Two critical issues with using mobile devices to capture transactional data are (1) making sure that the data captured is correct and (2) warning an employee when they are about to make an operational mistake.
This is straight forward when PCs connected to a local area network are used, as the PCs can access the central database to validate input data in real-time. Mobile computers used by mobile workers, however, present a more significant challenge.
Wireless mobile computers, such as those used in BellHawk systems, normally use regular 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN communications protocols to communicate between the wireless mobile computers and wireless access points. With industrial mobile computers, such as those from Motorola, the open-air communications range is about 200 feet to an industrial access point, such as those from Cisco.
Unfortunately the radio waves are absorbed and scattered by conducting materials such as:
Metal racking in warehouses and stock rooms
Machinery and fork-lift trucks
Metal rebars and studs in walls
Metal pillars and roof joists
Metal products, drums and other conducting materials
People and other containers of liquid.
Also data transmission may be intermittently interrupted by electrical splash noise from welding and heavy electrical machinery. All of this can make factories, warehouses and industrial environments challenging environments in which to achieve 100% wireless coverage at all times.
If the mobile device is used in an environment where there is reliable wireless Internet or Intranet access to the database server, then the WebHawk web-browser interface provides a simpler solution. If, however, data needs to be collected in areas where there is no reliable wireless communications or wireless communications cannot be used for security reasons then we recommend the BellHawk BSAF (pronounced be-safe) store and forward technology be used.
With BSAF, BellHawk uses an approach in which data validation is carried out against data in a local database on the mobile computer. This enables visual and audible warnings to be rapidly provided to the user before they make a mistake. Transactional data is stored in non-volatile memory as it is captured and then relayed in real-time to the server as soon as the mobile computer can communicate with the server.
With wireless BSAF the mobile devices is repeatedly pinging the server over the wireless network until it establishes communications. Then the device automatically exchanges data between its local database and the main server. With cradle-mode BASF data is exchanged when the mobile device is placed in a cradle attached to a PC through its USB port. This data exchange is performed by a program running in the PC.
The data exchange process is very efficient and only sends updates from the main server to each mobile device that the mobile device needs to do point-of-action validation. Similarly only new transactions are transferred back to the main server database.
The major advantage of wireless-mode BSAF is that users do not have to be aware of whether they are in communications with the server or not. They simply do their scanning and rely on wireless BSAF to relay the data to the server. Also, if data transmission is corrupted by electrical interference, it is detected and resent automatically.
Wireless-mode BSAF is operationally better that cradle-mode BSAF in that users do not have to remember to frequently place the data collection units in a cradle. Also users do not have to wait until the data is exchanged with the server, as is the case with cradle-mode.
Cradle-mode BSAF is superior to the older batch-mode data collection in which the data was captured in the mobile device without any validation and then transferred to the server. With cradle-mode BSAF users are warned before they make a mistake. This is in contrast to the old batch mode in which mistakes were not discovered until data was transferred to the server (and sometimes not even then).
The BellHawk wireless BSAF store-and-forward data communications protocol works by securely exchanging UDP packets with a server at an IP (internet protocol) address. This enables mobile computers to be used for data collection and validation in remote facilities with communications taking place over low-cost Virtual Private Networks over the Internet.
The mobile computer periodically "pings" the server over the communications network. When it is able to communicate with the server then appropriate data objects are exchanged between the main server and the mobile computer. This is normally done over standard 802.11 b/g/n wireless communications networks but BellHawk can also be configured to work over cell-phone networks and other data networks.
Storing the data in a local database on each mobile computer enables BellHawk to be able to perform real-time point-of-action data validation even when the mobile computer is not in communication with the main server. This enables mobile computers to be used in environments, such as warehouses, manufacturing and processing facilities where it is difficult to maintain complete wireless communications coverage. It also enables BellHawk to be used in environments, such as yards and off-site warehouses. In these cases data is collected in the local database until the mobile computer is returned to an environment where there is communications coverage.
A major savings from BellHawk is that only a small number of access points are required to ensure adequate BSAF coverage in a warehouse or production area. Typically one access point antenna is positioned over the loading dock area and another in a location frequently traversed by material handlers, such as the entrance to the production area. With BSAF it is typically not necessary to have coverage down the aisles of racking in a stock room or warehouse. Also its significantly reduces the need for radio frequency shielding from welding operations and heavy electrical machinery.
Data exchange with BSAF is fully automatic and requires no operator intervention. The communications protocol ensures that the data is stored away safely on the server's hard drive before it is removed from the mobile computer database. Also status data such as purchase orders, needed for assisting and validating operator inputs, are also downloaded automatically from the server in a similar manner.
With wireless BSAF, all communication between the wireless mobile computers is handled by the BellHawk Wireless Server program, which runs on the database server. This only requires one Microsoft client-access-license (CAL) for the server irrespective of the number of mobile computers in use. Cradle-mode BSAF requires one CAL per PC used for data exchange.
The BellHawk BSAF software runs on Windows Mobile 5 and Mobile 6 devices such as the Motorola MC9090 and MC7090. It has also been ported to run on selected Windows Mobile CE devices, such as the MC3090 and MC4000 series. BellHawk Systems also offers a service to port its BSAF software to any device supporting .Net 2.0 and later.
Mobile computers running BSAF need to be equipped with a one or two gigabyte non-volatile storage memory card (such as an SD card used in high-end digital cameras for storing photos). This is used to hold the local SQL database in the device. Please note that not all mobile devices have the ability to use a high-capacity memory card.
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