GE Introduces GearTrak™ Wireless Sensing Platform

North Billerica, Massachusetts, June 6, 2005.

GE Infrastructure Sensing, a leading provider of precision sensing products, systems and services, introduces GearTrak™, a wireless equipment health monitoring system designed for industrial and process applications.

Based on a wireless communications platform with flexible system architecture, GearTrak can be easily configured and modified. The low-cost system is easy-to-use and is supported by software that offers automatic data collection, alarming function, OPC server connectivity, a paging feature and historical trend analysis directly to a technician’s computer. GearTrak can be integrated with existing monitoring systems or used independently, and is suitable for a wide range of manufacturing and industrial environments as well as remote monitoring applications.

“GE is extremely pleased to be introducing a wireless sensing platform that enables customers to monitor their critical operations and processes,” said Rob Marchese, product specialist for GE Infrastructure Sensing. “By combining several core sensing technologies with inherent operational knowledge of customer needs, we’ve developed a platform that provides for the measurement of critical parameters with no hard wiring and simple system configuration.”

As a stand-alone package designed to simplify the task of monitoring temperature and other measurement parameters, GearTrak consists of three components: a wireless sensor module that sends measurement data over the 300MHz ISM radio frequency band to a repeater; a repeater that relays the sensor data to the base station using the 900MHz ISM frequency; and software that enables the user to view, trend, and alarm the measurements for proactive control.

Typical applications for GearTrak include monitoring temperature for power generating equipment, pumps, electric motors, HVAC systems, stack gases, and refrigeration systems; monitoring level or flow for water or wastewater or any liquid; or monitoring any 4-20mA output device providing measurement data that is critical to the performance of equipment or a process.

The current line up of available sensors include a probe type or surface mount RTD or input capability for a 4-20mA transmitter that will allow any sensor (flow, pressure, level, humidity, etc.) to be configured into the platform to provide the customer a customized solution. The GearTrak system can operate up to 0.5 miles without a repeater booster, and up to one mile with a repeater booster.