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We have compiled all the questions asked during the webinar and have provided answers below:
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In this farming case how are the tags being detected throughout the supply chain ? Where are the gateways ? Which gateways are they using?
Indeed. Wiliot’s low-cost infrastructure includes bridges, to energize the Pixels and GWs that upload the data to our cloud.
We have several types and makes of Works-with-Wiliot bridges and GWs.
Can you please deifne RTI for me? Newbie here:-)
Reusable Transport Items! Reusable crates, pallets, trays, tots, etc!
Can we track people using wiliot ble? Like the pixel being stuck on to permanent asset on an individual?
A pixel could be applied to a badge, and that badge could be tracked. Privacy is our top priority at Wiliot - all packets are encrypted and can only be deciphered by the pixel owner.
What specific gateways currently work with the Wiliot tags, (has the list of possible gateways expanded beyond the customized fastnel gateway?)
We are constantly working to expand the number of works-with-Wiliot devices.
Any standard phone or tablet can act as a GW. Reading Bluetooth signal from one end and uploading the data via WiFi or Cellular link. We are also working with the top 3 Wi-Fi AP vendors that have started beta testing integrations with us. For example, Aruba has supported past versions of our tag and we expect support for the latest will become production too. Please inquire with us and your AP provider to see if Wiliot Pixels and bridges can be deployed with your existing Wi-Fi AP.
Can you talk about how far/close the tags need to be in relationship to the gateway in order to be detected by the gateway?
Tags are being powered and read by the Bridge at a distance of up to 5m or 10m depending on the type of tag and bridges
And also, can the ble beacons interact with mobile bluetooth. That way it will be easy to triangulate location and spot the location of the people.
Yes. Pixels can be read by any Bluetooth enable device with WIliot App installed.
Can you please discuss power consumption? Not just of Wiliot tags, but to quantify the claimed energy efficiency savings from network end to end. Also really hoping you will not claim the power in tags is so low is negligible, which couldn't be further from truth given the trillions of devices you frequently reference.
The pixels leak roughly 1 nA at 0.3 V, and consume about 100x more to broadcast periodically. So a trillion tags might only consume on the order of kilowatts to low megawatts. The bridge energization field is untargetted, and will dominate the total solution energy consumption. But we are limited by FCC power radiation standards, and so will be comparable to wifi access points (and eventually will just tap into whatever is already installed).
Our position is that greater visibility will drive more efficient consumerism, which will reduce the amount of production surplus. Waisted products dominate the energy and ecological impact of product lifecycles.
Why this solution is different from EPC Gen2 tags and where the standards comes in ?
The main difference is that Wiliot is built on Bluetooth, and BLE standards. More here
I have to assume medical device asset tracking is a decent use case?
Absolutely. Already testing this use case in real-life scenarios.
Which frequency range do they use for energy harvesting/which ones (and which standards) for communication?
The available tags today harvest either 2.4G or both 2.4G and 915M, communication is via Bluetooth non-connectable advertising packets
Can it register temperature during the whole transport, also when it is not powered?
Pixels can only provide sensing while powered. However, powering Pixels during transport is as easy as installing a couple of low-cost bridges inside the truck.
Regarding installation on crates (plastic, metal), how resilient is the installation? - resistance to cleaning, temperatures. How do you pair the asset with its tag efficiently?
Pixels can come in different conversions with different protection levels. For RTI's, our partners have packaged Pixels in a durable conversion, designed for harsh environments. Our partners leveraged the same manufacturing technology used to ruggedize UHF RFID tags. For example, Rubber Hybridized Acrylic adhesive is used, specially designed for low surface energy plastics, with excellent chemical and temperature resistance.
Pairing assets with tags can be done in various ways, from uploading the data directly to the WIliot cloud, to a QR scan at application to preset the Pixel's number to an asset. In the near future RFID printer manufacturers like Sato will release printers that can read Wiliot IoT Pixels, associate them with a digital ID and print it on the tag.
If my access points have bluetooth do i need wiliot gateways, or can i combine both for better coverage?
The gateway can either be a WIliot App (phone, tablet etc.) or a works-with-Wiliot device that has Wiliot's firmware. We are constantly working to expand the number of Works-with-Wiliot devices by partnering with internet access point providers, in order to allow a wider selection. Please contact us directly if you have a project that requires this and we can likely make early access to the functionality required.
Thx for the presentations today! You claim to be doing RF energy harvesting (EH), but you are really getting the energy from a directed, BLE source, which means it is actually wireless power transfer (WPT) and not EH. Do you support ACTUAL EH too or just these WPT modes?
You're right, but with 2.4 and sub 1 GHz RF becoming pervasive, our vision is to perpetually tap into this energy source without a bridge. The bridge is a literal and figurative name to accomplish where we're going. Wiliot chips have harvested energy from FM radio signals, cellular broadcasts from phones and from the signals from Wi-Fi APs but the predictability and performance of these with V2 hardware is not predictable enough to be the basis of most business solutions.
Which is the maximum distance from a radio wave source that it can harvest the energy? And how much energy is needed to power it?
Depends on the energy source and RF environment - but we can comfortably energize our pixels at 10m with a strong sub 1GHz source. More here
what wireless technology is used to communicate data from the bridge to the gateway?
Bluetooth non-connectable advertising packets
when the vegetables are harvested, where are the Single/Double bridges installed? how are they alimented? Why is not possible to manage the data without having to sent it to the cloud service?
In the scenario that was presented at the beginning of the webinar, there were dual band bridges installed on the zucchini harvesting system and a cellular GW was installed on the tractor.
The pixels actually don't interpret sensor data on chip. Instead, a mix of chip data is transmitted securely to our cloud, where our machine learning layer interprets the data into a measurement. This architecture presents a number of advantages: continual improvement in sensing, better local privacy of data, swarm sensing, and lower cost consumables.
are there any major Wireless AP providers (Cisco/HP) that are planning on installing the SDK to enable Wiliot tag detection ?
Yes! We are working with Aruba and a few more major AP gateways, to leverage the millions of BLE access points already installed
Do we necessarily have to use WillIoT proprietary infrastructure or can other Bluetooth gateways be used?
It is not, and we are actively working with leading gateway and bridge partners to leverage the existing Bluetooth infrastructure that is already pervasive!
Us the connection between pixel and bridge propriety or can any BLE device be used to power the pixel?
Bridges can be built with regular Bluetooth chipsets. FW access to the bluetooth chip is usually required, to take advantage of the full power capabilities. The Dual-band tags also harvest at 915 MHz and can harvest from the output from standard LoRa modules broadcasting at 22-30 dBm
Can Wiliot Cloud run in an organizations own data center or their own private AWS or Azure cloud tenant?
Not currently. This may be possible in the future, there is no strategic reason to not do it but currently, it makes sense for us to focus on a central cloud SaaS deployment approach in order to accelerate time to market for new features.
What is the price of a pixel?
Pixels are comparable to UHF RFID tags in price, albeit at a premium at lower volumes. They are constructed with the same equipment and materials as UHF RFID tags.
Based on the Video example.....where does the Bridge need to be installed ? does bridge need a power source ? what is the ratio of tags to Bridge ?
Bridges should be installed within 5-10 meters of the pixels they intend to energize and within 50 meters of a gateway access point. The bridge runs on a 5V, 2A USB power supply - we have powered them by a USB battery pack before. A bridge can energize and transmit data from 1000+ pixels.
Where can we order pixel iot labels ?
Pixels are available as part of the kits being sold on shop.wiliot.com. They can be purchased directly from Wiliot and in the future will be sold by the traditional providers of RFID tags. Avery Dennison is an investor in Wiliot.
What is the lifetime of a tag?
The lifetime is the same as a UHF RFID tag: 3-5 years. Longer lifetimes can be achieved based on the conversion process used.
What is the cost difference between a Wiliot tag vs. RFID tag?
Wiliot pixels are comparable to UHF RFID tags in price, albeit at a slight premium at lower volumes. They are constructed with the same equipment and materials as UHF RFID tags.
Transportation examples. Does Wiliot beacon has to be installed in each truck? We don’t use dedicated trucks…
Pixels do need access to a gateway and bridge to offer visibility.
How are you presenting to the retailer in the example the sequence to "use" for the crates; e.g. what is the identifier to the retailer?
Wiliot IoT Pixel [unique] IDs are associated in the cloud with whatever identifier the retailer wants to use e.g. a GS1 SGTIN. This is a dynamic association that can be remapped in the cloud at any time. Association at a physical level can be performed in a number of ways (pre-associated, scanning via QR code, via printer).
OK, but that's the ideal world. We tested the starter kit but it barely works in "lab conditions". I don't see how this can work in the real world. Can you comment on this ?
You should be seeing better performance. We would love to connect and make sure the starter kit is working correctly. Please post a ticket or provide details publicly in the Wiliot forums.
To communicate between the pixels and a Bluetooth smartphone, does the wiliot bridge is mandatory or the communication can be done directly between the pixels and the smartphone ?
In alpha tests, we can both energize and receive data from pixels with a mobile phone. However, the bridge is the most reliable way to energize tags - when accuracy and performance are critical.
Is this solution always need the bridge? Can mobile phones replace bridge and gateway in the future?
The bridge is the most reliable way to energize - when accuracy and performance is critical
can we use the pixel to check if a workplace is used bij someone?
Yes! Pixels can be used to track anything, whether it's a chair, desk, or even a persons badge. One exciting thing in our product pipeline is the ability to track proximity - by sensing aberrations in the RF field when a person or object come close to a pixel.
Are the pixels resistant against industrial high pressure washing with solvents
We tested several pixels through an industrial plastic container washing machine, and all worked afterward. That said, we also have a durable pixel conversion for especially harsh environments.
I have to assume medical device asset tracking is a decent use case?
Yes, we are engaged with large pharma companies and helped track the safe distribution of some covid vaccines. Tagging larger assets can be done too. Different materials require different conversions. Until this larger variety of tag types becomes available, if the current standard tags which are designed for plastic and cardboard packaging don't work, a flag tag design could be considered.
I am interested to learn experience with Aruba Access Points as a gateway for wiliot pixels / bridges
Yes! Aruba is a partner of ours. Please contact us directly to coordinate.
Can the platform guide clients on optimal delviery routes, patterns, etc.?
Yes. The destination for a tag could be read automatically and a driver's route could be programmed accordingly. This kind of use case would require applications that leverage the capabilities of the Wiliot platform to deliver this functionality.
In order to know where my asset is, all the agents in the supply chain need to have Wiliot infrasctructure?
Yes, that's correct. However, bridges to energize Wiliot tags start at $50 USD, and we're partnering with the largest gateway manufacturers to leverage access points your agents might already have installed!
How is the performance of pixels in a closed container when transported over vessels from one country to another (Ex: Africa to Asia)
The pixels are built to withstand that environment, and metal chambers can provide very good visibility of radio-based Auto-ID tags due to the reflectivity. As long as the Pixels have access to an energizing field, they can broadcast. And as long as a Bridge and Access Point are listening, data can be collected and / or pushed to the cloud. For example, this could all be packaged in a reusable "smart pallet".
can this be tracked in the middle of the Ocean?
As long as there is a gateway that has internet access!
How do you program a pixel? And can we do it ourselves?
No programming of the tag is needed - instead the pixels are assigned unique identifiers for maximum security and privacy (Unique ID is encrypted). When you receive your pixels, you can associate them with any item or SKU on our cloud.
I am assuming that packaging tracking requires the customers have the bridges and gateways also to beable to track the package.
Correct. We have reference bridges and gateways that we can help install, or some 3rd party access points work as well.
Difference between RFID & Wiliot solution? Both require a beacon to read & transmit it appears? Why Wiliot?
Wiliot is built on Bluetooth, an infrastructure that is already pervasive globally. Moreover, the Bluetooth gateways/bridges used by Wiliot are much simpler and lower cost than their UHF RFID counterparts.
More here
With the Sensize parent-child, what are you using to excite the Wiliot tags?
Wiliot bridge devices currently
What does sustainability and reusability of the Wiliot tags mean?
Wiliot IoT Pixels on an RTI enable the packaging materials to be used and reused again saving the materials that would be used in disposable single-use packaging. Even more impactful are the savings in carbon footprint of what's in the RTI, by reducing over-production and food waste when true supply chain visibility is enabled.
is there a method to take data out of the Wiliot cloud to other datastores?
Our cloud offers HTTP and MQTT connections, and our team is ready to work with you to complete your integration, based on your cloud and data requirements.
when we transport goods by shipping containers like a container full of metal can this be deployed in this user case
As long as the tag is separated from the metal by 5+ mm, it can still work. Needs to be tested in your use case!
Can you use them in refrigerators?
Yes, just keep away from direct contact with metal
Please give some info on the insights planned for RTIs.
Our solution offers data and soon, simple visualizations for RTI movement and temperature. We have a no-code playbook tool in alpha release, that allows anyone to build an event and alert system to drive action in their favorite enterprise apps whenever something happens (imagine a slack message and an update to salesforce when a good has arrived or expired).
On top of that, we leverage our industry focussed partners to build industry standard RTI tools - please reach out to our sales team if you need a standard RFI insight integration.
typically a factory has some metal goods, they are loaded in a lorry or a container and they are road transported and shipped on vessels arrive at a port and then a factory so can it give tracing there
Visibility persists as long as the pixels/bridges have access to an internet access point.
Is there some rules between the quantities of pixel and the quantities of bridges needed to power them up?
Depends on the RF environment, and how you use the pixel data. Real-time location monitoring requires low latency from deployed pixels, which in turn requires more bridges. Daily inventory checks and check-in / check-out typically does not require as low latency and can be accomplished with fewer bridges.
1 bridge every 5-10 meters can satisfy most use requirements
Can we also track Humidity?
Humidity is road mapped, but won't be released this year.
Are you interested in partnering with Universities and their food service departsments to provide a use case? Also next one is if there is an alert how does the customer get notified?
Yes and we can use our new 'playbooks' to automate notifications! More news on this coming soon!
Can i use API to read data from your cloud and integrated them in our supply chain solution to monitor asset and shipment?
Yes - web services APIs are documented on our Knowledge Base. If you would like to access this material, please follow these steps:
2. Return to this Q&A to access our Technical Documents here
Do you have information on what is the minimm RF energy and frequency needed to power the pixels please.
The IC on the pixel leaks about 1 nA at 0.3V, so that defines the lower limit of harvesting power for the pixel to function. We are still in the steep curve of technology optimization, and have seen this leakage current lowered dramatically for every release.
In practice, we can comfortably energize a pixel at 10 M with a 915 MHz +31 dBm antenna, or 5m with a 2.4 GHz +24 dBm antenna. More here
When will you start selling / supporting APAC?
We already have customers in Japan and Australia. Sato has a significant presence in AP and is a VAR and Service partner for Wiliot. We will expand more broadly across the globe but don't have dates to share currently.
In that case can a tag be made with a 5mm padding?
Yes, absolutely. The same strategy is often used with foam-backed UHF tags, to enable their application on metal.
I see Healthcare as a typical use case scenario. Any comments on that ?
Yes, there are many relevant use cases in healthcare, we have customers in this space already. Tracking RTIs is one sweet spot but also tracking products being delivered on consignment in cabinets/cupboards is another.
Do you have case studies or something you could share related to Healthcare use cases?
We will be sharing our customer success stories soon. Stay Tuned! One source to look at is our partner Blyott who focus on healthcare.
Due to antenna size is there a fundamental limit to how small you could make a tag?
Yes, the amount of energy we're able to harvest is proportional to the flux of RF radiation incident to the antenna. That said, pixels do continually harvest until enough energy is stored to complete a broadcast. So with a larger energization field or a slower broadcast frequency, a smaller antenna could be used.
The IC on the pixel leaks about one nA at 0.3V, so that defines the lower limit of harvesting power for the pixel to function. Wiliot is a nascent technology, and we're still on a steep technology improvement curve. Leakage current has been an area of focus, and we have seen it dramatically reduce with every release. Eventually, it will be so small that Wiliot Pixels will be able to perpetually tap into minute fields, broadcasting whenever enough scraps of energy have been accumulated.
are the bridges battery powered? or are they batteryless as well?
The bridges are wall-powered (5V, 2A), via USB. In some deployments, partners and customers have powered the bridges with USB battery packs.
How does the system work if there are dense fields of tags, such as 2000 in a room?
Due to the random broadcast nature of the pixels, large quantities speaking to one bridge/gateway are not normally a problem. 2000 in a room should be OK.
Using your video as an example. A carton full of peppers experiences an accident wherein the Wiliot tag was damaged but not the carton or the peppers would it be easy enough to replace the tag with another tag (just peel off one and slap on another) and have the carton continue on its way? I know there are likely alot of considerations my question glosses over but could it be that easy?
In the case of cartons, that should be an easy operation. However, for the RPC, where durable tags are used, pulling them off will require some attention/work. Nevertheless, another Pixel can be easily attached elsewhere on the RPC.
In case of a Cellphone as a getaway: Does the phone need to run a specific software to read the Bluetooth? or it is done at the system level without need of an app to run?
A phone app is needed in order to upload the data to Wiliot's cloud. The Wiliot app uses an SDK that recognizes a Wiliot Ephemeral ID packet and forwards in to the Wiliot cloud along with location data of where the tag was read. This functionality can be integrated into 3rd party apps. Contact us through the Wiliot forums for further details.
Based on the Video example.....where does the Bridge need to be installed ? does bridge need a power source ? what is the ratio of tags to Bridge ?
The bridge should be installed 5-10m from the pixels they intend to energize and communicate with. The bridge runs on a 5v, 2A USB source. We powered bridges with just a standard USB battery pack in the past!
With the RTI's being cleaned with high pressure systems, how is the tag designed to survive this process ?
The tag is constructed with a polypropylene or PET face, and aggressive adhesive. When testing our tags through an industrial RTI cleaning system, all tags worked afterward.
If there is a temprary interruption from bridge to tag and when reconnected is the data in the interim lost?
Yes, unless the data packet was picked up by another bridge or a gateway.
the bridge are only to download the data from the pixel or to supply the pixel?
The bridge energizes pixels and also filters and repeats the bluetooth packets at a higher amplitude.
Can Wiliot Cloud run in an organizations private data center of cloud tenant?
The Wilito cloud can connect to a private cloud but we don't support a local or containerized version of the Wiliot cloud itself for private or on-prem use. This may be possible in the future but will need to be prioritized as a feature based on commercial considerations.
Is the connection between pixel and bridge propriety or can any BLE device be used to power the pixel?
The connection is not private, and we welcome bridge and gateway manufacturers to become friends of Wiliot! With a few simple modifications, existing bridges and gateways so long as they conform to the minimum hardware requirements (+20 dBm output for Bridges ...) can add Wiliot Pixels to their ecosystem.
Is the connection between pixel and bridge propriety or can any BLE device be used to power the pixel?
The connection is not private, and we welcome bridge and gateway manufacturers to become friends of Wiliot! With a few simple modifications, existing bridges and gateways so long as they conform to the minimum hardware requirements (+20 dBm output for Bridges ...) can add Wiliot Pixels to their ecosystem.
So does that require a Wiliot printer or can they go through a standard label printer?
Pixels are constructed in the same way as UHF RFID tags and can be printed on with a standard label printer (thermal transfer).
price of an UHF RFID asset tag or the price of an UHF RFID label?
Wiliot pixels are comparable to UHF RFID tags in price, albeit at a slight premium at lower volumes. They are constructed with the same equipment and materials as UHF RFID tags.
Do the Williot IOT Pixels use BLE 5.1 and allow for AoA?
Not just yet - we have an R&D partnership with Quuppa one of the leaders in this space
Can we go straight from Wiliot Tag to Smartphone (bypassing the Reader?) Use case: Patient with his pill bottle Medication
Yes, but currently for best performance, a bridge is needed.
How does the pixel perform on metal surfaces?
Pixels work well on metal surfaces when separated at least 5 mm
Was the "SHOCK" sensing something that Sensize extrapolated out in their programming or a sensing service that Wiliot provided?
Shock sensing is available by Sensize Tracker. Not by WIliot's Pixels today.
can this go from pixel to a cell phone or another BLE gateway?
Yes, but data is interpreted in the cloud, and either the phone or the access point needs to have the ability to deliver the packet to the right web services endpoint.
Are the bridges battery powered?
The bridges are powered by 5.1v DC
You are not relying on any ambient RF for doing energy harvesting (as I understand your descriptions). I have heard nothing except wireless power transfer system descriptions (i.e. - your "harvested" power is really from a directed, actually highly inefficient, source). Please clarify if I have misspoken.
For most commercial deployments the performance that is required demands predictability and often a faster duty cycle than is possible with energy scavenging, which is what we tend to call what you describe (harvesting from an ambient signal). We have seen many instances where WIliot tags are powered sporadically by radio devices at 2.4GHz and sub-gig frequencies that were not designed to do this. Future versions of the WIliot chip will have even higher harvesting sensitivity, even lower leakage, and even more efficient operation. We also expect more and more wireless devices (Wi Fi APs, phones, appliances, IoT Devices) to be tuned by their OEMs to Work with Wiliot. Often this can just be a software upgrade (look at the spec of your smart speaker or security camera). Until then we use devices that have been designed to Work with Wiliot in order to achieve the benefits of low-cost infrastructure and continuous visibility.
how many pixels can be recognized by a bridge?
Bridges can handle 1,000 Pixels simultaneously.
in Q&A you claimed you would address the energy consumption questions, but seem to be avoiding them all. :)
Sorry we didn't get to your questions during the webinar (and many other peoples), we had almost 100 questions and not enough time to do them all justice. I hope the answers above go some way to addressing what you had in mind. If you have more, then do join our forum at support.wiliot.com and we will do our best to address them. I'm sure there are other people with similar questions who haven't taken the time to ask, that will be interested to see the discussion.
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