STAR Systems International Introduce Secure Windshield Tags

RFID hardware provider and value added distributor, have announced the availability of their new windshield RFID tag designed specifically for automatic vehicle identification applications such as E-tolling, electronic vehicle registration, parking, secure access, and fleet management.

The STAR Venus Windshield Tag is a high-performance and secure tag designed and tuned to work while affixed on a vehicle's windshield. The Venus Windshield Tag delivers superior read and write performance along with high levels of security and tamper resistance.

Due to its small size and its availability in a clear or opaque form, the tag is barely noticeable and has minimal affect on the driver's vision while still delivering high performance and dependability.  The Venus Windshield Tag is constructed to provide reliable reading for years, even in extreme weather and driving environments.

Unlike many competitive tags, the Venus Windshield Tag was specifically designed for vehicle ID since its product conception. Providing data security and physical security, via its patented break-on-removal feature, the Venus Windshield Tag is the perfect tag for tolling and secure access projects. Simple to install, it is barely noticeable when properly affixed to the windshield.

According to Robert Karr, Managing Director of STAR Systems International: "One of the big barriers in E-tolling applications has been the ability to get large portions of the population to participate. Previously, the high cost of On-Board-Units (OBUs) has deterred widespread user adoption. With the rapid improvements in passive RFID technology in recent years, a battery-free, sticker-type tag has become affordable for everyone. Such windshield mounted tags can be read consistently on vehicles driving at high speeds and in harsh environments."

The Venus Windshield Tag utilizes an IC chip that has a flexible memory architecture and provides for the optimum allocation of EPC and user memory. It is ideal for use in high performance/security applications such as E-tolling, electronic vehicle registration (EVR), secure parking and access, fleet management and other critical vehicle tracking programs. User memory may also be secured by the chip's read-lock and/or write-lock features on 64-bit blocks, allowing the tag to support a variety of public/private usage models. The IC chip also features a factory programmed and permanently locked 64-bit serial number that cannot be altered. In conjunction with the EPC data and optional uniquely generated access codes, this tag provides a unique and high level of security for each tagged vehicle and its data.

The Venus Windshield Tag is available with optional features such a patented break-on-removal and tamper evident feature, IR and UV light protection filter, custom press or variable printing, and IC chip pre-programming.

With private automobile ownership estimated to exceed 6 million by the end of 2016, Beijing is encouraging a higher use of two-wheeled transport to weaken, if not reverse, the dominance of automobiles in the capital, one cause of severe air pollution in many first-tier cities.The public rental bicycle project that started in 2011 in Beijing has proved popular, with initial success seeing many of the public taking to bicycles during its two-year trial period.

“The rental service as a public welfare project has to some extent encouraged the use of public transportation in the city so far,” said Zhu Haiyan, an employee of the Beijing Commission of Transport.The time Lu spends commuting has been cut by almost a third with the greater allocation of public bicycles throughout the city, with one bicycle rental station in the community where Lu lives, in Chaoyang district. “Now I ride a rental bike from my community to Liangmaqiao subway station, where I return the bike and take the subway,” Lu said. “You can return the bike right away and don’t need to worry it will be stolen.”

As more public rental bicycle stations are set up throughout the city, Lu said his family sometimes rents a bicycle for grocery shopping as well. As long as he returns the bike within an hour, the use is free of charge.The commission said the bikes are free to rent for the first hour, then are charged at 1 yuan (16 cents) for each additional hour. The maximum expense for a full day is no more than 10 yuan but people can only rent a bike for a maximum of three days each time.

People with an ID card or passport can register at designated places and deposit 200 yuan to allow them to use their regular transport card to access the service.In Chaoyang district, the rental service has been well received, said Mu Liang, manager of GlobalNet Communication Technology Beijing, the operator of the service in the district.

Nearly 12,000 local residents subscribe to the rental service and the district recorded more than 920,000 individual bike rentals since last June, Mu said.The commission will double the more than 14,000 public bicycles currently dotted around the city by the end of this year and vows to supply riders with a total of 50,000 bicycles and 1,000 service stations covering major urban centers, transportation hubs and commercial areas by the end of 2015.

The service was first initiated by private businesses, which failed to cover their costs due to meager profits and heavy expenses. Lacking policy support, the private businesses soon either abandoned the service or declared bankruptcy.“The embarrassment was mainly due to a lack of support from the government for the bike renting system, as the rent alone hardly supports the operation,” said an official from the commission on condition of anonymity.

Jiang Zhongguang, a professor of urban planning at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, said as the service grows in size, scientific operation and management is key to benefit the public.“To make full use of the government funds and allocate the investment where it’s most needed, the government should consider adopting a business model, including introducing advertising on the bikes and parking lots,” he said.

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