RFID Tags for our Self Service Bays?

[JJJakubowski]

Randy, for sure adaptations of RFID type technologies have been available to SS for some time. I think WashCard may have been the first 5-7 years ago (I soooo lose track of time as time rolls by) with their devices that the customer could wave near or tap an RF reader.

And I believe that's much the same with IDX's "Widgets" -- that is, they have to be passed within an inch of an RF reader. What I was referring to is "Unlimited Washing" and the type of RFID system that is used by toll road and many tunnels whereby a slim, discreet, unremovable RF "card" is positioned on the bottom-left of the windshield or top edge of the rear view mirror which is instantly/automatically/very conveniently recognized by the RFID reader as the car drives up to a tunnel entrance ... or perhaps someday into a SS wand bay.

BTW --- IDX makes unquestionably great products. But they really do, shall we say, a, uh, "not so great" job of informing the industry as to all the fine stuff they bring to the carwash market. I'm not even suggesting they buy advertising. C'mon, Mike, at least send the trade mags product press releases for inclusion in our new products columns ... it's a free service.

JJJ/SSCWN

 

[bigleo48]

It just seems as though there are solutions out there that the self serve is missing. I like the idea of the credit card count up method, it has worked great for us. I just think that there are other and better options out there that haven't been brought to market.

Bubbles,

I have and continue to work in the wireless telecom industry. When I started my wash, I was a little taken back that the carwash industry was so "low tech". Especially the SS side of the house. I'm not an early adapter of technology and in some ways I like it that way, but generally I am frustrated with the lack of developments to make it easier for the customer to give us their cash.

When dealing with those well know manufacturers, I always ask why software or hardware is the way it is and the most common reply is "We only have a couple of guys in the back room working on this kind of stuff" or "It was developed a while back and we have patched on updates to get it to this point"

I'll give you a couple of examples in the IBA world, first the PDQ M5 is Microsoft CE. It needs to reboot itself every other day. In the last upgrade, I asked if the machine still did this, I was told it still had that "Feature". I've seen other systems with memory leak problems, but nobody ever called it a feature!

The next one is my 2 year old Unitec WSII and the recent internet CC clearing upgrade. You need to add a Dataran IP 'modem', but it still requires the regular dialup modem to function!? So now I can clear the CC via the net, but I still can't get it to send me an SMS or email when there is a fault!? I use to use TAP (paging) with my wireless provided through their paging/pcs gateway to get and SMS (BTW, they no longer support this).

These two very common machines don't interact very well either. If the M5 doesn't reboot properly, the Unitec doesn't notice and will take the customers cash, signal an impaired M5 and leave frustrated.

Big