Seeding the Internet of Things Connectivity between everyday home devices and technology is a topic that has been on many technology sites lately. The idea of the Internet of Things is intriguing – control your household from your computer or your phone, without having to physically be there to switch on your home appliances or turn on the lights. The people at Seed Labs are hoping to make this idea a reality, one simple enough for the entire family to use. In an interview with Marek Wierzbicki, chief marketing officer of Seed Labs, and chief executive officer Rafal Han, this technology company is offering a chance for hardware companies to allow their everyday items to be connected to iPhones and Android devices. While other companies have approached this idea by using the WiFi connectivity inherent in many devices, Seed Labs takes a new approach by using the much more user friendly and adaptable Bluetooth Smart. By approaching the process of creating the Internet of Things from the ground up, Seed Labs helps companies with not only the software process of creating connected items, but also the hardware and even the production of these technological items. According to Wierzbicki, they have already helped several companies in Poland, the US, and China to create such items as connected tea kettles, light switches and dimmers, and electrical outlets. Seed Labs is also no mere startup, and their experience in the entrepreneurial side of things definitely shows. Han has been involved in many different entrepreneurial enterprises, starting at a very young age, and he was also a mentor and adviser for other startup companies. However, he decided that he wanted to come back to his first love, the development of new and interesting ideas, and returned to create Seed Labs, with offices now spanning the globe. Wierzbicki has stated that there are a few main goals for Seed Labs this year, and the company is already off to a great start. They want to promote the brand, and also want to grow Seed Labs – which is already happening. Due to the fact that Seed has decided on Bluetooth Smart above other wireless connectivity protocols that they tried out (such as WiFi and Zigbee) they have generated quite a bit of buzz about their products' abilities. Bluetooth Smart, the guys at Seed Labs would like to point out, is nothing like the old Bluetooth connectivity we all remember from the early 2000's. This is a highly sophisticated, long range technology which is also easy to use, and included in a large range of phones. It utilizes a small chip which is able to collect information that is broadcast, and process that information. Han, however, would like to point out that Seed Labs has made the technology even more functional, by adding another layer of software over the basic Bluetooth Smart that does several things to increase usefulness, such as allowing the Bluetooth device to broadcast to compatible hardware without the need for actually activating a piece of software. Seed Labs has also developed their software to work with Apple's iBeacon, which allows proximity controls. The iBeacon uses Bluetooth Smart to broadcast a unique signal, letting other enabled devices to react. This essentially means that you can walk into your home, and the iBeacon can broadcast that you are there – it's time to turn on the lights, start the tea kettle, and maybe put on some music. It also means that the control devices can receive push notifications from hardware; for example, a garage door – and let you know you've left it open. With Seed Labs' software, they've increased the usefulness range of broadcasting proximity to 1,000 feet. They've also added something else, the ability to have both private and public Bluetooth Smart networks on the same devices. That means that you could have a public device, such as in an office where many people need access, or a private network. The private network is perfect for those who are worried about unsecured access to their homes and property. Seed Labs is growing – and their technology is still evolving and becoming stronger. With the advantages of using Bluetooth Smart (no passwords needed, no routers, smaller and more energy efficient chips), this company is definitely poised to make a major difference in how the world is connected.

• published: 22 Sep 2014
• views: 502