<p id="isPasted">Back in 2019, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/private-equity-and-principal-investors/our-insights/growing-opportunities-in-the-internet-of-things" target="_blank">McKinsey</a> published an article describing the potential of the Internet of Things. They especially focused on the projected growth of wide-area IoT networks, laying at 30 percent between 2016 and 2022 and short-range IoT networks, at 20 percent growth at the same time. The consultancy underlines how small- and medium- enterprises can heavily benefit from the innovative advancements, all while implementation costs and time are becoming increasingly feasible.</p><p>Having said that, it is obvious that at a failure rate of <a href="https://www.softeq.com/blog/75-of-iot-projects-fail-heres-what-you-could-do-to-avoid-this-scenario" target="_blank">75% percent</a>, the task of implementing and building an IoT solution is still harder than most anticipate. From those 75%, 30 percent already stall at the Proof of Concept stage. The fact that nowadays three-quarters of IoT projects fail, is especially surprising considering that the Internet of Things is estimated to become a market valued at <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Technology%20Media%20and%20Telecommunications/High%20Tech/Our%20Insights/The%20Internet%20of%20Things%20The%20value%20of%20digitizing%20the%20physical%20world/Unlocking_the_potential_of_the_Internet_of_Things_Executive_summary.ashx" target="_blank">$ 11.1 trillion by 2025</a>, with 41 billion devices deployed globally.</p><p>We wanted to get as close to the truth as possible. To figure out the real reasons the IoT projects tend to fail, a chat with our Co-CEO Jonas Schmid was arranged.</p><p><br></p><h2 id="isPasted">The underestimation of project-complexity</h2><p>This appeared to be one of the most crucial hurdles. There seems to be a general underestimation from the customer’s side in regards to the complexity of an IoT project. Specifically, in the area of the initial investment in development and the cost of creating a customized solution, which is what most business leaders demand.</p><p>There are certain ‘hidden costs’ associated with a customized solution. Schmid mentioned that Consulting, Setup-, Administration-, and Support time are all business activities provided by the IoT platform company that extensively drive up costs, eventually causing higher prices for the client.</p><p>Additionally, many underestimate the learning curve that comes with such a complex technological project. Instead of starting at a low scale, the initial goal is a mass ecosystem of sensors, with an immediate high cost and risk. Usually, first projects of such scale end up in the “IoT graveyard”, as resources eventually fade, a lack of knowledge and results is found, and an unsatisfactory outcome is the final stage.</p><blockquote><p id="isPasted">“The ugly truth about IoT. A large number of IoT projects fail and almost all of them for the same common reasons.” - Jonas Schmid, CO-CEO at akenza.</p></blockquote><p><br></p><h2 id="isPasted">Unclear business goals</h2><p>Unclear business objectives can cause any project to fail, IoT solutions are no exception from that. Key to success is not just collecting the data and projecting it, but rather having a reason to collect and analyze. Companies that overfocus on the technical aspect of the project tend to become overwhelmed with the amount of work and data collected. Moreover, research found that other companies are just adopters for the sake of trend following, with no specific goal in mind, bringing no true benefit to the company.</p><p>Additionally, companies tend to forget the scalability, evolution and roadmap of their solutions. <a href="https://www.itp.net/612937-cisco-60-of-iot-projects-stall-at-poc-stage" target="_blank">Cisco</a> (2017) clarifies that the top and number one factor behind a successful project was the collaboration between IT and business leaders, having an input and knowledge of both sides, almost guarantees success regarding the optimal solution.</p><p><a href="https://www.sierrawireless.com/iot-blog/why-do-iot-projects-fail/" target="_blank">Sierra Wireless</a> explains this by stating “With the IoT Start Small, Then Learn, Evolve, and Expand”. This statement is supported by <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/mediahandler/files/resourcefiles/iot-signals/IoT-Signals-Microsoft-072019.pdf" target="_blank">Microsoft's research collected in 2019</a>, which shows the main challenges businesses face when digitally transforming their business with IoT:</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 553px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1631548222277-top+iot+challenges.png" style="width: 553px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true"><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/mediahandler/files/resourcefiles/iot-signals/IoT-Signals-Microsoft-072019.pdf" id="isPasted" target="_blank">IoT Signals Report (Microsoft, 2019)</a></span></p></span></span></div><p><br></p><h2 id="isPasted">Lack of Skilled Professionals</h2><p>Although companies want to utilize IoT more, they face an important amount of complexity and technical challenges: 38% of the companies state that this is the main reason IoT is not an option for them. Looking more in depth, it is revealed that 47% of those don’t have enough available skilled workers, and 44% don’t have the resources to train these professionals.</p><p>It is important to acknowledge that this problem is not necessarily an exclusively internal one. In 2019, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2019/07/30/return-on-iot-dealing-with-the-iot-skills-gap/?sh=416d15487091" target="_blank">Forbes</a> already spoke of a skills shortage in the IoT industry. Statistics show that back then, 76% of survey respondents felt they needed more higher level IoT specialists and 80% like they didn’t have the skills needed to stay in the industry. Additionally ⅓ estimated that the skills gap in the industry was major. Having said that, in 2020 and 2021 there was a major boom regarding the use of IoT. Consequently, the skills shortage has increased.</p><h2><br></h2><h2 id="isPasted">How to Avoid an IoT Downfall?</h2><h3>Define your IoT solution requirements</h3><p>Key to a successful IoT solution is being able to define the requirements of such. The leaders need to understand the business goals of the solution and be willing to educate themselves and understand the IoT landscape. This includes being aware of all the options available on the market.</p><p>Agility is a true keyword in projects like these. Especially in the initial phases. By using a scalable option, it allows the company to slowly rise in the learning curve, without the overwhelming sensation that could potentially cause a corporate burnout for everyone involved. Apart from the collective experience, this decreases the costs and minimizes risk to a manageable amount.</p><p>A great solution for the above mentioned is implementing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) which could be defined as a version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers, to provide feedback for future product development. Therefore, everyone involved avoids lengthy and eventually unnecessary work, offering a certain flexibility in regards to experimenting and trials.</p><p>Last but not least, it is important to involve the right stakeholders. Getting the return on knowledge resources can only work if the right people are part of the project. As mentioned before, often business leaders underestimate the technical complexity of an IoT project and therefore lack important knowledge and skills to construct them.</p><p>Eventually, IT people have to be adjourned at a later stage of the project, not only causing a delay but lacking the skills in the most crucial and initial stages. As earlier mentioned, Cisco found this to be the main point to make a project successful.</p><h3>How can an off-the-shelf solution like akenza help?</h3><p>We are aware that building an IoT solution is a complex endeavour. By outsourcing non-core areas of your solution to a third party provider such as akenza, you will minimize your cost, improve the product quality and accelerate your time to market. The key features of a project resilient to technological change and built without barriers are scalability and agnosticity (connect to anything and everything). Additionally, this offers for the experimentation of trying out available solutions and flexibility in regards to the MVP.</p><p>With features such as the no-code rule engine and data flows, we allow for anyone with minimal IT experience and knowledge to become part of the project building. Our <a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=IoTfail_article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">device type library</a> makes it easy to add devices as wished and our data visualization tools are easy to understand. Akenza is a self-service, off-the-shelf solution, in which you can start creating your IoT case straight away.</p><p>We proceed as far as offering LoRaWAN as “Connectivity as a Service”, facilitating the usage of those networks and taking care of the network operator connectivity contract, enabling the hassle-free management of the connectivity on the customer's side. Cybersecurity and user management within the platform are implicitly assumed.</p><p>All these features are simplifying the onboarding processes and the initial steps to support the broader application of IoT-based solutions.</p><p><strong>If you want to learn more about akenza, be sure to check out our </strong><a href="https://auth.akenza.io/register?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=IoTfail_article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>30-day free trial</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>

The fact that nowadays three-quarters of IoT projects fail, is especially surprising considering that the Internet of Things is estimated to become a market valued at $ 11.1 trillion by 2025. Read about the main challenges faced by businesses implementing IoT-Solutions.

Why Do IoT Projects Fail?

<p id="isPasted">With the advent of powerful gateways providing both NB-IoT and LoRaWAN options, utilities need no longer exclusively select one cloud connectivity solution over another.</p><p>Energy costs are rising. Last year in the U.S., the retail price of electricity stood at an average of 10.66 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), the highest for more than 30 years. Nevertheless, electricity in the U.S. remains relatively affordable, at least by comparison to other developed countries, particularly its European counterparts. European nations occupy seven of the top 10 positions in global household electricity prices, with German consumers hit the hardest, paying an average of 36 cents per kWh.</p><p>Hardly surprising then that the European Union (EU) leads the way in smart utility meter deployment, with almost three of four households expected to have a smart meter installed in the next five years. The technology carries the promise of helping us reduce our bills by dynamically syncing our energy consumption to off-peak tariff periods. The utilities also stand to benefit. Real-time feedback on the grid allows them to initiate dynamic pricing, monitor grid losses, and optimize performance, ultimately reducing costs and increasing profit margins.</p><h2>From the home to the cloud</h2><p>To fully realize this end, utilities must decide how best to relay this vast amount of usage data from hundreds of millions of home smart-meters to the cloud, where powerful servers can analyze the data and act on it accordingly. In Europe, smart meters typically incorporate Wireless Meter-Bus (wMBus). This mature technology provides short-range connectivity between a group of smart meters and a gateway for forwarding over a kilometer-range LPWAN to the cloud.</p><p>Competing LPWANs offer unique benefits for gateway-to-cloud connectivity, but they're posing a dilemma. Utilities might be unwilling to commit to one technology over another for fear of backing the wrong horse and being faced with an obsolescence predicament should one technology prevail.</p><h2>Future-proofed solution</h2><p>For example, LoRaWAN had first-mover advantage, is relatively easy to deploy, and a single LoRa gateway can supervise thousands of end devices. On the other hand, it's not intended for continuous monitoring or low latency ‘real time’ applications. Nor does it provide the range or large data payloads of cellular-based NB-IoT, its primary LPWAN smart meter connectivity competitor.</p><p>Backed by standards organization 3GPP and many leading companies, NB-IoT amounts to a future-proofed standardized technology. It offers plug-and-play simplicity, security and is well suited to fixed installations given its ability to penetrate walls and other potential obstructions where energy meters are often found—in basements and deep inside buildings.</p><h2>Design flexibility and network reliability</h2><p>However, with the advent of powerful gateways providing both NB-IoT and LoRaWAN options, European utilities need no longer exclusively select one cloud connectivity solution over another.</p><p>For example, German industrial IoT solutions company, Lobaro, has developed a gateway that can receive wMBus metering data from hundreds of smart utility meters and relay it to the cloud using either NB-IoT or LoRaWAN or indeed a combination of both.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2021/01/Lobaro-is-using-nRF9160-SiP-in-its-Wireless-MBus-Gateway?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wireless M-Bus Gateway</a> provides utility companies and building management with greater design flexibility and reliability by picking and choosing the appropriate LPWAN based on local network availability and wireless signal coverage.</p><p>Dual cloud connectivity also provides utilities with existing LoRaWAN installations the option to convert over to cellular IoT without making wholesale changes or being limited to only LoRaWAN for future installations.</p><h2>The power’s in the processor</h2><p>The gateway is built around Nordic Semiconductor’s low power <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Low-power-cellular-IoT/nRF9160?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF9160 SiP</a> with integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem and GPS, providing the necessary computational power to supervise a demanding application.</p><p>While the nRF9160 SiP is designed for cellular IoT, its dedicated Arm Cortex-M33 application processor, 1MB Flash, and 256KB RAM provide ample power and memory to support both the cellular firmware and the Lobaro’s wMBus stack and LoRaWAN firmware.</p><p>It also has enough reserves to power future generations of the gateway. Most likely with temperature and vibration sensors to provide predictive maintenance capabilities.</p><p>With smart meters and gateways being deployed in their millions, frequent battery replacement is not an option. The nRF9160 SiP’s modem and MCU were designed from the ground up for optimized power performance in IoT systems. It supports power-saving features, including eDRX and PSM, enabling the Lobaro gateway to be powered by a single 3.6V battery. When sending metering data once a day, a battery life of up to 10 years is achievable.</p><h2>An eye on the future</h2><p>The immediate opportunities of smart metering lie in billing transparency and savings for the consumer and grid performance, and cost savings for the utilities. But more exciting possibilities lie ahead.</p><p>Tens of millions of cloud-connected smart meters will pave the way for big data analytics and grid intelligence at an unprecedented scale. Utilities could build AI-driven projection models based on historical data and, for example, the weather forecast to integrate renewable energy supply seamlessly. The technology already exists; now it is just a matter of adoption.</p><hr><p>This article was first published on Nordic's&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>. </p>

With the advent of powerful gateways providing both NB-IoT and LoRaWAN options, utilities need no longer exclusively select one cloud connectivity solution over another.

Hybrid LPWAN connectivity solutions driving smart meter roll-out

<h2 id="isPasted">What is payload decoding?</h2><p>Let's start with the basics. In essence, payload decoding is the process of translating raw data received from a device into readable, structured data. During this conversion, packets of data, typically transmitted in hexadecimal format, are decoded into human-readable values, such as humidity or temperature readings.</p><h2>Why is it essential for LPWAN technologies?</h2><p>LPWAN connectivity technologies such as <a href="https://akenza.io/blog/lorawan-explained?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LoRaWAN</a> and Sigfox are well suited for low-power <a href="https://akenza.io/iot-solutions?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IoT solutions</a> in which small amounts of data need to be sent at regular intervals. These are perfect for smart applications in which IoT devices are operating autonomously for extended periods (possibly years) and sending their data periodically to the cloud.</p><p>To reduce energy consumption and keep the data packets as small as possible, LPWAN devices send their data via a payload encoded in hexadecimal format. This differs from other protocols that define standard data payload formats and communicate through structured data such as JSON or XML.</p><p>The result is that countless device manufacturers in the IoT market define their own payload formats for their particular sensors. For someone who wants to integrate different sensors in one IoT solution, this translates into effort invested in encoding/decoding the data when setting up the project.</p><h2>Towards a dictionary of IoT devices</h2><p>This bothersome data parsing process should not be left solely on the shoulders of the IoT project leader. This is why we offer a device type library to ease the payload encoding/decoding process.</p><p>The akenza <a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Device Type Library</a> hosts an extensive list of standard device types to ease the registration of new devices into an IoT project by taking care of the data parsing automatically.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1629096977164-device_type_library.png" style="width: 612px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p id="isPasted">For each device type, we offer a detailed description of the sensor's capabilities and measurements values. This also means that the <a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Device Type Library&nbsp;</a>can be used as a valuable reference to select the appropriate sensors for a particular use case and guide the purchase of new devices.</p><p>Thanks to the no-code Data Flow of akenza, you can directly use those device types inside your project in a few clicks. Just select the right connectivity for your device, pick the desired device type in our library and select the output connector defining where the data shall be stored. You are now ready to register your device and start collecting data.</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 570px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1629097006602-Data-flow-1200x675-1.png" style="width: 570px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true">The device library allows to include any device into a new data processing chain in minutes.<br><br><br></span></p></span></span></div><p id="isPasted">If the device of your choice is not present in our <a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Device Type Library</a>, you can also create your own device type very quickly using the <a href="https://docs.akenza.io/get-started/device-type" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://docs.akenza.io/get-started/device-type?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Device Type Studio.</a></p><p>Luckily for you, we have a dedicated webinar that will guide you through the whole process:</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nd5wRQ15oA0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br></p><h3 id="isPasted"><strong>We are ready - are you?</strong></h3><p><a href="https://akenza.io/?utm_source=wevolver&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&amp;utm_content=System%20Integrators%20Role" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="https://auth.akenza.io/register?utm_source=wevolver&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=Low+Code&amp;utm_id=wevolverarticles" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="https://akenza.io/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Low+Code&utm_id=wevolverarticles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to try the 30 days free trial with all the features.</a></p>

This article covers what IoT device payload decoding is and how to optimize this process to accelerate the introduction of new devices in LPWAN projects.

How to decode the payload of your device

<p id="isPasted">The global connectivity landscape is nowadays highly fragmented, with multiple network providers offering IoT connectivity under different contracts and pricing conditions. It becomes then difficult to launch IoT projects without long-term contractual commitment, even in the proof of concept phase.</p><p>We all experienced this state of things from our smartphone connectivity contracts. As soon as one subscribes to a connectivity plan, it becomes difficult to switch to another provider. The barrier to exit is high enough that people stick to their current contract, even if there is a better option elsewhere.</p><p>This observation is also made by many R&amp;D and innovation teams when launching IoT solutions. Moreover, this lock-in effect makes it impossible to leverage the best network coverage possible in the different areas where the solution could be implemented. If I test my setup in location A with one particular network provider, what tells me that I will have the same quality of signal in location B? And how can I adapt my solution if a better network infrastructure is deployed in the future?</p><h2 id="isPasted">IoT Connectivity as a Service (CaaS)</h2><p id="isPasted">Like many “as a Service” solutions, <a href="https://akenza.io/features/connectivity-as-a-service?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IoT Connectivity as a Service</a> is a new approach to connectivity management that radically improves the user experience when creating a new IoT solution.</p><p><strong>The CaaS allows IoT innovators to manage their whole data processing from the device registration to the cloud storage of the data in one platform.</strong> This eliminates the exposure to multiple vendors, complex contracts and support centers.</p><p>Thanks to the CaaS offering, you no longer need to worry about contracts and network operators' costs. Simply choose the best connectivity depending on your region and device, and you will be able to automatically connect your devices in the IoT platform without establishing a separate contract with a specific network provider. The IoT platform takes care of the connectivity costs in the background.</p><p>The akenza platform offers currently LoRaWAN <a href="https://akenza.io/features/connectivity-as-a-service/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Connectivity as a Service</a> for The Things Network (TTN), Loriot, and Swisscom Low-power Network (LPN) and will expand this offer by adding additional network operators in various markets over the coming months.</p><h2 id="isPasted">The key benefits of IoT Connectivity as a Service</h2><p>Here is a summary of the main benefits of the CaaS:</p><ul><li><strong>No separate connectivity contract:</strong><br>Avoid the hassle of subscribing to a separate contract for each network operator,</li><li><strong>Total flexibility:</strong><br>You can change your network operator at any time depending on the changes in the requirements of your project and avoid lock-in effect,</li><li><strong>Wholesale price:<br></strong>Profit from wholesale connectivity prices at a fixed price per device and month. The billing is done automatically on a monthly basis.</li><li><strong>Smoother development process:<br></strong>Being able to manage the connectivities and devices in one place instead of navigating through different platforms eases the implementation of IoT initiatives and allows a more holistic view on the whole IoT system.</li></ul><h2 id="isPasted">Towards IoT mass adoption</h2><p><a href="https://akenza.io/features/connectivity-as-a-service/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Connectivity as a Service</a> is one of the necessary features to help innovation teams minimize their effort when creating IoT solutions and accelerate time to market. Together with no-code functionalities and the usage of standardized components such as our <a href="https://akenza.io/features/device-type-library?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_id=website_traffic&utm_content=CaaS_Article" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Device Types</a>, CaaS ensures a smoother IoT application development process, shorter implementation times and better resilience towards technological change.</p><h3 id="isPasted"><strong>We are ready - are you?</strong></h3><p><a href="https://akenza.io/?utm_source=wevolver&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&amp;utm_content=System%20Integrators%20Role" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="https://auth.akenza.io/register?utm_source=wevolver&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=Low+Code&amp;utm_id=wevolverarticles" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="https://akenza.io/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Low+Code&utm_id=wevolverarticles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to try the 30 days free trial with all the features.</a></p>

Like many “as a Service” solutions, IoT Connectivity as a Service is a new approach to connectivity management that radically improves the user experience when creating a new IoT solution.

Why Connectivity as a Service is essential for IoT

<h3 dir="ltr">Smart Lighting market &amp; trends (Data Bridge, 2019).</h3><p dir="ltr">Energy-efficient lighting solutions have become increasingly popular across the globe. Light-emitting diodes (LED) have emerged as the key energy-efficient solution, due to their long operational life and low maintenance cost compared to conventional light solutions. The main result of installing smart lighting solutions is an increase in efficiency, compared to their non-smart counterpart. The goal usually is to extend the life durability, make the lighting infrastructure more breakage resistant and make use of smart sensor technologies integrated into the luminaires.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The global LED lighting market is predicted to generate a revenue of $262.8 billion in 2030, rising from $67.6 billion in 2019. The CAGR forecasted between 2020 and 2030 lays around 12%. LED lighting solutions can be newly installed or retrofitted, however, the demand for retrofitting is expected to rise significantly in the years to come. The European Smart Lighting Market has a forecasted compound annual growth of more than 22% from 2019 to 2026 and is currently the leading market, accounting for two-fifths of the installed bases. The two types of LED lighting solutions are lamps and luminaires, between which, the demand for luminaires was higher in the past. These products are widely being integrated in newly constructed commercial and residential buildings.</p><p><br></p><h3 dir="ltr">The three main reasons for installing Smart Lighting</h3><p dir="ltr">Energy efficiency: As the light usually works with motion and daylight sensors, it allows the luminaire to recognize when there is a demand for artificial light. Therefore the usage of energy is reduced to the core of necessity.</p><p dir="ltr">Long service life: Due to the luminaries having replaceable parts, the lifespan is usually extendable, by replacing the parts that are broken or need replacing. This lengthens the life span significantly and reduces the costs of hardware significantly. &nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Data source and augmented product: As lighting solutions are found everywhere, where people are (outdoor &amp; indoor), lighting is the perfect infrastructure for the integration of sensors for various applications. No maintenance will occur, as sensors can be wired to the existing lighting infrastructure. By installing smart lighting, the sensors of the luminaire collect data which is available for analysis and research for improvement. Not only does it show the utilization of spaces, but the luminaire could be entirely autonomous by programming the product with an intelligent algorithm, offering a highly dynamic environment. Therewith, use cases such as occupancy management, people counting, energy metering, asset tracking or the evaluation of room climate can already be seen in projects around the globe.</p><p><br></p><h2 dir="ltr">Examples of successful smart light solutions:&nbsp;</h2><h2 dir="ltr"><br></h2><h2 dir="ltr">LEDCity Ltd.</h2><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://ledcity.ch/en/" target="_blank">LEDCity Ltd.</a> is a Zurich-based, fast-growing cleantech start-up. The company specialises in the field of intelligent lighting solutions. Their core product is an intelligent LED Light Tube, which is made to be retrofitted into the standard tube socket, avoiding having to replace the entire light system.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The added intelligent features, such as for example motion sensors, recognize movement allowing the system to dim the light when there is no demand for it. The system is composed of LED tubes that are programmable, working completely autonomous by communicating with other tubes over bluetooth.</p><p dir="ltr">This product is commonly used in public places, such as garages or underpasses. By using a bluetooth gateway and cellular/MQTT connectivity, the system is able to project data, such as energy consumption or people flow, on a custom dashboard. Additionally, this allows for the system to be remotely controlled, due to the IoT stack provided by Akenza.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">After calculating that in commercial buildings up to 40% of energy costs incurred for lighting, &nbsp;LEDCity developed the innovative solution by collecting data and using AI-optimized algorithms that regulate the light autonomously and dynamically (LEDCity, 2021).&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The result: The lighting system of LEDCity can reduce the energy consumption of switchable LED luminaires by 90%.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p><blockquote><p dir="ltr">‘Akenza provides the ideal opportunity for us to transfer data from and towards our devices, which is the foundation for the further potential of our products. Together, we can develop the ‘lighting of the future’ and offer our customers increasingly intelligent solutions.’&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">- Florian Gärtner, CTO of LEDCity</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 778px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NDg5NzkzOTA0LTE2MTg0ODk3OTM5MDQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 600px;"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false"></span></span></span><h2 class="fr-img-space-wrap2"><br></h2><h2 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Regent Lighting&nbsp;</h2></div><p dir="ltr">Regent Lighting is a Basel-based leader in professional lighting solutions for in- and outdoor applications. Products are widely seen in office-, shop &amp; retail and also industrial applications, Regent Lighting also provides their Connected Lighting solution thanks to their portfolio of <a href="https://www.regent.ch/en/products/product-finder/line/freestanding-luminaire-lightpad-tunable-office/" target="_blank">Free-standing-luminaires</a>.&nbsp;As such luminaries have already integrated motion and daylight sensors measuring each work desk accurately, the cloud connectivity for further value creation was just the logical consequence. With their digital product “<a href="https://www.regent.ch/en/connected-lighting/mydata-analysis/" target="_blank">MyData Analysis”,</a> free-standing-luminaires are meshed with Bluetooth-low-energy (BLE) to a central Floor-gateway which allows cloud connectivity as SaaS or on-premise. Therewith various data are available for further use allowing new services and value creation to their customers. Use cases such as occupancy management, evaluation of room climate or asset tracking thanks to the BLE- mesh counts to Regent’s competitive offer.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Occupation Management &amp; room climate dashboard with data taken from free-standing-luminaires</h3><p dir="ltr">Akenza made their system compatible with the interface of Regent Lighting’s free standing luminaires in order to monitor live occupancy and room climate data. This enables anyone to check instant availability of meeting rooms, desk spaces, and communal office space in real time. Additionally, it offers the opportunity to optimise the environment.</p><p dir="ltr">Akenza has integrated Regent’s Free-standing-luminaire into the IoT platform via the MQTT protocol. Data is further visualized on Akenza’s BI-module for occupancy management and insights about the room climate.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The visualisation of work desks helps employees to easily find an available desk. On the other hand, a facility manager has a tool ready, to monitor and judge on his building capacity.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Room climate values such as temperature, Co2, TVOC and humidity detects discrepancies and informs users via the dashboard about the actual values.</p><p dir="ltr">With Akenza’s Rule Engine, notifications are triggered as an Email, SMS or webhook, if a certain threshold is reached. A facility manager or building owner is therefore always informed about the building status.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 778px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NDg5NzkyNzYzLTE2MTg0ODk3OTI3NTgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="624" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="height: 353.504px;"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false"><p dir="ltr">Occupation Management &amp; Room climate dashboard example. The data is taken from the luminaries during the COVID-19 home office regulation.&nbsp;</p></span></span></span><h2 class="fr-img-space-wrap2"><br></h2><h2 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Astra-LED Ltd.&nbsp;</h2></div><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.hsi-astra.ch/astra-led-gmbh/" target="_blank">Astra-Led Ltd.</a> provides adaptive lighting solutions that focus on the improvement of well being, while simultaneously reducing operating and maintenance costs. They promise their customers a creative and technical solution in the form of a lighting system, which aesthetically blends with the architecture, offering the alternative of even upgrading the existing infrastructure. Alternatively, the company also offers development of lighting solutions for rail vehicles.&nbsp;</p><h3 dir="ltr">Air quality monitoring and people’s well-being.</h3><p dir="ltr">Proper lighting and indoor air quality go hand in hand when it comes to productivity and people’s well-being. According to <a href="https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/527/" target="_blank">studies</a>, poor air quality due to high levels of CO2 is linked to poor decision making, lack of focus, and drowsiness. Usually, people start experiencing some physical effects at 900 ppm but it is not rare to measure levels higher than 1000 ppm with peaks above 2000 ppm.</p><p dir="ltr">Good ventilation of schools and office spaces has also become a global concern with the recent COVID-19 outbreak. In this post-pandemic area, facility managers need to be able to measure the air quality on their premises and take appropriate measures in order to ensure a healthy environment for everyone.</p><h3 dir="ltr">An innovative smart lighting solution.</h3><p dir="ltr">Astra LED and <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=airmonitoring" target="_blank">Akenza</a> have joined forces and developed an air monitoring smart lighting solution. The system can be split into two main building blocks: a luminaire with an embedded sensor, and an Internet Of Things Connectivity Platform.</p><p dir="ltr">First, a sensor embedded in the luminaire measures the air quality parameters of the room. These are typically the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) levels, the temperature and the humidity. These parameters are then transmitted to Akenza via a low-power, long-range radio communication protocol (LoRaWAN connectivity). The Akenza platform then monitors the air quality levels continuously and displays the data on a dedicated dashboard.</p><p dir="ltr">If the measured levels reach a predefined threshold, the luminaire changes colour and light intensity accordingly (green: acceptable, orange: high levels, red: critical levels). This visual notification indicates that the room needs to be ventilated. In the case of schools, this is used as a playful approach to raise awareness about the topic and lead students to act.</p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NDg5NzkyMzkzLTE2MTg0ODk3OTIzOTMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="514" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 778px; height: 481.762px;"></p><h2 dir="ltr"><br></h2><h2 dir="ltr">The case of the city of Zug, Switzerland.</h2><p dir="ltr">One of the first implementations of the system has been made in the city of Zug. The depicted solution has been put in service in several schools of the city to monitor the air quality inside the classrooms. The smart lighting solution is also in service in the townhouse of the city, to monitor the air quality in meeting rooms.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 778px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NDkwMDUxNjMxLTE2MTg0OTAwNTE2MzEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="624" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="height: 573.506px;"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">A visual representation of the akenza IoT stack paltform.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<p class="fr-img-space-wrap2">&nbsp;</p></div>

This article offers an insight into the current situation, trends and current application examples of smart lighting solutions and what role it plays in indoor- and outdoor IoT applications, offering optimization and efficiency in every aspect, well-being, energy, habits and space.

Are Smart Lighting Solutions Worth it?

<p>The status quo in the facility management sector is constantly being questioned by technology evolution and customer expectations. As in other sectors, industry incumbents must innovate in order to stay competitive as each technological change brings its share of newcomers ready to challenge the position of industry leaders.</p><p>In this perspective, ISS Switzerland has shown how its digitization strategy and continuous innovation culture enabled the company to stay ahead of the curve. Over the past years, ISS and <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> have collaborated on several projects that allowed ISS to offer new digital services and intelligent solutions to their customers.</p><p>From workplace occupancy to indoor air quality monitoring and dynamic cleaning of washrooms, a broad range of IoT-enabled digital services have been made possible.</p><p>In order to create the ideal environmental conditions for fostering innovation, ISS operates an innovation space in its headquarters (Cube) in Zurich, where new product solutions with high scaling potential are examined and tested.&nbsp;</p><p>This article presents some of the smart solutions that have been developed by ISS in collaboration with <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a>.</p><h2>Workplace occupancy</h2><p>With the recent trends towards flexible working, long-term office space optimization has become a challenge for companies and facility managers. To tackle this, sensors can be installed at different locations such as in meeting rooms and personal desks to measure the current and long-term workspace occupancy. Single sensors or also sensors integrated in free-standing-luminaires can be used. The data collected on the <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> platform is used to deliver a real-time snapshot of the building in the form of 2D maps of the individual floors. These floorplans help the user to navigate easily in the office and find free workspaces. Similar to a car park, available workstations are shown in green as available and in red as occupied. Thanks to this navigation solution, an employee can find an available workstation very quickly and easily through the intuitive signage screen accessible in the office or on any mobile device. This solution also increases the user acceptance of a corporate desk sharing policy, as employees have a simple tool in their hands to find available desks within the building.</p><p>The long-term workspace monitoring allows to identify untapped potential and to optimize the amount of required office space. Based on the generated data, new space usage concepts can be planned and tested.</p><p><br></p><h1><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1615302565731-1615302565731.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Example of digital signage screen</span></span></span>Air monitoring</h1><p>In addition to collecting occupancy data, the smart devices in use are able to measure a range of air quality values such as the humidity, the temperature, the CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels, and the TVOC (total volatile organic compound), the measurement of volatile gases.</p><p>These measurements are displayed together with the occupancy data in the building and inform about the indoor air quality in the premises. The level of carbon dioxide, for example, can directly affect people’s wellbeing and performance. Poor air quality due to high levels of CO2 is linked to detrimental cognitive effects such as poor decision-making, lack of focus, and drowsiness.</p><p>Moreover, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has shown the importance of proper ventilation in office spaces. In the post-pandemic area, facility managers need to take appropriate measures in order to ensure a healthy environment for everyone.</p><p>Thanks to Akenza’s rule engine, the system monitors the air quality levels continuously and reacts automatically in case of poor air quality. Typically, an alert can be triggered when a configurable threshold is reached. In an ideal case, the system is connected to the building management system that controls the window blinds and ventilation system.</p><p><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1615302636862-1615302636862.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Indoor climate monitoring dashboard</span></span></span><h1 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">People counting</h1></div></div><p>As mentioned above, the COVID-19 epidemic crisis brought new challenges for facility managers and companies. With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases around the world, the governments responded with stringent requirements to contain the virus and to prioritize public health. IoT-based solutions have been used to comply with some of these measures such as with social distancing for example. As companies must take measures to increase the operational distance between employees, People Counting has proven to be a good prevention tool to track the flow of people and avoid overcrowding.</p><p>To do so, sensors such as the one of Xovis AG are mounted on the main traffic areas, such as the entrance of each floor. This smart device counts the number of people and transmits the current count to the <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> platform. The entire solution does not capture any personal data and is compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Employees and visitors are then informed about the current number of people via dedicated signage screens accessible from any device. This information can be coupled with indoor air quality measurements and the workplace occupancy floor plans for a full smart workplace experience.</p><p><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1615302682157-1615302682157.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Xovis sensor mounted on the ceiling</span></span></span><h1 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Service on demand button</h1></div><p>100’000 calls and 150’000 emails per year, these are the number of requests that the Customer Service Desk of ISS Switzerland needs to attend to. Establishing efficient processes is key in order to manage such a high volume of requests. Consider that even small mandates such as empty ink cartridge replacement can easily take 20 minutes per case.</p><p>To automate the processing of the requests and remove unnecessary manual steps, the ISS Digital Transformation team has developed a simple, yet very efficient solution: a configurable service on demand button. Within seconds, the push of a button triggers a notification, reaching the responsible person who provides the service in demand.</p><p>The buttons are fully programmable through the <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> platform. They communicate any change in their status via LoRaWAN over the Low Power Network (LPN) provided by Swisscom.</p><p></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1615303212083-1615303212082.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Service on demand button</span></span></span><p class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Thanks to this smart solution, the customer service desk team obtained an average additional 8 hours of free time per day. The entire ticket process of small mandates is completely automated and therefore does not require any time or attention of the customer service staff.</p></div><p></p><h2>Washroom usage monitoring</h2><p>To better monitor and plan the frequency of room cleaning and maintenance in office buildings, a dedicated Washroom Usage Monitoring solution has been developed. It is part of the standard Business Intelligence (BI) modules of <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> and is able to track the fluctuations in the usage of washrooms. Measuring the usage of washrooms enables a more dynamic cleaning of the premise. Magnetic sensors count the number of door openings and service on demand buttons allow a direct cleaning request by users. This leads to a better deployment of cleaning personal and faster response time.</p><figure><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width: 698px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1615302405480-1615302405480.png" alt="Browser comp 4 washroom" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Washroom monitoring dashboard</span></span></span><h1 class="fr-img-space-wrap2"><br></h1></div></figure><h1>Oil tank monitoring</h1><p>Remote metering solutions have been part of the IoT landscape for several years. From heat meters to energy meters, several standard products have already been retrofitted with remote metering capabilities. However, there are still many others that still require the direct assistance of a person. It is the case of most oil tank installations for large buildings.</p><p>The Swisscom communication Nodes are a critical point of connection as they power the entire last-mile infrastructure for internet and phone line networks of a region. In case of a power loss, emergency generators will automatically produce the required electricity for the system to avoid any shutdown. The fill level of these oil tanks had to be verified manually every month by an employee from ISS and the result logged into an online file. Such a manual process was intensive in human resources and not entirely error-proof.</p><p>To optimize the process and make it more reliable, a dedicated LoRa sensor was mounted on the oil tank to continuously monitor the fill level of the tank. By doing so, the measurements are available in near real-time in a centralized point and appropriate actions can be taken if needed. Here again, the <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> platform can automatically trigger a notification if the level reaches a lower threshold and inform the facility manager via email or SMS.</p><p><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1615303105706-oil+tank+800x500.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Fill level sensor mounted directly on the tank</span></span></span><h1 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Towards smart facility management solutions</h1></div><p><br></p><p>The previous examples describe some of the use cases that have been developed by ISS Schweiz and Akenza over the past years. All these smart solutions have been implemented within the same IoT infrastructure. This illustrates how versatile the current system is, allowing different sensors and end applications to be connected to the same middleware.</p><p>ISS Schweiz and <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverarticles&utm_content=smartbuilding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> will continue to collaborate in the ideation and development of novel digital services in the field of facility management for the customers of ISS. There is still untapped optimization potential to improve processes with IoT and hence many new smart solutions should see the light in the new future.</p>

From workplace occupancy to indoor air quality monitoring and dynamic cleaning of washrooms, a broad range of new digital services have been made possible by the use of IoT in the facility management sector.

Smart Building State of the Art

<p>IoT connectivity technologies define the connection between a physical device, for example, a sensor, and a second point in the IoT system, be it another IoT sensor, a gateway, or an IoT cloud platform.</p><p>The connectivity technologies usually differ in their power consumption, bandwidth capabilities, and latency characteristics.&nbsp;</p><p>In this article, we will give an overview of the IoT connectivity landscape and provide some examples of typical use cases for each technology.</p><hr><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NTExNDAwLU5GQy5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>NFC, or Near-Field-Communication, is a communication protocol used to exchange information between two electronic devices at very short distances. It is part of the RFID protocols. NFC uses electromagnetic induction between two antennas to exchange data over the air. It operates on an unlicensed radio frequency band.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 424 kbit/s.</li><li>Maximal transmission distance &lt;1m</li><li>13,56 MHz radio band</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>NFC has become widely popular for mobile payment applications. It is what you use when you pay at the restaurant with your mobile phone.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NTI3NDk3LXJmaWQuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>RFID stands for Radio-frequency identification. It uses electromagnetic fields to communicate between a tag and a reader device. The tag is usually a passive device that transmits its data, typically an identification number, when the reader sends an electromagnetic interrogation pulse. Hence, passive RFID tags collect energy from the reader's message to transmit their own data.. Active tags are powered by a battery and communicate up to a range of 100m.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Different data rate, typically more than 2 kBytes</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 10m (passive)</li><li>Several radio bands, including LF 150kHz and HF 13.56MHz</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>Common RFID use cases include access control and assets tracking. Tags can be attached to clothes, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals and even animals.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NTQwODYzLXppZ2JlZS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Zigbee is built on top of the IEEE 802.15.4 radio specification. Thanks to its low power, low rata rate protocol, it became popular for monitoring applications in the smart home space as it supports mesh topology. It is typically used to transmit low amounts of data over short-range distances. The mesh topology allows extending the range by transmitting a packet through several nodes.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 250 kbit/s</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 100m</li><li>2.4GHz radio band</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>Zigbee is used mainly for home and building automation, but also industrial control, security and smart metering.</p><p>IKEA smart lighting products use the ZigBee Light Link, specified by the ZigBee Alliance. Another popular example is the <a href="https://www.philips-hue.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Philips Hue</a> lighting solution.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NTYxMjczLXRocmVhZC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Thread, just like Zigbee, is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 specification. It is derived from 6LoWPAN, or IPv6, as a mesh networking protocol to control a variety of home appliances. The IPv6 base enables a natural connection between Thread networks and existing IPv6-based networks like Wi-Fi.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 250 kbit/s</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 100m</li><li>2.4GHz radio band</li><li>Maximum number nodes in the mesh network 250</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>Thread is popular in the connected home and building landscapes. The <a href="https://nest.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Google Nest</a> product line uses Thread among its supported protocols.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NTcxNjY0LXp3YXZlLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Z-wave is again a popular mesh network that started out as a protocol for controlling lighting systems and evolved towards the whole smart home field. It operates at 918/860MHz, a lower frequency range than ZigBee or Thread. Z-wave transmissions are considered extremely reliable as they do not suffer from any interference from the crowded 2.4 GHz band.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 100 kbit/s.</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 30m.</li><li>908/915 MHz band in the U.S. and 868 MHz in Europe.</li><li>Maximum number nodes in the mesh network 232.</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>Smart home use cases are the main focus of Z-wave. The <a href="https://support.myharmony.com/en-ch/home-hub-extender" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Logitech Home Harmony Hub Extender</a> supports Z-wave.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NjY4MDE4LWJsdWV0b290aC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Bluetooth technology is a widely adopted wireless solution used in countless applications that require a high communication data rate, with devices being separated by a few meters. There are two main versions of the protocol, namely Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). The original Bluetooth Classic is widely used in streaming applications; think about your car audio streaming. BLE adoption has skyrocketed in the last year as its very low power consumption makes it very popular in many Personal Area Network applications. BLE supports as well point-to-point, star and mesh topologies.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 1-3 Mbit/s depending on the version.</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 100m.</li><li>Operates in the 2.4 GHz band.</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>You will find Bluetooth in many applications where the devices are in close proximity to each other: headset, heart rate sport watch, bicycle speedometer, smart tags.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2Njc5MjAwLXdpZmkuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Everyone knows the WiFi protocol for its primary use of connecting homes to the internet. In the IoT space, WiFi is well suited for devices that need to transmit large amounts of data where power consumption is not a concern. It is therefore ideal in confined space in buildings, but a poor choice for battery-powered devices.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 1 Gbit/s</li><li>Operates in the 2.4 and 5 GHz ISM Bands</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 100m (can be extended with a dedicated device).</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>In the IoT spectrum, Wi-Fi is quite popular in video streaming applications. The <a href="https://canary.is/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Canary</a> camera is an example in the B2C sector.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2Njg5NTM5LTVnLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>5G is the fifth-generation of cellular network technology. It is designed to communicate data at a higher speed than the previous generations with increased reliability. This new generation of cellular technology is currently being rolled out around the globe and generates large expectations in the IoT world. With its low latency and enhanced reliability, 5G could support mission-critical use-cases in industrial environments.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 10 Gb/s</li><li>Frequency range 1 is from 450 MHz to 6 GHz</li><li>Frequency range 2 is from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz</li><li>Maximal transmission distance around 450m</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>The 5G network is not mature yet but shows potential applications in the Industrial IoT (IIoT) area or “smart factory”.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NzAwNjQ0LWxvcmEuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Introduced by Semtech, LoRa, short form for Long Range, is a radio connectivity protocol developed especially for communications that require long-range and low-power. Lora’s spread spectrum modulation and LoRaWAN’s (Low-Power, Wide-Area Network) star-shaped network architecture lay the groundwork for significant range and power-saving capabilities. Its range capabilities broke records in 2017 when a LoRaWAN packet was received over 702 km. This makes LoRa an attractive solution for many IoT- and M2M-enabled projects. It is an open specification which means that companies, cities and private individuals can set up their own LoRaWAN network. <a href="https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Things Network</a> community pushed the adoption of technology in the hobbyist space. <a href="https://loriot.io/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Loriot</a> is a popular network provider in the enterprise field.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 250 b/s to 11 kb/s</li><li>Frequency 433 MHz, 868 MHz (Europe), 915 MHz (Australia and North America), 865 MHz to 867 MHz (India) and 923 MHz (Asia).</li><li>Maximal transmission distance 5 km (urban), 20 km (rural)</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>LoRaWAN is ideal for sensors that only seldomly send a small amount of data, for example an indoor air quality sensor sending its measurements every 15 minutes. It makes it well suited for smart city cases, energy metering or facility management. Utility companies, as main actors of the digitization in our cities, are early adopters of the technology. <a href="https://akenza.com/blog/do-not-let-digitisation-happen-but-help-shape-it?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=connectivity&utm_content=blogpost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Allgäuer Überlandwerk</a> in Bavaria is an example of a utility company that sees LoRaWAN technology as an opportunity to optimize operations and resource management.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NzExMTI3LXNpZ2ZveC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>Sigfox is a proprietary network and radio communication protocol. Just like LoRaWAN, it is part of the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) family. It is used for long-range, low speed and low power applications. The use of Sigfox might be interesting where the coverage of the network allows it but the technology also shows some limitations in the numbers of messages that can be transmitted per day (one message every 10 mins (typ. 140 UL, 4 DL). Use cases that are a good fit are usually cases that do not need to have downlink messages to the device.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 100 b/s</li><li>Frequency 868 MHz in Europe, 915 MHz in North America, and 433 MHz in Asia</li><li>Max transmission distance 10 km (urban), 40 km (rural)</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>Similar cases as LoRaWAN can be supported by Sigfox. The network coverage might here be a deciding factor, as well as the fact that Sigfox is usually used for uplink only messaging. Typically, remote meter reading (water, electricity) are good use cases. Another example is the case from Amber Loglay, which uses a Sigfox based service on-demand system for freight lifts on construction sites. Thanks to the service on demand Sigfox button, there is not one attendant for each lift but one person operating several. The button solution serves to call the lift attendant to the respective lift when someone needs it.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NzIyMDA5LU5CLWlvdC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>NB-IoT stands for narrowband IoT. It is part of the cellular IoT technologies with LTE-M. NB-IoT can piggyback on the same mobile network as smartphones. It does it via unused GSM channels or free space between LTE channels. It requires proper infrastructure and coverage, the use of SIM cards and a subscription to a network provider, just like for your smartphone. IoT cases that require frequent communications are a good fit for NB-IoT, which has no duty cycle limitations.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 200 kbps</li><li>Frequency Licensed GSM &amp; LTE frequency bands</li><li>Max transmission distance 1 km (urban), 10 km (rural)</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>NB-IoT is used in various applications such as smart agriculture, energy metering, facility management or smart city. The Swiss company <a href="https://akenza.com/blog/optimized-logistics-in-glass-recycling-through-smart-waste-solution-a-case-study-by-live-track-akenza?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=connectivity&utm_content=blogpost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Live Track</a> developed for example a smart waste management system that allows the planning and optimization of disposal tours. During a test period of 16 weeks, they were able to reduce the total distance traveled by waste collection vehicles from over 800 km to approximately 540 km (over 30% decrease) with an estimated cost reduction of approximately 30%.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwOTc2NzcyNDg1LWx0ZW0uanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><strong>Description</strong></p><p>LTE-M, which stands for “Long Term Evolution for Machines,” is another cellular IoT technology. Not to be confused with LTE, the 4th generation of mobile network, LTE-M (LTE Cat M1) is an extension of the LTE network for IoT applications. One of the main advantages of LTE-M over NB-IoT is its voice over the network support. It is able to transmit at higher data rates but uses more bandwidth and is a bit more costly.</p><p><strong>Technical details</strong></p><ul><li>Max data throughput rates 1 Mbit/s</li><li>Frequency Licensed LTE frequency bands</li><li>Max transmission distance 1 km (urban), 10 km (rural)</li></ul><p><strong>Typical use cases</strong></p><p>LTE-M is interesting for “mission-critical” applications such as self-driving cars or alerting systems in smart cities. In life-saving medical applications such as for AED-defibrillators, LTE-M is used to send a notification message to the medical authorities as soon as the device is used.</p><hr><h3>Connectivity Technologies Overview Table</h3><p>If you are interested in comparing further these connectivity technologies, consider the following references: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405959517302953" target="_blank">Sciencedirect</a>, <a href="https://www.polymorph.co.za/iot-connectivity-comparison-gsm-vs-lora-vs-sigfox-vs-nb-iot/" target="_blank">Polymorph</a>, <a href="https://www.bluetooth.com/blog/wireless-connectivity-options-for-iot-applications-technology-comparison/" target="_blank">Bluetooth</a>.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1610979466842-ConnectivitySummaryTable.001.png" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><article><article><p>For more information about connectivity technologies and IoT use cases, visit <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=connectivity&utm_content=blogpost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.akenza.com</a>.</p></article></article><p><br></p>

In this article, we give an overview of the IoT connectivity landscape and provide some examples of typical use cases for each connectivity technology.

IoT Connectivity Landscape

<h2>Air quality monitoring and people’s well-being</h2><p>Proper lighting and indoor air quality go hand in hand when it comes to productivity and people’s well-being. Indeed, both factors have a direct impact on the way we feel and interact at work or learn in the classroom. It is usually quite straightforward to identify situations where lighting needs improvement. However, it is much more difficult for people to assess the quality of the air inside a room. It is hence not uncommon to see meeting rooms and classrooms with poor ventilation, especially during the heating period.</p><p>According to <a href="https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/527/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">studies</a>, the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in indoor spaces can directly affect people’s well-being. Poor air quality due to high levels of CO2 is linked to poor decision making, lack of focus, and drowsiness. Usually, people start experiencing some physical effects at 900 ppm but it is not rare to measure levels higher than 1000 ppm with peaks above 2000 ppm.</p><p>Good ventilation of schools and office spaces has also become a global concern with the recent COVID-19 outbreak. In this post-pandemic area, facility managers need to be able to measure the air quality on their premises and take appropriate measures in order to ensure a healthy environment for everyone.</p><h2>An innovative smart lighting solution</h2><p>To provide a viable solution to this situation, Astra LED and <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=airmonitoring" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a> have joined forces and developed an air monitoring smart lighting solution. The system can be split into two main building blocks: a lamp with an embedded sensor, and an Internet Of Things Connectivity Platform.</p><p>First, a sensor embedded in the lamp measures the air quality parameters of the room. These are typically the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) levels, the temperature and the humidity. These parameters are then transmitted to the IoT platform via a low-power, long-range radio communication protocol (LoRaWAN connectivity). The IoT platform then monitors the air quality levels continuously and displays the data on a dedicated dashboard.</p><p>If the measured levels reach a predefined threshold, the
lamp changes color and intensity accordingly (green: acceptable, orange: high levels, red: critical levels). This visual
notification indicates that the room needs to be ventilated. In
the case of schools, this is used as a playful approach to raise
awareness about the topic and lead students to act.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1607948747554-smartlightred.jpg"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">The Smart Light changes to red in case of poor air quality</span></span></span></p><p>The smart lamp and sensors have been developed by Astra LED. The company develops and produces integrated and adaptive lighting and sensor solutions that increase well-being and reduce operating and maintenance costs.</p><p>The IoT software infrastructure is provided by <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=airmonitoring" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza</a>.
The platform makes it possible to connect to the cloud any
type of sensor via different connectivity technologies (e.g.
LoRaWAN, Sigfox, NB-IoT, LTE-M, 5G). The device can hence
be managed in one place, and the sensor’s data made available to the cloud in a dedicated application or ERP system.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1607947363656-smartlightroom.jpg"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Smart Light in an office space</span></span></span></p><h2>The case of the city of Zug, Switzerland</h2><p>One of the first implementations of the system has been made
in the city of Zug. The depicted solution has been put in
service in several schools of the city to monitor the air quality
inside the classrooms.
The smart light solution is also in service in the townhouse of the city, to monitor the air quality in meeting rooms.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 300px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1607946977129-SmartLightMeetingRoom.jpg"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Smart Light in a meeting room</span></span></span></p><h2>Towards a healthier indoor environment</h2><p>Fostering a healthy environment in schools and workplaces
is a critical precondition to ensure the well-being of students
and the workforce as well as to ensure high productivity
levels. With the current solution, school and facility managers
have a viable tool to track and monitor the air quality in their
premises.</p><article><p>For more information about indoor air climate monitoring, visit <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=airmonitoring" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.akenza.com</a>.</p></article>

Smart Light with Air Quality Monitoring Sensor

Proper lighting and indoor air quality go hand in hand when it
comes to productivity and people’s well-being. Discover how a Smart Light Solution for Indoor Air Monitoring helps schools and companies improve the air quality in their premises.

Improving indoor air quality thanks to IoT

<h1 dir="ltr">Internet of Things</h1><p dir="ltr">IoT or the Internet of Things is the term used to describe the network of physical objects or &ldquo;things&rdquo; that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet. The low cost of chips and the availability of wireless networks mean almost anything can become part of the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/why-ai-is-set-to-reshape-the-iot" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IoT network</a>. Adding sensors to otherwise &lsquo;dumb&rsquo; objects gives them a level of intelligence that can be used to build smart systems such as your connected home, automated workspaces, or environmental sensing systems. However, sensors are only one part of an IoT system which also requires a network to connect and exchange data and a method of interpreting and reading that data, which is done by a software application.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">IoT networks</h2><p dir="ltr">IoT is possible thanks to the advent of wireless networks. There are many different network types, each network type has particular properties and characteristics suitable for different IoT scenarios. The current maturity and continued development as well as the deployment of this array of networks directly reflect what types of IoT scenarios can be implemented and where.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">These network types range from low power cellular networks such as NB-IoT and long-range radio networks such as LoRaWAN, Sigfox to local personal networks such as Bluetooth and RFID. The selection of a connectivity option depends on the IoT applications it is serving, with each requiring drastically different functions. The IoT connectivity option that is amazing for one application may be unsuitable for another.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The majority of IoT devices, especially those in smart city and industrial sectors, don&rsquo;t require the same speed and bandwidth of consumer cellular devices to communicate. However, they do have other specific requirements such as longevity and low power consumption.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">This article focuses on Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN). It will discuss the specific type of networks in use under this umbrella term and how LPWANs are integral to the continuing innovation and relevant application of IoT.</p><h1 dir="ltr">LPWAN Technology Overview</h1><p dir="ltr">LPWANs are designed to allow long-range communications at a low bit rate. &nbsp;LPWAN is not a standard but a broad term encompassing various implementations and protocols, both proprietary and open-source, that share common characteristics, namely low power, and wide area. It is important to note these properties in comparison to other wireless network protocols such as local RF networks that include Bluetooth and RFID, cellular M2M, or mesh networks like ZigBee.</p><p dir="ltr"><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NzEzNTM0NzE2LXNtYWxsIGdyYXBoLnBuZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;"></p><p dir="ltr">LPWANs are useful for IoT scenarios where devices need to send small data over a wide area while maintaining battery life for an extended period of time. There are several connectivity technologies in the LPWAN space the most prominent include:</p><p dir="ltr"><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NzE0OTkwODQyLXRhYmxlIGFrZW56YS5wbmciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;"></p><h1 dir="ltr">Why do LPWANS matter to IoT?</h1><p dir="ltr">LPWANs are critically important to the overarching concept of IoT and its expansion. In many ways LPWANs are the backbone of a value-driven IoT network as they provide the opportunity for devices that usually don&rsquo;t have sensors or their own power supply, &nbsp;to become truly connected. By transforming almost anything into a data-gathering device with low cost, low power sensors, and using LPWANs to connect and distribute this data, smart networks are created that can improve efficiency, data collection, industrial process and be used in research and environmental monitoring - meeting many of the goals of the IoT vision.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Consumer IoT relies on the high-speeds of 4G and <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/an-introduction-to-5g" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">5G wireless services</a> to provide applications such as connected smart homes, remote car retrieval, and entertainment. Often the items in these IoT networks are already relatively high tech, have their own power supply, and can have some information retrieved from them regardless of their connection. These networks are in frequent use with high bandwidth.</p><p dir="ltr">In contrast, LPWANs offers IoT applications the opportunity for devices to send small amounts of data periodically over remote networks that span large distances and use battery-powered devices that need to last many years. The devices in these networks can include typically non-powered, non &lsquo;smart&rsquo; items such as agricultural gates, bins, bridges, or walkways.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">LPWANs achieve their range and low power capabilities by only sending small packets of information periodically upon waking from an external trigger or at a pre-programmed interval.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">Opportunities and challenges</h2><p dir="ltr">The advantages of LPWANs are clear in applications where networks require periodic or inconsistent data transfer over long distances for a significant amount of time. Due to the range and simplicity of LPWAN data packets, sensors can even report from underground, in challenging climates, and from significant distances from gateways or towers.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">However, there are limitations to LPWANS, they are unsuitable for use cases requiring data to be transferred frequently and/or in large volumes. So detailed images, videos or lengthy audio is unsuitable to be transferred over an LPWAN.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Some non-cellular LPWANs may also be unsuitable for applications where the transfer of data is considered &lsquo;mission critical&rsquo; due to possible interference due to band sharing. Open-air LPWAN devices such as something on top of a tower that is sending faint signals in sub-GHz open bands may encounter interference from high-energy signals operating just above the GHz boundary.</p><p dir="ltr">Non-cellular LPWANs sometimes use unlicensed bands - these are the bands left open by government for industrial, science, and medicine so they must share access to the radio spectrum with other devices. This sharing requires regularization to ensure fair spectrum access for all devices and to prevent potentially harmful interference as described above.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Cellular LPWAN networks are inside the licensed spectrum and are offered by mobile network operators. They were developed with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project&nbsp;(3GPP)&nbsp;and GSMA.</p><p dir="ltr"><strong id="isPasted">Recommended reading:&nbsp;</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/critical-asset-monitoring-with-lpwan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Critical Asset Monitoring with LPWAN</a></span></p><h2 dir="ltr">Maturity of the technology</h2><p dir="ltr">With the advent of the cellular LPWAN, there is now more flexibility in the definition of &ldquo;low-power&rdquo; and &ldquo;wide-area&rdquo;. &nbsp;As the options for connectivity technology grow it&rsquo;s essential there isn&rsquo;t a temptation for one choice to be predicted as a winner. Different technologies suit different applications and the industry must take care to avoid the hype around particular protocols diluting a nuanced approach with a view to local contexts.</p><p dir="ltr"><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NzE1MTA0MzI5LWJpZyBncmFwaCBmb3IgYWtlbnphLnBuZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;"></p><h2 dir="ltr">Market share &amp; European landscape</h2><p dir="ltr">Critical to IoT success is the wide deployment of LPWAN networks. LoRa has been rapidly deployed in most countries in the world, with<a href="https://lora-alliance.org/" target="_blank">&nbsp;all but one European country</a> connected. Sigfox has strong coverage in western Europe and has <a href="https://www.sigfox.com/en/coverage" target="_blank">rollout plans</a> for Scandinavia, Austria, and Poland as well as North and South America. NB IoT and LTE enjoy wide global coverage, <a href="https://www.gsma.com/iot/deployment-map/" target="_blank">this map</a> shows the mobile IoT commercial launches to-date.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">In Europe, IoT solutions where cross-border networks are likely to be common such as logistics and waste management there need to be particular attention paid to the network type and provider to ensure the continuity of the relevant LPWAN network. In this regard, Sigfox enjoys an advantage as it is a single product operated by a single company with approximately 60 countries partially or totally covered to date. &nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">LoRaWAN networks, on the other hand, are operated by different private companies in each European country, for example, Belgium and Luxembourg have Proximus, in Switzerland its Swisscom, the Netherlands uses KPN. In France, there are two operators, Orange and Bouygues while the UK has Connexin and IOT Networks. Germany has a choice between 3 public operators Digimondo, Minol Zenner, and Netzikon. Italy has 4 operators: A2A Smart City, Axatel, Telemar, and Unidata. But despite the rich landscape, most of these operators are not interconnected which may make it difficult for a sensor to switch from one network to another. This potential issue with continuity of connection is being addressed through roaming agreements between providers and with regulation at a national level.&nbsp;</p><h1 dir="ltr">LPWANs IoT case studies</h1><h2 dir="ltr">LoRaWAN</h2><p dir="ltr">A common application for LoRaWAN is the Smart Facility / Smart Building field. ISS, one of the world&rsquo;s leading facility services companies is embracing the use of IoT based smart facility services across their services. For example, smart facility management enables ISS customers to track and analyze workspace occupancy therefore optimizing space management. By installing occupancy sensors in buildings, it becomes possible to improve the management of workspaces with new digital solutions. Infrared sensors mounted under personal desks or in meeting rooms allow property and office managers to see at a glance which areas are used more frequently than others (Figure 4). This type of system will become increasingly important as room occupancy rates and contact tracing become essential knowledge in a post-pandemic world.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NzE1MTgzNzg0LWRlc2sgb2NjdXBhbmN5X2FrZW56YS5qcGciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Figure 4.</span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr">Other smart building applications include:</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Air monitoring</strong></p><p dir="ltr">Air monitoring uses stationary or mobile IoT-enabled sensors to map and monitor the air quality inside high-occupancy spaces such as schools and hospitals. This data can inform cities of building management to make better decisions about ventilation, hygiene, occupancy rates, or similar.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Smart cleaning&nbsp;</strong></p><p dir="ltr">Smart cleaning applications might include services such as those offered by Soobr which offers clients the ability to plan cleaning choreographies based on levels of higher use and urgency. &nbsp;In these instances, LoRa is a solid LPWAN choice as the data being transferred has a low bandwidth and long-distance. LoRa also allows the user to set up their own network in situations where data security or ownership are critical.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">Sigfox</h2><p dir="ltr">Sigfox is suitable for a variety of applications. International company <a href="http://ambergloglay.com/" target="_blank">Amberg Loglay</a> uses Sigfox to develop service on demand systems for logistics on construction sides. On large construction sites with many moving parts and large numbers of workers, there may be several freight lifts on the site, each of which must be operated by lift attendants. With a service-on-demand system, there is not one attendant for each lift but one person operates several. The button solution serves to call the lift attendant/driver to the respective lift. While simple enough sounding this can provide huge efficiency increases on large infrastructure and building projects.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">As Sigfox is operated by a private enterprise it is excellent for larger businesses who need completely remotely managed networks. A critical deciding factor between Sigfox and LoRaWAN is the network coverage. In some areas, you may have one but not the other, which will influence the decision-making process.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">NB-IoT</h2><p dir="ltr">NB-IoT is used in solutions for waste disposal companies, utilities, and transport companies. By attaching sensors with low energy consumption and long service life to the waste containers, it is possible to centrally monitor and predict the container&#39;s filling level. This enables improved planning of disposal tours and thus increases the efficiency of waste management. A concept study completed by Swiss logistics company Live Track aimed to evaluate the savings and potential of an IoT based waste monitoring system. The study which monitored glass collection in west-central Switzerland showed huge benefits in cost reduction, environmental impact, and collection efficiency. The total distance traveled by waste collection vehicles fell from over 800 km to approximately 540 km (over 30% decrease) in the evaluated period of 16 weeks while the estimated costs of the system were reduced by approximately 30%. Full details of the study can be read&nbsp;<a href="https://akenza.com/blog/optimized-logistics-in-glass-recycling-through-smart-waste-solution-a-case-study-by-live-track-akenza?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverblog&utm_content=lpwanblogpost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><h2 dir="ltr">LTE Cat-M1</h2><p dir="ltr">This network technology is extremely energy-efficient and also supports mobile cell handover for non-static applications and voice functionalities (VoLTE). LTE-M has been implemented into several life-saving medical applications. For example in AED-defibrillators, the portable devices used to deliver a safe electric shock to a person having cardiac arrest - when the device is used, perhaps at a public beach or swimming pool, a message is automatically sent to the relevant medical authorities. LTE-M has also been used in mobile telemetry systems that require high reliability such as voice-controlled emergency wristwatches that need to be able to transmit small data volumes in critical timeframes. When the wearer utters a trigger word, the device sends an alert message.&nbsp;</p><h1 dir="ltr">Future adoption</h1><p dir="ltr">LPWANs will continue to emerge as the fastest-growing IoT communication technology with LoRa and NB-IoT currently the most commonly used. However, for the continued expansion of IoT especially into new fields, services, and industries without previous IoT or other networks systems smart software solutions are essential. &nbsp;Users planning IoT projects are currently faced with a fragmented market that will usually require a diligent vendor to offer solutions that focus on the value of the system over the hype of the IoT news machine.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">Services must make clear the true cost, maintenance, and value of IoT for their business in order to reduce IoT project failure. There is a huge opportunity for IoT software infrastructure to assist in the bridge between the user, no matter the size and the value proposition of the IoT system.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Ensuring a focus on value</h2><p dir="ltr">The reason many IoT projects fail is the failure to understand how such a system can bring value. Enterprise software companies are going a long way to simplify IoT for businesses of all sizes and from all sectors. Zurich based company, Akenza, addresses the complexity of IoT by offering a completely agnostic IoT platform. Customers select the products, networks, storage and processing location, and software interface that is right for them independent of other commercial influences. <a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverblog&utm_content=lpwanblogpost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akenza solutions</a> work with LoRa, Sigfox, NB-IoT, and LTE-M LPWANs, and can use off the shelf, or custom-built software applications.&nbsp;</p><p><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NzE1Mzk3OTM2LWFrZW56YSBpbGx1c3RyYXRpb24gcHVibGlzaGVkLmpwZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;"></p><h1 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h1><p dir="ltr">The convergence of the trend towards sensors increasing in quality while decreasing in size and cost with the expansion of the spectrum of LPWAN protocols mean IoT networks can provide real value to enterprises, communities, and cities. The use of low power and wide range networks with smart end-user software solutions opens the possibilities of the potential of IoT to more and more applications and more people. The future of IoT based on long battery-life devices connected by low power wide range networks is bright and will only be enhanced by everyone in the ecosystem recognizing its ongoing complexity and dedicating solutions to value.&nbsp;</p><hr><h1 dir="ltr"><em>About the sponsor: Akenza</em></h1><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://akenza.com/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wevolverblog&utm_content=lpwanblogpost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Akenza</em></a><em>&nbsp;is dedicated to helping companies build their own smart IoT solutions. The Akenza IoT platform can be seen as a bridge between the physical world and the cloud. With a simple and secure management of smart devices, connectivity, and data, it enables the rapid market introduction of innovative, digital technologies. The technology agnostic architecture avoids technology lock-in and makes it possible to register any type of device via any connectivity technology, process the data, and make it available to any application in the cloud.&nbsp;</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NzE1NjA4MjQwLWxvZ28gYmFubmVyIGJvdHRvbSBha2VuemEuanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;">&nbsp;</em></p>

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