Applications of the XPort(TM) Embedded Device Server Demonstrate How
Integration of Networking Capabilities Can Be Reduced From Many Months
to as Little as 60 Days, Dramatically Cutting Time to Market
SAN FRANCISCO, April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Lantronix, Inc. (Nasdaq: LTRX) will showcase its new XPort(TM) embedded device
server, a complete network-enabling solution enclosed within a ruggedized
RJ-45 package, during the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) in San Francisco
from April 22-26, 2003. XPort enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
to quickly and easily go to market with networking capabilities. Smaller than
the average person's thumb, the XPort dramatically cuts the typical
development cycle for adding networking capabilities from 6-9 months down to
as little as 60 days.
At the company's booth (#926), Lantronix will demonstrate how XPort has
added network connectivity to a diverse range of applications, including
multimedia projectors and an automotive concept vehicle. In addition, a
third-party developer of embedded graphical user interfaces (GUIs) called
Amulet Technologies will display how its new GUI module works with XPort to
offer more effective remote control, configuration and feedback of connected
devices.
"Given the relative newness of XPort and the fact that our development
kits have only been circulating for a matter of weeks, we are extremely
excited to see how quickly our technology is being used to add network
connectivity for third-party applications," said Geoffrey Boyce, executive
vice president of marketing at Lantronix. "Using the XPort's highly
integrated hardware and software platform, manufacturers will enhance their
profitability by significantly reducing the engineering risk and cost
associated with adding networking capabilities to their products."
On the audio/visual front, Lantronix has been customized to connect a full
line of LCD (liquid crystal display) multimedia projectors from a well-
established display brand to a network using a serial-to-Ethernet connection
for remote access and control. The demonstration at the show will highlight
how users can query a projector via the Web to access important information
such as its model number, serial number, location, cumulative lamp hours, and
cumulative operating hours. In the demo, the projector can be operated
through a Web browser if a remote control is lost or stolen.
For home and automotive automation, Visteon Corporation, a tier-one
automotive supplier, uses Lantronix SYS(R) technology in a unique concept
vehicle that integrates its onboard and home systems. For the demonstration,
a small-scale mock home that includes networked thermostats, a security
camera, lighting and consumer audio/video gear is wirelessly accessed through
the nearby concept vehicle. Integrated into the vehicle's instrument panel,
touch-screen controls and a biometric fingerprint reader facilitate
authenticated access to operate the off-board home system. As part of the
demo, XPort has been integrated into a thermostat system within the home that
interacts with the vehicle's controls.
In a demonstration of graphical user interfaces for embedded systems,
XPort has been integrated with embedded LCD and chipset technology from Amulet
Technologies. This technology is an ideal production solution for developers
of embedded systems products and portable or mobile digital devices that use
GUIs to convey information and interact with human operators in applications
such as medical instruments (e.g., the readout on a heart monitor) and other
industrial equipment. For the demo, using XPort in multiple devices, Amulet
Technologies will show how its GUI technology can link the devices to form an
Intranet for a custom application.
"The XPort targets anyone who designs electronic solutions and needs to
enhance those solutions by adding networking capabilities for greater
management and control," said Boyce. "All of our product demonstrations at
ESC illustrate how XPort can be custom-tailored for highly specialized
applications and integrated into a diverse range of products to provide
network connectivity."
To eliminate the complexity of creating a network-enabling solution, the
XPort provides a complete, integrated solution that includes a 10Base-T /
100Base-TX Ethernet connection, a reliable and proven operating system, an
embedded Web server, flexible firmware, a full TCP/IP protocol stack, email
alerts and optional 128-bit standards-based (AES) encryption. Everything
designers need to add network connectivity is incorporated into the XPort's
compact design to enable them to "drop" the XPort onto a simple circuit board
with a minimum of engineering, dramatically reducing their time to market.
"Using XPort device server enabled us to significantly reduce our
time-to-market because all of the items that are potential pitfalls in the
development process -- such as security, EMI shielding, and field
upgradeability -- are already incorporated into XPort," said Johannes
Rietschel, CEO of Barix. Barix is embedding XPort into the Barionet(R), a
universal remote I/O device with a large selection of common interfaces, such
as RS-232 and RS-485, analog and digital inputs and outputs, relays, and
serial busses, enabling network connectivity for almost any consumer,
commercial or industrial application. "The XPort was ideal for Barionet
because of its size -- it is the smallest embedded device server on the
market. For us to create such a small device ourselves would have required
expensive special tooling and a lot of time invested in finding miniature
components that met our requirements for reliability as well."
According to Boyce, the XPort addresses the classic make-versus-buy
question that all manufacturers must face when adding networking capabilities
to their products. "Manufacturers do not need to spend upwards of
48 'person-months' and hundreds of thousands of dollars in development time
becoming an expert on Ethernet and writing an IP stack when they can simply
purchase an integrated solution from Lantronix. We have taken the complexity
out of developing a network-enabling solution and made it amazingly simple by
doing it all for them," said Boyce.
XPort Development Kit
An XPort Development Kit is available to provide a quick and cost-
effective way to evaluate the product. The kit can enable manufacturers to
jumpstart their development work by providing the following items: a circuit
board assembly with the XPort, a power supply, configuration options, status
LEDs and an RS232 serial interface for an easy connection to a PC. A reset
circuit with a push-button reset, status LEDs and a timer circuit are also
available. For more information on receiving an XPort Development Kit,
contact an authorized Lantronix manufacturing representative.
Pricing and Availability
The list price of the XPort is $49.00. Discount pricing on the XPort is
also available in volumes of ten thousand.
About Amulet
Amulet Technologies is a privately held, fabless semiconductor company
that is dedicated to developing integrated circuits to supplant costly
software development in embedded systems. The company was founded upon the
revolutionary idea to provide a simpler, faster, more flexible method to
program Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) for embedded systems products.
Amulet targets developers of embedded systems products and portable or mobile
digital devices that utilize graphical user interfaces to convey information
and interact with human operators. For more information, please visit
http://www.amulettechnologies.com .
About Lantronix, Inc.
Lantronix, Inc. (Nasdaq: LTRX) is a provider of hardware and software
solutions ranging from systems that allow users to remotely manage network
infrastructure equipment to technologies that network-enable devices and
appliances. Lantronix was established in 1989, and its worldwide headquarters
are in Irvine, Calif. For more information, visit the company on the Internet
at http://www.lantronix.com .
Lantronix and SYS are registered trademarks of Lantronix, Inc. XPort is a
trademark of Lantronix, Inc.
Barionet is a registered trademark of Barix AG.
SOURCE Lantronix, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.lantronix.com
CONTACT:
Michael Troncale of Lantronix, Inc.,
+1-949-453-3990, Michael.troncale@lantronix.com
|
