Tag: Skylo

Episode 417: We need a standard for aging in place

This week’s podcast is focused on IoT infrastructure, with our first conversation explaining the upcoming 6G cellular connectivity standard. After that, we discuss sales of IoT connectivity chips and modules, and the leaders in each category before moving on to low-power wide area network news from Unabiz, which is open sourcing the code for Sigfox. Then we talk about smart home systems and devices for aging in place, and what we’d like to see for products in this category. The bad news is we need a standard that no one is currently developing, but the good news is we think people will pay a subscription for these devices, so there’s a reason to create that standard. Security is our next hot topic with news from DoorBird, then an ultrasonic exploit, a garage door exploit, and a Wi-Fi exploit. We then discuss the market update from the Bluetooth SIG. Finally, we answer a listener question about which new Matter or Zigbee light bulbs to buy.

The Bluetooth SIG expects Bluetooth to gain the biggest market share in the smart home as a means of connecting appliances and in lighting. Chart courtesy of the Bluetooth SIG. 

Our guest this week is Tarun Gupta, the chief product officer at Skylo, a company that is using existing satellite infrastructure to converge satellite and cellular networks. Gupta explains what satellite connectivity is good for in the IoT, and how we can expect convergence between the cellular and satellite networks to occur. He also explains why Apple’s and Qualcomm’s satellite approaches differ from other options out there, and how the latest release of the LTE standard will drive the convergence between cellular and satellite networks. We then discuss the concerns around space trash and whether companies need to own their own constellation of satellites. Enjoy the show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Tarun Gupta, the chief product officer at Skylo
Sponsors: OnLogic and Silicon Labs

  • Why 6G is ready-made for the industrial IoT
  • We need a Matter-like standard for devices aimed at aging in place
  • DoorBird’s new firewall is an interesting approach to security risks
  • Why satellite connectivity is everywhere this year
  • These are the best use cases for satellite coverage in IoT

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Episode 412: Playing with ChatGPT on Home Assistant

Details about how the U.S. government plans to disperse $39 billion in funding for chips was announced this week, so we discuss the details and what the funds mean for the IoT. Mobile World Congress took place in Barcelona this week, and amid the news about 5G networks there were several IoT-related bits worth mentioning such as Qualcomm outlining plans for millimeter-wave spatial sensing and Wi-Fi 7 updates. In satellite news, Qualcomm announced that its upcoming 5G modems would have satellite capability, and said several phone companies would use it to add emergency text messaging. Those modems will also find homes in IoT devices. Deutsche Telekom also announced satellite capability on its network thanks to a partnership with Intelsat and Skylo. Then we discuss whose responsibility it is to secure the smart home, and what you think depends on where you live. And in smaller news, we cover a new chip that provides wireless power for wearables, wireless security cameras that don’t use batteries, an update on the Google Nest deal with ADT, and the launch of fall detection on Pixel watches. Plus, I get salty about Google’s Fitbit acquisition. Finally, we answer a listener question about how to help someone in assisted living notice they have a phone call.

Image courtesy of the World Economic Forum.

Our guest this week is Paulus Schoutsen, founder of Home Assistant, the DIY, open source smart home platform. Schoutsen explains why this year is the “year of voice” for the platform and how to build an AI for users to speak in their own language for triggering automations (all without sharing data with third-party providers). He also shows off two new features; the first is using a HomePod to talk to Google Assistant over Home Assistant, and the second is using a generative language model like ChatGPT over a HomePod to create stories. We also talk about Matter and Home Assistant’s plans for a smart speaker or voice-capable device, as well as why you can’t easily buy Home Assistant Yellow, a pre-packaged box that already has the radios and software a beginner needs to run Home Assistant. It’s a good show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Paulus Schoutsen founder of Home Assistant
Sponsors: InfluxData and Silicon Labs

  • Childcare, chips and government grants
  • Mobile World Congress goes heavy on LPWANs and satellites
  • Smart home security is your responsibility if you live in the U.S.
  • Why your older gear may never get promised Matter support
  • Bowser takes on Minecraft in a demo of AI chat via a HomePod Mini

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