologies are susceptible to
and generate significant noise
13

14. 14
VA Servers require monthly updates
 Every month as mandated, all VA servers must be
updated and rebooted.
 This affects any server side system
 SecurTRAK includes local backup controllers that
continue protection even when the server is down
for monthly maintenance.
Redundancy is not built-in for other
systems
14

15. 15
The VA system needs constant reports
 SecurTRAK includes Reporting tools to facilitate
access to data captured in our industry standard
SQL databases
 SecurTRAK has been Integrated with multiple VA
Systems and Databases – we’ve been writing
Hospital Interfaces since 1991 – using open
source XML format
Integration is not easy when using non-
open source standards
15

16. 16
The VA needs tracking outdoors and in other
structures like garages and secure areas like
Psych wards
 Using 433MHz allows us to place devices in areas
others cannot get to and in locations not easily
tampered
Others will have problems when outlets are
not available or cannot reach the dense
installation of equipment needed to track tags
16

17. 17
Power is an issue: Using 433MHz allows us to
spread our devices out and use a single
power source – Emergency Power and
Battery Backup from one location
It’s impractical to expect all hospital outlets to
be on Emergency Power. What happens to
WIFI and Zigbee tracking when the power
goes down
17

19. Automatically switches to Local Control when
Server down for updates
Portal mechanisms still
activate based on business
rules built into Local Controller
Activations happen instantly
 Audible / Visual enunciators
 Door and Elevator Locking
Mechanisms
 Button 2 Alert Clear
History still captured

21. 650 Grove Road, Suite 106
Paulsboro, NJ 08066
Ph: 856-853-5370
mmaurer@mgm-solutions.com
www.mgm-solutions.com
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