Eyes on Equipment
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| Enlarge Image Faria's WatchDog 750CM SB product allows equipment owners to remotely monitor vehicles. |
The Faria WatchDog® can send an automated position and status report to any email address at regularly scheduled intervals or upon request. It can also automatically relay information by email, fax, pager or phone, saving time and money on preventable mishaps. The rugged, weather-resistant mobile transmitting unit provides near real-time secure position and status reports anywhere in the world. The user selects report frequency, which is changeable from once per minute to once per day.
The Faria WatchDog® 750CM SB is a single-band system that is targeted for use in areas where there is no GSM (global system for mobile communications) coverage, but where it is desirable to reliably communicate with equipment and personnel. The 750 SB communicates on the Iridium satellite network anywhere. The Iridium satellite network is the largest LEO satellite system with 66 in-orbit satellites, providing near real time satellite communication.
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The WatchDog 750CM DB has the ability to roll over to the Iridium network when out of GSM coverage.
“Pipeline work, construction, military, or certain ag applications • as well as commercial fishing • can benefit from being able to affordably communicate and send and receive email from locations where no GSM or cell phone coverage is available by using the WatchDog 750CM SB,” says Pete Harpin, sales manager. Harpin says the company targets applications where a range of timely, dependable, and mission-critical reporting is desirable and where the ability to change reporting frequency and content may be beneficial.
In addition to the 750CM SB, the company offers the Faria WatchDog 750CM DB a dual-band, GSM and Iridium Satellite, tracking, navigation, monitoring, communication and emergency notification system that supports e-mail, internet, and forms reporting. It is designed to communicate via GSM/cell and/or Iridium satellite.
“Many of our customers originally expected to be able to use a GSM cell terrestrial based system for all desired communications and monitoring, because it is very affordable and fast,” Harpin says. “However, those same companies soon realized there are many areas where service is intermittent or unavailable, increasing in size and frequency the further away from populous areas one travels. The 750 DB can communicate via GSM/cell if available and automatically roll over to the Iridium network when outside GSM coverage. This system can save considerable monitoring and communication cost by always looking for the most cost-effective available communication channel.”
The WatchDog can be installed on any vehicle and has 9 to 32 volts DC operation with built-in power management programming to ensure low power consumption. It has three inputs to monitor a vehicle's battery, tank levels, and intrusion systems. The product reports low battery, entry violations, Geo-fence violations, emergency conditions, check engine notifications when broadcast by ECU to www.watchdogtracking.com for action. The 750CM DB provides cost-effective text messaging, e-mail and forms reporting via the optional Faria VTERM.
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The VTerm 7-inch color display is available as an option for the WatchDog products.
The optional Faria VTerm is a Windows CE-based device powered by an Intel XScale processor. The VTerm has a 7-inch WVGA TFT color display with an integrated touch-screen for input. The device allows for the connection of up to two USB devices, so a keyboard can be connected as an option. The unit comes with elastomeric keypad with seven function keys and a cursor/mouse control button. The display can be used for text messaging, forms reporting and email. The VTerm uses the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) data services on the Cingular GSM network with throughput rates of up to 40 kbits/second and the Iridium satellite system if GPRS is not available.
The unit can be pedestal mounted on a console with the four integrated studs on the back of the terminal. The Windows operating system is factory installed. Microsoft's Pocket Outlook for Windows and Internet Explorer are provided for messaging. An internal sealed speaker provides audio feedback.
