IoT news of the week for March 24, 2023

Why did the average number of smart home devices per home drop? The average smart home has 7.1 smart home devices, according to Parks Associates, which released new data this week. The research firm does clarify that when we look at all U.S. homes, only 28% have three or more connected smart home devices, which presumably qualifies them as smart homes. Folks like me, with my 60+ connected devices, are counteracting a crop of new buyers who have one or two smart home devices, putting the average number of device in smart homes on the decline. Parks also notes that the average number of devices has dropped a bit since the end of 2021 due to inflation. I wonder if people waiting until Matter products hit the market to buy devices also slowed adoption. (Parks Associates)

Arm may be trying to change its pricing model: The Financial Times reports that Arm is asking customers to change the way they pay for the chip design licenses they buy from Arm. Arm offers two types of licenses; one is a simple fee per chip to use an existing design, and the other is a larger fee to take the initial design and tweak it for special purpose. The FT is reporting that Arm is asking its largest customers to change the per-chip fee to a new fee structure based on the selling price of the device the chip ends up in. (The article does note that Apple is not part of these particular price discussions, despite having an Arm architecture license to build chips used in MacBooks and iPhones.) So a smart phone or computer using the ARM architecture might cost more in fees than a Wi-Fi router. The shift in pricing comes after a failed deal to sell Arm to Nvidia and ahead of a planned IPO. My hunch is that Arm, which has seen its chips become the bedrock of so much computing, thinks its time to extract more value. It has tried with cloud-based services, which didn’t pan out, and now is seeking a shift to generate higher revenue. Arm, like all chip companies, also spends more on software and security, and likely wants to recoup some of that. It also has to provide a return to Softbank, which purchased Arm for $32 billion in 2016. The pricing plans are likely to push some of its customers to alternative architectures such as RISC-V or specially designed FPGAs, but those moves will take a few years. (FT)

IFTTT is adding generative AI to its services: If you are still on Twitter, you may have seen that I am performing a small experiment where an AI generates tweets each time I publish a blog post. I’m using a new service from IFTTT (it costs $6 a month for the class of services that include the AI products) that has an generative AI based on GPT-3 create short-form social posts, long-form content like outlines or blog posts, or summaries of existing content like meeting notes or blogs. As you can see from my experimental tweets, it’s pretty good at the summary, but it fails to include a link back to my story, which makes it useless as a means of driving traffic back to my site. I don’t plan on using it to write my blog posts, but it might come in handy for folks who want to get a summary of my incredibly long newsletters. (IFTTT)

3 startups offering connectivity while sipping power: I love writing about radio options that can work on harvested energy or batteries (without requiring constant battery changes). This article highlights three different startups that can provide connectivity with low-power budgets. Go read about Spark Microsystems, Ixana, and Nanopower Semiconductor. (EETimes)

Millimeter wave sensors are the next big sensor for elder care: I read a lot about cameras or robots designed for senior living homes or as tools for monitoring the elderly, but my hunch is that the humble millimeter wave sensor will win out over these higher-tech (and more expensive) solutions. The latest proof point is research from the University of Waterloo showing a millimeter wave (mmWave) sensor system that uses disruptions in radio waves to detect motion, and AI to translate those disruptions into healthy movement, presence, and fall detection. In a few years, every senior living facility will likely have a dedicated mmWave sensor on the wall or ceiling, or perhaps include them as part of wireless access points. (University of Waterloo)

And mmWave sensing isn’t just for older folks: This project, called RoomSense IQ, uses a variety of sensors to “understand” what’s going on in a room, but the primary detection mechanism is a mmWave sensor for motion and presence detection. The project also includes a more traditional PIR sensor that is used as an additional data source to prevent false positives. There is also a temperature, humidity, and light sensor. So while I’m waiting for mmWave sensors such as the really cool one we saw at CES from Aqara, I could build this one to try today. (HackaDay)

Aqara launches its first HomeKit Secure Video doorbell: Fans of the HomeKit Secure Video have had a limited selection when it comes to video doorbell options. The Logitech Circle View Doorbell and the Wemo Smart Video Doorbell were basically it. But now you can spend $199.99 on the Aqara G4 video doorbell and get support for HomeKit Secure Video. The doorbell can be installed with our without wires and requires six AA batteries. It provides 1080p video and a 7-day record of events without a subscription. (Aqara)

Renesas acquires NFC chip company: Chip firm Renesas has agreed to acquire Panthronics AG, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in Near Field Communication products, in an all-cash transaction. The amount of the deal was undisclosed. Panthronics makes NFC chips used in asset tracking, payments, wireless charging and automotive applications. I’ve been seeing some really novel uses of NFC in IoT products for access control that use NFC for communications and for wireless charging. We’re also seeing NFC used for digital wallets and payments across a wide variety of wearables and phones. The two companies have been partners on products in the past, and the deal is expected to closed by the end of 2023. (Renesas)

Nanoleaf’s Matter lights are here but other Matter gear isn’t: Nanoleaf has released its Matter-compatible line of light bulbs and light strips. These are some of the first Matter devices to launch that aren’t smart plugs, so we’re pretty excited. Also, the Nanoleaf Essentials bulb that provides colors and white light costs $19.99, which is a great price for a connected color bulb. For now, they will work only if you have a Google or SmartThings Matter controller. (Stacey on IoT)