IoT news of the week for Oct. 28, 2022

LoRa networks for private messages? Although this article doesn’t get into actual implementation, I’m surfacing it because I think the idea is spot-on. In fact, when Amazon’s Sidewalk network was introduced in 2019, I suggested the use of LoRa networks for a private messaging service. By using LoRa instead of cellular or Wi-Fi, you’d have end-to-end encryption for your messages on a highly distributed network. (TechBullion)

LoRaWAN codecs get an API: Speaking of LoRa networks, the LoRaWAN Alliance is making things easier for developers. This week, the LoRa standard added an application programming interface (API) for application payload decoder-encoders (codecs). I normally think of codecs as algorithms that encode and decode media. In terms of LoRa networks, codecs are used to encode and decode the payloads, or messages, to and from IoT devices. With the new standard and API, developers can create one codec that can be used across multiple software platforms. No more codec creation and re-creation for different operating systems! (LoRaWAN Alliance)

Smarter sensors thanks to algorithms at the edge: I’ll admit I don’t yet fully understand the details of this, but I get the overall concept, and it’s promising. Researchers at IMDEA Networks presented a paper this week suggesting an algorithm they created can boost sensor prediction times’ inference accuracy by 40 percent. Think of this like machine learning at the edge. By speeding up the process of determining what a sensor detects, accurate data can be returned with less latency. I’ll have to read the white paper to get at the meat of how this happens, but either way, this is impressive. (Techxplore)

Need a virtual lifeguard? Growing up in a time without seatbelts and surrounded by lead paint, you’d think we could swim in the pool without an adult present. Such was not the case. But the times, they are a-changing. Just look at Mylo, the “world’s first virtual lifeguard”, for example. All jokes aside, this is an interesting use case for cameras and connectivity. The $999 Mylo uses underwater cameras for real-time monitoring, which is a good start. Even better are the smarts that can detect people entering the pool or a drowning incident. No word if it comes in a Baywatch Red color though. (Mylo)

There’s a new Wyze Cam: It’s been a minute since Wyze introduced a new product, and this week the company debuted the Wyze Cam v3 Pro. This is a wired camera that upgrades the video quality to 2K resolution over the prior version, and it can be used indoors or out. A faster CPU adds more capabilities such as “smart focus” on people and faster local processing of images to detect people. Wyze also added a second Wi-Fi antenna, which hopefully helps with video streaming to smart displays, as that’s the one mediocre feature I see with my Wyze cameras. The new Wyze Cam v3 Pro is available to order now for $49.95, which shipments beginning next week. (The Verge)

Do you know how many cargo loads have trackers? Don’t worry; I don’t either. Or at least I didn’t until this week, when I read that 11 million cargo-loading units use some type of connected tracking device. That sounds like a large number, but there’s still plenty of room for growth. It’s estimated that there are 50 million shipping containers and trailers worldwide, and less than 15 percent of them can be tracked. And that doesn’t even take individual packages into account, so there’s still a huge opportunity for new tracking devices and technologies to be built in the coming years. (IoT Business)

Wiliot orders the creation of 25 million Pixel Tags: Wiliot makes IoT trackers too, but they’re not meant for shipping containers. Instead, the company designed its Pixel Tags for ambient computing uses. Think retail price tags, as well as other individual products. The claim to fame is that the Pixel Tags cost just pennies each and don’t need to be charged. They harvest energy and use super-low-powered radios to share their data, which can include location, temperature, fill rate, and more. I’d think there’s plenty of demand for such a product and Wiliot’s large order to fill the supply suggests there is. (Wiliot)

Turn your TV to… the physician channel?  I’m all in favor of connected telehealth solutions, but I’m on the fence about this news. Samsung is partnering with HealthTap, a virtual care provider, to offer telehealth meetings on your Samsung TV. I suppose this is no different from a telehealth video call on a phone, tablet, or smart display. And yet, I look at the television primarily as a content consumption device. Maybe that’s because I also don’t want a camera on my TV set, which I think would generally be required for a virtual health consultation. Is it just me? (Insider Intelligence)