Take your ATM anywhere with a wireless adapter from ATM Network.
Modern ATMs require only three basic things from their owners: Someone to refill them with cash and receipt paper, a power supply, and either a phone line or a Internet cable so they can contact the transaction processing network.
That’s not very demanding. But the last two requirements mean most machines are tethered to the spot, unable to go very far from a wall outlet.
Efforts to go off the power grid are still in the prototype stage. But wireless ATMs — machines that use either WiFi or cellular phone networks to process transactions — are a different matter. They’re available today, and at suprisingly reasonable prices.
Going wireless has three components: the wireless router, the installation, and the monthly service fee (using a cellular network is like sticking a cellphone inside your ATM. Just like with a cellphone or a phone line, there’s a monthly charge for service).
Wireless routers aren’t cheap. The industry standard, a JBM C201, costs between $400 and $500. Look for special deals, like a discounted router when you sign a wireless-service agreement.
Installation charges can vary widely. It’s usually worth it to have the router professionally installed, but be sure to check prices. It’s also usually cheaper to have the router installed at the time you purchase the ATM; adding it later will be more expensive.
A JBM C201 wireless router.
ATM Network, for instance, can retrofit just about any ATM to be wireless. Installation is just $99, we have one of the lowest cellular subscription fees in the business, and the router is *free* with a two-year service agreement. The only place you might find it cheaper (and if it is cheaper, it isn’t by much) is at companies where “service after the sale” is a dirty word.
There are some obvious advantages to going wireless: No need to install a second phone line or wire a new Internet connection, for instance. The ability to move the ATM among multiple stores or try out different locations within a store. The ability to take the ATM to temporary locations like festivals, fairs, conventions, trade shows, farmer’s markets and so on.
But a recent study found a whole bunch of other reasons. For instance:
It’s the future. In large parts of the world (and remote parts of the United States), traditional land-line communication infrastructure simply doesn’t exist. And with cell phones filling the void, it’s unlikely such infrastructure will ever be installed. In those areas, an ATM has to be wireless in order to function.
“In Africa, it’s all cellular technology,” Gamon said. “It’s a big continent, and they’re just rolling out mobile services at a huge rate with a huge uptake. But cabled services are very minimal. Much the same is true in China and India. It’s the only cost-effective way to provide communications services.”
Easier and quicker to install. No need to have electricians or technicians run outlets to the machine’s location. No waiting for the telephone company to activate a phone line. Just wheel the machine in and turn it on.
“We have several wireless units at department store chains that do not want a phone line run through their store,” said Chuck Hayes, a product manager for Long Beach, Miss.-based Triton Systems. “We see them at sports stadiums where there are difficulties in getting phone lines run to certain locations.”
Easier maintenance. For companies with multiple ATMs, having all their machines on a single cellular network makes it easier to monitor them for problems. And because the connection is always on, they’ll know instantly when something goes wrong. With a traditional dial-up machine, it takes a lot longer to notice problems because a machine might go several days without dialing in even if it’s working perfectly.
“Uptime is important, and when you have a monitored solution, you quickly know that the ATM isn’t online or isn’t communicating,” Gamon said. “You can’t get that with a dial-up connection.”
More secure. ATM thefts are rare, but they happen. With a traditional landline, once the machine is unplugged it goes off the network. But a cellular machine remains connected, making it easier to trace.
With the cost of wireless service now comparable to that of a phone line or Internet connection, perhaps the real question to ask is, “why NOT make it wireless?” The advantages in flexibility and ease of installation more than make up for the modest installation cost.
