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Geocoding location coordinates to addresses from GPS-trackers

Today we talk about geocoding. Geocoding is a very interesting art! Geocoding consist of converting addresses (e.g. streets) into geographic GPS coordinates (i.g. latitude and longitude). On the other hand, we have reverse geocoding that is the reverse process: transforming a pair of geographic GPS coordinates into an address (street with number and city).

You might be wondering what geocoding can be used for. From simple analysis to business and customer management to distribution techniques, there is a wide range of applications for which geocoding can be used. At thethings.iO we are helping companies for which is important to geocode the GPS coordinates into addresses for the fleet management, route planning, among others.

At thethings.iO we usually receive the location as geographic GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude). It is known that it is the best way if you want to represent your assets on a map. However, geographic coordinates are not meaningful if they are not represented on a map. That’s why some customers ask us for the possibility of the integration of geocoding services in thethings.iO IoT platform.

Thanks to the Cloud Code service, we help you to integrate third-party services that enable you to transform the data from your connected things into information that will be useful to your daily activities.

Here you can see an example. In the table, you can see the addresses where the devices are located in:

Geocoding services

Although there are many geocoding services, today we will talk about two of them:

  • OpenCage Geocoder
  • Google Maps Geocoding API

Both are free up to 2.500 requests per day. In the case of Google will charge us $0,5/1.000 requests up to 100k daily requests if we overlap the free limit. For OpenCage we have different plans, e.g the x-Small plan includes 10k requests per day and it cost $50 per month.

Some lines below you will find information on how to use it. The first step is to get the API key or token.

Obtaining the API key

OpenCage

OpenCage Geocode is a very simple geocoding service (as we like). You only have to sign-up and follow all the registrations steps. After that you will see your dashboard like this:

Copy and keep the API key. We will use later!

Google Maps Geocoding API

If you have decided to use the Google Maps Geocoding API you must follow these steps:

1. You have to sign in with your Google account and follow this link:

2. Click on ‘Get a Key’ button and follow the instructions.


3. You will obtain your API key. Keep it! We will need it later!

 

Using geocoding services at thethings.iO

Once you get your API key, you are ready to use the geocoding services on our platform. In the following link, you can find a repository with the functions and examples of how to use these services.

In the repository, you can find two folders and two files. The folders contain the code for the httpRequest with both the OpenCage and Google Maps API geocoding and inverse geocoding services.

With that code, we build two examples that could be useful for your business requirements. Anyway, do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions regarding this topic. We can provide you with more examples!

       1. Example 1. Trigger (Inverse geocoding with Open Cage API)

With this code every time you send data to the platform that contain location information, the trigger will be executed and we will transform the coordinates from the resource $settings.geo into a physical address. Then we will save it into the resource address. You just have to create a new trigger in the cloud-code. Then copy and paste the following code.

      2. Example 2. Function (Inverse geocoding with Google Maps Geocoding API)

In this case, we transform all the addresses of all the things of one product just in one cloud-code execution. Create a new function, choose the product and copy and paste the code from the file. Finally, introduce “{}” in the Preview Params (Check the picture below). The function will calculate the address for all the devices that contain information in the resource $settings.geo and will be saved in the resource address of each thing.

We hope all this information will be helpful for you. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO

How IoT will change Music

How IoT will change Music

How IoT will change Music

Welcome to the most harmonious post of thethings.iO. This is about music. We can listen to it, play or even sing it; but what about feeling and living the song you love the most? No matter if you prefer jazz, electro, indie, heavy metal, or whatever, there’s always an IoT device or wearable that suits you perfectly. And at thethings.iO, we make it even easier to connect anything to the Internet.

Your favorite music just by pushing a button

It is said that music is a powerful tool to define ourselves. It is not what you see on the outside but rather what’s on the inside that really matters. Yes, everyone of us is completely different. While I am writing this post, I am listening to Aretha Franklin, but my colleague has opted for Madonna. Different people, different preferences, but one common passion: music.

Let’s describe a situation. You arrive home, it’s been a long day, and the only thing you need is to lay down on the couch and listen to music. Nowadays, you’re probably using your smartphone or tablet (or maybe even your TV!) to listen to your favourite playlists, which you have created before. What would you say if we tell you that there’s a device that’s perfect for you because it picks songs for you according to your pleasures?

Prizm is the connected device that’s capable of choosing the perfect music to play. As if you are meeting a partner, while interacting with Prizm, it starts learning and remembering your habits, what music you like, when and in which context. In addition, it is capable to recognize who is in the room and also sense the mood in there, to adapt the music according to any situation.

Prizm

Prizm

Fighting with your family or friends will surely end with the arrival of Prizm!

Best music on your wrist

It seems that wristbands are a really popular wearable among the Internet of Things in any field. Music is no exception. Let us introduce you some of the coolest wearables to play and live music.

The first one we want to mention is Soundbrenner, a wearable metronome. The torturing click-sound metronomes we have known are over, as the arrival of Soundbrenner has led it to be obsolete. This device makes you feel the beat, literally! The idea came since vibration guides a musician more naturally than a stressful click-sound, similar to if someone were to tap you on your shoulder. It also helps you develop a great inner sense of rhythm, master the most difficult sections of your songs, and simply enjoy your music! With Soundbrenner you can also create tempo maps or synchronise the vibrations via MIDI with Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, Avid Pro Tools and more.

Soundbrenner

Soundbrenner

Secondly, you need to know Lucie Labs. It defines itself as “the world’s first smart & creative LED lighting wristband that augments your music experience.” What does it do? This wearable band light up according to the rhythm.

You should also know Basslet, the bracelet that works alongside headphones and lets you feel the bass and depth of music through your body. Do you remember when we told you about being and living the music? We were imagining something like Basslet. Its main objective is to create the greatest experience for all music fans.

In a past, when you were listening to the radio and a cool song was playing, most of the time you just missed the name of it, which made you feel really upset. With apps like Shazam, the waiting for the name of a song disappeared. But, what if you do not need your phone to track a song that you love? Trak has the perfect solution to this! It is the first smart music tracker, which allows you to track a song and add it directly to your playlist. It is even easier to use than Shazam! Just touch your wrist, and you’ll “like” and save the song automatically. Yes, it’s that easy! And also you can synchronize it with your smartphone or tablet!

How does Trak work?

How does Trak work?

Hear sounds you could have never heard before

It is a well-known fact that everybody sees, smells, tastes… and obviously, hears differently. We all are born different, but Aumeo has made what may have seemed impossible as it provides a personalized audio experience with its custom-fitted product. Aumeo is a pocket-size device that corrects sound to your personal hearing sensitivity in the audio signal path from your music player (for example, your iPhone) to your ears. As it describes what it does, it “unlocks your best hearing potential so you can hear your favorite tunes the way they were meant to be heard — in all their fullness and richness.” Wouldn’t it be amazing to perfectly hear your favorite songs? To listen to  “Let It Be” in a way we have never heard, exactly as The Beatles wanted to sound, would be one of the best experiences any music fan could live.

Enjoy music & have fun playing music

If you are a music lover, you probably know the name Berklee (or at least you have heard anything about it). Berklee is one of the most important modern music schools in the world. It started as a jazz school, but nowadays it offers any kind of musical style. The question is, what is the relationship between Berklee and the Internet of Things?

Students of the Musical Technology Innovation master have created the “Sing Song Table,” which was in the Sónar+D this year (2015). Apparently, it looks like a Ping Pong table, but it places some sensors that allow you to create a melody while playing. How does it work? The contact and movement sensors send the signal to a synthesizer which records players’ movements and the ball pushes. The recording is connected to a computer to transform the match into an original and unique song. It also allows players to choose different preset styles to make this experience even more personal.

There is also a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) controller to let a third player control the sensor route and audio parameters to mix the music during the match.

The Sing Song Table is not the only project that Berklee school introduced us at the Sónar+D. The Flex Sleeves react to the muscular movement so any singer can have the possibilities of a recording studio on their arms and hands. To sum up, it creates music with the movement of the musician’ arms, so it controls the voice, sounds, loops and visual effects (lightning) during a concert.

We will call it IoMT Clothing

Recently, while working on another thethings.iO’s project, we found some cool internet-connected clothing that can also help you make music, so we are going to introduce them to you…

The first one, is called the Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt, by ThinkGeek. The Electronic Guitar Shirt is not a toy that plays pre-canned musical riffs, it is a real musical instrument that allows you to play your favorite songs and sound great doing it. Let’s play the guitar, so it is easier now with this cool t-shirt.

And the other is the MIDI Jacket v1.0, which is a jacket that allows the user to create music through motion and touch sensors with a mobile app. A MIDI allows communication between digital music instruments, computers and other devices, so it also allows users to control and make music kinetically through body sensors and by detecting acceleration and flexion.

Midi Controller Jacket v1.0

Midi Controller Jacket v1.0

The role of thethings.iO in here

As you see, anything can be connected to the internet, even MUSIC! At thethings.iO we connect devices or wearables such as the ones we have mentioned in this post to the Internet. We are a Cloud solution for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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To All First-Time Mothers: Your Troubles Solved by IoT

IoT for babies

To all desperate first-time mothers, the Internet of Things is going to save your lives, or at least, it will try to. Say goodbye to all the crying without knowing what is actually happening. In the very near future, to take care of a baby will be, maybe, one of the easiest things of your life. Do you want to know how? Know the latests IoT wearables and devices in this post!

Track Your Baby’s Vitals

Fitbit was for sports, Fitbark for dogs and Revolar for women. Which is the wearable for babies then? Lately, lots of companies have seen a space in which they can develop their businesses for the house’s youngest. The baby world has been an attractive field to get into since it not only helps couples in their first years of being parents, but also because it has a lot to offer. From the simplest toys to baby buggies, bottles or carriages, couples (and also singles) need to buy it when they decide to expand the family.

It is 2AM and the baby is up, crying, we do not know why, or we did not know why? Mimo is a baby monitor tracker that sends all the information about your baby’s vitals to your smartphone. It takes the shape of a turtle, which is what sends the information about your baby’s breathing, body position, sleep activity and skin temperature. All that data generated is streamed to the cloud to let you know real-time insights about your baby on your smartphone. Mimo makes the understanding between parents and babies easier.

Similar to Mimo, we find other companies such as Sensible Baby, which also monitors the baby’s position, temperature, and movement on your smartphone while he/she is sleeping.

And what about Teddy The Guardian? The typical Teddy Bear crosses the line and becomes smarter. Just by touching or holding its paw, which holds sensors, enables parents to measure their child’s vitals and see it using the app. Your child’s first best friend will be more than a mere toy, it will be an IoT device to also play with.

Teddy the Guardian

Teddy the Guardian

Owlet describes itself as an Smart Sock that monitors your baby’s vitals. Owlet alerts parents if their baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels are outside the norm. Alerts are sent to a primary alarm (with a green and red light sensor) and your smartphone too, allowing you to know everything about your baby in real-time.

Owlet

Owlet

On the band side, we find products such as Sproutling, which will fit around your baby’s ankle. It includes a sensor that measures heart rate, skin temperature, motion and position, and sends all the information to your smartphone.

While these devices track a lot of variables, there are some that can be used just for one specifically. TempTraq is described as the first and only 24-hour intelligent thermometer that senses, records, and sends alerts of your children’s temperature to your smartphone. It is a patch, so it is both soft and flexible, which will make your baby feel more comfortable. Parents can receive information from more than just one child, as the app makes it possible to track information for multiple children.

And what about filming your baby? The webcam located strategically to spy on the babysitter will be left behind with the arrival of devices such as Withings Home, which places a 135º camera inside to record both night and day events. When you are not at home, you are able to see what happens to your baby, but also in your house too. It includes infrared LEDs to guarantee a high quality night vision, as well as noise (for example when the baby is crying out loud) and motion sensors. The device also tracks indoor air pollution to make sure your family lives in a well-being environment. To sum up, Withings Home is not only used for babies, but for all the members of the family.

Do not miss any event with Onni Smart Care Baby Monitor. In this case, it designed specially to film the baby and be able to watch how is he/she is in real-time. Onni places a camera, infrared, microphone, speaker, night light and temperature sensor. Parents are alerted when the baby wakes up, if there’s any loud noise in the child’s room, or if the room temperature is too hot or too cold, the advice is sent directly to their smartphones. By using Onni, parents can also keep track of the child’s growth, turning this device into a must have in the baby things collection.

Eat Well, Grow Well

It is said that we are what we eat, so you should start since you are a baby. That is the reasoning of most parents in the world. Milk Nanny is a connected baby’s milk maker. The app tells you when the machine is ready to operate and also statistics about the milk (quantity of water, temperature…).

Milk Nanny

Milk Nanny

As if we have the Hapi Fork (a tracker fork), here comes the Baby Glgl for babies. This is a baby’s bottle that allow parents know when the baby is eating correctly thanks to some sensors that places inside.

More IoT Things To Think About

We have talked about several baby trackers, of all shapes and sizes, and also about the eating devices you should have in your house if you are planning to have a baby. But, what about the daily and simple things such as pacifiers or diapers? Both things, are also a must have when you have a baby. Luckily, the IoT companies have designed some connected options of these objects.

Pacif-i, from Blue Maestro, is a pacifier that monitors a baby’s temperature and transmits the data to his/her parents smartphone or tablet. It is composed of a temperature sensor inside its silicon teat and a proximity sensor that allows parents to monitor its location. It is really useful to record the medication that is administered to the baby, so it is easier to share the data with medical professionals.

On the other side, we have the Smart Diapers, which started a crowdfunding campaign in Kick-Starter and that pretended to monitor the baby’s health. It would be used to detect urinary tract infection, prolonged dehydration and developing kidney problems.

To calm down a baby would have never been as easy as it will be with mamaRoo, from 4moms, a rocker to keep your baby calmed. You can choose the way you want it to move: up and down, from left to the right… The movement will be controlled by the app. But there is even more! Parents will be able to add music to their baby experience with the mamaRoo.

mamaRoo

mamaRoo

The Role of thethings.iO

At thethings.iO, we connect devices or wearables such as the ones we have mentioned in this post to the Internet. We are a Cloud solution for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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Internet of Loving Things

Internet of Loving Things

It seemed impossible to understand “love” in multiple ways, but like everything around us, love is ever changing and evolving with the other revolutions. No one believed in the possibility of a long distance relationship, but with the evolution in technology and the new forms of communication that have came with it, long distance relationships have become common place today. People no longer need to be in the same room to be able to express their affection to one another.

There are lots of new ways to keep in touch with the people we love, even when she/he is on the other side of the world. Texting, skyping… the possibilities become infinite, and it will be something even bigger when the Internet of Things introduces itself in the love sphere. Actually, the Internet of Things already has made an impact in how we can show our emotions to one another.
Feel the Internet of Things
It is time to go to sleep and the only thing that you want is a kiss from your significant other, but they are on the other side of the planet away on business. You can try and imagine the feeling you remember but what about the actual feeling? Would that make it better?

In one of our earlier posts about Tactile Internet we talked about the opportunity to be able to feel sensations using the Internet. We are soon realizing that everything imaginable will be possible in the near future. Feeling, emotions and even sensations will be able to be sent via the internet to the ones we love. Just a few days ago, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said that “One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology. You’ll just be able to think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too if you’d like. This would be the ultimate communication technology”.

Do you not remember the Kissing Machine from The Big Bang Theory’s show a couple of years ago? Check the clip out below:

Love without limits thanks to IoT

In 2013, it was something funny and often laughed at. Now in 2015, it is more that that, hugs, kisses, and touch are possible even when your significant other is around the globe.

The main idea of Pillow Talk was to allow long distance couples to feel closer to one another when not together. Each person has a wristband they wear to bed at night while also placing a speaker inside their pillowcase. The wristband picks up your real-time heartbeat and transmits it to the others pillow so that the heartbeat of your partner can be felt by the other even when apart.

While being interviewed by StuConnect, the founder of project Pillow Talk said, “In today’s digital world, it’s easier than ever to maintain a relationship across long distances, but existing methods of communication such as email or facebook are very two-dimensional, often screen-based, and don’t capture one of the fundamental aspects of being in a relationship with someone: the other person’s presence”.

BOND was born with this same principle. This product proposed the idea of being able to transmit tactile touch. Each person has a bracelet or a pendant, and when someone touches it, it transmits a vibration to the other person’s device no matter where they are at that moment.

The role of thethings.iO in here

At thethings.iO we connect devices or wearables such as the ones we have mentioned in this post to the Internet. We are a Cloud solution for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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Living in a Woman’s IoT World

Living in a Woman’s IoT World

As a song says, this is a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing without women. Well, the world is changing and is becoming a woman’s world as well. It is changing in the social and technological field, therefore it is not strange to see the new IoT wearables designed specially for women.

Jewelry Meets Internet of Things

The Apple Watch broke borders recently, as Fitbit did some months ago. Now, it is the turn of more esthetic devices and the jewelry business has seen a huge opportunity to use the IoT technology to sell a unique product. It is not just about the beauty. It is about the functionality and new possibilities to do “something else.”

If some years ago we could not see jewelry as more than an accessory, nowadays they are able to do whatever. From notifying you of a call on your smartphone using a vibration, to advising the police of emergencies.

Lots of new functionalities may seem like fiction, but they are actually real. The past Fashions Weeks, specifically the one located in New York, showed the whole world some new wearables for women, most of them appearing as a bracelet style. The main idea of the companies is to create a kind of technology that could not be noticed by others. And they have achieved it!

Internet of Things Turns into Fashion

Ringly is, apparently, a normal ring, but what it has inside makes it a unique piece of technology. It houses an accelerometer, Bluetooth LE, tiny LEDs and a motor inside its precious gem. This ring is connected to a smartphone that alerts wearers about incoming texts or calls via vibration and flashing lights. Looking at its sophisticated and accurate design, you would never believe it is an IoT device.

Ringly - wearables for women

Ringly – wearables for women

The noise has been created in the bracelet design area. Lots of companies (mature ones and new), have proposed designs for new possibilities of IoT bracelets. MEMI’s idea uses wireless technology to communicate with the wearer’s iPhone. It can vibrate for important calls (you can also select callers), text messages and calendar alerts. Easily usable, MEMI fits all its technology (LEDs, sensors, etc) into a fashion bracelet that will not remain indifferent to anyone.

Memi - wearables for women

Memi – wearables for women

Otherwise, MICA’s proposal was to see what happens when beauty meets intelligence. My Intelligent Communication Accessory, better known as MICA, is a bracelet with a touchscreen display, designed by Opening Ceremony and engineered by Intel, which allows you to easily access the notifications from your VIP contacts (messages, calendar alerts…).

Safe IoT-Fashion Devices

A bracelet, ring or necklace that incorporates technology inside should provide more than just a vibration when you are called or texted. Certainly, we want the technology to make us feel safer at anyplace and anytime. Fashion has met safety and IoT at the same time to create wearables that are unstoppable.

By having UVA and UVB sensors, JUNE by Netatmo measures precisely the wearer’s sun exposure. An app computes the data and gives you, in real time, the UV index in order to know when you should apply SPF or the level you should use, for example.

June by Netatmo

June by Netatmo

Speaking of safety, (maybe you were thinking about more dangerous situations than the sunburn ones), Revolar was created from the idea of a magic button in which you press when you are in danger. So, this is exactly how it works. When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, you press the button, which is hidden under your clothes, and an Emergency Alert message with your location information (updated every 3 minutes) is sent to a person on your emergency contact list.

Revolar - wearables for women

Revolar – wearables for women

Similar to Revolar, Cuff is a jewellry collection (not just a little device that can be hidden) that allow women to be connected everytime, everywhere. The way it works is simple: you just press a button when you are in danger and automatically it is sent a notification to somebody else. That one, receives an alert on his/her smartphone to make the process to call the police faster.

Why do we post this? As you should know, thethings.iO is an Internet of Things Start-up. So, imagining and creating a cool device is your job, while ours is to connect it to the Internet. We can connect all those bracelets, rings, necklaces… fast and easy.
If you want to know more about the IoT world and thethings.iO stay tuned!

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thethings.iO introduces you to the Tactile Internet

Tactile Internet

Tactile Internet

Is it possible to touch your daughter’s cheek while you are talking to her via Skype? Or to take a piano class from Tokyo if you’re in London? In a near future, it will be.

What exactly is Tactile Internet

Developers are working on the 5G, which is expected to come in 2020. Much faster, much longer and much better than the 4G we have nowadays. What might surprise you is that by 2020 about 26 billion devices will be connected to the Internet.

Tactile Internet goes further. The term ‘Tactile Internet’ was first introduced by Professor Gerhard Fettweis from the Technical University of Dresden in Germany in 2012, while working on control robotic systems remotely and in real time.

It was King’s College London professor Mischa Dohler that made ‘Tactile Internet’ something more than “remote control”. His idea was to close the data cycle in order to improve communications. So it is not about just seeing or hearing things far away, but also the opportunity to transmit accurately the equivalent of human touch using the bits and bytes of data networks.

The role of the Internet of Things

To make Tactile Internet possible, there is the need of having devices that can read and understand the codes to be able to make the functions we want. Those devices or “things”, must be connected to the faster Internet we have mentioned before. It is necessary to find a way to encode touch, then transmit the data and at the end make the user able to receive the sensation he or she is looking for.

Users are demanding a world in which they’d be able to feel the emotions and sensations that in a past, they were not able to. The world we live in changes fast and the Internet is no exception. Tactile Internet allows users to experience new sensations in perfect synchronization with no time-lag.

Think about a daily example of it: the e-commerce applications of Tactile Internet. You would be able to touch and see what you are about to buy on yourself without having to actually have purchased it already. This may sound like something out of a Star Trek movie but just wait a few years and you will not be thinking about it because you will be using it.

When Tactile Internet meets thethings.iO

Which is the relation between Tactile Internet and thethings.iO? thethings.iO connects devices to the Internet. To make Tactile Internet possible we must have Internet-connected “things”. Do not you see the relation yet?

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IKEA joins the IoT revolution

IKEA joins the IoT Revolution

IKEA joins the IoT Revolution

Internet of Things is now a reality, and lots of companies have to face it. Companies from many different fields (as we have seen: housing, decor, gardening…) have to improve their offers in order to survive in the new technological era. That’s why the famous Swedish company IKEA has decided to adapt things into the IoT’s world and also create new connected things to make our lives easier.

IKEA’s idea is to make a more sustainable life at home, so that is the reason why in the next decade the brand is going to create and develop new connected things, such as the whole kitchen. In a collaboration with IDEO, a global design company, and design students from Lund University (Sweden) and Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherland), IKEA has created the named Concept Kitchen, which was shown at the Milan Design Week.

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How IoT will change our gardens

How IoT will change our gardens

How IoT will change our gardens

In this blog, we have had a quick look at different ways that Internet of Things is going to change our lives soon, like houses, cities, workplaces and even animals! As you see, Internet of Things is going to change absolutely everything, and your garden could not be less. In this post, we are going to know new connected garden equipment that will help you improve it.

It is commonly said that most people do not have many time to take care of their garden. Then, you need to ask yourself if you prefer to have a poor garden, or better hire a gardener who will care of it for you.

Firstly, you need to know that, as well as there are thermostats that can help you control your house temperature or humidity, there is also the garden version. Edyn Garden Sensor is an IoT device that tracks environmental conditions, such as light, humidity, temperature… and then recommends you which plants will thrive or the optimal time for planting, among others. You can see all the information just by using its app. Isn’t it easy?

Edyn Garden Sensor

Edyn Garden Sensor

Other IoT devices can also help you save lot of water, for example RainMachine, which is synchronized with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and other international weather data sources, that sends information to the app about temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, amount of precipitation… This device also calculates daily evapotranspiration losses and, at the same time, auto-adjusts the watering duration depending on the needs of the plant. The main purpose of RainMachine is protect and nourish your garden to perfection.

Koubachi offers a new point of view in tracking and controlling your plants. It offers a plant sensor (there are the indoor and outdoor options) and measures vital plant parameters, like light level (sunlight or artificial), soil temperature, humidity… With it, your own plant will tell you when you should to water it or if you need to change its position. In your app you will have an inventory of your plants.

Koubachi Plant Sensor

Koubachi Plant Sensor

For all those that have tried to have a little vegetables’ garden at home, Click & Grow is the option they were looking for. Their first internet-connected device was Smartpot, a connected pot that allows you to watch how your plants grow. As they describe themselves, the process is simple: “plug it in, add a little water and let it take care everything else”. By using an innovative NASA-inspired technology, they make plants grow faster, but still 100% naturally, without pesticides, insecticides… Can you believe it?

Even the brand Parrot has been interested in the connected devices, specially with a garden product, so similar to Koubachi. It is called Flower Power, and measures the needs of your plants and sends it to your phone. Available indoor and outdoor, it controls fertility, humidity, temperature and light. When it detects a need, it advises you automatically, so you will know in real time when to water your plants, add fertilizer…

Even if you are a garden-lover or a garden-forgetful person, IoT is going to change the way you look at your garden for sure! Now, any excuse is going to be accepted.
thethings.iO connects all those devices to the Internet, as most of you know. Actually, some months ago we connected a Koubachi Plant Sensor here at thethings.iO’s office! If you want to know more about IoT world and thethings.iO stay tunned!

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