Weightless launches long range IoT basestation and development kit

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Standards group Weightless has launched hardware and software for its Weightless-P low power, long range wireless technology for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Working with antenna specialist Antenova, the Special Interest Group has launched the 'Weightless Ignition Pack, provides Weightless-P network connectivity out of the box. The basestation uses an Altera FPGA to provide the low power wide area network (LPWAN) protocol handling. 

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“We are delighted to see Weightless-P take this critical step forward in its evolution with hardware coming soon to the development community,” said Professor William Webb, CEO of the Weightless SIG. "The Weightless SIG is more than simply an open standards body, it is a strong and vibrant global community focused on LPWAN technology. We are delighted to be partnering with Antenova who bring world class antenna technology and capability to the Weightless ecosystem."

The packs include a Weightless-P base station, end device modules, antennas, a full Weightless-P protocol stack for the base station, end device and host as well as all necessary cabling. The pack will enable a Weightless-P IoT network to be deployed ‘out of the box’.

“We have been working for more than two years now on a technology that significantly moves the LPWAN game on,” said Fabien Petitgrand, technical representative for the Weightless SIG. "The Weightless Ignition Pack includes hardware and full Weightless-P software protocol stack combination delivering substantive improvements and competitive advantages over existing IoT connectivity options.”

The Weightless Ignition Pack (list price USD$1500) will be made available as part of a pre-launch offer on the Weightless website with a limited number offered to Weightless Developers free of charge at try.weightless.org/ctia. 

Weightless-P is an Open Standard for a high capacity LPWAN that is designed for performance. It aims to become the de facto standard for public and private IoT networks.

Weightless and ETSI partner on low cost wireless standards for IoT

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

One of the promising narrowband wireless protocols for the Internet of Things, Weightless, is moving towards an international standard.

The Weightless SIG is partnering with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and a key ultra narrow-band (UNB) LPWAN technology and applications provider, Telensa, is to the board of the Weightless SIG.

In a move widely acknowledged to bring much needed consolidation to the LPWAN space the Weightless SIG will immediately offer its Weightless-N standards activities into the ETSI LTN initiative within TG28, ensuring that all those interested in UNB solutions are represented in a single forum.

This is the first step on standardisation and the move is supported by several other UNB technology companies (announcements to come). Weightless is supported by Neul which in September 2014 was acquired by Huawei.

ETSI is a globally accepted standards development organisation within which the Low Throughput Network (LTN) initiative is developing a standard for LPWAN. This initiative is supported by a number of significant companies including Telensa and Sigfox. ETSI LTN is concentrating on a UNB standard.

There are only two standards bodies that have developed IoT specific standards for unlicensed spectrum based on UNB technology – ETSI and the Weightless SIG.

“In order to reduce fragmentation and enable critical mass in the marketplace we are bringing these two initiatives together, immediately reducing fragmentation and providing a platform around which industry can coalesce,” said Weightless CEO, Professor William Webb. 

Telensa's vertical smart city solutions include smart street lighting, where it now has a footprint of over 1 million lights across the world. Telensa's solutions are based on its own 2-way UNB technology, which it has been progressing to a standard with ETSI for the past 2 years.

"Proprietary ecosystems are no substitute for credible open standards when real market velocity is required, said Will Gibson, CEO of Telensa. "That's why we're delighted to be extending our ETSI standards work by joining the board of Weightless. This partnership signals a growing maturity in the LPWA market and will liberate a new wave of smart city sensor and application developers.”

Low Power Wide Area networks are set to become an integral building block for a variety of connected products and services. Deploying such networks also in unlicensed spectrum is critical to ensuring that the market for IoT connectivity will remain sufficiently competitive. The initiative is important, because it can open up a whole new level of scale benefits to players that are driving the unlicensed networks forward.

Weightless will focus on certification, the eco-system development, marketing and information dissemination and other relevant activities to aid the widespread success of the ETSI standards. It is part of a series of moves by the Weightless SIG to bring consolidation and order to the IoT connectivity technology space.


weightless.org
telensa.com