IoT networking startup Particle looks to bring Thread to enterprise settings

IoT Installation base

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Particle, a seven-year-old IoT startup formerly known as Spark, has unveiled three new small network gateway devices, reports TechCrunch.

The gateways create Particle Mesh networks, based on the Thread networking protocol, to connect nearby small, low-power IoT devices.

The three devices, dubbed Argon, Boron, and Xenon, can then transmit data from devices they connect via Wi-Fi, LTE, and Bluetooth network standards, respectively.

They are currently available for preorder but won't ship until July. Business Insider Intelligence recently spoke to Zach Supalla, the CEO of Particle, about the new products, the company's plans, and the IoT more broadly.

Particle Mesh is one of the first applications of the Thread networking protocol outside of the smart home. Smart thermostat maker Nest, which is owned by Alphabet, developed the Thread protocol, which enables supported devices to connect and communicate with each other, as part of the Thread Alliance back in 2014.

Thread was originally designed to connect small devices spread throughout a smart home with minimal power drain, and has not been used extensively within enterprise IoT projects. Supalla said Particle Mesh is serving as the guinea pig for the protocol's use in enterprise IoT applications. He added that customers preordered 5,000 of the devices in the first five hours they were available online, suggesting companies are interested in exploring the application of the protocol in their own IoT deployments.

The company hopes Particle Mesh can be a viable alternative to low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) for smaller IoT deployments, Supalla explained. LPWANs like Narrowband-IoT or LoRaWAN are designed to connect IoT devices spread out over several acres or square miles, such as on a pipeline or in a farm field.

However, Supalla said the company is targeting IoT deployments in more confined settings that require low-power connectivity, such as sensors installed in a factory floor or oil and gas refinery. Similarly, he told Business Insider Intelligence that Particle has several customers that want to explore using Particle Mesh within the cabins of commercial semi-trucks, which could provide a low-power connection for sensors monitoring the temperature or condition of goods in transit. Particle Mesh will give businesses an alternative low-power connectivity option for their IoT deployments, which could encourage companies to either expand existing IoT projects or launch new ones.

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See Also:

• THE INSURANCE AND THE IoT REPORT: How insurers are using connected devices to cut costs and more accurately price policies

• THE IoT PLATFORMS REPORT: How software is helping the Internet of Things evolve

• THE MOBILE CARRIER LANDSCAPE: How AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint are overcoming slow user growth amid a fierce price war