B+B SmartWorx, a manufacturer of technology for intelligent M2M/IoT edge processing and connectivity, and Novotech Technologies, a value-added distributor (VAD) of M2M products, services and solutions, has announced a relationship where Novotech will use B+B’s latest wireless connectivity technologies to simplify the deployment of industrial wireless M2M/IoT solutions involving legacy equipment for customers in the United States and Canada. Those technologies include B+B’s Wzzard Intelligent Sensing Platform for creating wireless sensor networks (WSNs), and B+B’s Spectre edge gateways that provide cellular wireless connectivity.
Wzzard, a wireless sensor connectivity platform, was designed to help integrators, VARs and VADs develop and deploy secure, smart, self-powered, and scalable IoT applications. It bridges the gap between IT and the OT (operational technology) deployed in demanding environments. Wzzard helps to create “overlay networks” which can gather data from existing OT equipment, translate the disparate machine protocols into a language IT can understand, transform that data into useful information and deliver it up to the application layer – all without disrupting already established programming, processes and people.
“The industrial IoT (IIoT) is complex, and needs like the team at Novotech who understand both IT and OT and can provide the design and engineering expertise to create applications that bridge the gap between them,” said Jerry O’Gorman, CEO for B+B SmartWorx. “Novotech’s strong relationships with North American carriers is also an asset in developing wireless M2M/IoT solutions for customers.”
“B+B’s robust Wzzard platform allows us to wirelessly add user sensors into an IoT architecture, and simplify the IIoT connectivity stack between field devices being measured up to the application level,” said Richard Hobbs, president of Novotech. “Additionally, delivering useful data ready for enterprise analytics provides actionable intelligence that companies can use to reduce costs, optimise fleets/workforces and improve productivity.”
The Wzzard platform’s technologies, protocols and hardware work together to reduce the expertise and time it takes to develop scalable IoT connectivity solutions. They include:
- Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes which connect to industry-standard sensors
- SmartMesh IP wireless sensing technology which enables auto-forming, self-healing, self-sustaining mesh networks that are also highly scalable
- MQTT – a simple messaging transport protocol for M2M/IoT applications over wireless networks
- B+B’s Spectre cellular edge gateways, which connect equipment and devices to the Internet or Intranet over either wired Ethernet or wireless cellular connections