 |
What's an iButton?

The iButton and its plastic keyfob are about the size of
a house key and are designed to be carried on a keychain.
|
The iButtonŽ is a 16-millimeter computer chip enclosed in a stainless
steel container. Each chip has its own unique ID number which is
unaffected by magnetic fields, metal detectors, water and most common
chemicals.
The steel button is rugged enough to withstand harsh
outdoor environments and durable enough for a person to wear every day.
The silicon chip within the iButton is protected by the ultimate durable
material: stainless steel. You can drop it, step on it, scratch it or
wear it swimming. The iButton is wear-tested for 10-year durability and
can be reassigned quickly and securely. It is by far the best solution
for both manufacturing and office environments.
In TimePilot's iButton Lock and its
time and attendance systems, the iButton is part of a keyfob that
attaches to an employee's keychain. The keyfob and button
combination is about the size of a house key. The standard
keyfob color is black; other colors are available. For a
price list, please click here.
Who else is using the iButton?
Lots of companies are using the iButton for security, convenience or
efficiency. Some examples:
- The revolutionary
Segway Human Transporter doesn't come with a set of traditional
keys--it comes with three iButtons.
- Employees at the U.S. Mint in Denver aren't allowed to carry money
into the facility, so they use iButtons to operate the vending machines.
Across Canada, many vending machines can be operated by iButtons or with
cash.
- There are more than 200,000 iButton-based keys in use on more than
10,000 apartment and condo buildings in the New York City area. The
Trump Organization uses them in 43 of its buildings. A new
9,000-resident development on the Hudson River across from Manhattan is
a major user of the iButton: all common area entrance doors, laundry
room doors, mailroom doors and pedestrian gates are equipped with
iButton-controlled locks.
- A school in Celebration, Florida, issues iButtons to its students, who
use them to open classroom doors and log onto computers. The school
plans to expand the technology to its cafeteria, allowing students to
pay for their meals with their iButton. This has the added benefit of
privacy: Students are prevented from knowing which classmates are on a
government-funded reduced-price or free meal program.
- Ryder truck rental mounts an iButton on the side of each of its
trucks. The button records the truck number, its rental location, the
customer's name and odometer reading at the start of the rental; when
the truck is returned the information is downloaded into the company's
database for billing.
- The mass transit system in Istanbul, Turkey, is one of the biggest
users of the iButton. Some 1.4 million riders use iButtons to travel on
the system's subways, buses, trains and ferries.
|
|