Zipit and Partners Announce Development Toolkit for Cellular IoT Solutions

From hardware to software to connectivity and device management, Internet of Things (IoT) developers have their hands extremely full when it comes to designing and launching a new IoT application, while also dealing with the challenges almost all developers face:

1. Shorten Development Time
2. Minimize Spending
3. Conserve Resources
4. Reduce Risk

With a stated mission to accelerate time to market, various vendor solutions exist to alleviate the strain of developing IoT devices. However, many fall short by focusing solely on early prototyping and have not implemented the rest of the ecosystem - causing developers to have to resort to the painstaking process of piecing together disparate offerings to create a robust and complete IoT solution that scales.

Zipit has worked with Connected Development, a leading IoT design engineering team averaging over 25 years of experience in the industry, and Kopis, experts in cloud-based IoT architectures, to deliver a comprehensive IoT Reference Platform solution that aims to solve the most pressing engineering challenges that cause so many IoT initiatives to fail.

What is included in the IoT Reference Platform?

The platform includes a pre-certified, IoT reference design from Connected Development and an array of proven and pre-tested cloud service Software Development Kits (SDKs), drivers, and IoT sensors to empower customers with size, power and cost constrained applications to prototype, manufacture, deploy and scale faster. 

At the core of the IoT platform is Silicon Labs' BG21 Bluetooth System on a Chip (SoC) that includes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 connectivity, built-in security features and flexible application processing.

Another key hardware component of the platform is Telit's ME310 LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT cellular modem (with support for AT&T and Verizon). The LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT modem offers customers the ability to integrate cellular into a broad range of IoT applications. Customers interested in leveraging these cellular networks for their IoT devices get streamlined access to carrier SIMs and IoT-optimized data plans from Zipit, an authorized reseller of the world's leading carriers.

The IoT Reference Platform offers low power consumption, built-in security and the ability for developers to create a custom design, meaning developers have the flexibility to modify form factor, IoT sensors and more to meet the needs of their unique application.

Additionally, this powerful combination of pre-tested hardware and software building blocks allows customers to rapidly prototype their application while also supporting a seamless transition to volume manufacturing.

We created the blueprints, initiated the testing, and integrated the leading software to help developers take off on the ground running.
- Gregor Bleimann, General Manager
Connected Development

Key Benefits of Utilizing a Custom IoT Design Platform

The IoT Reference Platform delivers the following key benefits for developers: 

• Pre-Certified: FCC and cellular certified to ease final certification processes.
  
  
• Pre-Tested: Proven and pre-tested IoT software building blocks and connectivity with leading cloud services.
  
  
• Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Support: Test quickly, utilizing the same components and software that will go into a volume production build.
  
  
• Customizable: Form factor, IoT sensors and more can be customized to meet the needs of your unique application.
  
  
• Low Power Support: Ultra-low-power consumption design to support more IoT use cases.
  
  
• Secure: Software and hardware IoT security is designed into the core platform from the start. 

Support for Leading Cloud Services

Connected Development's hardware design has been pre-tested with leading cloud services Microsoft Azure, AWS - and has a pre-configured, multi-tenant MQTT infrastructure with OTA capability and administrative dashboard from Kopis.

With the integration of the Kopis IoT device management platform, developers can benefit from extensive software applications that streamline and automate common IoT processes, with access to features like:

• IoT device configuration and cloud provisioning
  
  
• Streamlined deployment with a multi-tenant hierarchy
  
  
• Securely manage IoT device certificates
  
  
• Over-the-air (OTA) updates
  
  

We are please to partner with industry leaders like Connected Development and Zipit to broaden the possibilities of our offering and allow developers to focus their time on what matters most - their application.
- Andrew Kurtz, CEO
Kopis

Once developers are ready to connect their prototypes for testing, the Zipit platform provides a quick, simple way to activate and manage the AT&T and Verizon cellular connectivity provided by Zipit - and additional carrier offerings as needed. To facilitate a smooth transition from prototype to final production, Zipit's carrier and billing platform can be deployed as an off-the-shelf white label solution, or integrated via API within your custom IoT application.

Zipit’s turnkey solution provides some of the following benefits:

• Management of cellular activation (active, inactive, billing-ready, etc.) across carriers within a single pane of glass
  
  
• Simplified billing for digital services (cloud infrastructure, cellular service plans, recurring billing, prorating, customer notifications, etc.)
  
  
• Comprehensive business intelligence reporting (cellular data usage, revenue, margin, subscriptions, churn and growth rates, etc.)  

IoT Reference Platform Common Applications

The IoT Reference Platform is suitable for a wide range of applications, including Industrial IoT (IIoT), asset tracking, sensor monitoring and reporting, remote asset control, motion detection and reporting and battery-operated IoT devices.

The IoT Reference Platform isn't just another development starter kit. We've brought together three experienced powerhouses in IoT to eliminate the obstacles that prevent developers from delivering solutions that are market ready.
- Frank Greer, CEO
Zipit Wireless

Get Started Developing Cellular IoT Solutions

The IoT Reference Platform is available now and can be customized to meet your unique needs. Learn how to get started by visiting: https://www.zipitwireless.com/lp/iot-development-platform