Efforts in Developing Bluetooth Tech Has Led to Powerful Synergy in the Small-Scale Richlink Technology

For seven years since its establishment, Richlink Technology has made great efforts in the R&D of Bluetooth tech. However, had the company chosen the other path, it may no longer exist at the moment.

Let's rewind back to the year 2016. When Richlink was founded, it was the budding stage for IoT technology to penetrate into applications in various fields. The market was at a stage where various tech specifications were still competing for the dominant place. Just like the large vs. small video tapes, or USB vs. FireWire (IEEE 1394), Zigbee and Bluetooth each had their own supporters.

"Bluetooth chips were very pricey at the time, which kept it from becoming the mainstream specification; however, considering that Bluetooth was already commonly built into mobile phones, we knew its applications would be more common than those of Zigbee," said Mr. Darren Chao, General Manager of Richlink Technology. With their mind made up, the team started to devote all their resources to the R&D of Bluetooth tech, from using foreign chips to developing its own modules, and then planning customized solutions based on its own modules, accumulating versatile capabilities in system integration along the way.

As the penetration of Bluetooth tech increased, Richlink's scope of services also became more extensive. "An obvious bottleneck in the IoT development was the inability for technologies to be mutually compatible, resulting in the failure to truly interconnect the devices. However, the addition of mesh mode after Bluetooth 5.0 solved this issue," said Mr. Chao. More than just a technological update, a set of standards that can be followed in terms of industrial development were jointly driven by tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Amazon, allowing IoT applications to be extended to mobile phones and thereby doubling the potential market size.

Following this trend, Richlink grabbed the opportunity and expanded its business to different fields with collab invitations from campuses and private building compounds. With demands derived from these projects, the dazzling results and solutions developed witnessed the team's R&D energy. which took many by surprise because as a small-scale company, Richlink undoubtedly showcased huge potential. The company independently developed the core Bluetooth communication module, the Bluetooth wireless repeater, and the plug-and-play circuit board controller. Even the software, the platform, and the customization details were all completed within the team.

To this, the modest Mr. Chao said that the development of each product was not as difficult as imagined. Rather, it was a matter of adding up bits and pieces, from small to large, and finally a complete set of solutions was assembled. "When planning the overall solution," Mr. Chao added, "it is more important to consider how the solution will be deployed in actual scenarios." Take residential buildings for example. New projects may be designed with the introduction of IoT devices in mind. However, it is a lot more difficult to transform older compounds into smart communities, and this is the market opportunity that Richlink has identified.

In older compounds, the implementation of IoT usually requires new equipment, and it is even more difficult to replace existing large-scale units since it involves mechanical and electrical integration and construction engineering. Such areas are usually not the expertise for ICT teams. In response, Richlink teamed up with GOING Mechanical and Electrical Management Service, the largest electromechanical service company in Taiwan, to integrate IoT device technology into community electromechanical and property management. "When integrating electromechanical equipment, the priority is always the system compatibility, so we use a self-developed intermediate platform, which will make signal communication much smoother without making changes to the original system," explained Mr. Chao.

In the first collab phase with GOING M&E Management Service, Richlink engineers integrated the IoT monitoring equipment with existing facilities, allowing management personnel to better grasp real-time status of various equipment. The system can also automatically issue alarms when abnormalities occur, which significantly reduces the manpower needed for regular inspections. In the second phase, Richlink took a higher initiative and gave various equipment automatic control functions. In addition to real-time detection of abnormalities and warnings, the equipment can now respond immediately to situations as soon as they occur, further preventing potential hazards and property losses.

In addition to large-scale community building maintenance and management, Richlink also has a series of smart home IoT technologies applied in households, which are also packaged into STEAM education courses on campus. Speaking of how the company started working in the area of STEAM education, General Manager Mr. Chao specifically mentioned the company's collab with the IoT Service Hub. The most challenging obstacle in STEAM education is usually not the students' learning ability, but whether the teachers have mastered the teaching itself. Richlink is well aware of the core of the problem, so when it started to invest in STEAM education, it started with teacher training first.

Speaking of teacher training, the IoT Service Hub's offices in different parts of Taiwan provide the perfect locations for Richlink to hold teacher training events. These offices are not only spacious, but can also provide matchmaking services whenever in need. In fact, the IoT Service Hub has become a strong backing for the collab project of Richlink and its teacher training sessions. With the support of the IoT Service Hub, Richlink and the teachers have jointly developed many innovative tech-enabled education programs, which have already been promoted and implemented on campus. Richlink's tech solution for education purpose is unique, as it directly transforms traditional classrooms into AI smart classrooms, where students no longer passively read textbooks but practice and control various devices to bring about more creative learning results.

Using the Learning Board developed by Richlink is as simple as putting a plug into a socket, with no welding skills required. One can even modify their house into a smart home, with the integration of technology into daily life improving students' learning motivation. This tech solution for education purpose has been launched in collaboration with many schools and the New Taipei City Education Department, and has reached overseas markets and received multiple subsidies and awards.

From Bluetooth chips, integrated modules, and cloud platforms to system software and integrated solutions, Richlink Technology may have started small, but with the experiences accumulated, its future development sure is full of infinite possibilities just like the Bluetooth technology!

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