F M K

AutoRF

AutoRF is the only tool you need for rapid wireless application development.

AutoRF is also an ActiveX control, compatible with any ActiveX container. It provides methods to control the terminal's display and request input from the terminal user, and events which fire when the user has completed an input field.

Licensing

The maximum number of simultaneous connections is controlled by a "dongle" attached to the PC's parallel port. Dongles are available programmed with a range of values.

Without a dongle present AutoRF works in a fully functional development mode. It will accept only a single, time-limited remote connection, but it will accept any number of connections from the same PC on which it is installed! So you can develop and test your application before buying any run-time licences, just by using a Windows telnet client (e.g. the telnet utility installed with Windows itself).

The AutoRF software kit is provided FREE OF CHARGE when downloaded from this site <details.htm>. Or you can order it with a hard-copy manual and CD-ROM for a small charge. For run-time licence pricing please click here <pricing.htm>.

Typical AutoRF application development cycle

To illustrate how simple RF aplication development becomes using AutoRF, here are the three steps you need:

1. Obtain the AutoRF software kit, either by FREE download, or by ordering the hard-copy manual and CD-ROM for a small charge.
2. Install AutoRF on your development PC and develop your application using the environment of your choice (Visual Basic, Delphi, etc.). You will be able to fully test your application without RF hardware or a licence dongle by running a Windows telnet client program on the development PC. The telnet utility included with Windows itself is suitable.
3. When you want to deploy your application with real remote terminals buy the necessary number of run-time licences. You will be sent a suitably programmed dongle. Install the AutoRF software on your designated server, along with your application and the run-time dongle.

That's it! When you add more terminals to your system you can buy additional licences - you will be given special codes to update your existing dongle.

Where now?

To get started with AutoRF or for licence pricing go to the download page. For more information, including how to order AutoRF products, please contact FMK.

At its most fundamental, AutoRF accepts telnet connections from VT100-compatible devices on a TCP/IP network. Those devices could be wireless terminals running a VT emulation, a PC on the network running a telnet client, or even the same PC on which AutoRF is installed. Because AutoRF is fully multi-threaded internally it can accept multiple simultaneous connections.

AutoRF

Traditionally wireless RF equipment has only been easily integrated into existing AS/400 or Unix systems, where the terminals run an emulation program (typically 5250, 3270 or VT) and appear to the host like any other (wired) terminal. The problem with Windows environments has been the need to write complex and difficult low-level code to control the terminals - the application developer would have to understand at least TCP/IP sockets, the telnet protocol, multi-threaded programming, and a terminal emulation command set.

Now AutoRF does all the hard work for you! Because AutoRF is a full ActiveX control, you can use any modern development system, such as Visual Basic or Delphi, and concentrate solely on the functionality of the application.

How does it work?