Newtrax brings innovative battery-powered wireless tracking, monitoring, control and messaging solutions to underground mines:

• Simple. quick and low cost installation and maintenance by non-technical personnel
• Self-contained battery-powered operation with life up to 10+ years
• Industrial grade 900MHz FHSS wireless links
• Self-organizing and self-healing wireless mesh routing
• Integrated active RFID tag reader for pervasive and precise tracking

Compatible with standard leaky feeder

Newtrax networks are natural capillary extensions to leaky feeder because hundreds of two-way low data rate packet-switched connections can be maintained with a central server through a single circuit-switched 1,200-9,600bps data modem.

Real-time pervasive and precise tracking

All infrastructure nodes provide both tag-reading and mesh routing functionalities. Mobile nodes automatically attach themselves to the nearest infrastructure node. Probability and precision of localization outperforms competition.

Open architecture platform

Industry standard I/O interfaces on nodes and OPC compliant interface options on the central server enable third-parties applications on the Newtrax open-architecture platform. Current partner solutions include Jannatec advanced personnel safety and Simsmart optimized ventilation on demand.

RF Leapfrog

Each node is installed in range of at least 2 nodes on each side. If an infrastructure node becomes unavailable, the network self-heals and new RF links are created to leapfrog the unavailable node.

Newtrax industry-leading battery-powered RF range up to 100-400m in underground mines (vs. up to 600m in surface applications) enables cost effective infrastructure deployments with this type of redundant topology. Long range is achieved by taking advantage of 900 MHz RF propagation and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) multipath fading mitigation.

Double Tail

Unlike leaky feeder, there are no data flow constraints with Newtrax networks: packets can reach gateways in any direction.

By connecting both ends of a daisy chain of infrastructure nodes to the leaky feeder, a problem with either of the analog leaky feeder modems will not cause any downtime. The network will self-heal and data will be routed through the available modem.

Parked Bandaid

In very narrow tunnels, large vehicles might cause RF signal blockage. However, since devices on vehicles have routing capability, they will contribute to healing any signal blockage caused by the vehicle obstruction.