Sigfox SA, a robust and low-power technology, was selected by the National Treasury as the network to underpin the new smart water meter ecosystem. The tender, commonly known as “RT29” awarded to various System Integrators, will see existing meters adapted or replaced to become smart meters to improve revenue collection and service delivery. All the new meters will run on the nationwide Sigfox IoT network. (more…)
June 11, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced the #1 U.S. consumer brand for almonds and almond milk, Blue Diamond Growers is continuing its 100-year tradition of quality, innovation and food safety by modernising its wireless networking infrastructure with an HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi 6E-enabled solution.
The deployment improves mobile and IoT device connectivity in support of the California-based cooperative’s three manufacturing facilities that processes approximately a billion pounds of almonds annually for domestic and worldwide consumption on behalf of its 3,000 grower-owners. Stretching across over 3.3 million square feet of manufacturing facilities, including 40 acres of outdoor crop receiving areas, the new Wi-Fi network also provides AI-powered intelligence that is speeding troubleshooting by 50%.
“Our enterprise has a rich history of using innovation to produce and market almond products,” said Ryan Funk, the IT infrastructure director for Blue Diamond Growers. “Today, we rely on mobile and IoT-enabled technologies for moving almonds that arrive fresh from the field through production quickly, efficiently and safely, which ultimately enables delivering the highest value to our grower-owners.”
As the domestic almond supply and production leader since its founding in 1910, Blue Diamond relies extensively upon Wi-Fi connectivity for receiving and tracking almonds and almond products throughout its manufacturing, storage and distribution processes.
From crop delivery areas through finished product shipment, Blue Diamond workers use a variety of mobile devices, including scanners, tablets and label printers, all of which feed data into the enterprise’s cloud-enabled ERP solution around the clock. IoT-enabled systems are also extensively deployed, such as for constantly monitoring temperatures across the industry’s largest refrigerated storage capacity to maintain quality and freshness, which require reliable, secure connectivity from APs acting as an IoT platform.
“For innovative global food producers that depend upon connectivity for bringing products to market, fast, reliable and secure networking infrastructure is essential for supplying consumers with high-quality, nutritious and flavorful products,” said Stuart Strickland, the wireless chief technology officer at HPE Aruba Networking. “Whether its mobilising employees across indoor production and R&D facilities or ensuring rapid and accurate crop receipts during 24/7 harvest seasons, high-performance intelligent Wi-Fi enables Blue Diamond Growers to fulfill its core mission: maximise grower returns and deliver the benefits of almonds to the world.”
With regulatory approvals in place, Blue Diamond was eager to act on their vision to move to Wi-Fi 6E APs. To answer their mobile and IoT data traffic demands, while minimising operating overhead, the company adopted an AI-powered wireless solution that includes HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi 6E Access Points (APs) for indoor facilities and ruggedised outdoor Wi-Fi 6 APs for exterior connectivity. The network is unified and managed with HPE Aruba Networking Central, which streamlines and simplifies administration.
According to Funk, the network intelligence supplied by HPE Aruba Networking Central is important for enabling company’s ultra-lean IT staff to manage multiple geographically-disbursed facilities. “Having a powerful, centralised and intuitive management tool that also supports manufacturing frameworks for NIST and ISO is essential,” he said. “In addition, with HPE Aruba Networking Central, we’re resolving Wi-Fi trouble calls 50% faster, reducing IT overhead while improving user experiences.”
Prior to its new Wi-Fi infrastructure, Blue Diamond began saving more than USD$250,000 annually vs Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) by adopting HPE Aruba Networking EdgeConnect SD-WAN to gain a self-driving wide area network that serves as a foundation for zero trust and secure access service edge (SASE) cybersecurity. In addition, the company deployed HPE Aruba Networking Boost, for WAN optimisation.
Looking ahead, Blue Diamond expects its new networking infrastructure will continue powering company R&D efforts and business growth. “The combination of exceptional enterprise Wi-Fi and ongoing support we receive from HPE Aruba Networking enables us to envision operational and product innovations that were impossible before,” Funk said.
To learn more, visit HPE Aruba Networking.
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June 6, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Teledyne LeCroy has announced the launch of the Frontline X500e wireless protocol analyser with Wi-Fi 7. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the Frontline X500, the X500e is a comprehensive one-box solution that captures and correlates data from a wide range of communication technologies. Whether it’s Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 802.15.4-based technologies (including Matter, Thread and Zigbee), or wired interfaces such as HCI-UART, USB, SPI and Audio I2S, the X500e delivers precise insights for network professionals. (more…)
April 12, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Ezurio has announced the upcoming Sona MT320, the latest addition to their growing Wi-Fi 6 module portfolio. The Sona MT320 is one of the first industrial grade Wi-Fi + Bluetooth modules based on the segment leading MediaTek Filogic 320 (MT7921) Wi-Fi 6 chipset. This embedded module series has been designed to work with the MediaTek Genio processor family targeted at the industrial IoT sector. (more…)
April 5, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Friendly Technologies, a provider of IoT and telecom device management solutions, has unveiled the latest update for its Friendly Unified Device Management platform. The release introduces features and enhancements, with a particular emphasis on Wi-Fi optimisation and management.
The update underscores Friendly Technologies’ dedication to delivering carrier-class, scalable, and secure solutions to meet the increasing needs of the digital home and IoT ecosystem.
The latest versions of the Friendly Unified Device Management platform, designed to support TR-069 and TR-369 enabled devices, bring substantial enhancements to Wi-Fi management capabilities. These include:
In addition to Wi-Fi-specific upgrades, the new platform versions encompass a broad array of improvements across the board, aiming to streamline device management and bolster security measures.
“Enhancing our Wi-Fi management capabilities within the Friendly Unified Device Management platform underscores our dedication to innovation and meeting the evolving needs of our customers,” Ariela Ross-Jayyousi, head of marketing at Friendly Technologies, said. “We continuously strive to deliver solutions that not only address the current challenges faced by service providers but also anticipate future demands, ensuring our customers stay ahead in a competitive market.”
April 1, 2024
Posted by: Anna Ribeiro
At MWC Barcelona 2024, Huawei released the Smart Retail Solution, which is designed for retail campuses, stores and multi-branch interconnection. The solution series focuses on smart stores, intelligent warehousing, energy efficiency and digital marketing. It employs the latest Wi-Fi, storage, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to help retail companies increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve consumer experience. (more…)
March 7, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Keysight Technologies has introduced the E7515W UXM Wireless Connectivity Test Platform for Wi-Fi, a network emulation solution delivering signalling radio frequency (RF) and throughput testing for devices using Wi-Fi 7, including 4×4 MIMO 320 MHz bandwidth.
Developed by the IEEE as the 802.11be standard, Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of Wi-Fi wireless communications technology, promising significant performance advancements and improvements over the previous Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 6 standards.
As with any new wireless technology, device makers must perform signalling RF and throughput on clients and access points (AP) to ensure Wi-Fi 7 devices work as intended when deployed. However, existing solutions require complicated test setups with a large number of Wi-Fi devices and network channels to emulate real-world operating conditions.
The newest Keysight UXM Wireless Connectivity Test Solution addresses this challenge by giving RF engineers a solution that simplifies Wi-Fi 7 testing and provides a physical (PHY) layer and media access control (MAC) layer insights.
“With the introduction of the E7515W solution, Keysight is expanding the market leading UXM 5G Network Emulation Solutions to simulate Wi-Fi devices and traffic to cover new use cases from the latest IEEE 802.11be standards,” said Mosaab Abughalib, a senior R&D director and general manager for Keysight’s Wireless Test Group. “The E7515W solution enables faster test setups with less complexity and delivers better load and bandwidth performance to help Wi-Fi 7 device makers accelerate time to market.”
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February 14, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Morse Micro has announced a live demonstration of Wi-Fi Certified HaLow technology, showcasing its ability to extend up to three kilometres (nearly two miles). The field test took place in San Francisco’s Ocean Beach neighbourhood and aimed to highlight the long-range capabilities of sub-GHz Wi-Fi HaLow signals in challenging real-world conditions. (more…)
January 24, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
Xalient customer Abode has been recognised for their new product, the Abode Edge Camera. Xailient AI runs inside the Abode Edge Camera, watching for anomalies like package deliveries or strangers on the premises and screening out normal activity like family or natural motion that can confuse less advanced cameras. (more…)
January 18, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska
TÜV Rheinland has announced that it has become an authorised test lab (ATL) for Wi-Fi Alliance at a global level. The company is among the first ATLs in the world, so it can support customers in Wi-Fi Alliance certification across regions. (more…)
January 10, 2024
Posted by: Magda Dabrowska