Personal access control by Kirtech WiFi

Through the use of WiFi tags, assets and personnel can be tracked wherever they may be. Kirtech provides systems with robust and portable components that are particularly suited to this task. One of the major benefits of Kirtech's WiFi solutions are that they are 100% compatible with your existing wireless networks. If you already have an 802.11-based wireless network, Kirtech can provide a solution without any infrastructure changes whatsoever. If you have no network in place, Kirtech can set up a complete wireless network for you which will not only provide tracking capabilities, but will even give you two-way communications capabilities via portable VoIP telephones!

The mining industry offers very specific challenges and require solutions that will work in extremely harsh environments. Kirtech provides this capability and offers the following solutions:

Personnel and Safety
Kirtech's Ekahau tag (wireless tracker device) is a small battery powered Wi-Fi tag which features a call button. In case of emergency, a miner carrying such a device can push the call button and the tag will send an alarm as well as its exact location to a remote server located safely above ground. Other staff using wirelessly-connected computers can also access the location information on internal web pages from within the mines by simply directing their web browsers to the appropriate intranet page. The movement and location of each tagged miner is tracked in a database and shown on a visual map on a computer screen. In the event of a disaster, the last known location of the miners will be mapped, even if the Wi-Fi network has collapsed inside the mine thus greatly improving the chance of their recovery.

With the new Ekahau T201-B, we have also integrated an LCD display, which can be used like a 'pager' to pass messages to personnel (either informational or security-related), which may then be acknowledged with the press of a button.

Asset Tracking
It is important to know where your assets are at all times. In the mining industry, you have a long list of assets owned by the company which probably go missing from time to time. By utilising RFID/WiFi-ID technology, you can track and monitor asset movement (from the smallest to largest item) in Real Time and be alerted if any item leaves a pre-defined area (and potentially, who left with it!).

It is also important to keep track of assets from a business perspective to ensure that expensive assets are being fully utilised and not a wasted resource.

Access Control
Kirtech can confidently claim to offer the most comprehensive access control solution available today. Through the use of Ekahau smart WiFi badges, both personnel and visitors can be accurately tracked, with sensitive areas being made inaccessible to those not authorised. Should non-authorised personnel wander into restricted areas, alerts may be triggered both to your security staff and on the visitors tags. Personnel that are within the vicinity may also be alerted in order to escort the person from the restricted area.

Kirtech can make it possible for a miner to use a WiFi tag to clock on for their shift, enter a specific shaft, start / stop underground locomotives and other equipment and then clock out as well.