InformationWeek

May 14, 1999
Wireless System Nabs Meter-Theft Suspects

The high-tech parking meters being tested in Burlingame, Calif., were supposed to pay off in some predictable ways: better tracking of meter revenue, better deployment of maintenance and coin-collection personnel, etc.

But the CellNet Data Systems technology embedded in meters installed in February has also resulted in the arrests of 27 meter-theft suspects, says Larsh Johnson, VP of commercial data services at CellNet. That's because the meters are also equipped with sensors that let police know when the meters are being tampered with, Johnson says.

Burlingame officials and CellNet have both been surprised by the number of incidents the wireless technology has helped record, he says. Each meter contains a "microcell controller" that transmits data to a collection center for processing. Johnson says the data is then retrievable on a Web site for parking authority administrators, police, maintenance crews, and whoever else needs to see it.

The test deployment in Burlingame is new territory for CellNet, Johnson says. The company's primary focus has been technology for utility meters, he says, but the company is also developing systems for vending machines, copiers, and other devices.

-- Dominick Calicchio

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