NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT: HELIUM NETWORKS INTRODUCES WIRELESS RECON™ AT NETWORLD + INTEROP 2005

LAS VEGAS, MAY 1, 2005 – Helium Networks today announces the commercial launch of its patented, breakthrough Wireless Recon system, which enables network engineers and technicians to optimally conduct site surveys or audit 802.11 a/b/g wireless networks in half the time of traditional site survey and design methods, while automatically collecting the industry’s largest set of real wireless measurements with precise location fingerprint.

Enterprise Wireless LAN deployments today are expected to reliably support a large number of roaming users and mission-critical applications, including VoWLAN over extensive coverage areas. Wireless Recon helps network professionals meet this need through its product suite, which is comprised of SiteScout™ mobile mapping hardware platform and SiteSense™ site survey and analyses software. SiteScout not only enables collection of precise position location information during the site survey but also relieves the user from carrying the laptop. SiteSense reads this location information along with wireless measurements to develop precise 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN coverage maps. SiteSense further leverages this rich data to understand and analyze the RF behavior inside a facility with the highest degree of accuracy in the industry.

“An unreliable and interference-ridden WLAN coverage could prevent network connectivity; limit network capacity or cause dropped network connections leading to thousands of dollars in lost employee productive time, and in many cases, potential disruption of an organization’s operation” said Chintu Parikh, CEO of Helium Networks. “Using Wireless Recon, systems integrators and network designers can drastically reduce the time required to site survey Wi-Fi networks, prevent coverage leaks to undesired areas, and optimize network capacity while significantly cutting WLAN deployment and maintenance costs.”

According to Jim Geier, principal of Wireless-Nets Ltd., a consulting firm assisting companies with the implementation of wireless mobile solutions and training, “an accurate RF site survey is critical because of the need for continuous RF coverage for most mobile solutions, including ever-increasing voice-over-Wi-Fi applications. Installers must determine optimum installation locations for access points in order to provide relatively good signal quality and cell overlap uniformly throughout the facility,” he said. “By automatically tracking precise position inside a building, Wireless Recon enables installers to accurately and efficiently perform RF site surveys.”

In a recent healthcare application, Preferred Primary Care Physicians (PPCP), one of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest physicians practice group, was experiencing extreme connectivity issues with its initial mission-critical wireless network deployment. Helium Networks’ using its Wireless Recon system quickly redesigned the WLAN to eliminate coverage holes, and channel conflicts.

“Prior to Helium’s involvement, the unreliability of our wireless network provided the most difficult hurdle in the implementation of our EMR, “said Dr. Louis Civitarese, D.O., Preferred Primary Care Physicians. “Wireless reliability is now excellent and that is a great relive to our doctors, staff – and our entire facility.” PPCP has now standardized on using the Wireless Recon for designing all of its future WLAN deployments.

In another customer application, Wireless Recon was used to redesign Von Roll America, Inc.’s wireless network infrastructure to support new technology solutions such as voice- over-wireless LAN and improve quality, productivity and efficiency throughout its operations. The new wireless network provides campus-wide coverage through VonRoll’s state-of-the-art, 12-acre commercial waste treatment facility in East Liverpool, Ohio.

According to Fred Sigg, vice president of Von Roll America, Helium’s site survey technology enabled the company to obtain optimal coverage from each access point in its wireless network. “Helium Networks, using its Wireless Recon system, enabled us to reduce the total number of access points in our network by nine,” he said. “Subsequently, we’ve achieved better coverage, with fewer access points to purchase and install, saving between $14,000-$15,000 in materials and labor alone.”

Helium is showcasing its Wireless Recon product suite at Networld + Interop Las Vegas 2005 – Booth #304. Networld + Interop is the most comprehensive IT infrastructure event addressing today’s challenges and opportunities by focusing the event around six key themes—Network Infrastructure and Services, Wireless, Security, Performance, VoIP and Collaboration, Data Management and Compliance.

About Helium Networks

Helium Networks is the developer of groundbreaking wireless LAN site survey, design and maintenance products. The company’s Wireless Recon site survey system drastically cuts the time required to implement and maintain the wireless networks and significantly improves network reliability and performance while minimizing WLAN’s security exposure. Helium’s solutions are based on a unique and patented technology platform. For more information, visit www.heliumnetworks.com or call 412.231.7770.

Media Contacts:
Pam Selker Rak
Phone: (412) 221-4550
pam.rak@mktgcommunications.com

Chintu Parikh
Phone: (412) 231-7770
chintu@heliumnetworks.com