Xiamen, China, October 27, 2022 - Milesight, a fast-growing AIoT solution provider, deployed a large-scale IAQ project featuring LoRaWAN® in public schools across Quebec, Canada. Although LoRaWAN® has been adopted in more than 160 countries, it is still a new technology for many, not to mention the confidence in large-scale deployments. So, we wanted to get the story behind what makes this collaboration a success from Cheney LI, the Business Development Manager at Milesight.
With partners, Assek Technologie, Milesight grounded this province-wide IAQ solution in Canada earlier this year. Are there any common challenges that customers have when it comes to starting and successfully deploying on their IoT journey?
Sure. When we talk about LPWAN, there are so many excellent technologies for users to choose from. Among these, selecting the right fit is always the first and difficult step. And I believe the fact that LoRaWAN is thriving makes a strong case. LoRaWAN is really a global technology and standard so you can use LoRaWAN all over the world, everywhere where there are regulations with a license free spectrum. From a global standpoint, it achieved economies of scale in terms of the availability of networks. Besides, the key features of LoRaWAN are long-distance and low-power. You can have access to a public network or set up a complete private network without charging. I think more and more companies are starting to understand that the low-cost part of IoT is a really big driver for solution development.
Besides, large-scale IoT solutions require the highest possible operational efficiency and reliability. To do that right, you need a reliable and experienced partner. And that's exactly who Milesight is. With 10 years’ experience in industry, we are dedicated to provide cutting-edge and user-friendly products, helping people live in a smarter and better way. As of today, we are so proud to offer best-in-class products to customers over 120 countries and regions. In fact, we managed to achieve 400% sales growth in H1/2022 compared to last year. And gladly with all the efforts over the years, we have grounded numbers of projects for various application scenarios. It is fair to say that we are one of only very few choices that customers can go to.
Talking about LoRaWAN® and IAQ, we noticed that Milesight conducted IAQ projects not only in Canada, but also in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and etc. What are the important things when you operate on a global scale?
In times of changes, being flexibly adapted to all kinds of challenges is essential. With strong R&D abilities, we have developed competitive flexibility based on rich and cutting-edge portfolios, which means our customers are able to adapt to market trends in relatively short time. Let me take an example. Earlier this year, we successfully launched a smart health project in more than 20 aged care sites in Australia. More than a hundred units of IoT devices are applied in three stages that span over 18 months. Initially, temperature monitoring is the main application to monitor and track the temperature of the medicines and vaccine fridges. But based on the success of stages 1 and 2, the customers are looking for extended applications such as monitoring the air quality in the office environment. So, more types of sensors including 9-in-1 IAQ sensors are being introduced directly to the next stage of the project. The project now provides more comprehensive protection for the aged as well as staff.
At the same time, as a member of LoRa Alliance, we are very supportive of the open ecosystem where beneficial suggestions and collaborations form a good environment for development. Actually, during the pilot projects in Canada, Semtech provided valuable suggestions to achieve a better response at the MAC layer, which enhanced the compatibility of the sensors in this project. The success of 2 pilots built strong confidence for clients to deploy LoRaWAN devices across Quebec province. We believe, in a community, the deeper we dive into, the better we could work mutually. Working together with our global partners, we reached out to more projects and customers. We keep close partnership with a lot of renowned corporates, such as Semtech, Actility , The Things Industries, LORIOT and many more. This year, Milesight and Senet jointly announce a partnership to qualify Milesight LoRaWAN® gateways and sensor-enabled end devices for operation on the Senet network.
In the past few months, Milesight introduced various IAQ sensor models as well as IoT controllers to the market. How’s the IAQ market development from your perspectives?
When it comes to IAQ, HVAC is a vital part to put data gathered from IAQ sensors into practical use regarding health concerns and energy efficiency. It is like butter and bread. And at Milesight, we provide customers with one-stop solution in various scenarios. That’s why we developed compact 3-in-1 IAQ sensors and UC100 IoT controllers as well as multifunctional 9-in-1 IAQ sensors and UC300 IoT controllers. You name it and we can offer it.
Now back to the development, I believe it is promising. Though the impact is fundamental from the pandemic, the importance of IAQ has been noticed among customers long before the global outbreak, and improper natural ventilation will significantly increase the risk of airborne pathogens being transmitted. For example, indoor exposure to high CO2 level can impair performance and decision-making. On top of that, I was inspired from my recent business trip that probably it is time for car manufacturers to make improvement as well. I was monitoring the CO2 level during my trip in Australia. In taxis, CO2 was always fairly high because most drivers closed the windows and used recirculation mode of car AC. It's dangerous if you are driving alone on the highway for long time especially at night, you would definitely feel sleepy if CO2 is high.
Beyond this, sustainability is another important aspect to which we should pay attention. Did you know that heating and cooling buildings uses a lot of energy? According to USEPA*, it could be up to 43 percent of all energy use in the United States. Yes, most commercial buildings have good ventilation systems. But the question is, are all ventilation systems working efficiently? Or can they be turned off/on when it's truly necessary so as to save energy and reduce carbon emissions? The answer is positive, I assume. In fact, we’ve already achieved something progressive with our partner Peakpower. In our smart building project with them, Milesight sensors are installed on each floor to monitor building environment, including temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, people counting, etc. A mobile app or desktop portal delivers data-driven recommendations for optimizing and reducing energy consumption at peak times. Many people have come to realize it. Recently, we visited Prof. Sara Dolnicar and her team at The University of Queensland. By using Milesight's LoRaWAN devices, Prof. Sara Dolnicar is trying to build a global sustainable lab which allows social scientists to run field experiments. The project aims to monitor environmentally significant behavior and deploy practical measures to trigger more environmentally sustainable behavior in consumers to achieve sustainable development. We are proud to be involved in this project and make LoRaWAN technology more accessible to scientists for a more sustainable future.
*Source: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/health-energy-efficiency-and-climate-change
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About Milesight IoT
Milesight IoT is a fast-growing and innovation-driven technology company with a focus on 5G, AI, IoT and LoRaWAN®. With advanced IoT insights, the company helps customers worldwide optimize their business operation efficiently and sustainably in an actionable and locally adapted way. Along Milesight has been a long-term trusted partner for a massively growing IoT businesses since 2011. In collaboration with global partners, Milesight IoT is committed to building open ecosystems that generate inspirations and embrace challenges together and better. Learn more about Milesight.
