LOS ALTOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electric Imp, a global platform provider for Internet of Things (IoT) secure connectivity and application middleware, today announced the availability of the first products in its new IoT QuickStart Family. Based on reference designs Electric Imp experts have developed over the past five years, the IoT QuickStart Family is designed to help address the most frequently demanded connectivity and device prototypes for a fraction of the time and cost of custom-built solutions.
Multiple analysts identify insufficient expertise, limited engineering resource availability and cybersecurity complexity as the major barriers to IoT adoption. Conducting pilot projects to validate business benefits and leveraging experts and technologies proven in IoT are the most widely recommended actions to overcome deployment barriers.
“The ability to fail-fast and iterate in prototypes and trials—without compromising on robust, silicon-to-cloud security—is critical to every IoT success we’ve seen, whether that story involves an established global manufacturer or a team of startup entrepreneurs,” said Hugo Fiennes, CEO and co-founder of Electric Imp. “Time to market and optimizing engineering effort are also crucial. We have seen customers cut 9 to 12 weeks from prototype and trial schedules, and up to 6 months of engineering time when using early versions of our IoT QuickStart products and designs.”
The IoT QuickStart Family initially includes three distinct product lines: the new impAccelerator™ Solution Kits, new impExplorer™ Kits, and the growing line of Electric Imp Breakout Boards.
impAccelerator Solution Kits
The impAccelerator Solution Kits expedite development of complex, secure IoT cloud and edge applications and devices. The first three models available include:
- impAccelerator: Fieldbus Gateway -- Designed for HVAC control and monitoring, predictive maintenance, lighting controls, factory automation and other industrial control systems, the Fieldbus Gateway delivers a securely programmable endpoint that can interact with multiple field buses, including Modbus-RTU, Modbus-TCP, BACnet, and more. Powered by power over ethernet (PoE), 8-40V AC/DC or USB, it communicates over Ethernet or dual-band WiFi, and can be easily expanded with its Mikrobus & XBee sockets and USB host port.
- impAccelerator: Wireless Communications Gateway -- This flexible alternative to Linux wireless gateways helps improve security and dramatically lower both initial and ongoing maintenance costs. For application flexibility, the gateway is capable of supporting multiple wireless networks including Zigbee®, ZWave, LoRATM, sub-GHz radios and more.
- impAccelerator: Battery Powered Sensor Node -- Provides secure environmental monitoring with 4 built-in sensors for applications such as commercial refrigeration, stores or transport. Also supports 1-Wire(R) devices and is powered for years using two AA batteries.
Electric Imp Breakout Boards
Electric Imp Breakout Boards are the next step in IoT-creation. Available for each module in the imp family, the Breakout Boards provide power to the imp-authorized hardware module, include all necessary antennas, and expose the available interfaces on the module, allowing for quick prototyping and characterization in real-world device, cloud and mobile applications. Three versions are currently available based on modules from Murata, including the imp003, imp004m, and imp005.
impExplorer Kits
impExplorer Kits help software developers learn about - or train others - on connecting to the IoT using the imp platform without needing to breadboard or add additional components. The process of collecting environmental data, including temperature, humidity, air pressure & movement, is simplified and data securely sent to a wide range of off-the-shelf cloud service integrations. The kits also provide real-world output, with an RGB LED and Grove connectors for solderless expansion.
Platform Support, Pricing and Availability
Each of the Quick Start Family products work out-of-the-box with Electric Imp’s market-leading IoT platform. With both device and cloud as managed services, Electric Imp provides security as a service: monitoring, patching and updating over the air (OTA) as necessary. All aspects of the Electric Imp platform operate in real time to ensure the continued security for the full lifecycle, from PoC to EoL, of its customers’ devices and data.
Pricing and availability available upon request.
About Electric Imp
Electric Imp helps more than 100 manufacturers and enterprises transform the world through the power of connectivity. Over a million IoT devices have been built on our highly secure platform as a service, with devices deployed in 105 countries. Our unique solution - featuring fully integrated hardware, OS, security, APIs and cloud services purpose-built for the IoT - dramatically decreases cost and time to market while increasing security, scalability and flexibility. The Electric Imp platform enables innovative commercial and industrial applications and empowers manufacturers to manage and quickly scale their connected products and services to millions of users. Electric Imp, founded in 2011, is located in Los Altos, California and Cambridge, England. For more, visit https://electricimp.com.
