Smart refrigeration management by Sensify with Quectel modules and antennas
Sensify is a developer of IoT solutions for managing commercial smart refrigeration assets based in Argentina. With its CoolerCloud cloud-based IoT platform, the company powers monitoring and management of the commercial refrigeration assets of the major mass consumption brands in the food and beverages industry across Argentina.
“We connect devices in refrigerators, freezers and refrigerated spaces, avoiding cuts in the cold chain and improving the performance of each asset through artificial intelligence,” explains Federico Harraca, the chief technology officer of Sensify. “Our main challenge was ensuring 100% connectivity in our equipment and providing the geolocation service. We were able to achieve our goal thanks to the solid connection and the complete scanning of nearby antennas that the module performs.”
With the smart refrigeration service implemented in Argentina and neighboring countries, Sensify’s vision is to expand deployments throughout Latin America. “Our solution saves time and money on a massive scale,” says Harraca. “On the one hand, it solves the issue of loss or theft of commercial refrigerators through geolocation. On the other hand, we obtain real and instant sales information to predict consumer behavior. Also, we predict technical failures and solve them remotely. In summary, we can control and manage thousands of commercial coolers at the same time.”
LPWA BG95 module ideal support for smart refrigeration solution
To achieve this level of performance, Sensify selected the Quectel BG95, a multimode low power wide area (LPWA) module with a compact form factor of 23.6mm x 19.9mm x 2.2mm. The module offers connectivity performance up to 588Kbps downlink and 1119Kbps uplink under LTE Cat M1 and can operate across an extended temperature range of -40°C to +85°C.
The module’s integrated RAM and flash memory enables ultra-low power consumption, and the ARM Cortex A7 processor (which supports ThreadX) enables up to 70% reduction in power saving mode (PSM) leakage and 85% reduction in extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) current consumption compared to its predecessor. A rich set of internet protocols, industry-standard interfaces and functionalities allow the module to serve a wide range of IoT applications such as wireless POS, smart metering, asset tracking and wearable devices.
“We selected the BG95 module for its wide compatibility with communication technologies, such as 2G, Cat M1 and NB-IoT, and its low cost,” adds Harraca. “The Quectel module is integrated with our digital controllers for complete management and monitoring of commercial refrigerators and freezers.”
In addition to selecting the Quectel BG95 module, Sensify also specified Quectel’s YC0003AA antenna which offers high efficiency LTE performance for a wide range of wireless applications. The antenna measures 40mm x 7mm x 3mm and is a surface-mount design (SMD) with an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. By selecting both module and antenna from Quectel, Sensify is assured of smooth interoperation between the components.
“We’re delighted that Sensify has chosen the Quectel BG95 for its CoolerCloud cloud-based IoT platform and our module will help customers efficiently manager commercial refrigerators across Latin America,” said Ricardo Simon, Sales Director LATAM, Quectel Wireless Solutions. “Deployments such as this demonstrate the value of enabling multiple forms of cellular connectivity with efficient power consumption and at a cost that enables sustainable business cases for applications that are helping to build a smarter world.”
Sensify selected Quectel to enable its smart refrigeration management solution because the BG95 offers the possibility of using multiple connectivity technologies in a single module, to ensure 100% connectivity availability. The company was also attracted by the competitive cost of Quectel’s offerings and the strong technical support it provides. In addition, Harraca was attracted by Quectel’s ability to offer telephony services globally which distinguishes it from other module vendors.
“We have been working with Quectel modules for many years and, thanks to its good performance, we plan to launch 20,000 devices with this technology, to boost the IoT industry,” concludes Harraca.