ProSentry Offers Smart Building Solutions with Senet; Tata Power RFID enabled EV charging card; Philippine Lotto to deploy RFID powered balls; WiGL IoT Product Development Supported by Energous’ Wireless Power; Soracom Partners to Expand iSIM Commercial IoT Growth.
ProSentry and Senet Offer Smart Building Solutions
ProSentry, maker of wireless monitoring solutions for residential and commercial properties, is partnering with Semet to offer its platform as a Service (PaaS) for private LoRaWAN network deployments and smart building sensor management.
ProSentry is deploying LoRaWAN gateways leveraging Senet’s cloud-based managed network services as well as Radio Access Network (RAN) tools to provision, monitor, and manage gateways. This, the companies say, ensures the delivery of carrier-grade service that’s needed for building monitoring applications.
ProSentry’s all-in-one platform is used for water and gas leak detection and mechanical and environmental monitoring with standards-based LoRaWAN sensors. Real-time operational insights and instant alerts are accessible with a mobile device via live operator call, text, email, and in-app notifications, The solution can also track natural gas leaks, boiler temperature, trash container levels, open status of doors and windows, and soon, smoking or vaping. ProSentry says it aims to reduce insurance premiums and repair costs, and provide proactive risk mitigation, time savings, and improved tenant satisfaction.
Tata Power Releases RFID-Enabled EV Charging Card
Charging solutions provider Tata Power Is offering an electric vehicle EZ Charge card and app that leverages NFC RFID technology. This card enables automated charging access to electric vehicles. In India, the card offers tap, charge, and go functionality for electric vehicles. Users would acquire the EV Charge RFID card and then make payments leveraging the link between the card ID and the user’s pre-paid account information.
Each card comes with a built-in RFID tag that transmits its ID to EZ Chargers to trigger charging of their vehicle. Users would then be billed accordingly. Other features include notifications via an app or text message. Users can be alerted, for example, on their mobile phone when a charging session is complete. If they want to deactivate their card, they can do so in the Tata EV Charge App. If prepaid funds become too low, users will receive an alert to transfer more funds into the account.
Philippine Lotto to Deploy RFID Powered Balls
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes PCSO has adopted RFID technology to better manage balls used in its Lotto drawings. The Philippine Lotto system will now employ RFID technology from Smartplay International Inc. and Jonico Technologies System to identify winning balls. Earlier this year, PCSO acquired advanced draw machines that randomly select foam balls that are marked with numbers used to identify Lotto winners. Previously, the system used ping pong balls, while the new system’s foam balls are each loaded with an RFID chip. The chip is encoded with the unique ID linked to the number assigned to that ball.
PCSO indicates that RFID makes the drawings more accurate and ensures the integrity of each draw. Prior to use, the balls were subjected to at least 3,000 testing procedures. Production consists of quality control and inspections as part of the ball drawing validation system.
WiGL IoT Product Development Supported by Energous’ Wireless Power
WiGL has entered the second phase of a multi-year contract with the US Department of Defense to use Energous’ PowerBridge devices for wireless power transfer (tWPT) over distance. WiGL is a developer of touchless wireless charging for IoT devices for wireless power networks, and it leverages an RF-based intelligent wireless power solution from Energous.
The WiGL project, funded last year by the Air Force Research Lab, consists of tWPT products for military and commercial use. The first phase of the project involved a proof-of-concept (POC) demonstration by Energous and WiGL of a tWPT network using PowerBridges to send power over-the-air to recharge power banks and IoT lighting devices. In the second phase of the project, Energous’ PowerBridges will continue to provide radio frequency-based (RF) wireless power over distance for WiGL’s tWPT networks.
The companies contend that enabling IoT devices to receive wireless power helps eliminate their dependence on charging cables, open ports, or battery doors. WiGL intends to finalize its first product line expanding into new products and launch a consumer tWPT LED lighting system this year.
Soracom Partners to Expand iSIM Commercial IoT Growth
Soracom, Inc., an advanced Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity company, announced an expanded partnership to support commercial deployment of next-generation iSIM (Integrated Subscriber Identity Module) for Soracom customers. Soracom completed a joint iSIM POC in collaboration with Sony Semiconductor Israel in 2021.
Sony, a cellular IoT chipset provider, and Kigen – a secure authentication company for cellular IoT devices – are collaborating with Soracom to include modules from Murata and Quectel in its solutions. ISIM technology offers advantages over existing SIM and eSIM technology, Soracom reports reduced physical size, simplified circuitry, minimal board footprint, improved processing capacity, greater energy savings, higher security, lower cost, and simplified commercial distribution.
The iSIM standard integrates communication modules, as well as SIM and eSIM functions into a single System-on-Chip (SoC) device and offers a hardware-secured area within the chip for optimal data integrity.