First, your facility had a local area network. Then came an 802.11b radio frequency data-communication network. And now you have a real-time locator system on site.

Quick, where's the universal remote?

That's probably what the people at WhereNet (www.wherenet.com) were thinking when they came up with the WhereNet System, an integrated wireless local area network (LAN) that supports real-time location, messaging and telemetry in a single system.

"The more applications you have riding on one infrastructure, the better off you are," explains Dan Doles, Wherenet's president and CEO. "We are the first to reduce costs and complexity of enterprise location and communications systems through a single integrated wireless system that supports many applications for managing mobile resources," he adds.

The WhereNet System communicates by standard wired Ethernet cables or 802.11b-compliant wireless LANs. It supports a wide range of applications, from asset management to enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

According to Doles, NUMMI, the Toyota-General Motors joint venture vehicle-assembly plant in Fremont, Calif., has adopted the WhereNet System. That installation is expected to pay for itself in nine to 12 months.