Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Place the chip in your phone



step 4Place the chip in your phone


This last step is pretty self-explanatory.
However, there are two possible ways to go about it.

1. I've found that the easiest way of placing the chip inside the phone is by placing it inside the battery cover.
In the case of my env2 and other compact cellphones, there is very little wiggle room available to place anything extra in the battery compartment. For my phone, I would trim the card more than shown in order to create a lower profile inside the battery compartment.
For others the chip in the size I show here may be more than adequate.

2. This second option is for those are not utilizing their microSD card slots (if available).The plastic around the RFID can usually be trimmed enough so that it is able to fit into a microSD card slot.
I only offer this option as an alternative for those willing and able to do so. Just make sure you can remove the chip from the slot and that there is no way to cause a short while the chip is in the slot.

step 3Cut out the chip



step 3Cut out the chip


Be very careful when cutting out the chip.

Less is more!

The initial size may be fine for many people and is small enough to be placed in many cellphones or anything else you can think of. But if you're like me and have an env2 or similarly compact phone you need it a little bit smaller.

Going any further than the initial cutout comes with the risk of damaging the chip.
Consider yourself warned.

When cutting close to the chip you may break the seal around it and the sides may begin to separate.
You DO NOT want this to happen as you want the plastic for insulation around the chip.

step 2Find the Chip

step 2Find the Chip
In this instructable, I am using an old, deactivated debit card. I found the RFID chip in a previous card by cutting into it randomly.
I DO NOT recommend this method if you don't know where the chip is, as you could obviously damage the chip and make it unusable.
I do not know if all cards are setup with the RFID in the same location, but if they are, my guidelines will give you a good idea where to start.

If not, I was able to see the impression of the chip on the back of the card when I looked at it from an angle in a well lit room (it appeared as a small square impression only a few millimeters across).

Make sure to mark out a guideline to cut along that goes from the bottom of the magnetic strip to the top of the imprinted card numbers. This will yield a decent size chunk of the card with the RFID in the center

step 1Get your materials



step 1Get your materials


Items needed:
- Spare credit/debit card with embedded RFID chip (if go to your bank and request a new card they will typically send you a new card w/ the same number and info).
- Scissors
- Cellphone
- Magic marker/ Sharpie

How to turn your cellphone into a credit/debit card



introHow to turn your cellphone into a credit/debit card


Easy to do mod for an extra credit/debit card with RFID chip (i.e. Paypass).

Using this method, you will be able to locate and extract the RFID chip in your spare
Paypass-capable card and place it in your cellphone. This will allow you to present your cellphone at Paypass terminals (movie theaters, McDonalds, etc..) and pay using the RFID chip.

step 4How to kill your RFID chip



step 4How to kill your RFID chip


In this step I will describe a few ways to permanently disable or kill an RFID chip. Most products that you own that contain RFID tags belong to you, so you have the right to destroy them; however, tampering with a US passport is a federal offense. Luckily there are ways to kill an RFID tag without leaving any evidence, so as long as you are careful, it would be pretty hard to prove that you did anything illegal.


-The easiest way to kill an RFID, and be sure that it is dead, is to throw it in the microwave for 5 seconds. Doing this will literally melt the chip and antenna making it impossible for the chip to ever be read again. Unfortunately this method has a certain fire risk associated with it. Killing an RFID chip this way will also leave visible evidence that it has been tampered with, making it an unsuitable method for killing the RFID tag in passports. Doing this to a credit card will probably also screw with the magnetic strip on the back making it un-swipeable.

-The second, slightly more convert and less damaging, way to kill an RFID tag is by piercing the chip with a knife or other sharp object. This can only be done if you know exactly where the chip is located within the tag. This method also leaves visible evidence of intentional damage done to the chip, so it is unsuitable for passports.

-The third method is cutting the antenna very close to the chip. By doing this the chip will have no way of receiving electricity, or transmitting its signal back to the reader. This technique also leaves minimal signs of damage, so it would probably not be a good idea to use this on a passport.

-The last (and most covert) method for destroying a RFID tag is to hit it with a hammer. Just pick up any ordinary hammer and give the chip a few swift hard whacks. This will destroy the chip, and leave no evidence that the tag has been tampered with. This method is suitable for destroying the tags in passports, because there will be no proof that you intentionally destroyed the chip.

step 3How to block a RFID tag



step 3How to block a RFID tag


Luckily RFID tag signals can easily be blocked. This means that you will have the option to use the tag whenever you want, and prevent others from being able to read it.

The signal sent out by a RFID tag is easily blocked by metal. This means that placing the RFID tag inside of a Faraday cage will prevent the information from being read.

There are already two Instructables on how to build RFID blocking containers:

RFID Secure Wallet

Make a RFID Shielding Pouch Out of Trash

Or if you would rather spend money on something you could build, head over to Think Geek for their RFID blocking wallet and RFID blocking Passport Holder .


step 2Where can RFID chips be found


As RFID chips become cheaper, the number of devices that include them grows.

Currently there are RFID tags in:

- US passports: The RFID tag contains all the information that is written in the passport, along with a digital picture

- Transportation payments: Things like New York's EZ Pass, Florida's Sun Pass, and California's Fast Trak are all RFID based toll payment systems.

- Access control: Many buildings and schools require RFID tagged cards to be used for entry.

- Credit cards: Chase, and a few other banks, now issue credit cards embedded with RFID chips, called "blink". They are able to convince people it is an added convenience, but in reality it is a huge security risk.



There are many other devices which contain RFID tags; however, the ones listed are the most common and offer the greatest security risk.

step 1Reasons for blocking / destroying RFID chips



step 1Reasons for blocking / destroying RFID chips


The main reason someone would want to block or destroy RFID chips would be to maintain privacy. In the last step I explained that RFID tags can be read from very long distances. The potential for abuse of this technology grows as more and more products and devices are being created with these tags built in.

Companies are getting consumers to blindly accept many RFID tagged products with the promise of convenience; however, most of the devices that contain RFID tags don't really need them. The tags may save a few seconds, but sacrifice an enormous amount of privacy and security. It is now possible for someone, with relatively simple equipment, to walk down a busy sidewalk and pickup the personal information of people carrying RFID tagged devices, without them even knowing.

Being able to block or destroy these chips allows people to decide what type of information they are willing to sacrifice for convenience.

introHow to block/kill RFID chips



introHow to block/kill RFID chips


In this Instructable I will describe different ways to block or kill RFID tags. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. If you do not know about this technology yet, you should definitely start familiarizing yourself with it, because the number of different devices that utilize these types of tags is growing exponentially.

RFID chips are very similar to barcodes in the sense that a certain amount of data is contained within them, and then transmitted to a reading device which then processes and utilizes the information. The major difference is that barcodes have to be physically visible to the reading device, which is usually only able to scan them at a distance of a 12 inches or less. RFID tags, on the other hand, do not have to be visible to the reading device. They can be scanned through clothes, wallets, and even cars. The distance from which they can be read is also much greater than that of a barcode. At DEFCON an RFID tag was scanned at a distance of 69 feet, and that was back in 2005, the possible reading distance now is probably much greater than that.

There are a few different categories of RFID tags, but the most common ones, and the ones we will be dealing with in this instructable, are the "passive" type. Passive RFID chips contain no internal power supply. They contain an antenna which is able to have a current induced in it when within range of the RFID reader. The tag then uses that electricity to power the internal chip, which bounces its data back out through the antenna, where it will be picked up by the reader.

For more information on RFID tags check out the wikipedia entry.






RFID Issues

RFID Issues
Thing by Jakob Smith.
Right now, you can buy a hammer, a pair of jeans, or a razor blade with anonymity. With RFID tags, that may be a thing of the past. Some manufacturers are planning to tag just the packaging, but others will also tag their products. There is no law requiring a label indicating that an RFID chip is in a product. Once you buy your RFID-tagged jeans at The Gap with RFID-tagged money, walk out of the store wearing RFID-tagged shoes, and get into your car with its RFID-tagged tires, you could be tracked anywhere you travel. Bar codes are usually scanned at the store, but not after purchase. But RFID transponders are, in many cases, forever part of the product, and designed to respond when they receive a signal. Imagine everything you own is "numbered, identified, catalogued, and tracked." Anonymity and privacy? Gone in a hailstorm of invisible communication, betrayed by your very property.

But let's not stop there. Others are talking about placing RFID tags into all sensitive or important documents: "it will be practical to put them not only in paper money, but in drivers' licenses, passports, stock certificates, manuscripts, university diplomas, medical degrees and licenses, birth certificates, and any other sort of document you can think of where authenticity is paramount." In other words, those documents you're required to have, that you can't live without, will be forever tagged.

Consider the human body as well. Applied Digital Solutions has designed an RFID tag - called the VeriChip - for people. Only 11 mm long, it is designed to go under the skin, where it can be read from four feet away. They sell it as a great way to keep track of children, Alzheimer's patients in danger of wandering, and anyone else with a medical disability, but it gives me the creeps. The possibilities are scary. In May, delegates to the Chinese Communist Party Congress were required to wear an RFID-equipped badge at all times so their movements could be tracked and recorded. Is there any doubt that, in a few years, those badges will be replaced by VeriChip-like devices?

Surveillance is getting easier, cheaper, smaller, and ubiquitous. Sure, it's possible to destroy an RFID tag. You can crush it, puncture it, or microwave it (but be careful of fires!). You can't drown it, however, and you can't demagnetize it. And washing RFID-tagged clothes won't remove the chips, since they're specifically designed to withstand years of wearing, washing, and drying. You could remove the chip from your jeans, but you'd have to find it first.

That's why Congress should require that consumers be notified about products with embedded RFID tags. We should know when we're being tagged. We should also be able to disable the chips in our own property. If it's the property of the company we work for, that's a different matter. But if it's ours, we should be able to control whether tracking is enabled.

Security professionals need to realize that RFID tags are dumb devices. They listen, and they respond. Currently, they don't care who sends the signal. Anything your companies' transceiver can detect, the bad guy's transceiver can detect. So don't be lulled into a false sense of security.

With RFID about to arrive in full force, don't be lulled at all. Major changes are coming, and not all of them will be positive. The law of unintended consequences is about to encounter surveillance devices smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

Who's using RFID?

Thing by Jakob Smith.RFID is already in use all around us. Ever chipped your pet dog or cat with an ID tag? Or used an EZPass through a toll booth? Or paid for gas using ExxonMobils' SpeedPass? Then you've used RFID.

Some uses, especially those related to security, seem like a great idea. For instance, Delta is testing RFID on some flights, tagging 40,000 customer bags in order to reduce baggage loss and make it easier to route bags if customers change their flight plans.

Three seaport operators - who account for 70% of the world's port operations - agreed to deploy RFID tags to track the 17,000 containers that arrive each day at US ports. Currently, less than 2% are inspected. RFID tags will be used to track the containers and the employees handling them.

The United States Department of Defense is moving into RFID in order to trace military supply shipments. During the first Gulf War, the DOD made mistakes in its supply allocation. To streamline operations, the U.S. military has placed RFID tags on 270,000 cargo containers and tracks those shipments throughout 40 countries.

On a smaller level, but one that will instantly resonate with security pros, Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia placed RFID tags in 80,000 employee uniforms in order to put a stop to theft. The same idea would work well in corporate PCs, networking equipment, and handhelds.

In all of these cases, RFID use seems reasonable. It is non-intrusive, and it seems to balance security and privacy. Other uses for RFID, however, may be troublesome.

Visa is combining smart cards and RFID chips so people can conduct transactions without having to use cash or coins. These smart cards can also be incorporated into cell phones and other devices. Thus, you could pay for parking, buy a newspaper, or grab a soda from a vending machine without opening your wallet. This is wonderfully convenient, but the specter of targeted personal ads popping up as I walk through the mall, a la Minority Report, does not thrill me.

Michelin, which manufactures 800,000 tires a day, is going to insert RFID tags into its tires. The tag will store a unique number for each tire, a number that will be associated with the car's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Good for Michelin, and car manufacturers, and fighting crime. Potentially bad for you. Who will assure your privacy? Do you really want your car's tires broadcasting your every move?

The European Central Bank may embed RFID chips in the euro note. Ostensibly to combat counterfeiters and money-launderers, it would also enable banks to count large amounts of cash in seconds. Unfortunately, such a move would also makes it possible for governments to track the passage of cash from individual to individual. Cash is the last truly anonymous way to buy and sell. With RFID tags, that anonymity would be gone. In addition, banks would not be the only ones who could in an instant divine how much cash you were carrying; criminals can also obtain power transceivers.

Several major manufacturers and retailers expect RFID tags to aid in managing the supply chain, from manufacturing to shipping to stocking store shelves, including Gillette (which purchased 500 million RFID tags for its razors), Home Depot, The Gap, Proctor & Gamble, Prada, Target, Tesco (a United Kingdom chain), and Wal-Mart. Especially Wal-Mart.

The retail giant, the largest employer in America, is working with Gillette to create "smart shelves" that can alert managers and stockboys to replenish the supply of razors. More significantly, Wal-Mart intends for its top 100 suppliers to fully support RFID for inventory tracking by 2005. Wal-Mart would love to be able to point an RFID reader at any of the 1 billion sealed boxes of widgets it receives every year and instantly know exactly how many widgets it has. No unpacking, no unnecessary handling, no barcode scanners required.

RFID 101

RFID by Jakob Smith.

Invented in 1969 and patented in 1973, but only now becoming commercially and technologically viable, RFID tags are essentially microchips, the tinier the better. Some are only 1/3 of a millimeter across. These chips act as transponders (transmitters/responders), always listening for a radio signal sent by transceivers, or RFID readers. When a transponder receives a certain radio query, it responds by transmitting its unique ID code, perhaps a 128-bit number, back to the transceiver. Most RFID tags don't have batteries (How could they? They're 1/3 of a millimeter!). Instead, they are powered by the radio signal that wakes them up and requests an answer.

Most of these "broadcasts" are designed to be read between a few inches and several feet away, depending on the size of the antenna and the power driving the RFID tags (some are in fact powered by batteries, but due to the increased size and cost, they are not as common as the passive, non-battery-powered models). However, it is possible to increase that distance if you build a more sensitive RFID receiver.

RFID chips cost up to 50 cents, but prices are dropping. Once they get to 5 cents each, it will be cost-efficient to put RFID tags in almost anything that costs more than a dollar.

RFID Chips Are Here


RFID chips are being embedded in everything from jeans to paper money, and your privacy is at stake.

Bar codes are something most of us never think about. We go to the grocery store to buy dog food, the checkout person runs our selection over the scanner, there's an audible beep or boop, and then we're told how much money we owe. Bar codes in that sense are an invisible technology that we see all the time, but without thinking about what's in front of our eyes.

Bar codes have been with us so long, and they're so ubiquitous, that its hard to remember that they're a relatively new technology that took a while to catch on. The patent for bar codes was issued in 1952. It took twenty years before a standard for bar codes was approved, but they still didn't catch on. Ten years later, only 15,000 suppliers were using bar codes. That changed in 1984. By 1987 - only three years later! - 75,000 suppliers were using bar codes. That's one heck of a growth curve.

So what changed in 1984? Who, or what, caused the change?

Wal-Mart.

When Wal-Mart talks, suppliers listen. So when Wal-Mart said that it wanted to use bar codes as a better way to manage inventory, bar codes became de rigeur. If you didn't use bar codes, you lost Wal-Mart's business. That's a death knell for most of their suppliers.

The same thing is happening today. I'm here to tell you that the bar code's days are numbered. There's a new technology in town, one that at first blush might seem insignificant to security professionals, but it's a technology that is going to be a big part of our future. And how do I know this? Pin it on Wal-Mart again; they're the big push behind this new technology.

So what is it? RFID tags.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Bio-chip implant arrives for cashless transactions

Bio-chip implant arrives for cashless transactions

At a global security conference held today in Paris, an American company announced a new syringeinjectable
microchip implant for humans, designed to be used as a fraud-proof payment method for cash and
credit-card transactions. The chip implant is being presented as an advance over credit cards and smart cards,
which, absent biometrics and appropriate safeguard technologies, are subject to theft, resulting in identity
fraud. Identity fraud costs the banking and financial industry some $48 billion a year, and consumers $5
billion, according to 2002 Federal Trade Commission estimates.
In his speech today at the ID World 2003 conference in Paris, France, Scott R. Silverman, CEO of
Applied Digital Solutions, called the chip a "loss-proof solution" and said that the chip's "unique under-theskin
format" could be used for a variety of identification applications in the security and financial worlds.
The company will have to compete, though, with organizations using just a fingerprint scan for similar
applications. The ID World Conference, held yesterday and today at the Charles de Gaulle Hilton, focused on
current and future applications of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, biometrics, smart cards
and data collection. The company's various "VeriChips" are RFID chips, which contain a unique
identification number and can carry other personal data about the implantee. When radio-frequency energy
passes from a scanner, it energizes the chip, which is passive (not independently powered), and which then
emits a radio-frequency signal transmitting the chip's information to the reader, which in turn links with a
database.
ADS has previously touted its radio frequency identification (RFID) chips for secure building access,
computer access, storage of medical records, anti-kidnapping initiatives and a variety of law-enforcement
applications. The company has also developed proprietary hand-held readers and portal readers that can scan
data when an implantee enters a building or room.
The "cashless society" application is not new – it has been discussed previously by Applied Digital.
Today's speech, however, represented the first formal public announcement by the company of such a
program.
In announcing VeriPay to ID World delegates, Silverman stated the implant has "enormous marketplace
potential" and invited banking and credit companies to partner with VeriChip Corporation (a subsidiary of
ADS) in developing specific commercial applications beginning with pilot programs and market tests.
Applied Digital's announcement in Paris suggested wireless technologies, RFID development, new software
solutions, smart-card applications and subdermal implants might one day merge as the ultimate solution for a
world fraught with identity theft, threatened by terrorism, buffeted by cash-strapped governments and lawenforcement
agencies looking for easy data-collection, and corporations interested in the marketing bonanza
that cutting-edge identification, payment, and location-based technologies can afford.
Cashless payment systems are now part of a larger technology development subset: government
identification experiments that seek to combine cashless payment applications with national ID information
2
on media (such as a "smart" card), which contain a whole host of government, personal, employment and
commercial data and applications on a single, contactless RFID chip. In some scenarios, governmentcorporate
coalitions are advocating such a chip be used by employees also to access entry to their workplace
and the company computer network, reducing the cost outlay of the corporations for individual ID cards.
Malaysia's "MyKad" national ID "smart" card is the foremost example.
Meanwhile, privacy advocates have expressed concern over RFID technology rollouts, citing database
concerns and the specter of individuals' RFID chips being read without permission by people who have their
own hand-held readers. Several privacy and civil liberties groups have recently called for a voluntary
moratorium on RFID tagging "until a formal technology assessment process involving all stakeholders,
including consumers, can take place." Signatories to the petition include the American Civil Liberties Union,
the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Privacy International and the
Foundation for Information Policy Research, a British think tank.
Commenting on today's announcement, Richard Smith, a computer industry consultant, referred to what
some "netizens" are already calling "chipectomies": "VeriChips can still be stolen. It's just a bit gruesome
when to think how the crooks will do these kinds of robberies." Citing MasterCard's PayPass, Smith pointed
out that most of the major credit-card companies are looking at RFID chips to make credit cards quicker,
easier, and safer to use.
"The big problem is money," said Smith. "It will take billions of dollars to upgrade the credit-card
networks from magstripe readers to RFID readers. During the transition, a credit card is going to need both a
magstripe and an RFID chip so that it is universally accepted." Some industry professionals advocate having
citizens pay for combined national ID/cashless pay chips, which would be embedded in a chosen medium.
Identification technologies using RFID can take a wide variety of physical forms and show no sign yet of
coalescing into a single worldwide standard. Prior to today's announcement, Art Kranzley, senior vice
president at MasterCard, commented on the Pay Pass system in a USA Today interview: "We're certainly
looking at designs like key fobs. It could be in a pen or a pair of earrings. Ultimately, it could be embedded
in anything – someday, maybe even under the skin."

Integrated RFID Solutions

Because ActiveWave designs its own RFID tags, readers, and host software, we are able to provide you with a seamless integrated RFID solution. An ActiveWave RFID integrated solution is capable of tracking such diverse elements as containers, pallets, furniture, test equipment, vehicles, and hospital patients.
Real-Time Inventory Tracking
An Active RFID integrated solution can generate an updated inventory and track the exact location of goods in real time. The system can keep track of virtually any activity of the tagged equipment or inventory. The system will identify and track the items at any point in the warehouse or any part of the building that the system is installed.
Total Visibility through RFID
An ActiveWave RFID integrated solution can help reduce the obsolete stock by providing real time product status information. The amount of idle inventory tied up in store and warehouses can thus be dramatically reduced through the effective use of information that this system will provide.
Our RFID integrated solution is capable of displaying a map of the warehouse, parking lot, or building depending on the RFID application. This map, stored in our database, can be used by your personnel to search for the location of a person, equipment or inventory, and display their location in real-time.
Reconciliation of Inventory
Currently, the process of reconciling actual inventory against the product database is very time consuming and expensive especially if done manually or through the use of barcodes.
An ActiveWave RFID integrated solution, on the other hand, can check stock and inventories received and dispatch items automatically.
Reduction of Theft and Shrinkage
The system will allow internal theft and other forms of inventory shrinkage to be rapidly identified, and eliminated.

ActiveWave Solution

How an ActiveWave Solution is Different from Other RFID Solutions:

There are many companies that claim to provide RFID solutions. Some are systems integrators who bring together RFID technologies from several different manufactures. Others design RFID components, such as RFID tags or readers, but rely on systems integrators to provide a complete RFID solution. ActiveWave provides you with what we believe is a better approach. Our staff of dedicated RFID hardware and software engineers designed ActiveWave RFID technology from the ground up. Our systems engineers look at the needs of industry and tailor this technology for specific applications. Therefore, we provide you with both the technology and the entire integrated solution.


An ActiveWave RFID solution offers you the following advantages:


Advanced ActiveWave RFID tags with read ranges up to 85 meters.
Long life and highly durable.
Compact RFID readers designed with the latest technology and wireless links to the host computer make installation a snap.
User-friendly host software using familiar Windows ME, 2000 or XP.

ActiveWave has created a complete RFID solution tailored to the needs of various industries.

Some of the applications include:


Inventory Tracking
Container/Pallet Tracking
Parking Lot Control
Manufacturing Lines
Rental Cars
Fleet Maintenance
ID Badges
Hospital Equipment Tracking


ActiveWave Solutions Are Flexible:


The flexibility of the ActiveWave system lies in our exclusive ActiveWave software, which ties together the information programmed into the RFID tags with easy-to-use portable data collection tools.
From package shipping, to commercial trucking yards, product distribution, postal service, and just-in-time manufacturing, ActiveWave has the solution to automated logistics management. Our standard software platform ties together the RFID tag's information, barcode, and portable data collection tools. It is easy to accommodate any new technology as well. The wireless communications network between the readers and the host make the system installation very easy. Through wireless communications networks, data sources are linked to decision support, planning and scheduling tools.

RFID ACTIVE TAGS

RFID active tag
Recent developments in technology have allowed us to develop a low cost and highly reliable RFID active tag solution. ActiveWave RFID tags have many advantages over conventional RFID passive tags and RFID active tags.

Advantages Over Passive Tag Solutions:
- Longer Read Range-

RFID Passive tags have read ranges limited to a few feet. ActiveWave RFID tags have a read range of up to 85 meters (~279 feet).
- Larger Data Storage Capacity-Passive tags have limited data storage capacity compared to the ActiveWave RFID active tags.

Data Can Be Sent at Designated Times-

Passive tags send data only when they are in close proximity to the RFID reader. Because of the large read range, ActiveWave RFID tags can send data at pre-designated intervals or at certain locations.

Advantages Over Other RFID Active Tags:
Longer Life- ActiveWave uses the latest technology to achieve reliability and life that rivals other active tags.

Lower Cost- ActiveWave RFID tags uses the latest technology and integration to provide you with a very cost effective tag.

Smaller Size- ActiveWave RFID tags are smaller than Active tags based on older technology.


  • Summary of Features:
    Very low cost, read-only tag, for access control
    Compact-size tag for wrist bands
    Standard, long-range, read/write tag
    High-security, long-range, bi-directional, read/write tag
    Available in different sizes, based on the application
Read Only vs. Read/Write Tags
ActiveWave offers Read Only and Read/Write RFID tags.

Read Only Tags: The transponders generally provide a fixed factory-set identification code, which is tamperproof, and are known as Read Only (R/O). The unique code, known as a License Plate, enables the tag to be cross-referenced with a database, thereby allowing the tagged item to be closely followed and monitored.

Read/Write Tags: The customer can modify the tag's data. This offers advantages in many applications where the identification code needs to be changed, or where variable data is more important than a unique identity.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

VeriChips Violate Privacy


VeriChips Violate Privacy

Radio frequency identification chips are ubiquitous little buggers. Most of us already use them
without realizing. If you've ever flown through a toll booth using an
EZPass, quickly purchased gas with ExxonMobils' SpeedPass, or chipped
your French poodle Francesca with an ID tag, you're onboard the RFID
bandwagon.
RFID tags are microchips, generally a wee-bit longer than a rice
grain, that act as transmitters, always ready for a radio wave signal
to pick them up. The tag responds by sending a unique ID code back to
the transceiver, or RFID reader, whichever asked the chip to respond.
Many other uses have already been found for the RFID chips, including
replacing keys for access to top-security labs, Prius car owners to
start their engines, and giant corporations like Wal-Mart employ the
high-tech tool to track inventory.
Soon products we purchase will contain them too. US passports will
come chip equipped and Michelin plans on inserting tags into their
tires. Anonymity and privacy are about to become part of the past.
But now there's a new personal use for the chip on the market-an
eerily invasive method that gets you right under the skin. VeriChip Corporation is the only purveyor of the
VeriChip human ID implant, injected into one's right arm.
Implantable tags for humans are a complete violation of privacy-an
unprecedented way for Big Brother to spy on anyone, anywhere, anytime.
The VeriChip can provide any information you store on it, identity
information, medical history, credit card, bank account info,
or access to your building's office. In the future you won't even have
to bust out your wallet for a Coke at the vending machine. The most
personal information and most menial transactions will be done from
your arm. Nothing could be more convenient.
But having government being able to track my every move anywhere on
the planet doesn't appeal me. Furthermore, I won't have my arm scanned
for others to more easily retrieve my most private records. I
refuse to reduce myself to nothing more than a barcode.
What proves truly troublesome comes in the information VeriChip was
reluctant to disclose about their product. "A hacker can simply walk
by a chipped person and clone his or her VeriChip signal, a threat



already demonstrated by security researches," according to Liz
McIntyre, CASPIAN privacy advocate in a press release on
Spychips.com.
Poof! Instant identity theft. A feat that any laptop
owning geek could pull off with a tight squeeze next to someone in an
elevator, or by 'accidentally' bumping into an unsuspecting passerby
on a sidewalk.
South of the border the chips are being marketed to trace kidnap
victims. Solusat, Mexico's VeriChip distributor has already begun
injecting microchips as a preventative measure under their VeriKid
program. Ironically enough, the flesh-embedded microchip will probably
prove to be more of a kidnapping aid for the suspect rather than
providing emergency ID for the victim. In the same manner in which
cookies attached to a website's browser serve to recognize returning
customers-complete with personal suggestions for CD selections-hackers
can attach cookies to a RFID chip, having the ability to track your
every move.
In medical emergencies, ambient radio waves found in ambulances may
interfere with the VeriChip scanning equipment. Technical
difficulties such as a patient's database being unavailable, or
unknowingly erased and replaced with false information-courtesy of a
hacker-would only have a tragic result.
RFID technology terrifies me. It's unethical, morally wrong, and even worse than what happened during the holocaust.
An ID chip would serve just that purpose, the ability to be tracked.
Only now on a much larger scale.
Even more horrifying, at least for God fearing people such as myself,
many believe VeriChip to be completing a Bible prophecy about a sign
depicting the end times in which all people will receive a mark on
their right hand or forehead, calling it the "mark of the beast," in
which people become no more than a number. 666 to be exact.
But I'm not a number. I'm a person, and I don't want to be scanned or
treated like an item. I don't want to feel traced or followed, without
privacy, without rights. I want the freedom to roam as I please
without fearing someone will hack into my life or track me as easily
as Wal-Mart inventory.
I recently read an interesting article, Boys in the hood: the fight for religion's soul. The article is written by a visitor who spent a bit of time with the monks of the Esphigmenou monastery at Mount Athos. While the bulk of the article reveals the life of the monks, one paragraph in particular caught my eye:

"As I walk through the stone gateway for the last time, I pass an aged monk, sitting sentinel beneath its frescoes. I offer him a Quality Street - the last of my bulwark against a beans-only diet. He takes the box and turns it over carefully, methodically. Then he points to the barcode, and shakes his head, his long beard accentuating the motion. The packet is returned, untouched."

I found it awe inspiring that the monk (mentioned in this story) took such a clear stand against the technology that so many of us not only take for granted, but generally overlook. While I see no "evil" in the bar code system itself, I do believe that it is the technological forerunner of the RFID and microchip (VeriChip) system that is being globally established.

The 666 found in Bar Codes

On a website by Eric Jewell we find the topic of 666 as well as the FAQ: Is The UPC Code The Forerunner Of The "Mark of the Beast"?

His observation and explanation of the bar code system shed some light on the question, but above all, his conclusions wraps up the fact that the old technology will make way for the new. He writes:

"Is the bar code the mark of the beast? Of course not... but... it is my honest belief that a bar-coded, implantable computer chip will be. The evidence is overwhelming, and technologically speaking it is the only thing that will completely fulfill everything we are told about it. Technologically it is the only thing we have that even comes close. Biblically its an exact hit. As far as current events, and the direction we as a world are heading, it is inevitable in time."

To better understand the UPC code it would be best to visit George J. Laurer's personal site, where he ironically, has a page dedicated to those Christians that apparently pestered him about "helping to invent the mark of the beast". He admits that the numbers 666 do appear in the code and we can find his reply to "666" questions on a page titled QUESTIONS about the U.P.C. and the New Testamant.

Laurer states that it is simply a coincidence then continues to answer a question:

Question: Rumor has it that the lines (left, middle, and right) that protrude below the U.P.C. code are the numbers 6,6,6... and that this is the international money code. I typed a code with all sixes and this seems to be true. At least they all resemble sixes. What's up with that? 11/11/98

Answer: Yes, they do RESEMBLE the code for a six. An even parity 6 is:
1 module wide black bar
1 module wide white space
1 module wide black bar
4 module wide white space


There is nothing sinister about this nor does it have anything to do with the Bible's "mark of the beast" (The New Testament, The Revelation, Chapter 13, paragraph 18). It is simply a coincidence like the fact that my first, middle, and last name all have 6 letters. There is no connection with an international money code either.

For more hogwash about 666 implications of the U.P.C., government form numbers, other publications, codes and the like, see Mary Sterwart Relfe's book "The New Money System". Such hype about the U.P.C. has been around since 1973.


From Bar Codes to RFID
On a separate page on this site, there is an article by David C. Allais on, RFID: A balanced perspective
where the connection between the bar code and RFID are made:


"An RFID tag is simply a microchip attached to an antenna. This RFID tag is a data carrier analogous to a printed bar code or to the magnetic stripe on your credit card. Unlike bar codes, RFID does not require a line of sight because tags are read by radio waves rather than by reflected light."

Allais then points out that the RFID made its beginning in the 1970s and continues:
"The catch-all term RFID embraces considerable variety including active or passive tags, read-only or read-write, and four widely separated radio frequencies. Tags can range in size from tiny capsules for injection under an animal's skin to large active tags for fast-moving rail cars. The distance at which an RFID tag can be read depends on tag type, antenna configuration and RF power. The smallest passive tags require near contact while larger active tags may be read from a distance of over 100 feet."

Tagged animals, Chipped People
So, where do we go from there? Well, the way technology has continued to advance, we have gone from animals being tagged, to humans being tagged.Below is an excerpt from a page of a person who has been tagged twice, once in each hand:


"Amal has two RFID implants, one in each hand. His left hand contains a 3mm by 13mm EM4102 glass RFID tag that was implanted by a cosmetic surgeon using a scalpel to make a very small cut, into which the implant was placed. His right hand contains a 2mm by 12mm Philips HITAG 2048 S implant with crypto-security features and 255 bytes of read/write memory storage space. It was implanted by a family doctor using an Avid injector kit like the ones used on pets. He can access his front door, car door, and log into his computer using his implants, and has written a book called RFID Toys, which details how to build these and other RFID enabled projects."

As we all know, since the beginning of implantable microchips, VeriChips or generic chips, they have been implanted into people for various reasons. The reasons range from medical, to security, digital cashless transactions or just for fun.

Have we allowed technology to cross the line of moral ethics? Furthermore, will technology become a "helping hand" in the spiritual downfall of mankind? Perhaps the answers to these questions will only become clear to some people after technology has become an active instrument in separating us from God. Even then, some will doubt the scriptures, while others who call themselves Christians will betray God and ignore the written prophesy concerning the end. Those who seek the truth, will see through the deceptions of the times.

The general belief among many (some with tinfoil hats, some simply with religious conviction) is that all of this technology is leading us to one thing, the micro chipping of mankind, and the replacement of legal tender with a global RFID database system. A system, that will require us to be chipped, that is, if we desire the ability to "buy or sell". It's up to us to refuse the mark, or "cash-in" on it, as scripture states in Rev.13:16-18:
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."
I tend to believe that with the way technology is advancing this will all eventually boil down to linking products and micro chipped people together. What we have to accept, is that it has come to pass that a "mark" has been created and implanted into people; a mark, which has a cashless transaction ability. What is left now is for a global agreement to be implemented, which will force society to use that RFID chip in place of cash transactions.
But that's just what I think.

Intermec Antenna Cell: RFID Antenna


Intermec, Inc.
With its unique, mostly metal design, the Intermec Antenna Cell is an RFID antenna specifically developed for forklift installations where shock and vibration can far exceed the specifications of antennas designed for fixed RFID reader applications. Complete with mounting hardware, Antenna Cells can be mounted with no drilling, cutting, or welding which enables fast and inexpensive installations for a single forklift or fleet deployments.

With its unique, mostly metal design, the Intermec Antenna Cell is an RFID antenna specifically developed for forklift installations where shock and vibration can far exceed the specifications of antennas designed for fixed RFID reader applications. Complete with mounting hardware, Antenna Cells can be mounted with no drilling, cutting or welding which enables fast and inexpensive installations for a single forklift or fleet deployments. Antenna Cells are available in both FCC and ETSI frequencies.

Antenna Cells leverage another new product, the Adaptable Load Backrest (ALBR), developed in partnership with Cascade Corporation, the world's leader in the design and manufacture of lift truck attachments. The Antenna Cells can be mounted into an ALBR in about a half hour, as opposed to spending a day of field engineering time, and approximately $2500 in expense, to install RFID equipment onto a forklift the "old fashioned" way.

The ALBR neatly and precisely compartmentalizes the Antenna Cells and RFID reader into areas of the load backrest that don't obstruct the operator's vision and are protected from damage. In addition, the ALBR provides built-in Antenna Cell cable routing for protection for vulnerable cables and a professional looking installation.

Antenna Cells mounted into ALBRs are flexible and configurable for quick and inexpensive reconfigurations to support changing application needs such as converting from pallet tag reading to case level reading. This modular approach enables Antenna Cells to be interchangeable for quick replacement of damaged parts lessening slow downs in a busy operation. The ALBR and Antenna Cells not only improve operator performance and safety, they also significantly reduce the time and cost of RFID forklift deployments. With the ALBR and Antenna Cells, the installation of an RFID reader and antennas no longer needs to involve labor-intensive customization of the load backrest or fork truck. Durable, reliable installations of these products should last the life of a typical forklift lease.

Antenna Cells are sold by Intermec Technologies and its distributors and partners. ALBRs are manufactured and sold by Cascade Corporation. They are built to order for specific forklift models.

MC9090-G RFID Handheld Mobile Computer

MC9090-G RFID Handheld Mobile Computer

Motorola's MC9090-G RFID handheld reader gives your workers the ability to capture a comprehensive range of data — from RFID tags and bar codes to images — with this flexible multi-function RFID handheld reader, which reads data in remote areas where fixed RFID readers can't reach.

Single device simplicity translates into simpler and cost-effective mobility architecture with fewer devices to purchase, support, and manage. And whether your workers are on the manufacturing floor, in the warehouse, on the loading dock or out in the yard, the rugged design ensures reliable performance.


Features

Superior application flexibility
Multi-modal single device supports 1D and 2D bar code scanning, RFID and imaging.

Supports EPC Gen 2 and Dense Reader Mode (DRM)
Allows easy integration of RFID as part of your supply chain processes.

Exceptionally rugged construction
Gives you the flexibility to work in nearly any environment and dramatically reduces repair and downtime costs. This device passes the industry's most stringent drop and tumble tests, has an IP64 sealing rating and integrated internal antennas.

Flexibility to support global deployment needs
Multiple configurations available that support standards around the world.

Superior wireless connectivity
Enable real-time data communications with Integrated 802.11 a/b/g.

Maximize software development investment
Windows Mobile 5.0 provides an advanced mobile operating system for robust application support (Windows or application specific).

Persistent storage and multimedia application support
Ensure retention of mission-critical data with Intel XScale PXA270 processor and 624 MHz enhanced memory architecture.

Wirelessly synchronize, print, and connect to a headset
WPAN: Bluetooth v1.2 radio with BT Explorer (Manager included).

Easy to read in a variety of lighting conditions
Large QVGA display: exceptional clarity and contrast.

Forward scanning, pistol grip ergonomics
Reduces user fatigue in bar code scanning and RFID tag reading intensive applications.

Integrated directional antenna (70 degree forward-looking)
Enables isolation of desired tags.

Familiar tools
API (Application Programming Interface) for Microsoft® Windows® CE.NET 4.2 and Windows Mobile 5.0 simplify and reduce the time required to develop RFID-enabled applications

RD5000 Mobile RFID Reader

RD5000 Mobile RFID ReaderExtend the reach of your RFID network and achieve a new level of visibility into inventory and assets with the RD5000 Mobile RFID Reader. This compact, rugged reader can be installed almost anywhere — on material handling equipment such as forklifts, on mobile carts, portable skate wheel conveyors or even in hard to reach places where a cabled fixed reader would not be practical.Designed for true mobility and mobile applications, this device provides wireless LAN connectivity so product is easily tracked as it moves throughout your operations. The result is granular real-time information — allowing you to achieve a new level of productivity and efficiency throughout your enterprise.

100% free of network, power and antenna cablesFacilitates implementation of RFID read points in new areas of the enterprise, expands visibility of product movement and enables new productivity-saving applications.Integrated 802.11a/b/g WLAN radiosFlexible, reliable connection with wireless LAN for real-time inventory visibility; features unique to Symbol that deliver superior and reliable wireless connectivity.Integrated Bluetooth®Enables wireless communication between RD5000 and an on-board vehicle computer for a completely cable-free solution; ensures constant connection to the onboard computer — even in areas wherethere is no reliable WLAN connection.Integrated rugged antennaEliminates the need for separate antennas, cables, mounting brackets and connectors to further simplify installation and reduce maintenance.Integrated battery with optional external power sourceSelf-contained battery power enables true mobility and eliminates the need to run power cabling — and the associated expense; optional external power source available.Interactive sensing technologiesAcceleration sensor and proximity sensor facilitate a variety of applications — for example, can be used to maximize battery life by enabling the RD5000 to activate RFID operation based on vehicle motion; triggers RFID reads based on proximity to objects, such as pallets.IP66 sealingCompletely sealed against dust and jets of water, ensuring reliable operation in nearly any environment, from the warehouse to the yard and more.Industry standard platformIntel® XScale® 624 MHz PXA270 processor and enhanced memory architecture enable easy integration into your existing technology environment.Microsoft® Windows® CE 5.0Advanced operating system provides robust application support.MC9000 series compatible battery and chargersSignificantly reduces investment in batteries and chargers for enterprises that are already using Symbol's MC9000 series mobile handheld computers.

FX7400 Fixed RFID Reader

FX7400Easy to deploy, use, and manage, Motorola’s high performance FX7400 series of fixed RFID readers is ideally suited for global enterprise deployments in space-constrained, customer-facing environments. It boasts a compact design married with a set of highly integrated, enterprise features including: auto-discovery and application-specific set-up for ease of installation; power over Ethernet (POE) to eliminate the need for costly power drops; and advanced features for secure data transmission. This unique combination makes the FX7400 series of RFID readers particularly well-suited for retail inventory and enterprise asset management applications in any environment where performance and a small footprint are important.

Highly integrated features, including PoE, GPIO and management software
Provides a low cost per read point — and a superior TCO

2-port and 4-port reader configurations
Provides application flexibility and optimal investment

Open standards-based architecture:

  • EPC standards-based defined reader management
  • Auto-discovery
  • Flexible firmware upgrade features
  • Showcase II management tool

Enables seamless integration with existing IT environments as well as remote and centralized management, while simplifying and reducing the cost of set-up, deployment, testing and management

Next generation reader platform, including dense reader mode support
Best-in-class read rates deliver superior read performance

Microsoft Windows® CE 5.0 direct application hosting; 64 MB RAM/64 MB Flash
Enables easy integration of a wide range of third-party applications to maximize operational efficiency; enables upgrading to meet future requirements; maximizes product lifespan; provides outstanding investment protection

EPC Global LLRP interface support; comprehensive API support—.NET, C, JAVA
Simplifies application development.

Item Locator System

Item Locator System

Item Locator is a unique patented system for assisting staff to quickly locate items inside a large single building space such as a warehouse or factory, or over a wide open area such as a storage yard or a construction site. Item Locator is particularly suited to instantly finding objects in difficult environments where there are many similar looking items in close proximity, or where the search area is large.

Item Locator is scaleable and so may be used to tag anything from a handful up to thousands of items, which can each then be
instantly located within a square kilometre area. The system has been designed to focus solely on the items being sought at any one time and so is optimised to find between one to ten items in any single search. The items in questions may be anything such as high value assets, components, plant, mobile equipment, pallets of goods or even people etc. The items are tagged in advance and when sought the associated tag is woken up by a radio signal. The tag position is ascertained and the tag emits a loud beeping noise and flashing light so it will be quickly located by searching staff.

The Item Locator System can be installed as the primary means of finding items or as a secondary back-up method if the formal systems fail. An example application is where key parts are required quickly for mission critical maintenance, but they are stored in brown cardboard boxes with hundreds of other similar boxes stacked on pallets across many warehouse racks. The warehouse system in theory provides the formal location of where such an item ‘should be’, but if it has been put away incorrectly, moved or misplaced it could take hours or even days to find it through a manual search of all the racking. By contrast the Item Locator system helps staff find the required items within minutes.

Traditional RFID systems do not perform this task very well without a significant multiple reader implementation across the whole site which is expensive, inflexible and time consuming. For large area coverage a traditional RFID system could take weeks of planning, configuration, implementation and tuning effort. By contrast our Item Locator system is quick, easy and cheap to implement as it only requires one transmitter to be installed in the centre of the site or building which can cover a large area up to one kilometre square. Our Item Locator system is the closest to ‘plug and go’ as is possible for an RFID system to be and can be installed and delivering value in under an hour.

Outdoor GPS Tracking

GPS is the technology of choice for outdoor tracking of vehicles, assets and staff over a wide geographic area. Where an object needs to be tracked outdoors and also within buildings, then a combined RFID and GPS tagging system can be used as GPS alone does not provide indoor positioning.

RFID Centre can provide complete tracking systems including GPS personnel, asset or vehicle mount units and a unique flexible web based application software system called Universal Tracker. Tracking information is made available to multiple end-users over the Internet from a dedicated password protected web server. The system provides control, visibility, security, safety and real-time management of remote resources such as assets, vehicles and staff.


The Universal Tracker GPS software can be rapidly configured to represent the key information associated with any object class that your organisation wishes to track – so it can literally ‘track anything’ through one consolidated system. Most GPS tracking systems assume that only vehicles needs to be tracked and so have hard-coded only the handful of fields associated with vehicle information. By contrast our Universal Tracker system has been designed in such a flexible way that it allows customers to represent many different mobile object classes or resources such as plant, equipment, products, machinery, containers, consignments, vehicles, loan workers – so they may be all tracked and optimised.

The system adopts the customer’s naming conventions, icons and terminology for any object class such that it can be rapidly implemented and instantly understood by staff users.
An overview diagram showing how the system is used to track vehicles is shown below :

Universal Tracker System Features :

  • Overt or covert installation of vehicle or asset GPS units, plus small form factor
    personnel GPS units
  • Long battery life units with regular data reporting via the GSM/GPRS mobile phone
    network back to the server
  • Geo-fencing - create multiple user defined boundaries and zones
  • Create custom rules associated with vehicles or objects passing into or out of the
    zone that may trigger further actions or messages
  • Issue alerts by SMS, systems messages or e-mail if rules or conditions are triggered
    such as a zone boundary being crossed by a specific vehicle or object class
  • View object movements in real-time by configurable tables or through on-screen
    mapping with different icons for each object class
  • Real-time position reporting
  • Automatic arrival and departure notification with date/time stamp
  • Snail trails and journey reports
  • Supports combined GPS and RFID reporting – know where your vehicle is and what
    load is inside
  • Route history log and reporting including downloads to MS Excel spreadsheets for
    further analysis

Indoor RFID Tracking

Indoor RFID Tracking

Passive RFID systems can be used over short-ranges where the objects to be tracked pass through a small number of known narrow points that can be automatically monitored – such as a pallet of goods passing through a door in a warehouse. Passive RFID systems are only capable of recording the movement of objects at those specific choke points and loose visibility outside of those points.

Active RFID provides superior performance where real-time tracking is required throughout a larger or more complex area, such as within a hospital, industrial or office building with many corridors, doors and rooms. Battery powered active tags have far greater signal range and the active readers are generally cheaper, thus making deployment more cost effective overall. An active RFID system is viable where the objects to be tracked are higher value, mission critical, have a consequential impact if not quickly located, or there is an additional security, regulatory or health and safety requirement for such information.

TagMobile is the brand name of the RFID Centre active real-time location and tracking system which incorporates both hardware and software in an integrated solution. TagMobile is a highly configurable system that provides superior indoor positional accuracy to all other systems as it uses patented tri-technology allowing the intelligent tag to ascertain its location with 100% certainty. TagMobile will locate and record the movements of people and objects anywhere within its predefined reader network. It can govern those movements with a system of rules based on associated events and actions such as an asset passing into a particular zone within the building. The following diagram shows TagMobile system architecure within a hospital environment:

TagMobile is scalable from a standalone department system to a campus wide network and can be customized to meet user’s specific process requirements. TagMobile can be installed as a completely wireless system using WiFi or Ethernet TCP/IP or a combination of the two to send positional data back to the central system with the lowest implementation costs. With appropriate password security authorised staff can then access the server to view the location of those assets or people from anywhere within the organisation.

Tag Mobile gives customers the ability to manage the following:

  • People and Asset Visibility
  • Asset and Item Protection
  • Evacuation Management
  • Dwell Time or Time and Attendance
  • Area Detection
  • Access Control
  • Mobile Resource Optimisation

Organisations will achieve the following benefits by using TagMobile:

  • Secure facilities
  • Protect personnel
  • Reduce asset loss
  • Locate assets/equipment
  • Optimise mobile resources
  • Increase workforce productivity
  • Compliance to process
  • Perform real-time stock
  • Improve estate utilisation

Monday, November 16, 2009

VeriChip Buys Steel Vault, Creating Micro-Implant Health Record/Credit Score Empire

VeriChip (CHIP), the company that markets a microchip implant that links to your online health records, has acquired Steel Vault (SVUL), a credit monitoring and anti-identity theft company. The combined company will operate under a new name: PositiveID.

By Jim Edwards

The all-stock transaction will leave PositiveID in charge of a burgeoning empire of identity, health and microchip implant businesses that will only encourage its critics. BNET previously noted that some regard the company as part of a prophecy in the Book of Revelation (because the HealthLink chip carries an RFID number that can be used as both money and proof of ID) or as part of President Obama’s secret Nazi plan to enslave America.

The most obvious criticism to be made of the deal is that it potentially allows PositiveID to link or cross-check patient health records (from the HealthLink chip) to people’s credit scores. One assumes that the company will put up firewalls to prevent that. PositiveID CEO Scott Silverman said:

“PositiveID will be the first company of its kind to combine a successful identity security business with one of the world’s first personal health records through our Health Link business. PositiveID will address some of the most important issues affecting our society today with our identification tools and technologies for consumers and businesses.”

Unless, of course, consumers don’t actually want to be implanted with chips, have their health records available over the internet, or have their medical records linked to their credit scores.

HALO® Infant Protection Systems


The HALO Infant Protection System helps protect infants, patients, staff, and even vital medical equipment to ensure operating efficiencies, cost savings, and overall peace of mind. The HALO system uses unique skin-sensing RFID tags that provide ample notification once removed from an infant, even if the infant loses weight. Features and components of the HALO Infant Protection System include:

  • Mother/Baby Matching – Infant Tags and Mother Tags can be associated to prevent accidental baby switching. Mother Tag can be used for auto-enrollment to ensure infants are protected immediately after birth.
  • User-Friendly Software – Facility floor plan embedded in software provides visual indication of the location of a patient, staff member or asset. HALO smoothly integrates into your facility’s day-to-day operations, and the system can be configured to send alarm notifications to one, multiple, or all networked workstations.
  • State-of-the-Art Technology – Patented technology provides immunity from noise interference, reducing nuisance alarms. The RDIF tags are the smallest and have the longest battery life available. Infrastructure components are monitored to ensure continuous system operation. Best warranties on tags and hardware provide lower ongoing operating costs.
  • One-Touch Staff Distress Alerts – Location of staff in distress is displayed on the floor plan. Staff tag also provides hands-free access through protected exits
  • Real-Time Location of Infants and Patients – Patient location is easily queried even when no alarm is present.
  • Medical Equipment Protection and Location – Asset Tag protects medical equipment, and equipment location is easily queried and displayed on floor plan.

HALO Infant Protection System


EXI Wireless Systems Inc.
HALO is the ultimate infant protection
Details



HALO is the ultimate infant protection. HALO "P-Tag" transponders will create system alarms if removed from the patient. Any attempt to exit the HALO system perimeter will invoke countermeasures and alarms alerting staff. The HALO central station is a computer with full color video display. HALO alarms and detection points are clearly identified in the graphical representation of your facility layout.

FEATURES
• EXI's exclusive patient tag senses if it has been removed from the patient.
• HALO supports up to 10 central stations, providing color displays of your facility's controlled exits and alarm conditions.
• Simple user interface minimizes staff training.
• Automatic patient identification for tag removal or egress alarms.
• Door bypass features allow staff to escort patients without alarms.
• Automatic door control prevents unattended patient egress.
• Industry leading lift elevator interface locks down elevators while minimizing staff interruptions.


Infant Protection
HALO transponders are specially designed for infants. Cut band technologies require constant supervision from staff to ensure the protective device remains on the infant during weight loss periods. EXI patient transponders' flexible band does not require repeated tightening. If the band does slip off or is intentionally removed, HALO will immediately notify staff at the central station by identifying the infant and the area where tag removal has occurred in your facility. The HALO central site will maintain a log of activity in the system including alarms, staff bypasses and tag removals. The central site is also used to re-assign patient tags when admitting new patients into the facility.


Flexibility
HALO can operate stand-alone or integrate into a larger system, providing your facility with the desired level of protection. HALO systems may operate in conjunction with:
• fire alarm overrides;
• lift elevator control;
• video equipment;
• various card reader systems;
• door mag-lock systems;
• paging systems.


EXI provides a full compliment of peripheral hardware such asannunciators and bypass devices to tailor your system needs.


EXI Wireless Systems Inc., Suite 100 - 13551 Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC V6V 2L1. Tel: (800) 667-9689; Fax: (604) 207-7765.