Device Solutions Inc. Launches Cellio LoRa System for End-to-End Automation
Device Solutions Inc. is introducing Cellio LoRa, a long-range, low-power wireless network system for end-to-end automation and instrumentation in factories, farms, warehouses, transportation, agriculture and other sectors.
Cellio can be used to wirelessly connect sensors and controllers that may already be in place. The collected data can then be quickly and easily accessed for dashboard views and back-end data systems.
The Cellio LoRa system features a family of wireless devices consisting of three configurable product options: transceivers, gateways and all-in-one devices. Each transceiver has up to 16 general-purpose input-output ports for connecting to sensors or controls. The transceivers use a 900 MHz LoRa radio to communicate with gateways. A gateway can employ CDMA or GSM cellular technology or a Wi-Fi Internet connection, and is able to serve a more than 3-square-mile area containing hundreds of transceivers.
Cellio all-in-one devices combine the functions and features of a gateway and a transceiver. Cellio LoRa cellular gateways also offer GPS capabilities for tracking the locations of stationary and mobile assets, such as vehicles, equipment or generators. Cellio enclosures are designed for environmentally demanding applications—for example, industrial, agricultural, farming, transportation and mining.
Depending on the installation configuration, the price can be based on an all-inclusive monthly service, an all-upfront hardware cost, or a combination of the upfront and monthly fees. Typically, each piece of Cellio hardware costs in the low $100s, while the monthly amounts can be less than $10 for each device monitored or controlled.
ARM Offers New Suite of IOT Products; u-blox, Zebra Announce Adoption
ARM released its mbed suite of Internet of Things products at ARM TechCon 2015, held this week in Santa Clara, Calif. The platform includes mbed Device Connector, a free service that businesses can use to connect and securely manage IoT devices. The platform also includes the enhanced mbed OS (Technology Preview version) and new mbed reference designs. ARM reports that the products will shorten hardware design time for solution innovators.
Mbed Device Connector allows developers to connect devices within prototype deployments, build secure Web applications and integrate them with cloud solutions. The connector is free for developers to use on up to 100 devices, handling up to 10,000 events per hour.
The mbed wearable reference design features a wrist-based connected device capable of delivering an interactive user experience, with a battery life of around eight weeks.
The mbed smart-city reference design—aimed at infrastructure monitoring and smart industrial applications—employs the sub-GHz 6LoWPAN and CoAP mesh-network protocols for large numbers of devices. This supports quick deployment, configuration and management of routers and end devices that are compatible with a variety of backhaul technologies in industrial applications.
In addition, u-blox, a global provider of wireless and positioning modules and chips, this week announced that it has selected the ARM mbed platform for its own customers creating host-less IOT wireless applications. By adopting the open ARM mbed environment and u-blox’s ODIN-W2 module, u-blox reports, designers can develop and deploy wireless IoT applications quickly and easily.
The availability of the ARM mbed development environment, tools and libraries allows developers access to the wireless module’s ARM Cortex-M4-based microcontroller. According to u-blox, this means that a broad range of sensor- and actuator-based IoT designs can be implemented on a single compact, certified wireless module.
U-blox is providing IoT developers with access to the ARM processor powering its ODIN-W2 multi-radio module.
The module is compact and capable of multiple concurrent dual-band Wi-Fi and dual-mode Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity. It features the core Bluetooth and Wi-Fi stacks, and the Wi-Fi function can operate in either infrastructure (STA) or access-point (AP) modes.
Solutions and services company Zebra Technologies announced this week the integration of its Zatar IoT Cloud Service with ARM’s mbed technology.
Ericsson and Cisco Partner to Build IOT Solutions
Ericsson and Cisco announced a business and technology partnership this week to provide an end-to-end product and service portfolio to network service providers. The companies say they intend to offer a highly secure technology architecture for indoor and outdoor networks, and to thereby accelerate the platforms and services needed for the Internet of Things. The two companies will be offering technology and services across various network architectures, including 5G, cloud and IP.
Virtual Software Systems Offers Cybersecurity for IOT Devices
Virtual Software Systems (VS2) has created a cybersecurity software architecture intended to prevent data theft or destruction on existing computers. To accomplish this goal, VS2’s team of computer designers has created the first Software Defined Secure Computer (SDSC) system. The solution is known as xRA (pronounced x-ray), for eXploit Resilient Architecture. The software “fuses” with existing computers to create a secure SDSC system using today’s insecure components.
XRA is designed to prevent data theft or corruption. The software runs on most computer platforms, ranging from large-scale cloud and data-center servers to microchips for the Internet of Things. It can be embedded in dedicated devices and is Microsoft Windows- and Linux-compatible.
VS2 plans to release three versions of xRA in full production during the first or second quarter of 2016, each optimized for developers in a specific market: xRA-Enterprise, for enterprise or cloud-based applications; xRA-ES, for embedded systems; and xRA-IoT, for Internet of Things systems.
Examples of companies that could incorporate xRA technology in the IoT space, says Tom Wetmore, VS2’s VP and co-founder, include manufacturers of medical devices (such as heart monitors), automotive manufacturers and their suppliers (such as vehicle control system providers), manufacturers of programmable logic controllers (such as power grid controllers), providers of communications equipment (such as switches and routers), computer manufacturers, chip and component manufacturers, and consultants and systems integrators who work with all of the above to help them create solutions.
Ingenu Rolling Out Its Machine Network in 30 Metro Areas
IoT company Ingenu has announced an initial rollout of its Machine Network, which is expected to cover 30 major metropolitan areas across the United States by the end of 2016. At that point, the firm reports, the Machine Network will be the nation’s largest exclusive IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) network, serving more than 100 million users across the United States, and covering an area of nearly 100,000 square miles The first phase will consist of 12 access points installed in Phoenix, Ariz., and 19 in Dallas, Texas, and is slated to be taken live in the first quarter of next year.
Formerly known as On-Ramp, the San Diego company rebranded itself as Ingenu two months ago.
The Machine Network uses the company’s Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) communications technology, which operates on more than 38 private networks worldwide.
The rollout of the Machine Network will begin in the Phoenix metro area, which represents approximately 3.1 million consumers of M2M technology and covers more than 1,800 square miles. The Dallas/Fort Worth area deployment will encompass approximately 4.5 million M2M consumers and cover more than 2,000 square miles.
The Machine Network provides an alternative to 2G cellular networks, which will be refarmed during the coming months to make way for higher-bandwidth cellular technologies—which, the company says, are not ideally designed for M2M-IoT connectivity.
Smart Toys Study Predicts Five Years of Growth
Juniper Research has published a research report that finds the smart toy and app business will yield $2.8 billion in revenue for 2015.
Juniper’s new report, titled “Smart Toys: Hardware, Apps & Technologies 2015-2020,” features a five-year forecast for the smart toy market and describes the trends, hurdles and drivers that impact the development of such toys. It includes vendor case studies highlighting company strategies and success models, as well as a business model analysis, with insights into how hardware and software can drive revenue.
Juniper Research is also offering a free white paper based on its full report. That document, titled “Smart Toys: Do Toys Dream of Digital Lives?,” examines the key trends driving the smart toy market, outlines the service segments and provides a top-level forecast.
Proximus Deploying LoRa Network in Belgium and Luxembourg
Belgian telephone company Proximus is deploying its open LoRaWAN standard-based network in Belgium and Luxembourg. The system consists of LoRa-based sensors and base stations, as well as applications to manage the sensors, process data and manage connectivity. The Semtech IoT network equipment is provided by LoRa Alliance member Actility. Semtech expects the network to be rolled out nationwide in both countries early next year.
Proximus deployed and tested the LoRaWAN technology throughout 10 major urban areas in Belgium, as well as in Luxembourg City, where it was used to track freight carts at Brussels’ Zaventem Airport. The initial deployment will be used for remote asset tracking and facility management, as well as in a variety of smart-building and smart-city applications, including a smart-parking solution that will help guide car drivers to the nearest empty parking space.