Press Release
December 13, 2004 For Immediate Release

802.15.4 Wireless Mesh Network Sensor Devices;
B&B Electronics Inks Partnership with Sensicast Systems
B&B Electronics to develop and distribute 802.15.4 wireless nodes
using Sensicast’s SensiNet™

Ottawa, IL - B&B Electronics today announced a plan to broaden its development and distribution of 802.15.4, ZigBee ready wireless products by signing a partnership and distribution agreement with Sensicast Systems, a leading provider of wireless sensor networking products and solutions.

The company will offer custom and off-the-shelf wireless sensing devices based on Sensicast’s Sensor Networking Platform for monitoring information such as temperature, serial, analog or digital data. The newest product, the wireless RTD sensing device, offers highly accurate temperature measurements in real time. This and other products utilizing Sensicast’s ZigBee-ready technology will be included on B&B Electronics web site in Q1 2005 as well as being featured in the mid-2005 B&B Electronics Data Communications catalog.

“We’ve seen a great deal of momentum among our customers for the types of wireless sensor technologies that Sensicast has developed,” said Don Wiencek, president of B&B Electronics. “More than 75% of the Fortune 100 turn to us for communications solutions, and our thousands of customers range from end users to solution providers. As an indication of the strong future of wireless monitoring, this diverse customer base is rapidly becoming aware of the potential for wireless solutions to solve previously unsolvable monitoring challenges. Partnering with innovative companies like Sensicast to solve these problems together and create new applications is key to B&B Electronics’ goal of making this exciting technology available to our customers and the markets we serve.”

Under the deal, B&B Electronics will offer Sensicast wireless sensing devices in off-the-shelf configurations for end users and system integrators to easily deploy their own wireless solutions. The company will also offer customized Sensicast-based devices and solutions based on customers’ unique needs. The new Sensicast RTD sensing device is already on back order and the serial, analog and discrete I/O devices are planned for early 2005. Beginning in January, the RTD device will be offered alongside nine other Sensicast wireless products on B&B Electronics’ website, www.bb-elec.com. Additionally, the company’s January catalog will feature a case study of a joint B&B / Sensicast project at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station that will deliver considerable wiring savings while creating a motor monitoring system that is a dramatic improvement over their prior solution.

“This announcement is meaningful to us for several reasons,” said Paul Sereiko, CEO of Sensicast Systems. “First and most important, B&B Electronics’ reputation for best-in-class data communications equipment and expertise is the proof point that wireless sensor networking is ready for large scale distribution. Second, B&B Electronics' tremendous customer base greatly broadens the market to which we can offer the industry’s most cost-effective, reliable wireless solutions. Finally, it is internally gratifying because we’re adding another solid wireless product to our platform while using B&B’s in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities to expand our ability to offer new and exciting products. These important accomplishments will improve our ability to solve even the toughest wireless monitoring challenges.”

The new devices are flexible, upgradeable, reliable, and extremely power-efficient. They support a number of inputs and integrate seamlessly into Sensicast’s Environmental Monitoring System management software and with any other software easily via standard integration protocols or the SensiMesh Server API.

RTD100 and RTD200 I/O Sensors

The RTD100/200s are wireless resistance temperature device (RTD) sensing nodes that operate as a component of the Sensor Network Platform. The devices deliver the most reliable radio connectivity in the industry because they include the industry’s most robust protocol, Sensicast’s SensiNet™ networking protocol, which is specifically designed for the crowded and harsh radio environments commonly found in real world settings.

The SensiNet protocol provides the self-healing, self-configuring, multi-hop, bi-directional power-managed mesh networking features typically found in most mesh networking protocols. SensiNet extends these common mesh networking capabilities dramatically through its use of frequency diversity, amplification, and its patent-pending Distributed Frequency Spread Spectrum (DFSS) technology, resulting in enhanced radio signal connectivity in even the harshest and busiest RF environments.

The RTD100 is based on a 900MHz, FCC-approved module running the SensiNet industrial strength networking protocol and the RTD200 is a 2.4GHz, IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee-ready product that also runs the SensiNet protocol. The devices are totally wireless, with no need for data or power wiring, have a range of over 1,000 feet and are remotely firmware-upgradeable.

B&B Electronics will offer all necessary hardware, software and documentation to develop complete mesh networking applications. For the latest information on wireless solutions from B&B Electronics, visit www.bb-elec.com or call 815-433–5100.

About B&B Electronics

B&B Electronics (www.bb-elec.com) is a leading manufacturer of data communication products for industrial automation, retail services and building control fields. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Illinois. They serve over 50,000 customers from all parts of the world. A wholly owned sales and service facility is located in Ireland, serving Europe, Africa and the Middle East. B&B Electronics is a subsidiary of Avtek Corporation, a privately held company in Providence, RI.

About Sensicast

Founded in 2002, Sensicast (www.sensicast.com) provides complete wireless sensor networks to a wide range of industries. At the core of Sensicast’s sensing solutions is the comprehensive Sensicast Sensor Network Platform. Sensicast’s Platform provides the simplest, most cost-effective way to develop and deploy whole network solutions for intelligent wireless monitoring and control – bringing together multiple remote devices, sensors and networks into one integrated management platform. Sensicast is focused on providing complete solutions for system integrators and a development platform for original equipment manufacturers. Sensicast is a privately held company with Ardesta, LLC as its primary investor.

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