Planet Arduino

It’s time to catch up on all things LoRaWAN^® and low-power IoT! Our team is looking forward to returning to The Things Conference this year, joining all LoRa^® key players in Amsterdam on September 21st-22nd. Our experts will be showcasing new products and applications relevant to the technology that is putting the “smart” in smart cities, smart agriculture, smart logistics, and more. Indeed, with IoT’s huge growth potential in both B2B and B2C applications, LoRaWAN^® is stepping up as one of the technologies of the future. Already established as the low-power connectivity choice, according to The Things Network it is reaping the benefits of innovations that increase efficiency even further – and is poised to support ESG (environmental, social and governance) goals with reduced energy consumption and secure data transmission.

LoRaWAN^® novice, or expert? We’ve got you covered

Whether you are just realizing the potential of LoRaWAN^® or have been a fan of it since day one (like us!), we’ll have something for you to discover at our booth at The Things Conference:

• Looking for an entry-level option? The Arduino MKR WAN 1310 offers you the renowned versatility of the practical and cost-effective MKR family and adds LoRa^® connectivity to projects requiring low power.
• Ready to take it up a notch? The solution for advanced applications requiring sturdy computational power is to boost Arduino Pro’s Portenta H7 module (in any of its three variants) with the capability to run embedded computer vision applications, connect wirelessly via LoRa^® to the Arduino Cloud (or third-party infrastructure), and activate systems upon the detection of sound events. How? With the Portenta Vision Shield LoRa^®, of course!
• Feel the need for high performance? Pair the Portenta Max Carrier with a Portenta X8 module to add LoRa^® connectivity to your project, transforming your robust SOM into a single-board computer or reference design enabling edge AI for industrial, building automation and robotics applications.
• Need deep indoor coverage or want to add reliable connectivity to your outdoor system? The WisGate Edge Lite 2 and WisGate Edge Pro are your ready-to-use, industrial-grade gateways for LoRaWAN^® connectivity powered by RAKwireless.

The Arduino ecosystem has something for everyone, and might just have everything you need for your next LoRaWAN^® idea. Contact us or come by the booth to find out more.

Don’t miss the demos! 

The Things Conference will also be a great opportunity to see some of our products in action. You’ll have the chance to explore our solution to control pests in vineyards with the most effectiveness and the least use of chemicals or labor, for example. Computer vision and LoRa^® connectivity combine in a smart trap based on a MKR WAN 1310, which attracts bugs and records their number and type in real-time, allowing for remote monitoring and therefore more cost-effective interventions.

Our experts at The Things Conference will also be happy to show you how Portenta X8 and Portenta Max Carrier can join forces to deploy a secure, industrial-grade Linux computer capable of interacting with equipment/machinery or integrating within an existing smart kiosk: a system ready to collect data from onsite controllers, process them thanks to supported industrial protocols, and finally send useful information to your Cloud or ERP system, acting as a multi-protocol gateway via Wi-Fi, NB/IoT, LTE Cat.M1 or – you guessed it – LoRa^®.

People make The Things Conference special

We are proud to have two special events included in the program this year.

On Friday, September 22nd, our Application Engineering Lead, Sebastian Romero, will return to Amsterdam with a keynote showing how IoT-capable hardware can be retrofitted to integrate smart remote management, using Arduino components and LoRaWAN®. Interested in present opportunities, but also curious about the future of IoT from Arduino’s perspective? Then make sure to attend the fireside chat with our CEO Fabio Violante on Thursday, September 21st at 10:30am CEST, to find out how the company’s philosophy will continue to leverage the latest technological evolutions to best serve innovators like you.

Let’s get social! 

We’ll be happy to see you at the booth: come say hi, ask questions and get to know Arduino better. While approaching the venue, keep an eye on the ground and look for our street graffiti – be sure to take photos and tag us on social media: we’ll repost to share highlights with the millions in our community!

The post Let’s connect at The Things Conference 2023 appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Humans are animals and like all animals, we evolved in mostly outdoor conditions where the air is nice and fresh. But modern society keeps most of us indoors the vast majority of the time, which could have negative health effects. There are many potential hazards, including a lack of sunlight and psychological effects, but CO2 may pose a more tangible risk. To keep tabs on that risk within classrooms, a team from Polytech Sorbonne built this small CO2 monitor.

This CO2 monitor performs two functions: it shows anyone nearby the CO2 levels in the area and it uploads that data over LoRaWAN to a central hub that can track the levels across many locations. A school could, for example, put one of these CO2 monitors in every classroom. An administrator could then see the CO2 levels in every room in real time, along with historical records. That would alert them to immediate dangers and to long term trends.

At the heart of this CO2 monitor is an Arduino MKR WAN 1310 development board, which has built-in LoRa® connectivity. It uses a Seeed Studio Grove CO2, temperature, and humidity sensor to monitor local conditions. To keep power consumption to a minimum, the data displays on an e-ink screen and an Adafruit TPL5110 timer only wakes the device up every ten minutes for an update. Power comes from a lithium-ion battery pack, with a DFRobot solar charger topping up the juice.

It uploads data through The Things Network to a PlatformIO web interface. An Edge Impulse machine learning model detects anomalies, so it can sound a warning even if nobody is watching. The enclosure is 3D-printable.

The post Small, MKR WAN 1310-powered device monitors CO2 levels in classrooms appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Humans are animals and like all animals, we evolved in mostly outdoor conditions where the air is nice and fresh. But modern society keeps most of us indoors the vast majority of the time, which could have negative health effects. There are many potential hazards, including a lack of sunlight and psychological effects, but CO2 may pose a more tangible risk. To keep tabs on that risk within classrooms, a team from Polytech Sorbonne built this small CO2 monitor.

This CO2 monitor performs two functions: it shows anyone nearby the CO2 levels in the area and it uploads that data over LoRaWAN to a central hub that can track the levels across many locations. A school could, for example, put one of these CO2 monitors in every classroom. An administrator could then see the CO2 levels in every room in real time, along with historical records. That would alert them to immediate dangers and to long term trends.

At the heart of this CO2 monitor is an Arduino MKR WAN 1310 development board, which has built-in LoRa® connectivity. It uses a Seeed Studio Grove CO2, temperature, and humidity sensor to monitor local conditions. To keep power consumption to a minimum, the data displays on an e-ink screen and an Adafruit TPL5110 timer only wakes the device up every ten minutes for an update. Power comes from a lithium-ion battery pack, with a DFRobot solar charger topping up the juice.

It uploads data through The Things Network to a PlatformIO web interface. An Edge Impulse machine learning model detects anomalies, so it can sound a warning even if nobody is watching. The enclosure is 3D-printable.

The post Small, MKR WAN 1310-powered device monitors CO2 levels in classrooms appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Humans are animals and like all animals, we evolved in mostly outdoor conditions where the air is nice and fresh. But modern society keeps most of us indoors the vast majority of the time, which could have negative health effects. There are many potential hazards, including a lack of sunlight and psychological effects, but CO2 may pose a more tangible risk. To keep tabs on that risk within classrooms, a team from Polytech Sorbonne built this small CO2 monitor.

This CO2 monitor performs two functions: it shows anyone nearby the CO2 levels in the area and it uploads that data over LoRaWAN to a central hub that can track the levels across many locations. A school could, for example, put one of these CO2 monitors in every classroom. An administrator could then see the CO2 levels in every room in real time, along with historical records. That would alert them to immediate dangers and to long term trends.

At the heart of this CO2 monitor is an Arduino MKR WAN 1310 development board, which has built-in LoRa® connectivity. It uses a Seeed Studio Grove CO2, temperature, and humidity sensor to monitor local conditions. To keep power consumption to a minimum, the data displays on an e-ink screen and an Adafruit TPL5110 timer only wakes the device up every ten minutes for an update. Power comes from a lithium-ion battery pack, with a DFRobot solar charger topping up the juice.

It uploads data through The Things Network to a PlatformIO web interface. An Edge Impulse machine learning model detects anomalies, so it can sound a warning even if nobody is watching. The enclosure is 3D-printable.

The post Small, MKR WAN 1310-powered device monitors CO2 levels in classrooms appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The Things Stack (TTS) and Arduino Cloud are now fully interfaced and open up a world of connected opportunities. When you configure a LoRaWAN device now, it’ll automatically be registered on The Things Stack platform, too.

Arduino Cloud Goes Long Range

Let’s have a quick crash course in LoRaWAN, before we go any further.

An abbreviation of long range wide area network, LoRaWAN is a very low power wireless connectivity system, much like Wi-Fi. But it operates on a different (unlicensed) frequency that’s able to transmit and receive signals a lot further. It boasts distances that are measured in kilometers, rather than meters, as with WiFi or Bluetooth.

LoRa isn’t new to Arduino, of course. But now your devices can make use of over 22,000 public gateways around the world that are connected to the TTS service. In a very over-simplified way, these gateways translate radio packets into internet packets. A radio signal effectively becomes data sent over the internet, and vice versa. This vastly extends wireless internet coverage and connects remote IoT devices to your Arduino Cloud.

It’s not just about putting sensors, devices or projects in remote or rural locations, though. It’s about connecting to the internet where there is no Wi-Fi, and without the need for a costly cellular data connection. And it’s power consumption is very low. So a lot of these far distant devices can run on batteries or solar power.

Things, Things and More Things

When you configure a new LoRaWAN compatible device in your Arduino Cloud, such as a MKR WAN 1300, it’s now automatically registered as a device on The Things Stack.

You’ll automatically see a new menu during setup, which lets you select your region. This is important, as different regions and countries use different LoRaWAN frequency bands.

And that’s it! No need for you to do anything else. Easily the simplest and fastest way to connect to LoRa devices in an Arduino project. Or any electronics project, for that matter, since Arduino Cloud lets you seamlessly connect all kinds of different devices.

Complete the setup just as you would with any other device on Arduino Cloud. Sync your variables, connect your devices, build your dashboards. As long as your board is in range of a TTS-connected gateway, it’s part of your Arduino Cloud. Just as if it was sitting next to you on your Wi-Fi network, even though it might be 15 kilometers away! Or you could set up your very own LoRaWAN gateway that supports TTS, if you don’t have one in range.

There’s a more detailed tutorial over on Arduino Docs, although it’s not a complex procedure by any means. It’s got some excellent advice on setting up and accessing The Things Console, which LoRa fans will find very useful. Then there’s a quick and easy test project to make sure everything’s working as you want it to.

It’s still early days for LoRa. But any Arduino lover who takes an interest in this exciting technology will quickly get hooked on it, and the possibilities it offers. Tell us all about your LoRa projects over on social media, and how you’re building them on Arduino Cloud.

The post Connect to Arduino Cloud from far away with LoRaWAN and The Things Stack appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The Arduino Pro lineup continues to grow with the introduction of the new Arduino Edge Control. This is a remote monitoring and control solution optimized for outdoor environments. Easy deployment makes it suitable for smart agriculture, precision farming, and other intelligent control applications in remote locations.

Featuring built-in Bluetooth, Arduino MKR boards can expand connectivity with 2G/3G/CatM1/NB-IoT modems, LoRa®, Sigfox and WiFi. With solar power capabilities you can place it anywhere while leveraging AI on the edge. Once installed in the field, it can then be managed remotely using Arduino IoT Cloud (or other services). 

Real-Time Monitoring with Edge Control Sensors

You can also connect sensors, provide real-time monitoring, and drive actuators — commonly used in agriculture — thereby reducing production-related risks.

Particularly aimed at smart agriculture, the sensors can collect real-time data. Weather conditions, soil quality, crop growth and any other data you need. Once sent to Arduino IoT Cloud, the data value chain becomes valuable analytics that support business processes at various levels. For example, crop yield, equipment efficiency, staff performance and so forth. The Edge Control can improve crop quality, reduce effort and minimize error by automating processes like irrigation, fertilization or pest control.

Remote Access and Maintenance

With its robust design, the Edge Control is a fitting solution for applications in any outdoor setting. For example, using it on construction sites or in real estate to automate access control. Similarly, swimming pool maintenance and cleaning companies could monitor and control the condition of pool water from remote locations. As usual, we expect the Arduino community to come up with countless ingenious ways to implement this new technology.

To learn more about how you can use the Edge Control, check out how to get started.

The Edge Control is now available for €169/US$199 on the Arduino Store.

The post Sense the Future of Smart Agriculture with Arduino Edge Control appeared first on Arduino Blog.

With events of all sizes on hold and live sports mostly up in the air, it’s a great time to think of new ways to entertain ourselves within our local circles. Bonus points if the activity involves running around outside, and/or secretly doubles as a team-building exercise, like [KarelBousson]’s modernized version of Capture the Flag.

Much like the original, the point of this game is to capture the case and keep it for as long as possible before the other team steals it away. Here, the approach is much more scientific: the box knows exactly who has it and for how long, and the teams get points based on the time the case spends in any player’s possession.

Each player carries an RFID tag to distinguish them from each other. Inside the case is an Arduino Mega with a LoRa shield and a GPS unit. Whenever the game is afoot, the case communicates its position to an external Raspi running the game server.

If you haven’t met LoRa yet, check out this seven-part introductory tutorial.

An important new feature is now available in the Arduino IoT Cloud — full support for LoRa® devices!

LoRa® is one of our favorite emerging technologies for IoT because it enables long-range and low power transmission of data without using cellular or WiFi connections. It’s a very powerful and promising technology but it comes with its own complexity. In our pursuit to make IoT easier, we’ve already released a few products that enable anyone to build a LoRa® device (or a fleet of LoRa® devices!). Thanks to the Arduino MKR WAN 1310 board, combined with the Arduino Pro Gateway you can create your own LoRaWAN network. But we have decided to do more than that, and it’s time to release one more important piece….

The  Arduino IoT Cloud now provides an incredibly easy way to collect data sent by your LoRa® devices. With a few clicks, the IoT Cloud will generate a sketch template for the boards that you can adapt to read data from your sensors, pre-process it as you want, and then send it to the IoT Cloud. With a few more clicks (no coding required), you’ll be able to create a graphical dashboard that displays the collected data in real-time and lets users see their history through charts and other widgets. You will not need to worry about coding your own compression, serialization and queueing algorithm, as it will all be done under the hood in a smart way — you’ll be able to transmit multiple properties (more than five), pushing the boundary beyond the packet size limits of LoRaWAN! 

This is our take on edge computing — you program the device to collect and prepare your data locally, and then we take care of shipping such data to a centralized place.

Such a simplified tool for data collection is already quite innovative, but we decided to take it an important step further. All the available solutions for LoRa® currently focus on collecting data, but they do not address it from the other way round i.e. sending data from a centralized application to the LoRa® device(s). Arduino IoT Cloud now lets you do this — you’ll be able to control actuators connected to your device by sending messages via LoRa®, with no coding needed.

Build and control your own LoRaWAN network with Arduino IoT Cloud, the Pro Gateway and the new improved MKR WAN 1310 board that features the latest low-power architecture to extend the battery life and enable the power consumption to go as low as 104uA.

Security cameras are a great way to deter theft and vandalism, but what if the camera is out of WiFi range, or otherwise would need long cables to transmit pictures? As explained here, Tegwyn Twmffat has an interesting solution–taking advantage of neural network processing to recognize moving objects, along with a LoRa connection to sound the alarm when there is a potential problem.

Images are captured by a Raspberry Pi and camera, then processed with the help of an Intel Movidius Neural Compute Stick for identification. If it’s something of interest—a human, for example—a relatively small amount of data is transmitted to a MKR WAN 1300 base station, beeping faster and faster as the person approaches. 

As seen in the video below, it’s able to properly ignore the ‘test dog,’ while it beeps away when a person approaches! 

[Dave Akerman]’s interest in high-altitude projects means he is no stranger to long-range wireless communications, for which LoRa is amazingly useful. LoRa is a method of transmitting at relatively low data rates with low power over long distances.

Despite LoRa’s long range, sometimes the transmissions of a device (like a balloon’s landed payload) cannot be received directly because it is too far away, or hidden behind buildings and geography. In these cases a useful solution is [Dave]’s self-contained LoRa repeater. The repeater hardware is simple, and [Dave] says that if one has the parts on hand, it can be built in about an hour.

The device simply re-transmits any telemetry packets it receives, and all that takes is an Arduino Mini Pro and a small LoRa module. A tiny DC-DC converter, battery, and battery charger rounds out the bill of materials to create a small and self-contained unit that can be raised up on a mast, flown on a kite, or carried by a drone.

The repeater’s frequency and other settings can even be reprogrammed (using a small windows program) for maximum flexibility, making the little device invaluable when going hunting for landed payloads like the one [Dave] used to re-create a famous NASA image using a plastic model and a high-altitude balloon. Check out the details on the GitHub repository for the project and start mashing “add to cart” for parts at your favorite reseller.