CEOs, engineers, researchers, and manufacturers are in broad agreement that IoT has the potential to forever change the way we do business. By connecting to everyday devices and collecting and analyzing the data they provide, we have the ability to streamline business processes, cut costs, and improve productivity.
For many companies, however, these benefits currently only exist in theory, and many managers aren’t even able to set out a roadmap toward achieving these outcomes. In fact, the 2017 Global IoT Report revealed that 43% of business leaders surveyed said they hadn’t fully implemented IoT, and 91% claimed they had encountered challenges when choosing the right IoT platform.
One of the main causes of these difficulties is the lack of clarity facing decision makers when they try to implement IoT solutions. Despite being built around a technology that’s all about connectivity, the IoT industry remains incredibly fractured. To establish a network, companies routinely need to integrate software systems from one company, gateway devices from another, and nodes and sensors from third, fourth, and fifth suppliers. The challenges this approach produces mean that projects can take over a year to complete and often even collapse during the planning stages.
AAEON is working to overcome these challenges by creating vertical market solutions and a complete, end-to-end service based around its range of award-winning IoT gateway devices.
- The AIOT-ILRA01 was the world’s first Intel-based LoRa gateway system, and it supports 868/915MHz transmission over distances of up to 15km.
- The AIOT-IGSW01 gateway supports wide variety of wireless protocols such as WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G or 4G LTE, and Zigbee.
- The rugged AIOT-IP6801 has an IP68 rating, a possible -20oC to 70oC operating temperature range, and a combination of M12 connectors and waterproof attachments. The device is shipped with dedicated WiFi802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 antennas, and LoRa, 3G/4G LTE, and IQRF kits are also available.
To complement these gateways, AAEON is planning to add a series of IoT nodes designed to answer the specific challenges of different vertical markets. In addition, the Taiwan-based industrial hardware developer is working with outside technology providers to carry out compatibility tests. The resulting approved vendor list – along with AAEON’s own specialized LoRa node – will ensure that customers can quickly find the right solution for them and not have to worry about projects being put on hold due to hardware incompatibilities.
Since end users will also have the opportunity to access gateways and nodes targeted at specific applications, they will be able to build more effective networks that help them unlock the full potential of IoT technology.
Even with the guarantee of integrated hardware, though, it’s still possible for IoT projects to be derailed by compatibility issues with software systems. AAEON is actively working to reduce risks here as well. The company already produces gateway devices with support for multiple operating systems and communication technologies. The hardware maker also plans to cooperate with software partners to develop complete systems.
There are good reasons why so many business leaders have not yet fully implemented IoT. For too long, the technology has been difficult to navigate and had a high barrier to entry. AAEON is changing all this, however. By working directly with customers and offering integrated, end-to-end services, it’s able to slash times to market, reduce project failure rates, and help customers efficiently design, implement, and manage IoT networks.
