Hubble Network, the world’s first satellite-powered Bluetooth network, has announced a partnership with InPlay Inc. to deliver continuous, global asset tracking at a cost that rivals passive RFID.
By combining InPlay’s sub-$1 IN100 NanoBeacon chip with Hubble’s 95 million-plus gateways, item-level sensor and location data will become affordable and accessible at a massive scale.
InPlay’s IN100 NanoBeacon is plug-and-play with a uniquely small form factor that can be easily embedded into smart labels, wearables, and small IoT trackers.
Once deployed with Hubble firmware, devices instantly connect to Hubble’s network with zero infrastructure costs or hardware setup, allowing manufacturers to start transmitting telemetry sensor data from day one.
Affordable, item-level tracking at global scale
The global RFID market is growing rapidly – yet passive RFID tags can only be scanned at close range, leaving just 2 percent of companies with visibility beyond their second-tier suppliers.
These blind spots cost businesses an average of $13 million a year. Unlike cellular trackers that use LTE, which only cover approx 15 percent of the Earth’s landmass, the Hubble-InPlay partnership delivers global reach with RFID-level affordability.
Alex Haro, CEO and co-founder of Hubble Network, says: “RFID makes you build infrastructure around every tag. Hubble is like an API layer for monitoring the physical world without needing your own physical scanning infrastructure.
“Combined with InPlay’s chips, which are small, ultra low-power, and built to scale, we’re making global tracking possible at a price that puts item-level visibility within reach for any business.”
Jason Wu, co-founder and CEO of InPlay Inc, says: “For years, supply chains chose between cheap tags with limited range or costly trackers with broader reach.
“Our partnership with Hubble Network is a massive leap forward for our ecosystem. Our customers now have an out-of-the-box solution to take the data generated by our chips and broadcast it anywhere in the world.
“Together, we are turning simple packages into highly intelligent and connected nodes for improved tracking and condition monitoring.”
As part of the partnership, Hubble and InPlay will pursue joint go-to-market efforts across use cases, including smart labels, cold chain monitoring, returnable transport items, and wearables.
The announcement builds on recent momentum for Hubble, which announced an integration with Samsara for connected asset tracking, while InPlay’s NanoBeacon technology has received industry recognition and is trusted by partners including Indentiv, NXP, and Bosch.
To start building with the IN100 on Hubble’s global network, visit https://hubble.com/.