Omni-ID announces new range of IoT devices

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Omni-ID announces new range of IoT devices.

Omni-ID, the developer of passive industrial radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that are relied on by major global organisations to provide information on the location and identity of assets, has announced the launch of a new range of, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Long Range (LoRa) - enabled devices.

The new ‘Sense’ range of  RFID devices utilises a comprehensive set of sensors with the ability to transmit situational and status data over BLE, GPS, and open standard Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) communication protocols, allowing the devices to be used within a broad variety of applications and IoT infrastructures. The new Sense devices are powerful yet hugely energy efficient, enabling them to be used for up to 5 years within harsh and remote operating environments: reducing the cost and time required to replace devices in the field.

The early Sense range will include five devices serving two main application types: Conditioning Monitoring and Asset Management & Logistics, with more product types to follow through the year.

The Sense LoRa products offer long range communications: up to 15km in flat, open space, or 3-4km in an urban setting, and have a compact battery that lasts up to 5 years. The devices can be operated using a call button configuration, or range finder, making them suitable for a variety of facilities management and field service applications.  When using the GPS and accelerometer features, Sense LoRa devices will give positional accuracy of 3-5m upon movement.  

In the Asset Management & Logistics product set, the Sense BLE product offers a communication distance of up to 200m and can link to WiFi, LAN or cellular networks and to a cloud, or locally hosted client application server.

Omni-ID’s existing global client base has already shown huge interest in the application of its new range of RFID devices for logistics, distribution and asset management within the automotive manufacture, oil & gas, mining, cold chain condition monitoring, facilities management, field operations, ports construction, emergency detection, worker safety and accountability and fleet monitoring.

Commenting on the launch of the new Sense range, Omni-ID’s CEO, Dr Tony Kington said, “Omni-ID pioneered passive identification and tracking technologies which are relied on by large organisations worldwide and will remain at the core of our business alongside newer IoT product developments. New IoT devices like the Sense family are complementary to the existing passive range and allow our customers to benefit from the connectivity and extended range of Bluetooth Low Energy, LoRaWAN and other LPWAN technologies to create intelligent IoT solutions that are built to last.”

“Omni-ID’s R&D team has worked hard to develop high quality IoT devices that go well beyond what is currently available and I am delighted with the first products in the Sense range that have resulted. Our clients from across the globe in a wide range of industries will benefit hugely from the accuracy, read ranges, network options and cost efficiencies offered by these new devices.

“I am confident that customers with ambitious IoT projects will benefit from Omni-ID’s rapid ‘go to market’ abilities driven by our vertical, integrated structure which enables us to move quickly from design to delivery.”