thethings.iO Launches Cost-Efficient Internet of Things Back-End Platform for IoT Startups

BARCELONA, Spain - Feb. 10, 2015 - PRLog -- thethings.iO has announced the launch of an Internet of Things (IoT) back-end cloud solution designed to help IoT companies get products to market faster and more cost-efficiently. By removing the need for companies to design and manage their own back-end platform, thethings.iO frees them to concentrate on product and business development. thethings.iO charges just 1 euro per device a year for full access to all of its back-end features, including storage, analysis and visualisation of data.

“The IoT is one of the hottest sectors in consumer technology, with hundreds of companies already competing to develop breakthrough products in areas such as the smart home and wearable fitness devices,” said Marc Pous, IoT industry expert and founder of thethings.iO. “But many companies are falling at the first hurdle because they waste time and money on creating a back-end infrastructure when they should be prototyping their product and developing a sales channel. The IoT is an enormous opportunity, but the market will reject any product that hasn’t been properly developed because the company over-stretched itself.”

thethings.iO is an easy-to-use, fully interoperable platform that helps IoT companies become more competitive by enabling them to focus resources on product and market development rather than back-end infrastructure. With over 2,000 developers already signed up, the platform is being used by a variety of IoT companies, from established players to start-ups. One such company is Ôasys, which has developed an interactive tracking system to help families control the different ways in which water is used in the household. It uses IoT technology to answer questions such as: who is using the right amount of water when showering; who is hydrating properly; when should we water the plants?

“Creating compelling IoT devices is hard enough without also having to design a back-end platform as well. This process absorbs a disproportionate amount of resources while making little contribution to the actual success of the device. There is nothing to be gained by developing a new platform for a humidity sensor versus using one already working for a heartbeat monitor,” said Blai Carandell, CEO, Ôasys.

An initial challenge for Ôasys was how to connect the various devices around the home, as each device spoke its own language. Instead of devoting resources to learning how to speak these different languages or find a common translator, thethings.iO offered a one-stop solution to connect devices to the cloud.

In just a week, all of the Ôasys devices in the lab were connected to thethings.iO, with all of their data stored on the platform. The Ôasys system was linked to a Koubachi wifi plant sensor, a Parrot Flower Power monitor and a prototype water bottle that the company is working on. The latter had a specific issue, as it was connected via Bluetooth to a smartphone, which then had to send the data to thethings.iO. However, working with thethings.iO team, obstacles were quickly overcome, and the entire set-up was ready for launch and iteration within days.

“When a start-up is launching the first version of its product, it is crucial to be fast,” continued Carandell. “Having an outsourced solution for the back-end allowed our team to focus on what was important, quickly improving and making a cool product. Furthermore, working with thethings.iO, we were able to do this at a very low cost.”

Pous adds, “Interoperability is the key to the IoT. If the history of communication protocols has proven one thing, it is the difficulty of establishing a global industry standard. Right now, we need one service that allows IoT devices not only to communicate, but also to collaborate. To truly realise the full potential of the IoT, developers need unified access to all the different languages currently being used. This is why we founded thethings.iO.”

About thethings.iO
thethings.iO is a back-end cloud solution created for IoT companies. By enabling back-end cloud tasks to be outsourced, thethings.iO acts as an inexpensive, easy-to-use link between physical devices and the mobile apps and websites that monitor and control them. thethings.iO is interoperable with all the main IoT languages and is hardware-agnostic. Founded in Barcelona, Spain, it is partnered by Wayra, Telefónica's start-up accelerator. Follow us on Twitter @thethingsiO or for more information, visit https://thethings.io/