March 15, 2007, Austin, TX – Transpond Global Solutions, an Austin, Texas based startup, announced the introduction of the first product in its IntelliAntennaTM Series. The IA-100C is a low-cost RFID interrogator – an Intelligent Antenna – that will be connected via Ethernet directly to backend application servers, leveraging existing networking infrastructure for both power and connectivity. This will result in significant cost savings in equipment and cabling, obviating the need for today’s reader-antenna combinations, and will deliver greater efficiency and flexibility in RFID implementations. Prototypes of the IA-100C will be available starting in March, for pilots and preliminary testing. The product, when in General Availability, will be priced below $500.
“Transpond Global Solutions is committed to providing innovative products and services that enable companies to deploy RFID solutions efficiently and cost-effectively,” said Tejas Vakil, Founder and CEO.
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“With the IntelliAntennaTM IA-100C, we eliminate one layer of hardware – the reader – and transfer all but the most basic data processing to the server stack, thereby simplifying deployments. By taking advantage of a company’s installed networking and server capacity, we remove additional equipment, set-up, and management cost.”
The IntelliAntennaTM IA-100C is a UHF interrogator that works with EPCglobal Class 1 Gen2 tags, initially targeted for the North American market. The first implementation will feature an antenna with circular polarization, working effectively with a range of 4 to 5 meters (12 to 17 feet). It will perform basic tag functions – read, write, lock, kill – as well as removing duplicates and time-stamping the data. The data transfer between the IA-100C and the server will be in XML format, thereby allowing information to be imported into any standard business application.
“We are excited about getting the first prototypes of the IntelliAntennaTM IA-100C,” said Greg Greeson, Co-Owner, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, an Austin-based specialty furniture retailer. “We want to keep track of assets on the showroom floor and want to do it in the easiest, least disruptive way. The IA-100C, drawing power over Ethernet, is compelling because it allows us to use our existing networking and not have to install additional wiring or RFID readers.”
The IA-100C is aimed at supply-chain and asset-tracking applications that require compliance with the EPCglobal Gen2 standard for passive, UHF, RFID implementations. Transpond Global Solutions intends to complete EPC certification of the IA-100C prior to general availability, which is scheduled for late-summer 2007. The company will be working with potential customers and partners who want to test the product prototypes for their RFID implementations.
Transpond Global Solutions believes that the true potential of RFID technology will be realized when companies find it easy to deploy solutions using standard, inexpensive building blocks. The company’s mission is to develop and deliver products and services that meet this standard. Transpond Global Solutions is based in Austin, Texas.