As IoT applications become increasingly popular in the market, state-of-the-art chips can often lead product developments and market demands as the most critical component. Under such trends, iotTech Corp., a module company specializing in domestic IC solutions, joined the IoT Service Hub earlier this year, and became a member of the Hub's Domestic IC Expert Group. With rich experience in hands-on implementation, iotTech Corp. is a reliable partner which can provide technical diagnosis services for startup R&D teams and offer solid, original technical support whenever it is called for.
Powered by Rich IC Design and R&D Experience
"We are the only Taiwanese system integrator and module manufacturer designated by Netlink, and we work closely with them, which means we are able to help manufacturers solve the R&D bottlenecks in terms of the use of domestic ICs and thereby facilitate the mass production of products," said iotTech Corp. General Manager Chen Szu-ping.
Mr. Chen once served as supervisor at global IC design giants such as REALTEK and SONIX for many years. With background in IoT product development, he has a thorough understanding of the IC ecosystem in Taiwan. Under his leadership, iotTech Corp. has cooperated with many companies and startups to develop IoT devices using domestic ICs. For example, the OPL1000 module by Netlink Communication was used in New Century's infant heartbeat and body temperature somatosensory monitoring device. Other smart applications include a type of disaster prevention smoke detector that can exchange data through the cloud. If a fire hazard occurs, warnings can be sent through the mobile app, and detection data can be forwarded to the fire department and the community management center. Another example is Honeywell's water leakage detector, which can stand by and monitor water leakage for a long time to protect the antiques and famous paintings in high-end families. Such features make it a pragmatic application favored by many security companies. In other smart home appliances, such as smart door controls and smart light switches, we can also see the use of domestic IC EVBs which boast effective cost, low power consumption, and long stand-by time.
"The competitiveness of domestic ICs is not inferior to that of foreign ICs made by international manufacturers; take Netlink's OPL1000 for example: it has features that no other Wi-Fi chips on the market have, in that its Wi-Fi functions can operate just by using a button-size battery that is commonly seen in small toys," said Mr. Chen, "As far as I know, only the Netlink Wi-Fi chip can pull this off."
OPL1000 has low power consumption and long stand-by time. Its high performance, ultra-low latency, and multi-mode operation with ultra-low power consumption make it very suitable for the development of battery-powered wearable devices, Mr. Chen analyzed. Other IoT applications limited by long stand-by time and small battery capacity, or some other battery-based applications, can also take advantage of this excellent solution. "Many IoT devices need to wait for a specific event to trigger the detection, such as surveillance cameras, inductive switches, temperature/humidity detectors, etc.," Mr. Chen added, "With OPL1000 consuming very little power and rendering high performance, it is undoubtedly the best solution in many cases."
Reliable Modules to Facilitate R&D
Taiwan has the most complete IoT industry chain in the world, and domestic IC modules have also matured by now. Hence, Mr. Chen believes that domestic ICs are now a much affordable choice that offers local technical support at the same time, which means developers can simply use Mandarin to communicate with the tech support personnel. In this regard, Netlink Communication has published all standard open source program libraries, SDK development kits, hardware development kits, and technical documents online for all developers. There are also design reference examples and video tutorials on the Internet. In this way, developers can easily build on previous experience and learn the steps with ease.
The quality of the core chip is key to the successful mass production of any product. Based on his own experience, Mr. Chen suggested that companies should choose domestic ICs with stable quality and guaranteed performance to facilitate successful development, instead of merely pursuing a low-cost development model. "Stable quality and user-friendliness are the two critical standards for all wireless communication modules and EVBs," he added, "That's why Netlink never works with module factories that lack professional capabilities and production experience; they chose us (iotTech Corp.) as partner because they value our stable quality and good reputation."
Current industry demands or government tenders often require the use of domestic ICs as a development condition. Indeed, in addition to supporting Taiwan's IC industry, the use of domestic ICs will also help Taiwan connect its IoT industry chain and bolster the ecosystem. "We support domestic ICs and are willing to share the valuable experience in the process of R&D," said Mr. Chen. As for the future, Mr. Chen believes that Taiwan needs to focus on the niche market and come up with products/services that are strikingly different from others. To achieve this goal, different manufacturers across industries can actually form alliances to ensure a competitive edge when they enter the global market.
He also reminded that when small-scale startups or new brands want to develop new items, they should first evaluate their own design capabilities, and seek help from external experts when necessary. When looking for mentors, the safest way to confirm their eligibility is to check whether they have successful cases in the past and whether they have experience in product mass production. If a startup team has a design concept that is too novel but lacks technical foundation, it is recommended that they seek the assistance of professional technical consultants or consult the expert partners on our IoT Service Hub. With professionals to assist in development, startup teams will surely accelerate the commercialization of their creative ideas and realize their dreams.