Who is Wiliot Webinar Q&A

Please find a recording of the webinar here

• Question: What are the business solutions solved with Wiliot vs. traditional item level RFID solutions?

  • Answer: We see a few key benefits over RFID:

    Same Low-Cost Manufacturing: Wiliot IoT Pixels are manufactured using the same machines and processes as RFID, resulting in a low-cost and embeddable tag that costs significantly less than a dollar.

    Lower Infrastructure Cost & Continuous Visibility: Unlike RFID, which relies on expensive handheld readers or gate set-ups that can cost thousands of dollars, Wiliot IoT Pixels speak Bluetooth. This means they can be read using standard Bluetooth devices costing tens of dollars, rather than expensive RFID readers.

    Flexibility & Rapid Evolution: The Wiliot solution was developed with the cloud as an extension of the hardware to simplify interfacing with other digital platforms. This approach has allowed for more sophisticated sensing, insight, security, and access control to be integral parts of Wiliot enabled solutions. Functionality and performance continuously improve as algorithms evolve, even for IoT Pixels already deployed. Learn more here

• Question: So for Retailers and Suppliers that have already made a significant investment in Item level RFID tags, how does Wiliot help support this work?  

  • Answer: Wiliot IoT Pixels are a complimentary technology to item level RFID, offering a more robust sensing service and machine learning cloud platform. Furthermore, we have some preliminary results that indicate that Wiliot Pixels can be powered by existing UHF RFID readers!

• Question: For a product that has a Wiliot tag, if BLE can transmit location, is there a concern about consumer privacy?   

  • Answer: Data privacy is our highest priority, and we took a higher level of privacy over UHF RFID by encrypting the data packets and even the Pixel ID. All packets are encrypted using an AES-128 bit encryption, and data is only available to the data owner from the Wiliot Cloud. In practice, this is an “opt-in” system, where the end user either opts-in to value-add services based on the Wiliot IoT Pixels visibility, or declines to do so and therefore the brand is unable to see any data from that point. Learn more here

• Question: Will the Pixel chirp iBeacon?
  • Answer: We support the Wiliot Ephemeral ID format (WEID), a power-efficient format designed by Wiliot to securely send private and encrypted ID and sensor data. This format uses the same Bluetooth Low Energy non-connectable non-scannable undirected advertising packets that are part of the Bluetooth 4.x and 5.x standard, as used by other Bluetooth beacons. For privacy and security reasons iBeacon is not in the roadmap.

• Question: When do you expect your tag to be able to be used in steel products?
  • Answer: With shielding in between the pixel and metal, you can make a pixel work on metal applications. Shielding is typically a thin foam layer, just like UHF RFID. 
    Learn more about applying pixels to metal, and other surfaces, here

• Question: Does Wiliot have trusted suppliers of Bridges, Beacons or Gateways that will be certified by Wiliot to work with Wiliot SaaS -Sensing as a Service in the future or is such on the roadmap?
  • Answer: Yes, we have trusted third party providers of bridges, beacons, and gateways. Some are “reference”, meaning that we worked tightly with the partner for the highest level of confidence. Learn more here

• Question: What is the Wiliot Pixel construction? What is the life expectancy of the Wiliot devices?

  • Answer: Wiliot IoT Pixels are constructed with the same manufacturing lines as UHF RFID, leveraging time proven techniques. Specific conversions depend on the use case, but typically there is a face stock for printing, a Wiliot bluetooth inlay, a light blocking backing, and an aggressive pressure sensitive adhesive to keep it attached to any surface it's applied to, permanently. Our business model is to provide sensing services, so we want them running as long as you do! Since most Wiliot IoT Pixels are battery-free, the lifetime is not constrained by a battery. Lifetime primarily depends on the robustness of the conversion. 

• Question: Does the bridge require power connection?

  • Answer: Yes. The bridges run typically run on 5V, 2A USB power. Learn more here

• Question: Is there a plan to increase the energy harvesting capability in the near term?

  • Answer: Increasing the energy harvesting efficiency is what keeps our chip designers up at night. Every improvement results in Pixels that chirp more often, need fewer and simpler bridges, and integrate into our every day lives more seamlessly. Our Version 2 chip saw an improvement by a wide margin, and our Version 3 chip release will do the same. Learn more here

• Question: How can I test Wiliot pixels for my project?
  • Answer: Get your hands on a starter kit!