Amazon’s latest Matter update unlocks Thread support

Amazon has announced a number of significant updates to its support for smart home standard Matter.

The company says it has now switched on Matter in over 100 million Echo smart speakers, the Alexa iOS app now works with the standard, and, most notably, Thread support has arrived.

Matter is a new smart home standard that was developed by a consortium of companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung. It is designed to make it easier for smart home devices from...

3 May 2023 | Connectivity

Sateliot wants to connect 5G NB-IoT devices using LEO satellites

Spanish low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite constellation operator Sateliot has applied to the FCC to expand its services in the United States.

Sateliot’s constellation uses the 5G IoT standard and provides coverage extension to mobile network operators (MNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) through standard roaming agreements.

American IoT solution providers will no longer need specific and expensive satellite devices but can instead connect to satellites...

19 April 2023 | 5G

UnaBiz releases Sigfox 0G device library code

Massive IoT service provider and integrator UnaBiz has released the Sigfox 0G technology device library code for connected objects to the public and IoT development community.

UnaBiz claims the release marks “a significant step” in driving technology interoperability and the unification of LPWANs in the IoT industry. The company notes that it aligns with its “Technology Convergence” movement that started when it acquired the Sigfox 0G technology in April...

4 April 2023 | Connectivity

Matter creator CSA announces healthcare working group

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has announced the creation of a working group focused on accelerating the adoption of Matter for healthcare purposes.

Matter was released by the CSA last year with the promise of providing an interoperable standard that will finally unlock the full potential of the smart home.

The CSA’s member list is nearing 600 organisations – including Apple, Google, Amazon, Huawei, Samsung, IKEA, Schneider Electric, Signify, Bosch,...

10 February 2023 | Applications

LoRa Alliance 2022 report: LoRaWAN ‘no longer just for early adopters’

The LoRa Alliance published its 2022 end of year report highlighting adoption of LoRaWAN technology as well as certification advancements – and has given itself a stellar grade on its progress.

LoRaWAN, an LPWAN protocol designed to connect battery-operated ‘things’ to the internet in regional, national or global networks, is now a ‘mature’ technology, in the verdict of the LoRa Alliance.

This is not just an empty platitude, either; at the end of 2021 LoRaWAN...

7 February 2023 | Connectivity

5G IoT connections to exceed 100M by 2026

The global number of 5G IoT connections is set to exceed 100 million by 2026.

A study by Juniper Research finds the number of connections will reach 116 million by 2026; increasing from 17 million in 2023.

The incredible 1,100 percent growth is set to be driven by smart city services and healthcare.

Olivia Williams, one of the researchers, commented:

“5G will enable more efficient and dynamic healthcare provision that was not feasible with 4G or...

24 January 2023 | 5G

SwitchBot jumps on the Matter train with Hub 2

SwitchBot has added support for the Matter smart home standard with its new Hub 2.

Announced at this year’s CES, the Hub 2 is a WiFi-based bridge that enables SwitchBot’s popular Bluetooth devices to work with other ecosystems.

The new hub now features a simple display that shows information such as temperature and humidity in the air. However, those features are secondary to its main function.

With the Hub 2, users of SwitchBot’s devices can use the...

4 January 2023 | Applications

Z-Wave Source Code project is ‘complete’

The Z-Wave Alliance has announced that its Source Code project is “complete” and now available to members.

By opening development, the alliance says it will enable members to contribute code that will shape the future of the IoT protocol.

Smart home standard Matter has stolen the spotlight over the past year due to its backing from major ecosystem players, including Apple, Google, Samsung, IKEA, Signify, and more. The standard has boosted hopes that the smart...

15 December 2022 | Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6 and 5G provide today’s optimal wireless IoT connectivity

IoT innovations have seen increased adoption of Wi-Fi to support everything from factory robots to vending machines.

The increased throughput offered by Wi-Fi 6 is demonstrating how the technology can be applicable to a raft of use cases. In some situations, this makes Wi-Fi a more appealing connectivity option than cellular as it brings the same wireless benefits but at lower cost.

The central advantage of Wi-Fi 7 is that it offers an extremely high throughput utilizing...

21 October 2022 | 5G

Smart home IoT standard Matter officially launches

Matter has officially launched with the arrival of the 1.0 release of the smart home IoT standard.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is responsible for creating, evolving, and managing the Matter standard. Today, the CSA and its members released the Matter 1.0 standard and certification program.

“What started as a mission to unravel the complexities of connectivity has resulted in Matter, a single, global IP-based protocol that will fundamentally change the...

5 October 2022 | Connectivity