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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 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 03, 2013Across the country, the public's safety remains a top concern of governments and citizen alike. Getting more policing while holding down costs seems to be on a lot of people's minds. Judging by several recent news accounts, governmental organizations and policing agencies appear to have found a key force multiplier in the form of IP video surveillance. The term is used in several stories describing how video surveillance systems are being used to fight crime. Newsday's report about the video surveillance system on New York's Long Island said it will eventually include thousands of cameras at shopping malls, hospitals parks, and beaches. Live footage will stream into a police communications
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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 12, 2013Video surveillance cameras have been popping up in gas stations and parking lots for decades, but as budgets tighten and safety concerns rise, more organizations than ever are turning to them. As I travel around the country, I'm seeing them more and more in schools and retail stores.
IP Video Surveillance Systems Benefits
In Walpole, Massachusetts, high school officials had petitioned the town's budget committee for funds to install additional security cameras for the past few years. Finally, in April, the town voted to approve the funds. Once installed, the surveillance cameras will be used not only for security from outside intruders but also for monitoring student behavior and inside threats. Walpole High Principal Stephen Imbusch told Education Week that security cameras would prove useful in determining -
February 19, 2013Remember when wireless technology meant a doctor with a pager or a high-priced lawyer with a cell phone the size of a shoebox? So much has changed since then, with thousands of new devices, more powerful networks, and faster and faster data transmissions. The wireless industry has put cell phones in the hands of six of every seven people on the planet, even as two-way radios have improved and expanded their own loyal following. So what's next? It's machines talking to machines.
The Next Frontier for Wireless Technology
The next frontier in wireless communication is machine-to-machine (M2M) technology that links machines with other machines using wireless connections that transmit useful data in real time, so humans can act on it and learn from it. M2M has applications in a myriad of industries, including petrochemical, energy, -
February 05, 2013Flying between our Seattle and Chicago branches last week, I was over South Dakota when I noticed a most unusual—but entirely appropriate—application for video surveillance cameras: large agricultural operations. Back at BearCom, I did a little research and came across the story of Joel Foxley, who farms with his brothers near the South Dakota town of Platte. He told The Daily Republic newspaper how he installed his first video surveillance camera a year and a half ago and now has 15 cameras keeping watch over his equipment, fuel, grain bins, and grounds. He said, "With the price of fuel and the price of everything, we just thought it would be a wise decision to have a little safety."
Video Surveillance Cameras "Are the Way the Industry is Going"
Ross Ringling, who runs a feedlot and trucking operation near Platte, told the paper how he has eight cameras monitoring gates and high-traffic areas at his business. He said he hadn't had any -
4G Analog Apps BearCom Colleges and Universities Construction Data Applications Digital Education FCC Federal Communications Commission Government GPS IP K-12 Schools Land Mobile Radio LMR LTE M2M Motorola Narrowbanding Public Safety Retail Safety Security Text Messaging Two-Way Radios Video Surveillance Walkie-Talkies Wireless Analog Technologies K-12 Schools and Universities Motorola SolutionsJanuary 15, 2013
Analyzing Wireless Trends
Again this year, I asked Jerry Denham, BearCom's President & CEO, for his thoughts about the coming year in wireless communications. And while some of his predictions reflect those he made a year ago, there are several new ones worthy of discussion as 2013 shifts into high gear: 1. Narrowbanding will continue to be an issue, despite the passing of the January 1, 2013 deadline set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The massive effort to convert users of the private land mobile radio spectrum to 12.5 kHz narrowband technology is not yet complete. Thousands of two-way radio users clearly missed the deadline set by the FCC to obtain new licenses. And though many have filed applications that now are being processed and others were granted waivers, there are still thousands of users nationwide who failed to act. While there are indications that strict enforcement may be some months off, we know it will come. We're already working