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October 30, 2013Some $500 million was spent on video surveillance equipment in 2012, and that doesn't even count accessories. A big driver of that spending is, well, driving. A significant portion of the video surveillance equipment being purchased these days is being used to equip vehicles: school buses, patrol cars, and commuter trains to name a few. While school systems can use surveillance cameras to monitor child safety inside buses, some districts have found that the real need is on the outside. For example, Falls Church, Virginia, is using cameras mounted on buses to crack down on drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. Falls Church City Public Schools, the Falls Church Police Department, and American Traffic Solutions partnered in a project to address the problem. City officials say drivers ignore stopped buses average of 20 times each school day. "Most of the children who lose their lives
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October 09, 2013The Motorola BC130 has been a winner for years, and now it's official. This BearCom-branded two-way radio has been recognized in the Contractors' Top 50 New Products awards made annually by Equipment Today magazine and ForConstructionPros.com. The awards are based on reader interest in earthmoving, road-building, lifting, demolition, transportation, and technology products. The Motorola BC130 was among four technology products honored, along with a rugged smartphone, a grade-control system, and an operator vision system. "We're always pleased to see our products recognized for their quality and utility, especially when the recognition comes from the people who use them," BearCom President & CEO Jerry Denham said in a news release. "This award is especially satisfying, because the Motorola BC130 is manufactured for us by Motorola Solutions and is available exclusively through BearCom." The Motorola BC130 has proven very popular with customers who want a device that is compact, lightweight, and easy to use. A rugged, die-cast chassis gives the BC130 greater protection, making it ideal for everyday and commercial use, both indoors and outdoors. It offers 16 channels and 5 watts of power. The BC130 has adjustable power levels, accessory connectors, and squelch levels that help minimize interference from weak signals. Each is sold with an antenna, spring belt clip, Lithium-Ion battery, rapid charger base, and power supply. The BC130 is one of three BearCom-branded two-way radios, and it remains the most popular, especially so when it comes to two-way radio rentals. It's a great choice for customers who need to rent a large number of radios and want to do so cost effectively. The BC130 also is popular with customers across a range of other industries, including education and security, and among companies involved
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October 02, 2013It seems everyone is talking about healthcare. This week, the health insurance exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act went into effect. Many wonder what this means for their individual care plans. Now more than ever, hospitals need to reduce costs and increase efficiency through any means available. Digital wireless technology offers a clear path to improved productivity. Most hospitals are anxious to try new technology. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society found that 79% of 253 healthcare executives said they plan to use wireless equipment information systems in the coming year. Doctors are, by nature, early adopters of technology. "Doctors were the first large worker base that started using PDAs on the job," Ellen Daley, an analyst at Forrester Research recently told Computerworld magazine. "Here are a bunch of people who have an appetite for carrying PDAs." The impact of wireless technology extends far beyond its most obvious uses. In
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September 24, 2013Sure, almost everyone has a smartphone these days, but the little jewels don't work everywhere all the time, and there are times when we don't carry them. Fortunately, other wireless technologies fill those voids. One of them is remote call boxes, which will be used to keep people in Southern California safe as they enjoy the outdoors. The Los Angeles River biking and walking path is a busy place. All day and night, riders and walkers make use of this lengthy urban path. The path is not immune to crime, and its isolation and lack of signage could make it difficult for police and paramedics to respond quickly. And of course, many joggers do not carry cell phones. The Alliance of River Communities, a coalition of neighborhood councils, is trying to focus attention on the issue. Chairman Hector Huezo, in a letter to the city council, wrote: "Currently, absent of a smartphone, persons using the path have few
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September 11, 2013Innovations can dramatically influence the logistical needs of any industry. So when technological advances helped unlock natural gas and oil from shale formations, it meant growth for the petrochemical industry and an increased need for digital wireless solutions. As a result of the boom in shale gas, ExxonMobil has made plans to expand the capacity of its petrochemical complex on the Gulf Coast. The Baytown, Texas, complex will be tasked with converting ethane, a natural gas liquid, into the chemical building block ethylene, and from that to produce the plastic polyethylene. The company estimates the plant expansion will create 10,000 area jobs during its construction and $870 million of economic activity annually. In an article for TodaysWirelessWorld.com, Motorola Solutions' Dwain Lunau wrote that, "At ExxonMobil's
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Accessories Analog BC100 BC130 BC95 BearCom Digital Hospitality Motorola MOTOTRBO Noisy Environments Push-to-Talk Rent Retail Security Speaker-Mics Surveillance Kits Two-Way Radio Rentals Two-Way Radios Vertex Standard Walkie-Talkies Wireless Analog Technologies Motorola Solutions Two-Way Radio AccessoriesAugust 13, 2013Big news from BearCom: We are introducing of a new line of audio accessories that will carry the company name. The speaker-microphones and surveillance kits are designed for Motorola Solutions' XPR3300 and XPR3500 digital two-way radios and the EVX-531 and VX-450 Series models from Vertex Standard. BearCom works to keep a close eye on our customers' needs, and one of those needs has been audio accessories for certain popular Motorola MOTOTRBO and Vertex Standard two-way radios. This new line of accessories addresses those needs and makes these great radios even easier to use. The new line includes:
- One-wire surveillance kits with a full-size push-to-talk microphone, coiled Kevlar-reinforced cabling, and a variety of earpiece options
- Two-wire surveillance kits that give the user the ability to wear the push-to-talk microphone on
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July 24, 2013Schools function as a complex network of teachers, coaches, administrators, accountants, clerks, counselors, diagnosticians, nurses, cooks, security officers, librarians, computer technicians, janitors, bus drivers, and parent volunteers. The logistics are staggering. For any principal or college president, the biggest responsibility is the safety of the hundreds, if not thousands, of students. Maintaining proper communications among the staff and around the campus is the most proactive step an administrator can take to enhance safety, improve security, and increase overall productivity. TodaysWirelessWorld.com recently reported on a school in Plano, Texas, that relies on digital wireless technology to keep its campus safe. The children were playing during recess one day when a teacher observed a suspicious man sitting in a parked
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July 16, 2013The first wave of the Internet connected users to information found on websites. The second wave went further by connecting users to each other through social media. The third wave will go beyond interactions with personal computers to include digital wireless technology, connecting machines and systems in a vast network to benefit users. Simply stated, devices will talk to each other to optimize our daily living. According to a new report from IHS Electronics & Media, the expansion of machine-to-machine (M2M) functions found in a growing number of electronic devices will cause the market for value-added services (VAS) to also expand. The prediction is that the VAS market will rise from $1.5 billion in 2012 to $10 billion by 2017. "The next Internet wave
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Barcode Scanners BearCom Chris Pace Construction Education Enterprise Voice Solutions Events Government Healthcare Hospitality Hugh Johnston Intrusion Prevention IP Manufacturing Mark Crosby Mike Butler Motorola Petrochemical Public Safety Retail Scanners Security Success Story Today's Wireless World Transportation Two-Way Radio Rentals Two-Way Radios Video Surveillance Walkie-Talkies Wireless WLAN Motorola SolutionsJuly 09, 2013Today's Wireless World, an award-winning magazine focused on the latest innovations in wireless technology for commercial and government applications, has been re-launched online with the help of contributors from BearCom and Motorola Solutions. Both companies will offer their expertise as part of a greatly expanded effort to deliver up-to-date information on two-way radios and other wireless technologies. TodaysWirelessWorld.com offers a steady stream of coverage on the uses of two-way radios and related equipment across a wide range of industries, including construction, education, events, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, petrochemical, public safety, retail, security,
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June 26, 2013Part Two When companies weigh the relative merits of cell phones and two-way radios, there's one group that has to stay top of mind: the users. These are the people actually using the equipment, after all. This series of articles has examined communications philosophy, urgency, coverage, reliability, and security. Now we turn our discussion of cell phones and two-way radios to users' concerns, which center on durability and ease of use. How many people you know have cracked the screen on their smartphone after it fell out of their pocket or purse? Some don't even bother to get their phones repaired because they know in a few months, a new model will be available with a bigger screen and a better camera. Two-way radios last for years because they're built to higher standards. Among them are