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Ekahau Introduces Money-Back Guarantee
First-time purchasers of the company's Wi-Fi-based real-time locating system can try it for 30 days, then, if not pleased with the results, get the installation fixed to their satisfaction for free, or receive a full refund.
By Claire Swedberg
Feb. 5, 2010—Businesses that still have doubts regarding whether real-time locating systems (RTLS) designed to manage assets or individuals would work in their facility now have a risk-free option to purchase a system without any guarantees, or to launch a limited pilot to test the technology on a small scale. Ekahau, a provider of Wi-Fi-based RTLS technology, is bringing a 30-day refundable option to market, offering a provision that, if the system fails to meet a user's needs, the company will correct the problem at no cost—or remove the system and refund the customer's money. Ekahau claims its Zero-Risk System Guarantee is the first 30-day guarantee offering in the RTLS market.
This guarantee will enable companies not clear about the benefits of an RTLS to give the technology a try, says Tuomo Rutanen, Ekahau's senior VP of worldwide marketing and business development. The new offering provides an alternative to the pilots many firms launch to test out a system and determine its effectiveness before committing to buying a full system. In a large business such as a hospital, Rutanen says, pilots that are run in small sections of one building, such as on a particular floor or several floors, do not offer a clear indication of just how the system would work across the entire building or campus. In addition, he adds, "pilots do have expenses; they take time, money and effort."
Ekahau can afford to make such an offer due to the nature of the technology it provides. The system requires very little infrastructure, the company reports, since it leverages existing Wi-Fi access points. That, Rutanen explains, means Ekahau does not have to install RFID interrogators or infrared (IR) sensors around a facility.
What's more, before making a proposal, the company conducts a survey of the facility's wireless network, to predict the system's performance. Ekahau uses a tool known as the Ekahau Site Survey (ESS) to measure and analyze a facility's Wi-Fi network layout, thereby ensuring there is sufficient Wi-Fi coverage before commencing an installation. To accomplish this survey, Ekahau utilizes a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop loaded with the ESS software and an electronic (CAD) drawing of the facility's floor plan. An individual then walks the laptop around each of the building's floors, repeatedly inputting the computer's location and measuring the signal strength at each spot.
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Feb. 5, 2010—Businesses that still have doubts regarding whether real-time locating systems (RTLS) designed to manage assets or individuals would work in their facility now have a risk-free option to purchase a system without any guarantees, or to launch a limited pilot to test the technology on a small scale. Ekahau, a provider of Wi-Fi-based RTLS technology, is bringing a 30-day refundable option to market, offering a provision that, if the system fails to meet a user's needs, the company will correct the problem at no cost—or remove the system and refund the customer's money. Ekahau claims its Zero-Risk System Guarantee is the first 30-day guarantee offering in the RTLS market.
This guarantee will enable companies not clear about the benefits of an RTLS to give the technology a try, says Tuomo Rutanen, Ekahau's senior VP of worldwide marketing and business development. The new offering provides an alternative to the pilots many firms launch to test out a system and determine its effectiveness before committing to buying a full system. In a large business such as a hospital, Rutanen says, pilots that are run in small sections of one building, such as on a particular floor or several floors, do not offer a clear indication of just how the system would work across the entire building or campus. In addition, he adds, "pilots do have expenses; they take time, money and effort."
Ekahau can afford to make such an offer due to the nature of the technology it provides. The system requires very little infrastructure, the company reports, since it leverages existing Wi-Fi access points. That, Rutanen explains, means Ekahau does not have to install RFID interrogators or infrared (IR) sensors around a facility.
What's more, before making a proposal, the company conducts a survey of the facility's wireless network, to predict the system's performance. Ekahau uses a tool known as the Ekahau Site Survey (ESS) to measure and analyze a facility's Wi-Fi network layout, thereby ensuring there is sufficient Wi-Fi coverage before commencing an installation. To accomplish this survey, Ekahau utilizes a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop loaded with the ESS software and an electronic (CAD) drawing of the facility's floor plan. An individual then walks the laptop around each of the building's floors, repeatedly inputting the computer's location and measuring the signal strength at each spot.
