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Beyond Prototypes: Three Common challenges to scaling an IoT Project.

August 16, 2022 By Paul Evans

There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs – Zig Ziglar. It is often believed that turning an IoT prototype into a scalable production is as easy as pushing a button to change floors on an elevator. With less urgent timelines, smaller quantities, and lab driven development, the … [Read more...]

How Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) Simplify Geographically Broad IoT Deployments

June 7, 2022 By Paul Evans

Making the right connections can influence success and failure in life.  The same can be said when attempting to connect your IoT devices to cellular networks.  This is especially true in global deployments or even deployments spanning North America, as coverage and service providers vary … [Read more...]

Scaling the IoT Mountain involves a Well-Planned Trek 

March 25, 2022 By Paul Evans

 Well regarded Mountaineer Conrad Anker fairly articulated that "The summit is what drives us, But the CLIMB ITSELF is what matters." This famous phrase rings true when adopting an IoT project. Failure to summit will occur without a well-conceived and executed adoption plan.   The McKinsey … [Read more...]

The Overlooked Key to Unlocking IoT’s Pot of Gold: Organizational Perseverance

February 14, 2022 By Paul Evans

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" was an infamous quote from former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. As it turns out, this quote appears to be summarizing what many project teams in recent years may be experiencing when attempting to develop Internet-of-Things (IoT) … [Read more...]

Getting IoT Projects to the Finish Line During the Chip Famine

December 1, 2021 By Paul Evans

The appetite for automation and Internet-of-Things (IoT) has likely never been higher. As the pandemic tightened labor markets and constrained business operations, companies have a lot of reasons to introduce IoT and automation into their operations. Unfortunately, just as many technology, product, … [Read more...]

HOW ULTRA WIDEBAND (UWB) BASED IoT APPLICATIONS MAY DRIVE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

November 24, 2021 By Paul Evans

Imagine walking into a warehouse with seemingly endless rows of palletized products stacked multiple levels high. Between the rows of products, there are autonomous robots zooming up and down narrow aisles picking products off of the shelves. But these robots aren’t just forking pallets of products … [Read more...]

How to Overcome Three Common Connectivity Challenges with Industrial IoT (IIoT) Projects

November 4, 2021 By Mike Johnson

A successfully functioning Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution has a lot in common with a finely tuned orchestra. Sensors, communication protocols, backend platform, integrations, and data outputs must all work together in a continuous symphony. If any component is out of tune, the harmony breaks. … [Read more...]

Raspberry Pi – A Clear Path through to Commercialization

August 26, 2020 By Jon Hallsten

The Raspberry Pi is quickly becoming the de-facto standard for single-board computer prototyping.  This wild success has only increased the demand for a clear path to commercialization when the prototype gains stakeholder interest.  Hallsten Innovations has traveled that path and we want to share … [Read more...]

Hallsten Innovations COVID-19 & RPi Round Table Summary

April 28, 2020 By Jon Hallsten

Summary Our recent Hallsten Innovations and Digi-Key Electronics presented “COVID-19 & RPI Round Table Discussion” event included over 50 participants representing IOT industry and COVID-19 stakeholders from around the world.  We were especially pleased to have special guest Randall Restle, the … [Read more...]

Hallsten Innovations COVID-19 & IoT Round Table Summary

April 13, 2020 By Jon Hallsten

The Hallsten Innovations facilitated COVID-19 & IOT round table discussion included over 60 participants, representing IOT industry and related COVID-19 stakeholders from around the world. The HI team included Jon Hallsten (CEO) as the moderator, HI lead from our Chicago office (Gregg … [Read more...]

IoT Revenue Models that Turn the Tables on your Competition

March 6, 2020 By Jon Hallsten

An IoT device on its own has little value beyond that of a corporate curiosity.  With our front-row seat to IoT device and system deployment, we know that a right-valued business model makes all of the difference in considering a deployment successful. IoT deployments are new territory for many … [Read more...]

Raspberry Pi Compute Module… A Viable Commercialization Path?

January 7, 2020 By Jon Hallsten

Note: I want to give a shoutout to Andrew Chilcott our UK Office lead for his insightful contributions to this article. It turns out there is a pathway to production for the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, but it might not be in the product form factor you instantly envisage when you hear the words … [Read more...]

Napkin Review Report… 9 Must-See TAILORED Insights on your Idea

November 19, 2019 By Jon Hallsten

Hallsten Innovations offers napkin reviews.... WHY?  Because we love the innovation and creativity that comes when ink meets napkin.  But WHAT IS a review, exactly? The Napkin Review concept is simple:  We offer experience-based advice and design guidance to your IoT product concept. We seek to … [Read more...]

Hard Earned Commercialization Lessons

September 19, 2019 By Jon Hallsten

Earlier this year in San Jose, I spoke at the Sensors Expo.  I discussed "Hard Earned Commercialization Lessons" with the subline - Taking a Napkin Sketch from coffee-stained canvas to commercialization in the sensor IoT/IIoT Space... Representing my design firm with decades and decades of … [Read more...]

Bigger Than a Napkin – Hallsten Innovations Ideation Events

May 6, 2019 By Jon Hallsten

We call it "napkin resonance" - the moment when two or more people first see original sketches of an outstanding new design concept, on a napkin. This sketch is often preceded by discussion, brainstorming, years of market knowledge and experience, mixed with a helping of innovation, coffee, and … [Read more...]

Industrial IoT System Design through Examples

February 13, 2019 By Jon Hallsten

Building complex Industrial IoT systems that balance costs, risks, the cloud, stakeholder needs, inputs and actions is difficult at best. We talked about having a framework in a previous post to outline a project, but, there are a multitude of industry specific nuances that bend an IoT Framework … [Read more...]

Innovation and Process Leads Us, But User Feedback Rules

December 14, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

You may have seen our recent blog post that espoused our process methodology.  That methodology is guided by our (I+P)^BN formula (Innovation fused with Process that reflects your Business Needs!). Our guiding approach is very lean - in that it captures three interwoven elements at the BIG … [Read more...]

Designing with Azure Sphere and the 7 Pillars of IoT Security

October 24, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

Before the advent of our very connected world, not a thought was given to locking up a light switch, putting a string password on an HVAC temperature controller, or creating individual hardware security credentials for a fleet of thermostats. There was never a reason to suspect sinister … [Read more...]

A Stand Out Development Process for Custom Electronic and Software Solutions

September 5, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

Many design houses will tout their ability to serve up turn-key products on a silver platter with deep technical expertise.  But when, as is the natural tendency, design resources rush headstrong into a project, they run the risk of losing sight of the big picture...  which often results in budgets … [Read more...]

Raspberry Pi to Production – Insights from the Front Lines

July 25, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

Hallsten Innovations loves the Arduino / Raspberry Pi movement! 2020 UPDATE: Raspberry Pi Compute Module - A Viable Commercialization Path? Hallsten Innovations celebrates this movement as it has brought a wide variety of talent to the entrepreneurial community not necessarily classically … [Read more...]

Deter your Mischievous Machine Leprechauns with Predictive Maintenance and IoT

March 15, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

Don't let the luck of the Irishman determine the long-term success and service costs of your machines... seek out pesky Leprechauns in your machine fleets with Predictive Maintenance procedures, the Internet of Things and monitoring tech! Predictive Maintenance (PdM) is the methodology of … [Read more...]

The one to many manufacturing challenge… Advice from the front lines

February 22, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

Recent history is unfortunately full of product launch failures. The Kickstarter culture has presented us thousands of glitzy, feature-rich products that all too often fail to be successfully launched. The viewing of a handful of prototypes in a board room or a shiny crowd-sourcing campaign may … [Read more...]

The Amazon Go’s Triple-Dog Dare!

February 1, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

In January, Amazon Triple Dog Dared the world to pocket goods from the shelves of their new experimental AmazonGo convenience store.  This Just Walk Out Technology is a gauntlet run at the retail sector, that not only frees the customer from lines, the thief from non-payments, but, possibly, the … [Read more...]

The Ginormous Pile of Never Going to Happen Napkin Ideas…

January 17, 2018 By Jon Hallsten

So you and your team are creative geniuses.  Totally get it.  Your ballpoint pen marks off product ideas onto napkins faster than a redneck collecting washing machines for porch furniture. However, that product idea you are passionate about, those 3 concepts you had over the last year, will not … [Read more...]

Once Again, Apple Demands Change… #QiWireless

September 21, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

This past week, Apple brought an ugly animated poop emoji to the public as part of an announcement for the release of iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X.  Whether you found this feature worthy of the $1000 price tag or not, there was a highlight which was much more sublime, and in our opinion significantly … [Read more...]

The Future of Industrial Data Silos

August 24, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

The good thing: many control systems and sensors create valuable data in the manufacturing process of various goods. The bad thing: that recorded data is often locked into proprietary systems.  Data collection happens in silos, with dedicated connections and dedicated databases, all resulting … [Read more...]

The NFC Game Changer

August 1, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

With Apple's Announcement of Core NFC being included in their upcoming iOS 11, the technology that has been available but underused for Android becomes available to everyone. NFC, or Near Field Communications, NFC is a way for your phone to wirelessly interact with similar equipped devices within … [Read more...]

Napkins that have Changed the World

July 20, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

You've been there. The corner Chipotle or the local Doug's Dinner Bucket. You went out with a coworker as you brought the baggage of a nagging problem from work with you. Unsurprisingly, the change of scenery, scents, flavors and conversation has wrought a new level of creativity and … [Read more...]

3 Ways an Internet of Things Project can Fail to Launch

July 6, 2017 By Ben Lampert

Design is a hugely important component in IoT development- of that we have no doubt. A successful deployment however, rests on an entirely different set of assumptions, experiences, and ...I must say...human beings.  A successful program deployment rests on the heels of a different set of skill … [Read more...]

5 Reasons Internet of Things Projects don’t get Past Proof of Concept

June 27, 2017 By Ben Lampert

Cisco recently ran a survey which revealed about 60 percent of Internet of Things projects stall at the Proof of Concept phase with only 26 percent were what Cisco considered a "complete success". What were the top points of failure? Time to Completion Limited Internal Expertise … [Read more...]

Embedded Devices with clearly random Cryptology Key Generation

May 15, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

In light of this past week's computer bug...fiasco, it's certainly a good time to talk about who and what you can trust when designing new embedded devices. Our answer- don't trust little black boxes.   Let's dig in to one little black box that doesn't deserve our trust. The … [Read more...]

The Second Wireless Device Tsunami is here and it is M1

April 3, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

Through a strange confluence of events in the 1990s, a wireless technology company formed in Akron, Ohio.  Aironet, as it was named, worked to define the WiFi space and was a gathering of Telxon RF Engineering, Telesystem SLW and Accipter. If you were a technical employee of Aironet, you knew … [Read more...]

Introducing our new Chicago mHUB office!

March 8, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

We have exciting news to share as we now have opened up a new office in downtown Chicago!  We have procured space at Chicago’s new mHUB. mHUB is a co-working community of product designers, developers and engineers just like ourselves.  Aside from the community of tech people, you can find ten … [Read more...]

The Widely Undervalued Art of Macro Process Improvement using Industrial IoT

March 7, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

The secret will soon reach the masses of process engineers working in manufacturing plants across the country -process improvement is changing. There won't be a better algorithm for a PID loop. There won't be a new measurement tool to clearly identify product tolerances. And there won't … [Read more...]

The Industrial Internet of Things Reference Architecture, from the IIC

March 1, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

One can find many ROI opportunities when looking at IoT to solve problems and bring value in an industrial context. Process improvement, asset tracking, and preventative maintenance are the three major pillars that drive ROI opportunities. The constant churning wheel of New Industrial IoT … [Read more...]

Are They Always Listening? Amazon Echo and Google Home

February 1, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

I own a Google Home device.  It sits in my kitchen.  My children love to ask google "What sound does a _insert your favorite large African mammal here_ make?" Roars and grunts aside, this device is a small step up above novelty level with incredible voice recognition.  I currently have it … [Read more...]

Dear Things, the Internet is Here for You

January 20, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

Dear Things, You dear object, dear machine, dear inanimate thing...you have been lonely.  We know that. But, a western wind is blowing and times are due for a change- and you're going to like it. Back in 1999, a human being named Kevin Ashton coined the idea of a new connectivity to and … [Read more...]

The Essential Guide to building your Amazon Drone Delivery Pad

January 6, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

Sounding like the clawing and clicking sounds of cicadas in select early summers, an Amazon truck or possibly even an airship base may soon be launching a fleet of drones to manage the last 1000 feet (or up to 15 miles by some accounts) of a delivery directly to your door and to those of your … [Read more...]

What Might the World Measure with 1 Billion Temperature Sensors?

January 4, 2017 By Jon Hallsten

The Internet of Things (IoT) is brewing. From the bubbling morass of connections we shall see countless devices that measure, deliver, capture and share information with humanity. Estimated new device counts are in the billions over the coming 5 years. One of the easiest measurements that can be … [Read more...]

Wearable Medical Technology WILL benefit from LTE M1 connectivity

November 29, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

Today there are a flurry of new medical devices that measure.. people. Whether that measurement be of temperature, blood oxygen saturation, sugar level in diabetics, muscle quality, weight, ECG systems or asthma air flow meters, patients have an improved quality of life being able to separate … [Read more...]

The Midwest’s Undeniable Status: Seedbed for the Internet of Things

November 18, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

I truly believe that the Midwest is rich soil for the Internet of Things. For any young industry, an ecosystem that fosters growth and sustainability is crucial. And we have that right here. The IoT Brain Trust in the Midwest The nexus of Manufacturing in the 20th Century was in the … [Read more...]

The Importance of IoT’s First Mile

November 4, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

My late grandfather Hans immigrated to the USA from Sweden at the age of 12.  He landed with my great grandparents on the Northside of Chicago. I remember stories he would tell... specifically today about a telephone.  There was but one phone being about 300 yards away from his home at the corner … [Read more...]

Video Interview: Choosing the BeagleBone Black for Video Streaming

November 3, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

Showcasing some technology development examples at the TI Tech Days in Detroit, I had the opportunity to meet Jason Kridner of the BeagleBoard.org Foundation. Simply, Jason was excited to see a BeagleBoard being used in such a prominent fashion meeting a real world electronics problem. Check us … [Read more...]

The Arrival of Low Cost, Cellular Network Connectivity – Verizon’s LTE Cat M1 Deployment

September 7, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

The announcement went out last week from Verizon- they are deploying Category M1 connectivity solutions to their nationwide 4G LTE Network. This availability means an astounding new choice for IoT device deployment.  This new network opportunity for battery-powered devices can compete against … [Read more...]

IoT Amid the Microcosm that was the Rio Olympic Games

August 23, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

I previously wrote about the wearables that athletes used to train for the Olympic Games.  However IoT is more than just performance, efficiency, and continuous improvement... IoT technologies can improve our daily lives by improving data transfers quickly, in a secure fashion, and when we want … [Read more...]

Wearable IoT Ups Performance Feedback for the Rio Olympics

August 19, 2016 By Jon Hallsten

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is shifting the how we connect and monitor the world around us.  Whether it be in industrial applications, security, home automation or the management of any sort of distributed collection, IoT enables access to information previously never available or obtained at … [Read more...]

Apple MFi Certified Design Partner and Licensee

December 15, 2015 By Jon Hallsten

The logo above is going to be a game-changer in the consumer goods market as Apple® jumps into the Internet of Things (IoT) market adding some much needed standardization and awareness of what is really possible by the mass market. The good news is that Hallsten Innovations is an Apple® MFi … [Read more...]

Internet of Things Case Study: Industrial Data Collection

December 14, 2015 By Jon Hallsten

There is a new era in computing technology - the Internet of Things (IoT). Non-connected devices are becoming intelligent through the ever decreasing costs of embedded processors, wired and wireless communication protocols, cost-effective embedded sensors and the abundance and power of cloud … [Read more...]

Advancing Internet of Things Awareness to the Midwest (US)

December 7, 2015 By Jon Hallsten

To further our Internet of Things (IoT) custom design engineering awareness to a larger Midwest (US) audience Hallsten Innovations is excited to announce the joining of the Illinois Technology Association (ITA). The ITA is a significant Midwest player in the IoT market space and will now routinely … [Read more...]

Third Party Design Partnerships with Microchip and Renesas

May 21, 2013 By Jon Hallsten

We understand that alliances and partnerships play a key role in helping us to design innovative products that enable our customers to be successful. We believe that keeping up-to-date with the latest technologies across multiple vendors ensures we recommend the best solutions for our clients. To … [Read more...]

Alliances with Texas Instruments, Atmel, and NorTech Forged!

March 16, 2013 By Jon Hallsten

We understand that alliances and partnerships play a key role in helping us to design innovative products that enable our customers to be successful. We believe that keeping up-to-date with the latest technologies across multiple vendors ensures we recommend the best solutions for our clients. … [Read more...]

FPGA Services Added

February 21, 2013 By Jon Hallsten

In our relentless effort to continue to expand our value-adding services for our clientele, Hallsten Innovations is pleased to announce an expanded solution set for FPGA oriented design services. These new expanded abilities allow Hallsten Innovations to bring high-speed, multi-gigabit FPGA … [Read more...]

Hallsten IoT News

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About Hallsten Innovations Ltd.

Hallsten Innovations is a custom technology development company focused on making good ideas into deliverable solutions that are built-to-spec, on-time, and on-budget ... custom electronics, solid software, and connectedness (spelled "IoT") are our passions. With offices in Ohio, Chicago, and the UK, our team of talented engineers and developers bring diverse skills to your project... electronic, industrial, mechanical design; embedded systems software; wireless communications; mobile app design and development; cloud services; and full life-cycle support (napkin -> prototype -> production -> deployment -> scale -> maintenance).

We're not afraid of the complex, multi-faceted challenges and we listen before we act.

Got an idea on a napkin? Need to up your game with your existing technology products? Looking to deploy in the harshest industrial/outdoor environments? Want to add advanced diagnostics? If yes... please bring us your napkins... and we look forward to earning your solution partner trust.

Bring Us Your Napkins!™  
 

Reach out to us at
info@hallsteninnovations.com or 1 (877) 210-6162

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