Sept/Oct 2004

Electronic door seals could prove the complete solution to vehicle tracking and location - or that's the aspiration of Unisto Encrypta, at any rate.

The company has already expanded its famous range of Crypta electronic seals with a system called GateTrak, which uses RFID (radio frequency identification) connectivity to allow vehicles to identify themselves automatically as they enter or leave depots. Now it has expanded this concept into a modular management software suite called Gatesuite.

Gatesuite harnesses Microsoft's latest .NET Framework technology to provide real-time communication via the Internet between vehicle-mounted systems and the control centre.

Among capabilities of the system is remote 24-hour monitoring of loading bays and loaded trailers parked in the yard pending departure or unloading. Potential security breaches are detected as they occur. They are flagged via the network and (where necessary) through the Internet, so that they are instantly visible to all relevant staff. Events are also stored online for later review.

 

The RFID technology built into the electronic tags has a claimed read range of up to 100 meters in free air. It interrogates the vehicle automatically, remotely verifying the trailer seal number, tractor and driver combination through a single reader.