GainSpan Provides Wi-Fi in Overlooked Areas

Wi-Fi is everywhere. I’m not talking about just your tablets, phones, and computers – we use the Internet in ways most people don’t even think about, in scales, monitors, and cameras. Someone has to design the chips and programs used in these everyday devices, and that’s what GainSpan is here for.

GainSpan is a vendor of Wi-Fi chip sets, focusing on devices that require a brief but constant Internet connection, for example monitoring meters. It can provide Wi-Fi chips for companies whose devices aren’t typically Wi-Fi enabled, and with various power saving modes for specific applications, its tech runs for maximum time on minimal power, allowing the devices to continue running normally. The chips are then provided with instructions from an external microcontroller.

The chips provided by GainSpan are typically used for data logging and monitoring, but in a wide variety of areas. Some of the more mundane-yet-essential services that use it include tire pressure, weight scales, street lightings, water heaters, and vending machines, but it’s also used for medical purposes such as monitoring glucose levels for diabetics, or hospital bed monitoring. While it focuses more on the commercial than residential uses, there are still plenty of uses for GainSpan’s technology for households and individuals, such as alarm systems and baby monitors. For those with specific needs for its devices, a simple application development kit is available, as I saw demonstrated.

When I spoke with Bernard Aboussouan, VP of marketing at GainSpan, he described the company’s purpose as, “connecting devices to the Internet and connecting people to things.” From the many uses of GainSpan’s chips that were described and demonstrated, I can see how they’re achieving that.

Want to learn more about today’s powerful mobile Internet ecosystem? Then be sure to attend the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct. 2-5 2012, in Austin, TX. Co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo provides unmatched networking opportunities and a robust conference program representing the mobile ecosystem. The conference not only brings together the best and brightest in the wireless industry, it actually spans the communications and technology industry. For more information on registering for the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo click here.

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