IoT news of the week for May 21, 2021

Span releases a second-generation smart electrical panel: As we electrify our homes and add electric vehicles to our garages we’re either going to need a lot more juice or a better way to manage the electricity coming into the home. Span’s a startup that adds computing and connectivity to electrical panels to help optimize how our homes use electricity. This week, it announced a new panel box that is smaller, lighter, and works with homes that are on or off the grid. It also allows folks to connect up to 90 amps in each circuit which is enough to handle big loads like a hot tub, AC, or an electric vehicle charger. I previously interviewed Span’s CEO on my podcast. (Span) — Stacey Higginbotham

Google debuts a new Nest Power Connector: There weren’t any hardware announcements at this week’s Google I/O 2021 event, however, there actually is new hardware. It’s just not exciting. Google quietly added a new Nest Power Connector to the Google Store and it’s available for pre-order at $24.99. The small gadget is for homes that want to use a Nest Thermostat but don’t have a common, or C, wire in their home. Technically, you can use a Nest without the C wire but your thermostat may lose WiFi connectivity or experience a high battery drain in that case. This connector addresses that issue for current and new Nest Thermostat owners. (9to5 Google) — Kevin C. Tofel

Somfy gets UL approval for its TaHoma platform: Just like GE Appliances, Somfy, the maker of a smart home platform and proprietary smart shades, has scored a gold-level UL security certification for its TaHoma Switch product. UL introduced a cybersecurity certification for connected devices back in 2019. It has five different levels based on how many cybersecurity best practices the manufacturer employs. The idea is that not every type of device needs bank-grade encryption, secure enclaves, and two-factor authentication. Gold is in the middle of the pack and seems pretty appropriate for a smart lighting and shade product. (Residential Systems) — Stacey Higginbotham

Esper gets funding for edge computing stability: Esper, which makes software that helps companies remotely manage the health of their connected devices, has raised $30 million in Series B funding led by Scale Venture Partners. The investment brings Esper’s total funding to $40.6 million helping the Seattle-based startup continue its growth. I wrote about Esper in 2020 as it was getting started, but now it has achieved some impressive customer wins from Ordermark and Inspire Fitness. It’s a company helping the IoT scale, and I’m all for that. (Geekwire) — Stacey Higginbotham

Qualcomm has a new modem for the IIoT: Wireless chip giant, Qualcomm has announced a new modem to bring 5G to industrial devices and use cases. The new chip, the 315 5G IoT modem, has several features designed to appeal to factory and industrial users. For one, it’s a standalone 5G chip that falls back to LTE networks as opposed to an LTE chip that also can also handle 5G. This means it is smaller, lighter, and uses less power. These are important in industrial settings, where battery-powered sensors reign in harsh environments. The chip also comes with support for at least ten years after it starts sampling (that’s happening now) and has been picked up for use by most of the major 5G module makers. Downstream users include Bosch, Siemens, and Schneider Electric. (TechRepublic) — Stacey Higginbotham

Apple Watch sensors add accessibility gestures: As part of my college programming classes, we often discuss accessibility challenges for the apps and sites we build. Perhaps that’s why I was so thrilled to see Apple find new ways for those with limited mobility to interact with their Apple Watch. The wearable’s internal motion sensors, combined with heart rate data and a dash of on-device machine learning, make this possible. When enabled, users can navigate on their Apple Watch through gestures such as a clenched hand or a finger pinch. The demo video shared in the news release is well worth the watch — no pun intended. (Apple) — Kevin C. Tofel

Can you guess which IoT radio protocol is used on Mars? Here on Earth, we often debate over which IoT radio standards are the best. Is it Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, or maybe Thread? On Mars, however, there’s a clear winner. And it’s Zigbee! That’s what NASA is using to send telemetry data between the Ingenuity helicopter drone and the Perseverance Rover. We Earthlings expect Zigbee devices to have a broadcast range of up to 150 feet in a best-case scenario. On Mars, however, data over Zigbee is stretching out to more than 2,700 feet. I think I know where my next smart home is getting built! (The Verge) — Kevin C. Tofel

Arduino has a new board with Raspberry Pi silicon: A few months ago, the Raspberry Pi organization introduced a small compute board with its own microcontroller. I’m talking about the $4 Pico product, in case you missed it. The Arduino folks must be enamored by the silicon because it’s what the new Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect board uses. Even better, this product adds both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as multiple sensors, which the Pico doesn’t have. Of course, all these extras add to the cost; ordering this Arduino Nano will set you back $25.50 (Arduino) — Kevin C. Tofel