Avnet Memec gives IoT star billing at electronica

The first section of the demos will be based on new low power wide-area wireless networks like SIGFOX or LoRa-technology-based networks like ACTILITY. These networks are very power efficient and targeted at low bandwidth connections sending just a few messages per day.

Most of today’s SIGFOX ready-to-use solutions are based on Cloud-on-Chip technology from TELECOM DESIGN and real connected industrial products and their web applications will be showcased.  These include waste container management by Agora Energy, an attendance time-clock by OEM-Horanet Group, a water meter by Connit, industrial sensors by SNEF, home sensors by TD and a weather station.

Two sets of LoRa-based demonstrations will also be running.  The first one will be a co-operation between Semtech, Microchip and IBM. The corresponding cloud service will be hosted by IBM.  The second one will be a private local network deployed by AVNET-MEMEC and ACTILITY.  All products incorporate low power hardware to address the growing market for the Internet of Things. These low power designs are mostly battery powered with estimated battery life times of 10+ years.

The second section of showcases features connected devices with higher bandwidths. The Avnet Memec PowerHouse module is a 2% accurate monitoring and control unit for power sockets, which communicates over Powerline and is linked to the SmartServer from Echelon. The connection to the outside world is made via a Quectel GPRS/GSM modem featuring the Wyless cellular service and the Porthos M2M Management System.  Powerline communication is also used for the LightHouse system, an LED/lighting control system exploiting Echelon and Renesas technology.

On the WLAN side Avnet Memec will demonstrate a low-cost WiFi module connecting directly to an ultra-low power ARM controller from Silicon Labs.  The LAN segment features the first ARM mbed system used to link to the IBM cloud service.