VIP Attendees Rescue 'Kidnapped' Umpire Using Newly Announced PacketHop(TM) Communication System and Aware(TM) for Public Safety Application Suite

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2005--During a recent search and rescue simulation at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, PacketHop(TM) Inc. demonstrated to VIP guests from the APCO International 71st Annual Conference & Exposition how first responders can use breakthrough technology to create autonomous mobile mesh networks and utilize server-less broadband applications. The company's solution enables the real-time exchange of data, video and multimedia information on a mobile mesh network powered by the PacketHop Communication System.

Initially targeted at the Homeland Security market, the PacketHop Communication System is a software-based mobile mesh networking solution that easily loads onto any standards-based 802.11 mobile device. It provides first responders with secure, wireless broadband communications with or without infrastructure. As part of the PacketHop Communication System, the Aware(TM) for Public Safety multimedia application suite delivers mission-critical information to first responders via multicast video, resource location tracking, whiteboarding and multimedia instant messaging.

After learning that an umpire had been "kidnapped by an upset spectator," attendees split into five teams and instantly created an autonomous mobile mesh network using the PacketHop Communications System running on 802.11-enabled ruggedized tablet PCs from Itronix and other leading device manufacturers. The autonomous mobile mesh network spanned a wide area from one end of the ballpark to the other -- the equivalent of several city blocks. The Aware for Public Safety multimedia application suite enabled the teams to communicate and share information during the simulation in numerous ways:

-- Multicast Video enabled users to simultaneously stream multiple videos to each other in real-time. One of the teams captured video of the suspect retreating into a concession stand and instantaneously distributed the video to all the teams on the mesh network, making it possible for the entire force to converge on the area and apprehend the suspect.

-- Resource Location Tracking enabled users to monitor the location of other users on a Coors Field map at all times. Using GPS resource tracking, teams established a perimeter around the area where the umpire was last seen; when all teams converged on the suspect's location, it was illustrated on a map of the baseball park.

-- Whiteboarding enabled users to capture a video frame, map or photo and instantly share it with other teams. Using whiteboarding, one team captured a still frame from the video and drew a circle around the suspect, identifying exactly what he looked like. Additionally, the incident commander whiteboarded tactical instructions on the Coors Field map to direct teams to the suspect's location.

-- Multimedia Instant Messaging enabled users to communicate via media-rich instant messages and share files in a variety of formats, including digital photographs, video frames and diagrams. One team located a ransom note in the visitor's dugout, which provided vital clues to the suspect's whereabouts and distributed its image to the entire network.

"PacketHop's simulation at Coors Field was a great way to showcase their new product," said Doug Kiner, Principal Systems Specialist with the Mountain View, Calif. Police Department. "I really enjoyed participating in the hands-on demonstration of the PacketHop Communication System. Everybody agreed that it was much more effective and enjoyable than the ordinary, formal demos that other companies typically conduct."

After successfully rescuing the umpire and apprehending the suspect, attendees received a tour of the ballpark and had a chance to individually test the PacketHop Communications System and the Aware for Public Safety multimedia application suite. Attendees were then treated to dinner and drinks behind the home plate area. Finally, attendees "swung for the fences" and "threw a heater" using Colorado Rockies batting and pitching cages.

"This simulation at Coors Field provided us with a fun and exciting opportunity to celebrate the launch of our first product," said Michael Howse, president and chief executive officer of PacketHop. "It also demonstrated the high reliability, rich features and overall value of autonomous mobile mesh networking technology and how it will enable police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical services and other first responders to more efficiently communicate, share information and go about their jobs in a safer manner."

The PacketHop Communication System and Aware for Public Safety multimedia application suite will be commercially available later this month. For more information, please visit: www.packethop.com.

About PacketHop

PacketHop, Inc. develops mobile mesh networking software and multimedia applications which enable instant wireless group communication for commercial enterprises, government organizations and consumer markets. PacketHop Communication System software enables 802.11 standards-based devices to create extended Wi-Fi hot-zones on the fly -- known as autonomous mobile mesh networks -- which can securely operate with or without wireless access points. By making infrastructure completely optional, PacketHop delivers coverage whenever and wherever instant wireless broadband communication is needed -- with greater resiliency, reliability and robustness than any other comparable technology. Along with the company's device agnostic mobile mesh networking solution that facilitates rapid and cost-effective deployments, PacketHop offers the Aware(TM) for Public Safety multimedia application with capabilities such as real-time multicast video, resource tracking, instant messaging and whiteboarding. Founded in 2003 and based in Silicon Valley, Calif., PacketHop is funded by venture firms U.S. Venture Partners, Mayfield, ComVentures and GF Equity Partners, as well as SRI International. For more information on PacketHop, please visit www.packethop.com.

PacketHop Aware, PacketHop Communication System and PacketHop TrueMesh are trademarks of PacketHop, Inc. The names of other companies and their products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.