MachineQ is a Comcast company that provides internet of things solutions for enterprises. Today, MachineQ announced the latest release of its low-power wide-area-network (LP-WAN) platform.
Based on the LoRaWAN protocol, the MachineQ connectivity platform was initially released in 2019. It integrates gateway hardware with centralized network management tools. IoT technology using LoRaWAN transmits over license-free megahertz radio frequency bands.
“We’ve had great success leveraging nationwide IT deployment services from Comcast Business for our IoT projects,” said Steve Salata, general manager of MachineQ, in a statement.
MachineQ says the platform now processes millions of transmissions daily and supports enterprises in the United States and Canada. The platform is being used for things such as food service safety and compliance, asset tracking, building and facilities management and smart cities.
But MachineQ’s announcement acknowledged that companies looking to use IoT are facing significant challenges. “Seventy percent of enterprises reported problems with IoT projects getting beyond the PoC stage, with one-third calling it a major problem," according to a 451 Research report entitled “Voice of the Enterprise: Internet of Things, Organizational Dynamics 2020.” Another challenge is a lack of employees with specialized IoT skills.
While Comcast is still pursuing IoT via MachineQ, some have decided to get out of the IoT connectivity business. For example, Dish Network had planned to build a narrowband IoT network but bailed on that plan in 2020 after it decided, instead, to become a nationwide infrastructure-based wireless carrier.
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In many ways, the excitement about IoT has been replaced with excitement about edge compute and even private wireless. Both these technologies can process data on-premises. And that data can come from sensors, just like it would with an IoT network.