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In a high cost and competitive market, it’s no wonder that those in the hospitality industry want technology to help them increase revenues. But how can wireless point of sale systems and wireless mobile computing help them achieve this?

Wireless mobile computing can help in many ways. One such instance is by eliminating the need for serving staff to line up at a specific POS terminal to place orders. By utilizing wireless handheld devices, serving staff are more productive since time spent during the order taking process is decreased. Wireless mobile computing also allows serving staff to place orders instantly, and then go directly to the next table, thereby increasing table turns. And because serving staff are more productive, significant savings can be seen through decreased labor costs.

Another drawback to stationary POS terminals is that serving staff usually place a number of orders at once to the kitchen, overwhelming kitchen staff. Placing orders tableside eliminates this problem, as orders are more evenly spaced. Plus, when orders are placed tableside, order taking is more accurate and less food is wasted. This directly translates into decreased food costs. Serving staff can also spend more time with customers, which significantly increases up-sell opportunities.

Utilizing wireless point of sale systems & wireless handheld devices in a hospitality environment also allows managers to approach staffing in a more cost effective and efficient way. Instead of scheduling a large number of serving staff who are responsible for all the order taking and food delivery, a wireless POS solution allows restaurant owners the opportunity to hire just a few skilled staff, give them larger sections, and make their primary focus greeting customers, taking orders and up selling. Non-serving staff can then be hired (at significant payroll savings) to dispatch food and clean sections. When serving staff are able to remain on the floor, the result is superior customer service and again increased sales through up selling and quicker table turns.

One Canadian company has revolutionized the wireless POS industry in a creative and innovative way. Toronto based Volante POS Systems uses PC notebooks (not much larger then a handheld) and the entire point of sale software is loaded on the unit and it runs as a terminal with peer to peer, data synching etc. PDA’s don’t work in this manner- they require writing to the unit (in other words, new code, separate product) plus they’re not robust enough for Food and beverage. Volante has evolved its software into the peer to peer architecture, and now POS software can be loaded onto a small wireless notebook with incredible results. The technology is without peer in the point of sale industry.

This approach can work exceptionally well in venues that aren’t traditional table side establishments, such as stadiums, trade shows, casinos, arenas, race tracks and outdoor sales areas (such as rooftop patios for instance) where conventional POS terminals aren’t practical nor feasible.

Wireless POS solutions truly allow hospitality leaders to enter the 21st century, giving them an extra edge in a fiercely competitive industry.

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Depending on the size and style of the home, alarm systems can be easily installed using the ancient type of wired security devices. But, some homes use a wireless home security alarm system to make installation quick and simple. Installation of a wired system requires drilling and pulling wires through walls or into basement and attic areas, which can be time consuming and dirty work. Typically, this type of system is left to the professional while a wireless home security alarm system can be done by the homeowner with small effort. Additionally, the components of a wireless home security alarm system can be easily went around the home to provide protection where it is needed. Adding on to this type of system is also simple, but every receiver has limitations on the number of devices it can handle and staying under the maximum acceptable number of devices will insure the system functions properly.
Every device connected to a wireless home security alarm system has a built in transmitter, which sends a wireless signal to the receiver. Most of the less expensive systems will simply sound the alarm when a device is activated. The more costly ones will not only sound the alarm, but also indicate which device caused it to activate. This is especially helpful when troubleshooting a fake alarm or in figuring out in which room there is potential danger.
While the ease of installation ranks high on the list for a wireless home security alarm system, there are some disadvantages. The transmitters used in wireless devices operate on batteries, which will need changed frequently. Using motion sensor cameras can save the power when the cameras are not operating, but the batteries will drain periodically and will need to be changed. Additionally, as the battery weakens, the distance it can send the signal becomes shorter, making the potential for a fake alarm.
The construction of the house can also limit the distance a signal travels. While many wireless home security alarm system devices can send out a signal between 200 and 300 feet, depending on its quality, brick and metal walls slow the signals considerably. It is possible that the signal strength will be cut in half, or more, if it is trying to penetrate especially thick walls. The unit may still function properly, but if the signal cannot reach the receiver, the alarm is not going to work.
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One of the largest challenges to managing your wireless telecom costs is establishing, then managing an inventory of all your cell phones and wireless cards. Even if you have as few as 100 wireless phones, establishing the inventory can be a challenge. Let run through the basics:

1) If you do not have on-line access to your wireless telecom service provider, get on-line now. AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and TMobile have different levels of information available, with AT&T offering the most and TMobile and Sprint offering the least, but any electronic data will be beneficial. Download the wireless inventory information from the web site. This can be hard to find, but it is generally available. At a minimum, you want a list of active cell phone and wireless card numbers. You need to know which number have voice service and which is only data.

2) Frequently, the wireless telecom carrier will have some identifying information in the inventory, such as: wireless user name, a department name, or cost center. This information is typically collected at the time the wireless devices is issued, but depending upon the controls in place and how long ago the information was provided, it will probably need to be verified. To verify your wireless telecom information, first compare the individuals listed by the carrier an independent source, such as an employee list from human resources. For the matches, update your wireless telecom inventory information with other information provided from the independent source. You may be able to update department codes, land line phone number, title, email, etc.

3) If you are like most companies, what is left is a list of unknown users. The only option here is to call each user (just the voice services, not the data services) and determine who is using the phone. Keep track of the voice mails you leave requesting a call back. After two calls without a return call, consider the device suspect. For wireless data cards, there is no way of voice verifying the owner, so all unidentified wireless data cards should considered suspect.

4) For suspect wireless telecom inventory, look at the usage patters again using wireless carriers on-line portal. If the device does not have heavy usage, consider suspending it (not canceling!) and see if anyone calls to find out what happened to their service. If no one inquires about the lost service for 2 months, that wireless device can be considered for deactivation.

5) To maintain your wireless inventory, consider using a free telecom expense management (TEM) solution available on the internet. The TEM application will help you maintain the inventory you just completed and provide a platform for standardization across wireless carriers.

Establishing a wireless telecom inventory is a somewhat manual process, but the results could yield significant savings. When completed, use a TEM solution to keep your inventory up to date and delight in the reduced wireless telecom costs into the future.

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Cables are gone and now comes the era of wireless applications and devices. It wouldnt be longer before we live in world devoid of cables. When it comes to switching to a wireless technology from a cabled one, you will need to know the scope of the alterations that will be required in your IT infrastructure to accommodate this switch. Here is a brief about the Wireless technology, its types and wireless devices that you can use to perform a variety of operations such as wireless data transfer and wireless printing.

Wireless technology works using radio, microwave or infrared signals for transferring or transmitting information between two or more devices which can be computers and peripherals, remotes, cellular phones, GPSs and more. A variety of wireless technologies are used for different purposes, Bluetooth being one of them. Bluetooth differs from wireless LAN or what we call wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) with respect to the range that it can transmit data within, and the rate at which the data can be transmitted. While wireless or Wi-Fi has a range of approximately 300 feet, Bluetooth works best within 30 feet. The rate of data transmission too varies considerably. Wi-Fi can transmit data at 55 Mbps allowing you to transmit large files too quickly, whereas, Bluetooth is a tad slower transmitting at the rate of 22Kbps, hence ideal for portable devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras. To help you choose which technology is ideal for your print requirements, here are some comparisons.

Wi-Fi is apt for computers and peripherals where large volumes of data can be transferred and printed easily within a network wirelessly while Bluetooth works best when transferring and printing data from and to mobile phone devices, digital cameras and PDAs. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have their own advantages. For instance, you may want to quick-print a coupon on the go using your portable communication device such as a PDA. In this case a portable Bluetooth micro printer will be ideal. Bluetooth micro printers are small and portable and can easily be paired with any other mobile device to deliver instant prints. This is ideal for drivers and frequent travelers who do most printing on the go. Most printers being used and manufactured today also support Bluetooth. This means that you can even print your documents from a mobile device on any available network printer that supports Bluetooth. USB Bluetooth adapters are also available that can help you print from an ordinary printer using Bluetooth. All you need is to make it ready for accepting data using Bluetooth by plugging the Bluetooth adapter into its USB slot. Another advantage of using Bluetooth is that it is energy efficient. Unlike Wi-Fi which needs to be switched on constantly, Bluetooth can be switched on when required and then switched off.

Nothing matches the speed and range of a portable Wi-Fi printer when it comes to printing large volumes from your office or home computer. While a normal printer can be attached to a Wi-Fi to be able to receive Wi-Fi signals, Wi-Fi printers specifically designed for Wi-Fi connections are already available and can be taken advantage of.

Having understood the advantages and limitations of both technologies, deciding between the two technologies that best fits your requirements will be much simpler.

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