Newark element14 today announced an exclusive sales and marketing deal for Symbisa, an Excel-integrated IoT device built by UK firm Hanhaa.  Symbisa combines the possibilities of IoT with the power of Microsoft Excel, offering developers and IT professionals an entirely new way to build Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

A Symbisa module is an all-in-one, always-connected device, approximately the size of a smartphone, that carries sensors capable of detecting and collecting environmental information including GPS location, orientation, temperature, light and humidity.  Typical applications include the monitoring of temperature and humidity of greenhouses or storage areas, or tracking of equipment on hire, including whether it has been in an accident or dropped in transit.

Microsoft Excel is the command center for Symbisa units.  Using an Excel add-in, users can bring real-world data streams directly into any desktop or mobile device that runs Excel for Office 365.   Each Symbisa sensor is associated with a custom function in Excel, as are pre-configured events, meaning sensor data flows directly into Excel worksheet cells.  Users can also push data from Excel up to a unit’s e-ink display.  As a result, anyone with basic spreadsheet knowledge can start exploring the possibilities of IoT, interpreting sensor data, developing dashboards and triggering events that require follow-on actions in a matter of minutes – without coding, engineering capabilities, or a WiFi or network connection.

Users also benefit from a well-defined end-user cost model, made possible by connectivity through Hanhaa’s own secure global mobile network which charges by how often data is captured, rather than the amount of data used.  Users are also able to send messages or barcodes direct from Excel to be displayed on the e-ink display on the module, ready for a person or machine to read and action in the field.

Key sensor parameters are:

• Location accuracy: Standard GNSS resolution down to 3 meters (accuracy provided with PDOP Position Dilution of Precision parameter)
• Shock detection Up to ±16g
• Ambient light detection wavelength: 560nm
• Ambient light detection light threshold: 0.01 lux to 83k lux
• Pressure sensing range: 260 to 1260 hPa
• Pressure sensing resolution: ±1 hPascals RMS
• Humidity sensing range: 5 to 90% non-condensing
• Humidity sensing accuracy: ±3.5% rH, 20 to +80% rH, ±5% rH 0 to 100%
• Temperature operating range: -15°C 10 to +50 °C
• Temperature sensing resolution: ± 0.5 °C

The Symbisa board measures 130mm (W) x 100mm (H) and 10.5mm (D), weighs just 160g and has quad band GSM radio for comms.  Units also carry an e-ink display for text and/or barcode messaging, a battery sufficient for over 2 weeks’ standalone use, and a USB 2.0 connector for re-charging or hard-wired configuration.

Symbisa is available to buy from Newark element14 in North America.  To find out more or purchase Symbisa visit http://www.element14.com/symbisa