Dimension Data is evaluating two RFID solutions from US manufacturers, which it hopes to market into fields as diverse as medicine and equipment hire.

The integrator has been looking at solutions offered by Pango and AeroScout.

DiData national business manager for connectivity, Roland Chia, said the company was currently working with some of its clients in the healthcare industry.

One example could see an RFID chip placed on a patient with dementia. If the patient wandered off, an alert could be sent out to nursing staff or security guards.

He said RFID technology was now so advanced that, should a patient get out, staff could track which door they went through because each one in the hospital would have receivers that report back into a central database.

Another application in the medical field would see expensive hospital equipment tagged to prevent it from going walkabout.

Alternatively, the chips could be used by owners of equipment hire outlets, allowing businesses to keep better track of inventory.

To get companies connected is a fairly straightforward process. They need a wireless access point, a location appliance to track devices via signal strength and some customisation of the front end to be able to manage the project. Chia said DiData was already building demonstrations for such applications.