EVRYTHNG Seeks to Simply IoT Device Management
EVRYTHNG, whose cloud-based management platform creates and maintains digital identities for physical objects, has launched THNGHUB, a service designed to enable any Linux device, including set-top-boxes and network access points, to function as an Internet of Things hub. Rather than a discrete piece of hardware dedicated to a specific protocol or application, THNGHUB uses software to offer product manufacturers a means of connecting IoT devices to the Web—as long as the hardware running THNGHUB supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee or whatever other radio a user’s IoT device uses.
The company says it is targeting home and enterprise application service providers such as utilities, telecommunications companies or insurers These businesses could use THNGHUB to deliver applications and services, and could choose to load the software on new devices or have customers install it onto existing devices via an upgrade.
According to EVRYTHNG, THNGHUB software uses open Web application programming interfaces (APIs) to simplify product control and monitoring, and supports any wireless communications protocol, including Apple‘s HomeKit and Google‘s Weave.
Gooee, a manufacturer of sensor-enabled lighting components, which said last year that it was licensing EVRYTHNG’s software, is an early customer of the THNGHUB software, according to Fortune.
KeyPOD Keeps Tabs on Equipment Use
OEM Data Delivery, a provider of fleet-management services for the construction industry, has launched an equipment-tracking and -management system called KeyPOD, designed to help fleet managers and equipment owners control access to off-highway machinery, improve compliance with safety inspections and ensure timely maintenance of the equipment. The keypad device, which is linked to OEM’s Equipchat fleet-management database over a cellular network, is mounted on a piece of equipment and controls its ignition.
An operator can access equipment by keying his or her passcode into KeyPOD, which then verifies the code via Equipchat. If the operator has permission to use the equipment, the KeyPOD unlocks it. If the person is not authorized, the KeyPOD device keeps the equipment locked down.
KeyPOD also tracks each piece of equipment’s location and hours of operation and forwards this information to the fleet manager, along with logs of all codes entered into the keypad, via e-mail.
Bosch Builds an IoT Cloud Service
At its annual ConnectedWorld IoT conference, technology company Bosch announced that it has launched the Bosch IoT Cloud, on which it runs applications for a range of sensor-connected systems and business use cases. The service will be hosted at a Bosch data center in Germany, and the company says it will initially use the IoT Cloud service for its internal operations, but will make it available to other companies beginning in 2017.
Bosch says the IoT Cloud service will mark its entrée into all elements of the IoT ecosystem: sensors (which it manufacturers), a software platform and, now, services. Bosch’s IoT Suite software platform manages connected devices and runs analytics on collected data in order to alert users to the need for industrial equipment maintenance, for example.
Predix Now Generally Available, Has New User Interface
Predix, a cloud-based platform that collects, processes and analyzes data related to industrial assets and processes, is General Electric‘s IoT operating system. The software runs on edge devices, such as networking equipment and gateways, used for industrial IoT applications. GE uses Predix internally and sells it to other companies. After beta-testing the Predix platform with a number of customers, including Pitney Bowes, GE last week made Predix generally available.
GE has also released the second generation of Predix UI, its set of user interface components that enable designers and developers to create Web applications in Predix. The updated UI is based on the W3C Web components standard. Developers can find more details here.
CALLUP Introduces IoT Engine for SIM Card Management
Israeli firm CALLUP, which provides value-added and device-management services to the telecommunications industry, has launched a SIM-card management system known as CALLUP IoT Engine. Using the service, companies can remotely manage SIM cards embedded in various devices, such as smart meters, home appliances, in-vehicle systems and personal devices (“things”)—from the SIM card’s point of activation, through various upgrades, and finally to its cancellation.
The IoT Engine can be integrated with third-party billing systems, enabling CALLUP to automatically activate a SIM once it has been approved by a client’s billing system. The service can update any file on the card’s file system that can be modified over the air. It can also collect SIM status reports and share them with the client in real time, or store and share them periodically. If a SIM cannot accept an update for various reasons—such as if the device is out of cellular range or is powered off—the system will automatically repeat the update process at a later time.