Published: March 28th, 2017

CENGN has teamed up with AP1, an IoT startup based in Toronto, to test their ApBeacon product’s functionality and capacity in a new proof-of-concept.

How the Solution Works

AP1 leverages beacon technology to create an all-in-one proximity platform. Through private wireless networks and a suite of software solutions, the AP1 product works to generate valuable analytics, create direct marketing opportunities, and connect social networks to a physical location.

The AP1 solution uses beacon technology to pinpoint user locations and collect data through customer applications. IoT devices send information to AP1’s small beacons, which act as a gateway to the cloud. These small beacons function by aggregating data from multiple applications and efficiently transfer the IoT traffic to a cloud server. This data is then available for analysis and can be used to create immediate business opportunities directly with customers through mobile devices. For example, beacons can be deployed in a shopping centre to provide business opportunities for stores and customers. The beacons deliver targeted notifications to customers based on their device’s search history and location. If a customer has previously used their device to search for items sold at the shopping centre, beacons collect this data to be analyzed in the cloud. The beacons can then deliver promotions that the customer can use in store. In this way, the AP1 solution is beneficial for connecting customers to business owners in real-time.

With the mass proliferation of IoT devices, AP1 is looking to capitalize on the opportunity for real-time user location data transfer. In a world where smart devices outnumber people, it’s no wonder there has been an increased demand for instant communication between user devices and onsite organizations. As smart devices become more and more available, so does the ability to use these smart devices for business opportunities that will benefit both people and organizations.

Putting Beacon Technology to the Test

The challenge facing AP1 is maintaining efficient traffic flow between the proximity platform and cloud server. This is where CENGN comes in. With our multi-vendor lab, CENGN puts AP1’s solution through a series of tests. CENGN worked with AP1 to validate its Beacon technology through functionality and stress testing of the ApBeacon gateway device. The CENGN lab provided the cloud resources (virtual machines, network, internet connection, etc.) and hardware hosting necessary to deploy the project.

In order to properly test the capacity of the ApBeacon, it was imperative to create real traffic flow to simulate a real life use case. The traffic for testing was generated using a virtual traffic generator from IXIA called IXVM, which was launched in CENGN’s cloud platform. The proof-of-concept was able to validate AP1’s IoT solution, demonstrating great promise for the company.

Collaborating Beyond the Project

Though CENGN primarily pairs with small and medium enterprises to carry out proof-of-concepts on innovations that can be pushed to market, we also collaborate and help companies from a business perspective. Once a proof-of-concept is validated and ready for the market, CENGN can help companies market their products, as well as provide opportunities for partnerships, member and industry networking, event support and more.

CENGN’s main focus when working with AP1 was to test capabilities and to validate the organization’s beacon technology. However, CENGN was also able to help from a marketing perspective, facilitating exposure for AP1 at events. For example, during the IoT613 conference in September, Ritch Dusome, CEO of CENGN, introduced AP1 in his keynote speech, providing AP1 with exposure to a broad range of multinational and local companies. Many of these companies are either working in the IoT industry or are consumers of IoT solutions, which makes AP1’s exposure extremely relevant.

Looking Forward

Overall, AP1 showed extreme promise in terms of both technical strength and business potential. The validation testing in CENGN’s labs was very successful and provided AP1 with valuable feedback which would not have been possible without CENGN’s multi-vendor labs.

AP1’s solution has also proved to have very strong business potential, and CENGN was happy to help use its position as a Centre of Excellence to facilitate potential partnerships between this rising innovative company and well-established multinationals in the sector. AP1 is a prime example of a new company leveraging different technologies to create extremely promising innovation in the world of IoT. We are happy to have AP1 on our list of success stories and can’t wait to see the progress the young company makes on this project and others in the near future.

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About the Author

CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, drives technology innovation and industry growth through our testbed, technical expertise, talent development, and partner ecosystem. Through our projects, CENGN enables small and medium Canadian Enterprises to test and validate promising technologies, removing barriers to product commercialization and accelerating market growth.

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