Sequans Communications and FlorLink collaborated on FlorLink’s new SmartHub retail solution, which is now connected to the cloud by Sequans Monarch cellular IoT connectivity technology. SmartHub includes a large suite of sensors that can monitor multiple sales floor conditions and send customized notifications to sales floor associates on their mobile devices, thereby instantly improving security and increasing sales opportunities.
“The FlorLink SmartHub is well-designed and delivers on its promise to streamline retail operations,” said Louis Chuang, VP of Sequans’ massive IoT business unit. “We are very pleased to work with the FlorLink team integrating our Monarch technology into their new SmartHub that is destined to become a very important and valuable retail IoT solution.”
FlorLink’s SmartHub is designed to be the brains of the retail sales floor. The SmartHub collects incoming alerts from cameras and motion detectors, call buttons, customer smartphones, online orders, and environmental sensors, and then sends alerts to a variety of communication devices, including staff tablets and smartphones, digital signage, or in-store paging. All in-store event data is then sent to the Microsoft Azure cloud portal via the Sequans Monarch connectivity solution. The SmartHub has been certified by a leading North American mobile operator, and previous versions of the device have been installed in major retail chains throughout North America (US and Canada).
“We are very excited to see our SmartHub becoming a truly universal solution now that it is connected via ubiquitous and ultra-reliable cellular,” said Mark Barnes, FlorLink CEO. “We chose Sequans’ Monarch technology because of its ease of integration, and because of Sequans’ proven track record in cellular IoT and great customer support, which enabled us to bring our Monarch-enabled SmartHub to market in record time.”
Monarch 2 GM02S is the industry’s most advanced LTE Cat M1/NB1/NB2 connectivity solution. It is based on Sequans’ second-generation Monarch 2 chip platform, which is designed and optimized to support massive IoT. Monarch 2 provides significant improvements in performance and power consumption, while providing seamless migration for Monarch 1 customers because it is based on Sequans’ existing LTE-M/NB-IoT protocol stack—one of the most mature and proven in the entire LTE ecosystem.
Monarch 2 GM02S features a very small yet cost-effective form factor and it is an ideal connectivity solution for a wide range of IoT applications, including utility meters, sensors, trackers, and wearables for applications including smart home, smart city, ehealth, industrial, retail, agricultural, financial, and security.
According to Allied Market Research, the demand for IoT solutions in the retail market is growing rapidly and expected to reach $177.9 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 20.3% from 2022 to 2031.
The FlorLink SmartHub will be on display in Sequans’ meeting room at CES 2023, Venetian Expo, Toscana 3603, January 5-8, 2023.
