IoT Archives - Technical Direct

Is Your Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor Smart Enough?

04/28/202004/28/2020EN_Tech_Direct

Allion Labs/ Henry Hung

Fluctuating blood pressure often signals health problems. For older adults and patients with hypertension, it is even more important to monitor and track their blood pressure regularly. Thus, many doctors and experts suggest that people at higher risk should buy blood pressure monitors to check their blood pressure at home.

There are two types of blood pressure monitors: manual and digital meters. Manual meters, including mercury and aneroid manometers, are used in conjunction with a stethoscope. Since taking a blood pressure manually is relatively complicated, manual meters may not be the best choice for non-trained users.

Can Your Smart Assistants Work With Other Devices? A Test Analysis from Allion’s Interoperability Validation

07/24/201807/24/2018EN_Tech_Direct

As we mentioned in last article: Smart Enough? The Three Most Frequent Issues in Smart Assistant Applications, smart assistant can be vocally activated to provide entertainment support, help search information, and control other smart devices in houses, offices, or hotel rooms. Generally, a smart assistant, to complete these tasks, has to work with other devices, such as going online with wireless access points (AP) or synchronizing with smart phones via Bluetooth. However, we found several interoperability issues after paring up six smart assistants with 20 APs and 20 smart phones. In this article, we argue that, even for the products that have been certified by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, interoperability issues can occur during the complex matches among the various products in the market. Read more →

Smart Enough? The Three Most Frequent Issues in Smart Assistant Applications

06/04/201806/04/2018EN_Tech_Direct

Voice recognition has become the prevalent technology for remote authentication. To fulfill people’s imaginations for “convenience,” tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Apple started to develop their own voice recognition systems and have invented and brought “Smart Assistant” to the market.

Generally, a smart assistant can be vocally activated to provide entertainment support (e.g. music and radio), help search information (e.g. wiki, translation, and recipe), and control other smart devices in houses, offices, or hotel rooms. These clever helpers later become the focus for those manufacturers who attempt to step further in the IoT era. Read more →

Validate your Smart Device with Real World Factors: Allion’s Heat Map Analysis Program

04/11/2018EN_Tech_Direct

According to research firm IHS Markit, the number of IoT devices will increase on average 12% each year from 27 billion in 2017 to 125 billion in 2030. As more devices go on the Net, the limited wireless channels have become more congested that brings plenty of connectivity issues to the real-world and further deteriorates user’s experiences.

Unlike one-to-one communication of traditional devices, communication of IoT devices has become one-to-many. The performance of IoT devices should involve in three factors: product capability, network connectivity and user environment/ behavior. Vendors thus need a new methodology to verify products before launching to the market. This article will discuss a new methodology of IoT device validation “Heat Map Analysis”, which is used to perceive real-world factors and further discover and resolve common wireless connectivity issues.

Embracing IoT? Wait!! A Test Report from Allion Smart Life Program

01/31/201801/31/2018EN_Tech_Direct

The idea of IoT (Internet of Things) and the innovation of technology have created a new lifestyle to people. Today, individuals, when stepping into a house, are able to turn on light, air conditioner, or television by simply speaking a word. However, the larger scale applications of smart technology also created more complex issues.

IoT Testing support at Allion Labs, Inc.

09/01/201709/08/2017EN_Tech_Direct

Significant developments in information and communications technology affect activities of industries, businesses and our social lives bringing about changes to our immediate living and work environment through improved and seamless connectivity.

Allion works closely with customers to provide testing services that identifies interoperability between their IoT devices and other IoT gadgets. In our state of the art IoT facility, with a real home simulation infrastructure, Allion performs repeatable testing for a wide range of IoT products and customer base.

A part of these tests includes emphasis on: network connectivity; proximity test, interference and roaming testing of all your IoT devices to define interoperability, functionality and stability of the tested IoT devices. We help our customers address the many challenges associated with connectivity and incompatibility by leveraging our huge testing expertise in different domains. The next section is meant to introduce ways we render our IoT test services.

[Smart Home Hub Test] Making Sure You Get Extra Coverage When It Matters Most

04/21/201705/11/2017EN_Tech_Direct

With the advancement and wide adoption of Smart Home technology, the status of the Router (AP) as the nerve center for the entire operation has become ever more paramount. Hence, as far as WiFi is concerned, it could be seen as the equilibrium in the purview of one’s home. If connectivity and performance are your key concerns then you should be concerned with your choice of wireless AP’s. With the gargantuan scope of choices from brand, price, aesthetics to the array of platforms from Apple’s Home Kit, MI, etc. All of which offers various functions and applications; however, most of us only require a multifunction internet control center and would do quite well with it. Thus, embodying us with the ability to control the majority of household products and the ability to becoming more energy-efficient, convenient and safe. Overall uplifting the quality and standard of living for all families.

Allion @ Embedded World 2016

02/26/201605/10/2017EN_Tech_Direct

Embedded World is the largest computer and embedded systems exhibition in the world with 939 exhibitors from 38 countries and more than 25,000 visitors in attendance.

Future Forecast : Internet of Things

01/12/201605/11/2017EN_Tech_Direct

You have probably heard the term the “Internet of Things”, or its abbreviation “IoT”, but what is it exactly? In recent years, high-tech experts have been declaring its imminent arrival and technology forecasters have been estimating its potential market value in the trillions of dollars. Despite all this, many people do not appreciate the importance of the IoT revolution. To bring greater clarity to this important issue, in this article, we address the following question: What direct impacts will IoT likely have on regular people and how will our lives change as a result?

IoT Smart Home Solutions Demand Innovative Applications

08/26/201505/10/2017EN_Tech_Direct

The 2015 Taiwan Technical Forum, hosted by the Economic Daily News, ended on July 28. This year, the main topic of the forum was the Internet of Things (IoT) and its applications. Smart homes are a hot topic in the IoT field since these applications are closer to our daily lives. IoT device makers have recently expanded their smart home initiatives by creating different IoT devices to capture new business opportunities.

Since the smart home market is quickly maturing, IoT device manufacturers are predicting that there will be an explosion in demand for smart home devices in 2016. In order to effectively compete for market share, IoT device manufacturers are not only focused on their marketing strategy, but also emphasizing product performance, stability, and interoperability.