Symmetry Electronics
Wireless Expertise—the Common Denominator for IoT and M2M

With the proliferation of broadband and smartphones, Symmetry Electronics, a distributor of wireless, video, and embedded semiconductor products, has emerged as a leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Today, the company focuses on fundamental wireless design processes by providing tools and support necessary to start and complete their clients’ IoT designs. “We have all the protocols covered whether it is cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, and the common denominator—IoT,” remarks Ken Davison, President, Symmetry Electronics.

The company foresees immense potential in the IoT space, as the applications related to IoT continue to get wider, creating vast growth opportunity for Symmetry Electronics. “IoT is not a vertical. It’s a horizontal for us, as it facilitates everything from tracking trucks to saving endangered wildlife,” quips Davison.

David Beck, Vice President of Marketing at Symmetry explains, “We have been focused on supporting wireless designs for a long time. Before IoT we were helping customers in the Machine to Machine (M2M) market with their cellular designs.Now, with the evolution to IoT, our wireless expertise enables us to successfully support IoT applications.” Wherein previously M2M customers in fleet tracking were interested in identifying the location of their vehicles, now these customers can also offer services to their end customers about the real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and vibration of the vehicles and goods being transported. The IoT evolution has made such web monitoring service more common.

As Symmetry constantly evolves with different technology, their Telit based Cellular “IN-A-BOX” development kits allow engineers to immediately start developing and coding a cellular application.“Cellular connectivity is more challenging than a Bluetooth or a Wi-Fi design, not only from a certification standpoint but also from a network standpoint,” informs Beck. “We have tested different components that we can piece together at a device and system level into a cellular kit,” he adds. Recently, Symmetry Electronics launched its LTE-IN-A-BOX and 3G-IN-A-BOX kits, keeping up with technology advancements.

For one client in particular, the 3G-IN-A-BOX kit was the start of a solution, utilizing the IoT technology from a wider standpoint. The client attaches cellular radios to propane tanks in order to monitor propane levels without having to go out and manually check each tank. For tanks situated in especially cold areas like Minnesota, the client’s solution was a perfect fit

Symmetry’s in-depth technical application support provides customers with assistance on a superior level, and expertise in wireless is one of the company’s leading strengths. Their website SemiconductorStore.com showcases products like 3G-IN-A-BOX and LTE-IN-A-BOX, along with thoughtful documentation and blogs which help customers start and complete their designs as quickly and successfully as possible.

IoT is not a vertical. It’s a horizontal for us as it facilitates everything from tracking trucks to saving endangered wildlife

The wireless space is bound to expand even wider in the future, and Symmetry targets sectors such as medical, metering, wearables, industrial, and equipment monitoring. “We are definitely going to enhance the sensor technology that we have on our Line Card to have more solutions in any of those areas,” says Davison. The biggest challenge for the company will be to keep up with the demand created by IoT. Wireless is the common denominator for IoT and M2M, and Symmetry Electronics’ wireless prowess can help support companies across the IoT and M2M markets.