ADT Will Monitor Your RFID Readers

Device Commander logs all event failures, including hardware failures and network connection failures. These events can be forwarded via the standard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to a network management system or alerting system. When there is a network connection failure or other problem, Device Commander stores tag data in a memory buffer until the connection is restored and then forward the stored data.

At the integration lab, Tyco engineers test an RFID reader on shrink-wrap machine

"We’re trying to make it as simple as possible to manage large numbers of readers," says Kevin Smith, Tyco's project leader for software quality assurance and integration. "People don't understand the scale of the device management problem until you ask them to imagine what would happen if you had to put a PC—albeit without a keyboard, monitor and hard drive—on every dock door, doorway and trash compactor in the supply chain."

ADT will sell Device Commander to end users that wish to manage the readers on their own. But it also sees the product as a tool it can use to service RFID readers for customers that want to outsource that task. Using Device Commander, Sensormatic engineers will be able to see a problem with a reader and possibly fix it without having to make a visit to the facility where the reader is located, which will save the customer money in the long term.

Sensormatic's EAS system is proprietary, but ADT is committed to open systems. The Sensormatic SensorID Agile 1 reader and the new SensorID Agile 2 reader use standardized air-interface protocols, and ADT will install and service readers from other vendors for companies that plan to buy readers from different vendors.

"There is a Chinese wall between our product development organization and our [integration and support services] business," says George Reynolds, Tyco's VP of RFID. "There's deliberate tension. The product development guys have to design technology that others in the marketplace don't have, and where others have best-of-breed solutions, we expect to be able to integrate those into our [hardware and services] offering."

As part of its integration and support services, Tyco has created the Sensormatic RFID Performance Center in Boca Raton, Fla. The lab consists of two facilities: the Compliance Testing Lab and the Integration Testing Lab. The compliance lab does extensive testing of EPC tags placed on cases of products for manufacturers who are trying to comply with RFID mandates from retailers, including Albertsons, Metro, Target, Tesco and Wal-Mart. Here, the company takes advantage of Sensormatic's history of testing EAS tags on products.

The integration lab helps companies go beyond compliance and achieve internal benefits. For example, if a manufacturer needs to ensure the accuracy of direct-to-store deliveries, it might want to read all tagged cases on a pallet before the pallet is shipped. The integration lab will test where to put tags on the cases and where to install readers to achieve that. The lab can develop custom interfaces that allow SensorID readers to pass data to a customer's middleware. The system can be developed and tested in the lab before rolling it out. "We could install an entire facility in days instead of weeks because all the issues have been worked out in the lab," says Reynolds.

In addition to partnering with GlobeRanger, Tyco has teamed up with UPM Rafsec, a Finnish company that designs and manufacturers RFID tags. (Together, Sensormatic, ADT, ThingMagic and Rafsec make up epcSTARS Alliance, a marketing alliance.) When Tyco tests RFID tags on cases of products in its compliance lab, some products may require special tag designs. Rafsec can create and manufacturer the tags. ADT is reselling generic EPC smart labels and tags from Rafsec under the Sensormatic brand.

Some companies, such as Gillette, have experimented with using RFID tags as an antitheft device. ADT believes that EAS and RFID are different technologies for different applications and that EAS tags will still be needed to reduce shoplifting. The company will continue to maintain and support its EAS installations while building up its RFID services organization.

ADT is among the first companies to go after the RFID services market, but it will likely have competition. Systems integrators and technology outsourcing companies, such as Accenture and IBM Global Services, are looking to install systems and will likely offer to maintain them for companies that want to outsource that work. And Checkpoint Systems, Sensormatic's longtime rival in the EAS market, will likely be a player.

ADT's Dunn believes that winners in the market will be companies that deliver for their customers. "Our go-to-market strategy will be very customer-focused," he says. "We have a complete solutions package. We will listen to our customers and understand what their needs are, and then we'll marry elements of those solutions for them."