Aqara unveiled on Thursday the Roller Shade Controller T1S, a tubular motor supporting Matter compatibility over bridge for superior interoperability across smart home platforms and devices. A solution that blends into any interior, this motor offers homeowners enhanced convenience, energy efficiency and privacy. By automating shades, it eliminates the need for manual adjustments, providing holistic smart home experience.
Whether through remote control, preset schedules, mobile apps, voice assistants, or complete home automation, the Roller Shade Controller T1S makes it a breeze to adjust multiple shades simultaneously, including those in hard-to-reach windows. It features a myriad of automation and controls that intuitively respond to users’ needs, allowing for the creation of ambience, adjustment to lighting throughout the day, temperature regulation in concert with other smart devices, and enhanced privacy from the outside world.
Compatible with various window coverings such as roller shades, zebra roller blinds, Shangri-la blinds, and honeycomb blinds, this Zigbee-based roller shade motor offers maximum flexibility and seamless integration with Matter-compatible platforms via an Aqara Matter bridge.
The T1S connects with Aqara Home and third-party platforms including Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Home Assistant, Homey, and SmartThings, offering homeowners greater choices in creating personalised smart home scenes and automation.
Featuring advanced DC motor technology, the Roller Shade Controller T1S operates at a high speed of 25 rpm while maintaining a low noise level of under 27 dB, ensuring a peaceful atmosphere conducive to relaxation, focus, and productivity. The Aqara Home app supports even quieter operation of the motor by allowing it to open or close slowly and gradually over a preset time period, such as 30 minutes.
Last week, Aqara released Smart Lock U50, its latest addition to the smart lock product line. Aiming to bring convenience and added security, the entry-level solution comes equipped with advanced features like Apple home key unlocking and Matter compatibility over a bridge. The launch transforms traditional key access into a keyless, integrated experience for more households.
The Smart Lock U50 offers multiple secure entry options including Apple home keys, which allow for effortless unlocking with a simple tap of an iPhone or Apple Watch. Homeowners can also manage and share home access with one-time and recurring passwords, as well as NFC cards. Physical keys are provided for added peace of mind, and the lock includes a USB-C port for emergency charging, ensuring access is never lost even if batteries are depleted.
May 31, 2024
Posted by: Anna Ribeiro
Afero announced that it has signed the Secure by Design pledge from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), making it the first secure IoT platform company to do so. The move highlights the company’s dedication to delivering enterprise-grade security for IoT endpoints, including devices that may lack sufficient memory and processing power to support traditional operating systems.
The IoT Platform as a Service by Afero focuses on security, data privacy, simplicity, and user-friendliness throughout the end-to-end experience. These core principles are seamlessly integrated into the solution, empowering manufacturers and brands to safeguard their supply chain.
Afero’s technology is utilised in millions of devices spanning 150 product categories from over 50 manufacturers, including brands like Defiant, Hampton Bay, and EcoSmart.
“Our mission at Afero has always been to enable connected devices to be smart and secure,” said Joe Britt, CEO and co-founder of Afero. “By signing the CISA Secure by Design pledge, we are reinforcing our commitment to leading the IoT industry with robust security measures that extend all the way to the endpoint, even the most constrained devices. This pledge aligns perfectly with our core values and ongoing efforts to safeguard the IoT supply chain.”
The CISA Secure by Design pledge is a voluntary commitment to improve the security of enterprise software products and services, including on-premises software, cloud services, and software as a service (SaaS). While the pledge does not currently include physical products such as IoT devices and consumer products, Afero has been committed since its founding to extending this same secure-by-design philosophy down to physical products such as high-volume consumer devices.
“The surging demand for connected devices will make IoT security more critical than ever,” said Bret Jordan, the company’s chief security strategist. “Afero is at the forefront of securing this hyperconnected edge, ensuring every device, no matter how small, remains secure. As the first IoT platform player to sign the CISA pledge, we’re demonstrating Afero’s unwavering dedication to this cause.”
May 30, 2024
Posted by: Anna Ribeiro
Nexxiot has entered into a partnership with KS&C. This collaboration aims to enhance the freight transportation sector in Korea by accelerating the digitalisation of shipping containers, portss and vessels, thereby increasing operational efficiency and significantly improving the experiences of beneficial cargo owners. (more…)
May 29, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Joint Chinese is launching its latest turnkey smart ring design based on Nordic’s nRF52840 SoC. The Bluetooth LE SoC provides connectivity and supervises the health and wellness sensor algorithms. The out-of-the-box solution comes with a breadth of monitoring options, including V02 max, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), blood glucose estimation, temperature, heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), as well as sleep and activity data.
“The J-Style JCRing is the future of personal health measurement and has been developed for users who need to continuously monitor their body data, as well as people concerned about their personal health and fitness,” said Yan Hongwu, the general manager at Joint Chinese Limited. “We have worked with Nordic for many years now because the company has a long-standing reputation in health applications and its ultra low power wireless SoCs are ideally suited to resource constrained applications such as smart rings.”
The J-Style JCRing comes in a miniaturised 8 mm wide and 2.9 mm thick form factor, in a range of U.S. standard ring sizes. Despite its small size, the device offers advanced operation and superior data security, thanks to the Nordic SoC’s rich set of features. The nRF52840 SoC is available in a wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) to support both cost- and space-constrained wireless designs, while its 64 MHz, Arm Cortex M4 processor with floating point unit (FPU) provides ample computational overhead to supervise the sensors and run the sensor algorithms. The Arm CryptoCell-310 cryptographic accelerator ensures personal data remains secure on the device and during transmission, essential in sensitive health applications.
In typical operation, the J-Style JCRing’s 14.5-21.5 mAh Li-Po battery achieves a life of up to 10 days between recharge, or up to 30 days in standby mode, depending on which features have been activated and the frequency of ring use. This extended battery life is in part thanks to the ultra low power characteristics of the Nordic SoC. The nRF52840 has been engineered to minimise power consumption with features such as the 2.4 GHz radio’s 5.5-mA peak RX/TX currents and a fully automatic power management system that significantly reduces power consumption.
Thanks to the performance of JCRing, J-Style now is one of the leaders in Smart Ring and also aiming to get the smart ring Medical certificate in Q1 2025
The nRF52840 SoC’s robust and stable Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity enables the user to view and analyse their health data via the ‘JCRing’ app on their smartphone. The iOS and Android app also enables users to set personalised goals and receive health advice, while female users can manage and track their menstrual cycle.
The endurance of the battery and Bluetooth range is better than similar products on the market because of Nordic’s leadership in ultra low power wireless connectivity. The nRF52840 SoC’s powerful processor and large memory capacity together ensure the complex sensor algorithms can be carried out rapidly and accurately, while the high radio sensitivity guarantees a stable Bluetooth connection.
“Thanks to the great performance of JCRing, J-Style now is one of the top leaders in Smart Ring and also aiming to get the smart ring Medical certificate in Q1 2025.” said Yan Hongwu.
“By providing comprehensive technical information and reference designs, Nordic also simplifies the development process. An excellent team of application engineers provides quick response and professional support.”
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May 28, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Kinéis and Semtech make satellite connectivity more accessible for the Internet of Things (IoT) by reusing standard terrestrial solutions. This complementarity will enable millions of users to access global coverage simply and directly.
May 27, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the organisation that oversees Bluetooth technology, has announced the appointment of Neville Meijers as chief executive officer (CEO) effective 29 May 2024. Neville brings to the Bluetooth SIG a long, proven track record of transformative leadership and innovation that has helped elevate telecommunication and wireless businesses to new heights. (more…)
May 24, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC) has announced that Soracom has joined as a member. The AECC is a non-profit consortium of cross-industry players working to drive best practices for the convergence of vehicle, computing and networking technologies.
As a member of the Consortium, Soracom will collaborate with AECC members to evaluate the work being done by mobile network operators, automotive manufacturers, communication companies, cloud players and other related technology standards bodies and technology communities to ensure that new technologies and standards will meet the future needs of connected vehicles. Soracom’s expertise in IoT connectivity will help the AECC to ensure that technologies remain connected with the most consistent and efficient solutions for every instance.
“Connected vehicle services, such as intelligent driving and high-definition mapping, will require secure and reliable connectivity to connect to the cloud. As an AECC member, Soracom will work with the organisation’s global member base to identify a next-generation solution for vehicles to securely connect with their cloud backend to support high-volume data and intelligent services,” said Kenta Yasukawa, the CTO and co-founder at Soracom. Additionally, at the April AECC All Member meeting, he concluded his presentation by saying: “We will conduct a proof of concept of an authentication and secure channel for connected cars using GSMA specification SGP22/32 embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) with AECC members Toyota and ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC), and share the results.”
The AECC accelerates the development of connected vehicle best practices and new use cases by sharing relevant findings, requirements and technology solutions with industry standards organisations. The AECC’s vision is to create a new era where connected vehicles use high-volume data and AI to help improve safety, sustainability, reliability and the driving experience.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Soracom to the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium,” said the AECC board of directors in a joint statement. “Soracom’s technology and experience make them invaluable collaborators for AECC as we work together on solutions for the next generation of connected vehicles.”
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May 23, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Peachtree Corners has announced that enterprise video software powerhouse Network Optix has partnered with Curiosity Lab and has integrated its Nx Go solution, tailored for traffic infrastructure, into the city’s “IoT Control Room”. This marks the first time that the company’s technology has been deployed as a full solution in the U.S. (more…)
May 22, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
GEO Business – the geospatial event held in UK – has launched its programme ahead of the 2024 edition, taking place from 5-6 June at ExCeL London. The free-to-attend expo is designed for geospatial professionals who want to unlock the power of location intelligence. This year’s instalment is set to be the best yet, as GEO Business celebrates its tenth anniversary. (more…)
May 21, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Subeca, an internet of things (IoT) startup that provides low cost and easy to use water technology, raised US$ 6m in Series A funding. The Series A was led by SUEZ with participation from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon’s sustainability focused corporate venture fund and Burnt Island Ventures.
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska