B-Box Extends Wireless Tracing
First GSM/GPRS/GPS and Bluetooth Wireless Gateway

[14/03/2005]

The B-BOX embeds on the same board a Wismo Q2501 (GSM/GPRS/GPS) module, using Open AT, a powerful cellular embedded software application environment,full internet package from Wavecom, and a Baracoda advanced Bluetooth module called "SmartModules" (Bluetooth Class 1). This first technical cooperation is a successful marriage of existing complementary wireless technologies provided by both manufacturers, covering all stages of wireless communication. By enabling total connectivity from short to long ranges for traceability applications, this innovative product opens up new business opportunities and new M2M functionalities and services for both companies.
"For years, Wavecom technology has been covering long distance wireless communication. We found in Baracoda the perfect partner to make our technology interact with Bluetooth complementary short range technology. By doing so, together, we increase the potential number of applications," says Olivier Beaujard, Group V.P. for Marketing at Wavecom.

The B-BOX matches various market expectations in Machine-to-machine applications, from vending, by combining curative and preventive maintenance, to the Fleet management, by providing easy integration with a minimal cost of ownership of the solution. As well as POS, remote authorization and utilities, remote meter reading. It also meets automotive applications related to insurance and assistance, by providing simple integration into cars and communication via built-in Bluetooth, and Automatic Vehicle Location by enabling the recovery of cars. The B-Box is also useful to relocate a GSM/GPRS connection due to lack of or low network sensitivity at the location of the machine, such as photocopier, vending machine, etc. Furthermore, it allows developers and integrators to add innovative applications via Wavecom's Open AT software environment.

As an example of great benefits offered to logistics professionals for the distribution market, a demonstration at this year's CeBIT from Baracoda and Wavecom will show a RFID reader (Baracoda ID-Blue) decoding and transmitting tag data to the B-Box over Bluetooth connectivity thanks to an Open AT application. The B-Box encapsulates automatically RFID with GPS data and routes this data via SMS to a mobile phone.


http://www.wavecom.com