Combining hardware, mobile connectivity and easy access to data to make the IoT accessible, Hanhaa’s Symbisa is an Excel-integrated IoT device that is now available from Farnell element14.
The Symbisa module is an all-in-one, always-connected device, approximately the size of a smartphone, that carries sensors capable of detecting and collecting environmental information including GPS location, orientation, temperature, light and humidity. Typical applications include the monitoring of temperature and humidity of greenhouses or storage areas, or tracking equipment on hire, including whether it has been in an accident or dropped in transit.
Based on Microsoft Excel and with an Excel add-in, it enables users to bring real-world data streams directly into any desktop or mobile device that runs Excel for Office 365. Each Symbisa sensor is associated with a custom function in Excel, as are pre-configured events, meaning sensor data flows directly into Excel worksheet cells. Users can also push data from Excel up to a unit’s e-ink display. It can therefore be used by anyone with basic spreadsheet knowledge, says the company, to explore the possibilities of the IoT, interpreting sensor data, developing dashboards and triggering events that require follow-on actions in a matter of minutes – without coding, engineering capabilities, or a WiFi or network link-up.
Connectivity is through Hanhaa’s secure global mobile network which charges by how often data is captured rather than the amount of data used. Users can send messages or barcodes direct from Excel to be displayed on the e-ink display on the module, ready for a person or machine to read and action in the field.
Key sensor parameters are location accuracy, with standard GNSS resolution down to three meters provided with the position dilution of precision (PDoP) parameter). Symbisa also detects shock up to ±16g, ambient light at 560nm and has a pressure sensing range of 260 to 1260 hPa and humidity sensing range of five to 90 per cent non-condensing. It operates at -15 to +50 degrees C.
The Symbisa board measures 130 x 100 x 10.5mm and weighs 160g and has quad band GSM radio for communications. Units also carry an e-ink display for text and/or barcode messaging, a battery sufficient for over two weeks’ standalone use, and a USB 2.0 connector for re-charging or hard-wired configuration.
Symbisa is exclusively available from Farnell element14 in Europe and Newark element14 in North America.
