Ekahau Extends RTLS Beyond the Building Using Wi-Fi Enabled iPhones and Android Phones

RESTON, Virginia, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ekahau Inc., the worldwide leader in high performance Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) ( http://www.ekahau.com/products/real-time-location-system/overview),today announced that Ekahau RTLS customers can now use their iPhone or Android smart phones to extend location tracking capabilities to areas outside their defined wireless local area network (WLAN). By using the smart phones as an additional wireless access point, this new functionality gives Ekahau RTLS users a way to track assets during transport or between Wi-Fi enabled facilities.

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"Many of our customers with multi-site or mobile operations have been asking for an inexpensive way to set up a 'hotspot' to extend RTLS presence outside of their WLAN coverage area for managing inventory and accounting for personnel," said Tuomo Rutanen, Ekahau's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Business Development. "With our latest innovation, a Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone or Android smart phone now can serve as an extension of a Wi-Fi network's RTLS capability, giving usersreal-time location and status of critical staff and assets anywhere in the world."

To transform the iPhone or Android handsets into a portable Wi-Fi access point, Ekahau RTLS users turn on the tethering feature of their smart phone. With this feature activated, any Ekahau Wi-Fi tags in the vicinity of the phone are able to communicate their presence back to the Ekahau RTLS Controller ( http://www.ekahau.com/products/real-time-location-system/positioning-engine.html) location-tracking engine, which can be installed on a server anywhere in the world as a cloud-based RTLS.

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Adding 'Sight' to Wi-Fi Blind Spots

By using the iPhone or Android handsets as ad hoc Wi-Fi hotspots, Ekahau RTLS customers can track assets even in blind spots in their logistics or supply chain - such as in temporary staging areas or mobile environments such as transport trucks, vans or ambulances.

For example, Ekahau is currently piloting use of iPhones and Android smart phones with ambulance drivers, to give hospitals a way to track medical equipment, patients and staff who leave the hospital site. Other planned uses include transportation logistics for high-value assets and verifying inventory of on-board cargo.

Demonstrations at RFID Journal LIVE!

Ekahau will be demonstrating its iPhone and Android capabilities in Booth 116 atRFID Journal LIVE! 2011 ( http://www.rfidjournalevents.com/live/index.php), April 12-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

About Ekahau Inc.

Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi-based RTLS solutions. Ekahau's customers, including several Fortune 500 companies worldwide, are realizing the benefits of Wi-Fi based location services and innovative Wi-Fi network planning and optimization tools. Ekahau's solutions are being used in more than 300 hospitals around the world, as well as by manufacturing, retail and industrial companies, government agencies and the military. Ekahau partners include wireless software developers, leading system integrators and international OEM partners, who develop and market wireless enterprise applications. Ekahau is a U.S.-based corporation, with headquarters in Reston, Va., and other offices in Saratoga, Calif.; Helsinki, Finland; Tokyo; and Hong Kong. For more information about Ekahau, please visit http://www.ekahau.com.