The latest in the Internet of Things (IoT) from CES 2019
This year at CES 2019, the Internet of Things (IoT) took center stage. In the LG booth, event attendants drooled over the LG Signature Oled TV R, a smart television that folds up like a projector screen when it isn’t in use. In the Audi booth, attendants tested out the backseat virtual reality that brings internet-connected cars into the world of entertainment.
EvdoDepotUSA representatives Chandler Blake and Tanner Wentworth were at CES 2019 to discover which IoT products our customers might be interested in in the future. EvdoDepotUSA strongly believes that IoT technology has the potential to drastically improve people’s lives in both urban and rural areas.
“Where Chandler and I really spent most of our time was in the IoT section of the convention,” says Wentworth. “We are trying to diversify what we offer on our website and move into selling smart home devices. We talked to countless businesses, and visited a number of booths socializing and networking for potential partnerships.”
Testing new wireless protocols
New wireless protocols are increasing the number and type of wireless devices that are part of the IoT. The LoRa protocol, for example, enables long-range, high efficiency communication between devices and online applications. Farmers can use the LoRa protocol to track livestock or to manage irrigation, which isn’t possible with low-range WiFi.
“Ultimately we would like to provide our customers with smart home devices they will be able to install throughout their homes, and to provide wireless communication they can use to pair the device as well,” says Wentworth. “We would love the opportunity to not only work with WiFi, but also with all the new forms of wireless communications such as Z-Wave and many others.”
Bringing it all together with powerful mobile gateways
While futuristic devices like helicopters and hover bikes attracted a lot of attention at CES 2019, some new practical improvements will have an even bigger effect on the industry. “There were two new types of products that have just been put on the market that I think will really give our slowly growing IoT industry a huge boost,” says Blake.
“The first is a new generation of gateways that are able to support multiple communication protocols from a single device. These new gateways will allow you to use any combination of Z-Wave, Zigbee, LoRa, and WiFi smart devices manufactured by different companies around your home, and control them from a single app. Since compatibility across manufacturers and communication protocols has been one of the main issues holding back widespread usage, eliminating this barrier is a huge leap forward,” explains Blake.
“The next big development is the range of these new smart devices. The new generation of smart devices are able to communicate with each other and pass messages along to the main gateway, instead of having to send messages directly,” Blake continues. “This means you can place sensors and smart devices just about anywhere in or around your home, instead of being limited by the range the gateway has.”
Here at EvdoDepotUSA, we’re busy finding the most exciting new IoT products, ensuring the wireless protocols of these products fulfill the unique needs of our rural customers, and connecting it all with a powerful gateway. In the next year, you’ll see IoT products like those our representatives tested at CES 2019 pop up in our online store.
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