Nov 21, 2019Presented here are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
Teslonix;
Xerafy;
Allot;
Objenious, Kerlink;
Senet, MeterSYS;
Wyld Networks, Delta-T Devices;
the Zigbee Alliance;
Accruent, and Synchronoss Technologies.
Teslonix Intros Overhead RFID Reader System
Teslonix has announced that its distributed overhead RFID reader system is available for external customer and partner evaluations and deployments. The company reports that it has achieved nearly a 99% read rate for tag densities of up to 6,000 to 8,000 tags in large spaces (160 to 180 square meters) with four readers.
Several field trials have been completed involving a global systems integrator and global solution providers. The technology's main benefit for retailers, the company reports, is an accurate view and control of inventory in an automated way, which leads to increased sales. The system is completely wireless, providing benefits in terms of cost and ease of installation.
Teslonix's SmartKick is a device-connectivity platform designed to read and monitor large deployments of RFID tags with less infrastructure compared to comparable solutions. The system provides improved read rates, the company says, and an efficient communication channel to deliver strategic inventory data to the cloud. SmartKick is a fixed-infrastructure real-time inventory solution that utilizes a passive Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity system based on the firm's smartRFpower firmware.
Xerafy Releases Metal RFID Asset-Management Tag
Xerafy has announced its Slim Trak global-frequency RFID metal tag, suitable for asset management, with a slim profile and high read performance indoors and outdoors. Designed with source tagging in mind, the Slim Trak can be integrated into the recess of metal assets, the company reports, and can also be used on plastic or wood.
The tag provides visibility for a variety of lifecycles and workflows, including production logistics, warehouse automation, RTI management, IT asset management and IT inventory. Its read range on metal is up to 6.5 feet, and off metal is up to 4.9 feet. Its polarization is linear and its RF protocol is EPC Class 1 Gen 2. The tag operates at a frequency range of 866 to 928 MHz. It contains an Alien Technology Higgs-H3 IC, as well as 96 bits of Electronic Product Code (EPC) memory, a 64-bit unique transponder ID (TID) and 512 bits of user memory.
The operational temperature is -40 degrees to +85 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees to +185 degrees Fahrenheit) and its survival temperature is -40 degrees to +150 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees to +150 degrees Fahrenheit). The tag's IP rating is IP68, its compression strength 14.5 psi, and it can sustain a 3-foot impact on concrete or granite. The tag measures 2.22 inches by 0.234 inch by 0.0512 inch and weighs 0.035 ounce.
Allot Report Highlights IoT Concerns as Telecoms Prepare for 5G
Allot, a provider of network-intelligence and security solutions for service providers and enterprises, has released the findings of its latest "Telco Smart Trends Report." The research identifies the attitudes of communication service providers (CSPs) toward quality of experience (QoE) and the need for intelligent network congestion management solutions to ensure a good customer experience as the industry transitions to high-capacity 5G. The full report is available here.
The report contains results and analysis from a survey recently conducted among senior engineering managers from 106 CSPs worldwide. It explores the metrics and tools that CSPs use to measure QoE, along with how they augment it, what threatens QoE and where customers see its greatest value. It also shows how CSPs can reduce infrastructure-related costs while improving QoE.
CSPs rated network QoE as their top business objective (26%), followed by competitive pricing (25%), churn reduction (18%), capital expenditures (CAPEX) reduction (17%) and market share (14%). When asked to explain the importance of measuring QoE, 69% said it was to evaluate customer satisfaction, followed by customer retention (19%), regulatory requirements (9%) and resource planning (3%). Asked to rank the activities where poor QoE causes customer churn, the top reason cited was browsing, which 77% put among the top three reasons, followed by content upload (66%), video and voice (tied at 60%) and gaming (36%).
In addition, 48% of CSPs reported that DDoS accounts for 3 to 5% of their traffic, while an additional 11% said it accounts for 6 to 10% of traffic, which contributes to congestion. There is a high concern that growing IoT deployment will create more traffic; 66% of CSPs are very concerned that the IoT will generate outbound DDoS problems, while 51% fear that 5G will increase DDoS traffic. Survey respondents noted that they need to expand the capacity of 20% of cells annually, at an approximate cost of $30,000 per cell. However, according to Allot benchmarks, by optimizing congestion management, CSPs can gain back up to 20% of inefficiently utilized bandwidth
"CSPs are keenly aware of the need to become more customer-centric and are prioritizing quality of experience for end users," said Mark Shteiman, Allot's VP of product management, in a prepared statement. "However, growing network congestion, the launching of new services and the transition to 5G, coupled with the increasing number of unwanted DDoS traffic—itself fueled by IoT and 5G—requires advanced technology solutions that use machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect encrypted traffic, evaluate end-user QoE and manage congestion in real time. Once CSPs have these tools, they not only improve QoE, but can also save a lot of CAPEX."
Objenious LoRaWAN-Certified Products to Include Kerlink Low-Power IoT Reference Design
Kerlink, a provider of solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), and Objenious, a Bouygues Telecom IoT business unit, have announced that Kerlink's Low-Power IoT Reference Design has been certified on Objenious's LoRaWAN network.
The Low-Power IoT Reference Design is a package of hardware, software, tools and recommendations for prototyping and producing final products. It offers end-device designers, software developers, architects and operation engineers step-by-step directions for conceiving and producing IoT-connected devices built to provide high performance, low energy consumption, optimized radio performance, robustness and reliability in the field, based on the latest specifications and standards.
Objenious's certification is a technical validation of the proper functioning of sensors based on this reference design on its LoRaWAN networks. "Third-party validation of Kerlink's products and solutions is a pillar of our business model because it assures our customers and distribution partners of Kerlink offerings' reliability and robustness," said Guillaume Boisgontier, Kerlink's innovative products and solutions marketing manager, in a prepared statement. "Receiving the Objenious network certification is another step in our day-to-day mission to help LoRaWAN device makers focus on their own expertise with confidence in our products' radio performance and connectivity."
"With this step forward, we accelerate and send a strong and clear message to the LoRaWAN ecosystem and partners. We aim to facilitate and increase the ROI of our LoRaWAN partners by reducing notably time to market," said Bernardo Cabrera, the head of Objenious, in the prepared statement. "Kerlink's reference design certification and inclusion in Objenious's catalog offers LoRaWAN device makers, solution makers, and integrators a proven and complementary solution for simple, reliable, and cost-effective deployments. They can rely on Objenious expertise and offer by ordering this Kerlink product directly from our catalog. Our customers have thus the confidence and the assurance of acquiring a fully tested, validated, and certified solution."
The reference design is certified by the LoRa Alliance, a non-profit association of more than 500 member companies committed to enabling the large-scale deployment of low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) for the IoT through the development and promotion of the LoRaWAN open standard global certification. Kerlink and Objenious are founding members of the organization.
Senet, MeterSYS Partner on Smart-City Solutions for Public Utilities
Senet, a provider of cloud-based software and services platforms to enable global connectivity and the on-demand network build-out for the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced a partnership with MeterSYS, a provider of smart-city and metering solutions for public utilities. Collaboration between the two companies focuses on deploying LoRaWAN-enabled networks for advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and IoT devices across the United States through MeterSYS's SenthiSYS IoT service program.
Through this partnership, Senet and MeterSYS are providing utilities and local governments with IoT solutions for a range of municipal services, including water distribution, sewer collection, storm and flood water management, solid waste management, parking controls, fleet management, public safety, energy conservation and climate monitoring. Simplifying purchasing and deployment processes, public agencies can now acquire comprehensive LoRaWAN network planning and installation services, IoT device testing, and the customized and centralized SenthiSYS device data management system (DDMS) directly from MeterSYS.
"Providing end-to-end AMI and smart city IoT solutions through the Senet and MeterSYS partnership provides utilities and municipalities a single source to fully leverage infrastructure investments, boost efficiencies and accelerate sustainability efforts across a variety of public service operations," said Andy Honeycutt, the president and chief consulting officer at MeterSYS, in a prepared statement. "Senet's LoRaWAN network and flexible deployment options allow us to support the unique needs of our customers for automated meter reading and a broad range of smart city initiatives."
"We are excited to be partnering with MeterSYS to deliver innovation to public utilities and municipalities, helping to provide cost-savings, the ability to generate new service revenues and improved customer satisfaction," said Bruce Chatterley, Senet's CEO, in the prepared statement. "Forward-thinking cities have come to recognize that to realize the full value of IoT, they must deploy a secure and scalable network that supports multiple solutions and applications. Connecting municipalities with the robust networks deployed for water metering could mean a huge leap forward in the delivery of many connected city services."
Wyld Networks, Delta-T Devices Sign Framework Contract for Connected Soil Sensors
Wyld Networks has signed a framework contract with Delta-T Devices, a provider of sensors for the agricultural technology (agritech) sector, to develop and supply Wyld low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) wireless connectivity for Delta-T's soil-moisture sensors. The value of the initial order is £105,000, the companies report.
The co-developed solution will enable commercial growers and researchers to access and share critical sensor data. The wireless-enabled devices will connect to the DeltaLink-Cloud data-sharing platform to offer a tool to help improve crop yield and quality, while reducing environmental damage and costs.
"We are very pleased to be working in partnership to bring together Wyld Networks' IoT wireless technology and Delta-T's advanced soil moisture sensor solutions," said Alastair Williamson, Wyld Networks' CEO, in a prepared statement. "Agritech is a major growth market in the IoT sector, with analyst AMR forecasting the market to grow to $48 billion by 2025."
"We are committed to adding wireless connectivity to our well-established sensor range," added John Newstead of Delta-T Devices, in the prepared statement, "and Wyld Networks' impressive expertise in this area makes it the ideal partner to help achieve our aims."
Zigbee Alliance Augments Green Power Program for IoT Devices
The Zigbee Alliance, an organization comprising hundreds of companies that create, maintain and deliver open, global standards for the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced new branding and certification measures centered around its Green Power feature, which is based on energy-harvesting technology and is part of the Zigbee PRO standard. The new brand treatment, designed to identify reliable, cost-saving products utilizing Zigbee technology, denotes IoT devices featuring Green Power to save time, budget and energy when it comes to wireless lighting for big installations.
The new logo is a required mark for all Green Power-certified devices. The updated certification process provides refined guidelines around the use of the logo and builds on the family of Zigbee Alliance brands and logo portfolio. "Green Power is a great feature of the Zigbee standard. This new logo allows our customers to easily identify and purchase Green Power devices for integrating them seamlessly with their Zigbee system," said Jean-Pierre Desbenoit, a senior IoT standardization expert at Schneider Electric and the Zigbee Alliance's vice-chairman of the board, in a prepared statement. "Interoperability is the cornerstone of our smart devices and this new logo reinforces that."
The new logo will aid end users in both the smart-home and commercial realms. Green Power is a battery-less feature for smart networks across a variety of facilities, including hotels, factories, retail spaces and office buildings. It offers building executives, commercial installers and systems integrators an open industry solution based on the Zigbee PRO network specification.
"We utilize Green Power in our switches and sensors to ensure that the products we put on the market are adaptable and long-lasting in smart commercial and residential spaces," said Bruno Vulcano, Legrand's R&D manager and the vice-chairman of the Zigbee Alliance's Board of Directors, in the prepared statement. "This new logo will allow our end customers to easily differentiate which products they want to use and continue to allow for widespread interoperability in smart spaces."
Green Power enables wireless devices to be powered utilizing energy-harvesting methods with limited or no batteries, thus saving on maintenance costs by reducing the need to replace batteries across large areas on a regular basis. Additionally, this feature in lighting products allows for continued flexibility and cost savings in commercial spaces by enabling internal space to be altered without the limits of wired solutions. For devices in hard-to-reach places, Green Power eliminates the effort of swapping out batteries. In addition, the Green Power feature leverages energy-harvesting to draw on sources such as motion, light and vibration to operate low-power IoT devices.
"Our Green Power initiative is a collaboration led by Zigbee Alliance members based around the world, and together they're driving this important feature through the organization, across various product lines, and into massive wireless deployments for the good of the earth and the convenience of those using Zigbee technologies," said Tobin Richardson, the president and CEO of the Zigbee Alliance, in the prepared statement. "We're excited to launch this new Green Power initiative so members can utilize a dedicated logo and more robust certification process to clearly designate and qualify devices that support this differentiating eco-friendly, battery-less feature."
Accruent, Synchronoss Technologies Announce IoT Partnership for Dynamic Environments
Accruent, a provider of solutions for the built environment, and Synchronoss Technologies, a provider of cloud, messaging, digital and Internet of Things (IoT) products, have announced a partnership that will combine the Synchronoss Insights Platform with Accruent's vx Observe IoT asset-monitoring software. The collaboration is intended to provide insights and efficiencies to enterprises across facilities, the companies report, and to expand the effectiveness of enterprise IoT solutions.
In Microsoft's "2019 IoT Signals" survey, 88% of companies surveyed indicated that the IoT will be critical to their success, while 56% of respondents indicated they were adopting IoT technology to optimize operations—the most common reason given. For many organizations, the complexity and uniqueness of their facilities portfolio make operational enhancement very challenging. Peak asset and facility performance not only require analysis of many sources of telemetry data, but also require the ability to control connected assets through multiple interconnected channels and to interact with those assets and facilities within existing workflows.
One example of a complex challenge faced by global facilities managers is the management of energy consumption and spending, especially in countries where the cost of energy varies greatly based on the timing of consumption. Managing energy use to minimize costs requires the constant analysis of asset performance, as well as the ability to control assets in a way that allows multiple controls and set points to be acted upon simultaneously. To meet the challenges of such dynamic environments, Synchronoss and Accruent have combined their IoT software products. The partnership brings together both companies' analytical capabilities, asset-control expertise and workflow integration to inject automated business intelligence into operations.
"The huge amount of data produced today by IoT devices is virtually useless unless analytics and machine learning are applied to make sense of it all," said Mary Clark, Synchronoss's chief product officer and CMO, in a prepared statement. "Combining Synchronoss's ability to manage large-scale analytics capabilities with Accruent's deep knowledge of physical resource management will allow enterprises across the globe to realize the potential of a truly 'smart' building and leverage their IoT-enabled assets."
"Accruent and Synchronoss bring together expertise in facilities and asset management, high-volume analytics, workflow integration and credibility in the communications industry to help organizations solve business problems that had only partial solutions in the past," said Andy Ruse, Accruent's chief revenue officer, in the prepared statement. "Together we can deliver solutions to help our customers overcome their operational challenges and optimize their built environment, allowing them to extract maximum value from their assets and focus on their serving customers and delivering value to shareholders."
