Advantech launches palm size embedded system EPC-U2117

Advantech, an embedded computing provider announced its latest fanless embedded system EPC-U2117. The palm-sized system uses the latest Intel Atom E3900 processor technology to give a 30% CPU performance enhancement and a 45% graphic performance boost.

EPC-U2117 is designed with dual display output, multiple I/O, and wide range 12-24V DC power inputs, which target smart vending machines, digital signage, smart kiosk, and more. EPC-U2117 is compatible with Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, and Linux OS. Furthermore, EPC-U2117 has Advantech´s WISE-PaaS DeviceOn intelligent software integrated for remote system monitoring and management.

Fanless and palm-size design with optimised thermal solution

EPC-U2117 is a palm-sized metal chassis which measures only 170 x 117 x 52.6mm for mounting as a desktop PC, or via wall, or DIN-Rail mount. The top extruded aluminum passive heatsink thermal solution is designed for -20 ~60 °C wide temperature operation.

It integrates two expansion slots including one M.2 for Wi-Fi or GPU module, and one full size Mini PCIe for 3G/LTE connection or mSATA storage. EPC-U2117 reserves 4 antenna apertures to support wireless connection. With its optimised thermal design and two independent add-on modules for maximum performance, EPC-U2117 offers the best solution for outdoor or harsh environment applications and space limited applications such as outdoor vending machines, passenger information systems, digital signage, smart kiosk and more.

Wide range power source and dedicated I/O design for kiosk and automation

EPC-U2117 is an ideal choice for applications needing wide range power as it offers 12V to 24V DC input. Customers can directly use our system from different power supplies without extra adapters. EPC-U2117 comes with multiple connectivity and expansion options including one RS-232 and one ccTalk. Furthermore, Intel’s latest processor with better performance makes it fit for smart vending machines or smart kiosks and digital signage. The COM port can also be customised to MDB and RS-422/485 for device control and payment device. It offers four USB 3.0 ports, one audio jack, dual gigabit LAN ports and CANBus for general system control.

WISE-PaaS DeviceOn and dual storage for best system reliability and security

EPC-U2117 supports multiple storage, which includes onboard eMMC up to 128GB, mSATA, and 2.5» SSD/HDD for flexible storage options. Customers can install OS and key data in eMMC for best security protection and reliability. If customer request big storage capacity and high data transfer, they can use mSATA or SATA SSD for better storage performance.

EPC-U2117 comes with Advantech´s WISE-PaaS DeviceOn software, which offers remote management, system monitoring for better device performance, security, and reliability, and predictive maintenance. WISE-PaaS also supports BIOS/FW OTA to upgrade the system and devices with latest firmware to keep everything running at peak performance.

EPC-U2117 fanless & wide-temp support

  • Intel Atom E3900, series processor; low power, high performance.
  • Supports two gigabit Ethernet and one M.2 & one Full Size miniPCIE module for Wi-Fi, 3G/LTE, mSATA modules.
  • Multiple I/O with 4 x USB 3.0 ports, RS-232 (optional for MDB) and ccTalk(optional for RS422/RS485) ports for data communication.
  • Wide range power input support—12~24V DC input for Industry and transportation.
  • Palm-size, with extended temperature support under -20 ~ 60 °C.
  • Supports Win10 Enterprise 64-bit, Linux OS.
  • Advantech WISE-PaaS/DeviceON SW built-in.
  • Certificated with AWS Greengrass & Microsoft Azure IoT Edge.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter @IoTGN

The post Advantech launches palm size embedded system EPC-U2117 appeared first on IoT global network.

Sierra Wireless launches AirLink Managed Network Service with FirstNet connectivity

Sierra Wireless announced the launch of its AirLink Managed Network Service with embedded FirstNet connectivity. This bundled solution will help public safety agencies of all sizes take advantage of the benefits and capabilities enabled by FirstNet-connected solutions.

The AirLink Managed Network Service expands the breadth of Sierra Wireless’ solutions that are compatible with FirstNet, providing a complete, managed solution with FirstNet connectivity, proactive device management, 24/7/365 technical support and a purpose-built FirstNet Ready mobile router in a single package.

This eliminates the complexity of maintaining a fleet of mobile devices and enables agencies to resolve device availability and issues up to 50% faster. The service also delivers increased security in an end-to-end solution with Sierra Wireless’ secure private network architecture and by ensuring devices always have the latest security updates installed.

Sold as a subscription service, the AirLink Managed Network Service provides an easy and affordable way for public safety agencies on tight budgets to transform their operations with leading technologies, rolling FirstNet connectivity for critical communications, situational awareness capabilities and the ability to maintain their fleet of devices at peak performance into one low monthly fee.

Bob Sloan, chief operating officer, FirstNet Program at AT&T, said, “By embedding FirstNet connectivity into the AirLink Managed Network Service, public safety agencies can enjoy an end-to-end solution straight out of the box – accelerating their access to reliable, unthrottled connectivity and the advanced capabilities they need to help save lives. This collaboration with Sierra Wireless not only gives public safety agencies more ways to gain access to the FirstNet communications platform, but it’s also a cost-effective way to equip agencies with the critical tools they need and trust to help them accomplish their mission.”

Tom Mueller, vice president, Enterprise Solutions, Sierra Wireless, said, “Public safety organisations in the U.S. need solutions that can be deployed out-of-the-box to securely connect lifesaving technologies to FirstNet. Sierra Wireless’ AirLink Managed Network Service provides the expertise many agencies need – a tightly integrated and managed solution that’s pre-provisioned for FirstNet and 24/7 services that ensure network uptime and availability to guarantee that devices in the field stay connected when they’re needed most.”

The AirLink Managed Network Service provides all the features that have made AirLink the number one choice for public safety agencies, including reliable and rugged AirLink routers, 24/7/365 technical support and more than 20 years of IoT security experience. With built-in FirstNet connectivity, it provides public safety agencies with reliable connectivity they can count on for mission-critical applications.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter @IoTGN

The post Sierra Wireless launches AirLink Managed Network Service with FirstNet connectivity appeared first on IoT global network.

Seongji launches Sigfox Monarch Module for cost-effective logistic and asset tracking device solution

SeongJi Industrial Co.. LTD (SeongJi), a global wireless connectivity module manufacturer, that merged Wisol IoT business unit on April 1st 2019, announced two types of Monarch module solutions named SRM100A and SRM200A for value-added and cost-effective Sigfox Monarch Modules to feature its global logistics and tracking device solution.

Sigfox Monarch provides a unique radio recognition service enabling devices to manage the radio frequency changes, without any additional hardware such as GPS or Wi-Fi chipset. This service enables devices to run seamlessly in all parts of the world, by automatically recognising and adapting to the local radio-frequency standards. It unlocks endless use cases in logistics and supply chain, in the consumer industry, and in the automated maintenance for the shipping, aircraft and railway industries

The SRM100A is a Monarch+BLE5.0 module that integrates STMicroelectronics’ Bluetooth LE BlueNRG-2 SoC and S2-LP ultra-low-power radio transceiver. It is the smallest Monarch module (Size:21.5[mm]x19.5[mm]x2.5[mm]) and enables quick customer designs because of the half thru-hole SMD type and FOTA service from BLE5.0.

And, the SRM200A is a state-of-art module integrating STMicroelectronics’ BlueNRG-2 and S2-LP devices, alongside BLE5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, and accelerometer, and it is used for versatile applications like indoor and outdoor tracking as well as global logistics and asset tracking. Its size is 29.0[mm]x21.0[mm]x2.3[mm]. It supports BLE FOTA and NFC-tag feature for wake-up on field and touch to-pair capabilities.

JinDuk Kim, senior VP at SeongJi, said, “By increasing the demand of asset tracking not only for locally but also globally with cost-effective tracker device, we definitely believe Sigfox Monarch solution will be a game changer for this demand. Because current existing global tracker solutions using other connectivity are expensive not only device cost as it is but also subscription fee, it blocks global-use of logistic/tracking system so far.”

“To overcome this obstacle, we, as a pioneer for global Sigfox module manufacturer, designed very small size, low-power and cost-effective Monarch modules to fit IoT Tracking device. We are very proud to launch those new Sigfox Monarch modules to select one of module depending on their target application.”

“SeongJi adoption of the Sigfox Monarch technology using ST’s BlueNRG-2 SoC and S2-LP devices demonstrates the readiness of their module portfolio for global asset-tracking applications,” said Marco Veneri, Low-Power RF business unit manager, STMicroelectronics.

“ST has been a strong believer in the Sigfox technology since its early adoption within our industrial-ready wireless portfolio, now fully supporting out-of-the-box Sigfox Global connectivity with the S2-LP device, the industry’s most optimised and ultra-low-power ISM-band RF solution. The SeongJi SRM100A and SRM200A modules greatly simplifiy the adoption of the Sigfox networking technology for global asset-tracking and logistics markets.”

“SeongJi is continuously strengthening a close partnership with Sigfox to expand Sigfox’s global network and ecosystem not only for metering/security market but also logistic/tracker market with their full module line-ups. We are very excited at Sigfox about this achievement that accelerates the deployment of the Monarch feature providing a fully unique and global device experience in markets like the Logistic and Supply chain. SeongJi’s competitive and optimised Monarch module will make new era to support device marker in asset tracking market from now on,” said Raouti Chehih, chief adoption officer at Sigfox.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter @IoTGN

The post Seongji launches Sigfox Monarch Module for cost-effective logistic and asset tracking device solution appeared first on IoT global network.

Seongji launches Sigfox Monarch Module for cost-effective global logistic and asset tracking device solution

SeongJi Industrial Co.. LTD (SeongJi), a global wireless connectivity module manufacturer, that merged Wisol IoT business unit on April 1st 2019, announced two types of Monarch module solutions named SRM100A and SRM200A for value-added and cost-effective Sigfox Monarch Modules to feature its global logistics and tracking device solution.

Sigfox Monarch provides a unique radio recognition service enabling devices to manage the radio frequency changes, without any additional hardware such as GPS or Wi-Fi chipset. This service enables devices to run seamlessly in all parts of the world, by automatically recognising and adapting to the local radio-frequency standards. It unlocks endless use cases in logistics and supply chain, in the consumer industry, and in the automated maintenance for the shipping, aircraft and railway industries

The SRM100A is a Monarch+BLE5.0 module that integrates STMicroelectronics’ Bluetooth LE BlueNRG-2 SoC and S2-LP ultra-low-power radio transceiver. It is the smallest Monarch module (Size:21.5[mm]x19.5[mm]x2.5[mm]) and enables quick customer designs because of the half thru-hole SMD type and FOTA service from BLE5.0.

And, the SRM200A is a state-of-art module integrating STMicroelectronics’ BlueNRG-2 and S2-LP devices, alongside BLE5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, and accelerometer, and it is used for versatile applications like indoor and outdoor tracking as well as global logistics and asset tracking. Its size is 29.0[mm]x21.0[mm]x2.3[mm]. It supports BLE FOTA and NFC-tag feature for wake-up on field and touch to-pair capabilities.

JinDuk Kim, senior VP at SeongJi, said, “By increasing the demand of asset tracking not only for locally but also globally with cost-effective tracker device, we definitely believe Sigfox Monarch solution will be a game changer for this demand. Because current existing global tracker solutions using other connectivity are expensive not only device cost as it is but also subscription fee, it blocks global-use of logistic/tracking system so far.”

“To overcome this obstacle, we, as a pioneer for global Sigfox module manufacturer, designed very small size, low-power and cost-effective Monarch modules to fit IoT Tracking device. We are very proud to launch those new Sigfox Monarch modules to select one of module depending on their target application.”

“SeongJi adoption of the Sigfox Monarch technology using ST’s BlueNRG-2 SoC and S2-LP devices demonstrates the readiness of their module portfolio for global asset-tracking applications,” said Marco Veneri, Low-Power RF business unit manager, STMicroelectronics.

“ST has been a strong believer in the Sigfox technology since its early adoption within our industrial-ready wireless portfolio, now fully supporting out-of-the-box Sigfox Global connectivity with the S2-LP device, the industry’s most optimised and ultra-low-power ISM-band RF solution. The SeongJi SRM100A and SRM200A modules greatly simplifiy the adoption of the Sigfox networking technology for global asset-tracking and logistics markets.”

“SeongJi is continuously strengthening a close partnership with Sigfox to expand Sigfox’s global network and ecosystem not only for metering/security market but also logistic/tracker market with their full module line-ups. We are very excited at Sigfox about this achievement that accelerates the deployment of the Monarch feature providing a fully unique and global device experience in markets like the Logistic and Supply chain. SeongJi’s competitive and optimised Monarch module will make new era to support device [...]

The post Seongji launches Sigfox Monarch Module for cost-effective global logistic and asset tracking device solution appeared first on IoT Now - How to run an IoT enabled business.

Voice activation for iMessage and Siri are integrated in RingGo parking app as PWC finds growing use of the tech

RingGo, a UK-based cashless parking provider, now integrates with both iMessage and Siri to enable easier, quicker parking in over 17,000 locations around the country.

This innovation matches the growing adoption of voice activation and provides motorists with a seamless integration between navigation, parking, transportation and daily digital routines.

RingGo now fully integrates with Siri to enable voice-activated parking. With the ability to pay for parking in seconds, Apple’s Siri makes finding and paying for parking quicker and easier than ever before. The new feature is ideal for repeat parkers like commuters as it enables to start a parking session with only a phrase.

The new iMessage feature allows users to share a RingGo parking location and costs with friends, colleagues, or other groups instantly. Once shared, the receiver can navigate to the zone directly from iMessage or open the RingGo app to start the parking session. Being seamlessly connected, iMessage and RingGo offer ease of parking and continues to encourage adoption of cashless parking.

Peter O’Driscoll, managing director at RingGo, “Driving used to be about the love of the car and the open road. But as more people move into cities and as our daily lives become busier, it has transformed into a simply way to get from A to B, and convenience is king. The last mile of every journey that involves finding and paying for parking can often be the most stressful, so we are constantly striving to make this easier for drivers.”

“Adopting innovative solutions where RingGo is connected to the technology we all know and love – like iMessage and Siri – is one way to relieve this stress. Putting locating and paying for parking at people’s fingertips – or through their voice – is just the beginning of how parking will integrate into our daily lives.”

The adoption of voice activation is increasing. One in five consumers uses voice commands for the deployment of their car navigation and 40% uses mobile voice activation while driving, for example to check traffic on their route (73%). From there, it is a small step to pay for your parking by voice command.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow

The post Voice activation for iMessage and Siri are integrated in RingGo parking app as PWC finds growing use of the tech appeared first on IoT Now Transport.

New maritime satellite communication solution delivered by Ekinops and IEC Telecom Group

Ekinops, a supplier of optical transport equipment and router solutions for network operators, has launched OneGate with IEC Telecom Group, a global provider of managed network communication solutions.

OneGate is said to be an agile solution that protects the critical communications functions of maritime vessels. Powered by the Ekinops platform, OneGate by IEC Telecom delivers vital capabilities for the maritime sector. It enables full-vessel digitalisation, virtually controlled satellite communications links, and multiple levels of cyber-security, ensuring always-on availability of secure, critical communications.

Developed in partnership with Ekinops, OneGate utilises the ONEV600 virtual router from Ekinops’ OneAccess portfolio built on Ekinops’ Open Virtualisation Platform (OVP).

“We initially began the project using an open source product but faced difficulties in what we were able to achieve,” says Nabil Ben Soussia, VP Maritime, IEC Telecom Group. “We had already been working closely with Ekinops as a strategic partner for many years for our Orion Edge solution, developed using the Ekinops WAN optimisation terminal. So, when Ekinops launched their virtualisation platform, we knew that it would resolve numerous problems, as well as enable us to deliver new services in the future”.

Frank Dedobbeleer

Operating on Ekinops’ Open Virtualisation Platform, the OneV600 enables the creation of value-added hybrid WAN services and delivers an extensive range of carrier-grade switching and routing functions for an NFV environment including link redundancy between 4G, VSAT and L-band, routing between LANs and WANs, Quality of Service and the connection of multiple VNFs and sub-networks.

The system seamlessly reroutes available bandwidth to essential processes to ensure vital communications are not lost, whatever the circumstances. Whether a vessel is trapped in the middle of a storm or facing a cyber-attack, OneGate will maintain connections and protect vital operations.

Frank Dedobbeleer, VP Group Sales EMEA & APAC, at Ekinops said: “In an increasingly digitalised world, we work in partnership with our customers to tailor solutions to specifically answer their current and future needs. OneGate is a prime example of this approach. Ekinops virtualisation technology has enabled OneGate to host all applications IEC Telecom’s end-users require. We are delighted to have extended our partnership to deliver this pioneering solution.”

Central to the initiative was IEC Telecom’s need to support legacy WAN optimisation products while migrating to a virtualised environment. “The OneAccess OVP platform enables us to use the same service and add a number of additional services via the same hardware, which is very important in our industry,” adds Nabil Ben Soussia. “The fact that we have the same hardware platform hosting all our current and future services is a real added value for us. I am confident that this will be one of many success stories for Ekinops and IEC Telecom.”

OneGate is compatible with requirements of all major satellite operators, including the most innovative Irdium Certus network. OneGate has already been adopted by Thuraya Telecommunications, one of the key international operators and negotiations with other market players are now being held.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow

The post New maritime satellite communication solution delivered by Ekinops and IEC Telecom Group appeared first on IoT Now Transport.

Sigfox enhances its geolocation services suite “Atlas” to offer accurate asset tracking

Today at Connect 2019, the largest IoT marketplace, Sigfox, the IoT service provider and first global 0G network operator, announced two complementary, powerful new offers that significantly enhance the accuracy of its major geolocation services: Atlas Native and Atlas Wi-Fi.

Atlas Native Complimentary

Launched in January 2017, Atlas Native is claimed to be the first Sigfox geolocation service, solely based on the Sigfox network. The service is available for every device equipped with the simplest Sigfox module, without GPS or any other additional hardware/software component.

Now, solution makers with GPS-devices can benefit from the Atlas Native Complimentary service free of charge in exchange for data processing rights, with several major names already on board. Thanks to this GPS location data and its comparison with the Sigfox network fingerprints, the machine learning algorithms used to compute Atlas will reduce the uncertainty of the “real” location of the asset and improve geolocation accuracy, down to 800 meters.

Benjamin Mazet, product management director on the global Sigfox portfolio, said, “With this partnership offer and the machine learning algorithms used to compute and improve Atlas accuracy, Sigfox is constantly enhancing the quality of its geolocation services, bringing huge benefits to new and existing Sigfox customers – literally at the flick of a switch and by always keeping the device as simple as possible.”

Atlas Wi-Fi deployment complete

In a second accuracy-honing development, Sigfox has now completed the global rollout of Atlas Wi-Fi in partnership with HERE Technologies, creating a global location service that will open new opportunities for IoT applications, particularly in supply chain and logistics.

Atlas Wi-Fi takes advantage of HERE Technologies’ global database of Wi-Fi access points, which can now be queried by Sigfox Wi-Fi trackers and, by reporting the unique MAC addresses to the cloud, generating a far more accurate asset position, and a seamless outdoor and indoor geolocation service.

As determining Wi-Fi-based location consumes less battery than using GPS, Atlas Wi-Fi enables long life IoT tracking solutions – a key requirement for supply chain and logistics applications.

“We are pleased that this partnership with HERE Technologies has delivered a successful product in Atlas Wi-Fi and are intensifying mutual R&D activities to develop new IoT products and services for the future,” added Benjamin Mazet.

The value of IoT tracking solutions in the global supply chain is increasingly well recognised, with Sigfox customers such as DHL and Groupe PSA actively deploying real-world asset tracking and logistics solutions at significant scale.

 Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow

The post Sigfox enhances its geolocation services suite “Atlas” to offer accurate asset tracking appeared first on IoT Now - How to run an IoT enabled business.

The Internet of Things in 2020 – 3 trends to keep a check on

The device you are accessing this post from is a part of the 7 billion connected devices in the world.

Today, our homes are automated, apps are smarter and there’s a propelling market out there, burning the midnight oil to innovate further. While there’s no stopping to the mass acceptance, service providers want to look beyond and take up challenging g requirements, says Yash Mehta.

The Internet of Things is a powerful ideology that believes in addressing the most complex issues of the world. Subsequently, to be able to capture, stream and process large volumes of data has been the greatest achievement of the tech community with IoT providing the much-needed infrastructure while data science converting the efforts to valuable insights.

As we usher into 2020, IoT goes advanced and has some interesting use cases in development. Here’s a quick run-through.

The Internet of Medical Things

 By 2020, 40% of all IoT devices will be deployed in the healthcare ecosystem.

Rising costs in making healthcare accessible while increasing expectations from the consumers have compelled the service providers to innovate further. Henceforth, emerging technologies, with IoT at the forefront will benefit from the supportive environment.

Healthcare monitors and portable devices, medical CRM systems & wearable devices contrive to create a network of connected infrastructure, recently termed as the Internet of Medical Things. Subsequently, mobile applications derive conclusions from the IoT channel and enable physicians & guardians to seek the analytical progress of the patient.

For example, digital Smart Pills approved by the FDA contain an ingestible sensor that records the timings of the medication taken. In the event of skipping, the physician or the guardian could be notified. Given such an intricate application, IoT in medicine is a promising innovation to bet upon.

However, IoT applications don’t restrict to ‘post-admission to hospital’ phase only. Some wearables and implants help a physician analyse the medical readings of an individual in routine. Take, for example, smart cars that communicate the driving patterns of an individual, the associated heart rates and other details. Similarly, wearable devices that enable an individual to record basic ECG, active & passive calories burnt, etc.

Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 26.2%, the market value of the IoT in the healthcare domain will touch $72,000 million (€64,937 million) by 2021.

Such a transition from reactive to preventive care has once again, positioned patients at the centre while ensuring reduced visits to the clinics and a healthier society altogether.

Elevated security for home IoT

Look beyond controlling microwave ovens & air conditioners from the mobile, home IoT solutions do a lot more today. From motorised window blinds, CCTV equipment, audio appliances, smart door locks, thermostats, and others, the internet has paved its way into the most personal space we could be in and if security is overlooked, this isn’t a great advancement.

Given the increasing number of channels that connect your home with the outside world through IoT, VPN and even guests requesting access to your home Wi-Fi, the entry points for hackers increase and so does the risk of data infiltration.

Yash Mehta

To put it straight, enterprise-grade security for home networks is the need of the hour as a plethora of critical private data is at risk. No matter how reputed the brand is (Alexa from Amazon or Home from Google), security risks haven’t been addressed as they should have.

While the service providers are locking horns with combating the vulnerabilities, waiting for them isn’t the way ahead. Home users must wake up to take initiatives and educate themselves about the best possible remedies. If basic security measures are taken by the users themselves, more than half of the risks are contained. To reduce the risk of IoT at home, start with the router.

Use the default IP 192.168.1.1 in the web browser and enter your default router password in the login section. Check for firewall settings, Kill Switch, VPN, antivirus applications and the list of all the devices connected to the network. Furthermore, create a separate guest network for outsiders so that their devices don’t access the IoT network in any way.

80% of network intrusions occur due to unchanged default passwords and other settings. You know where to start.

A step ahead towards smart cities

This is a dream actualising for many nations, especially those who have to deal with erring criminals in densely populated cities. Although CCTV deployment, surveillance kiosks, and other implementations are in widespread practice, their functionality will be enhanced, making them faultless and dependable.

Seol, Boston, and Singapore have already implemented advanced applications driven by big data and a channel to IoT to stream valuable insights. To be able to gather accurate and timely information through connected devices is of greater importance for the civic authorities as they are directly battling the pressure on amenities and reduced quality of livelihood. Henceforth, controlled traffics, lesser cars, lesser pollution, and safer socio-economic setup is the driving force behind the vision of automated cities.

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg! A smart city is a huge ideation and aims at automating every service. This includes containing criminal tendencies, fastening processes and a lot more.

Final thoughts

The IoT is huge and it is everywhere. The challenge, if any, isn’t expanding its reach but to use it appropriately and that’s what the current developments should focus on. There’s an oceanic collection of devices, appliances, networks, and users forming a network. Going forward, the vision should be to steer the potential of the connected and make our lives smarter yet simpler & safer.

The author of this blog is Yash Mehta an IoT and Big Data Science specialist. He is an award-winning writer appearing in multiple publications.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter @IoTGN

The post The Internet of Things in 2020 – 3 trends to keep a check on appeared first on IoT global network.