Sigfox
The first large communications network built only for IoT
Sigfox is nowadays one of the most commonly used IoT infrastructures for remote or battery-powered projects.
It was the first large communications network created exclusively for IoT purposes, with advantages such as wide network coverage and very low power consumption. That makes it perfect for remote applications that do not need much bandwidth, as the maximum message payload size is 12 bytes. Sigfox also has a large community of developers and device manufacturers that supports the creation of any connected solution in a very simple way.
Since the beginning of Thinger.io, many developers have used the platform to store and show data retrieved from Sigfox devices: the two platforms complement each other really well.
Why a plugin
From one callback per device to a plugin for the whole network
The integration used to rely on HTTP requests to a Data Bucket. The plugin replaces that with a deployment built to scale.
The traditional integration
Sigfox Cloud forwards device messages to a Thinger.io Data Bucket, just to be stored.
- Set up for each device individually, so not really scalable for big projects
- No real-time monitoring
- No downlink messages to the devices
The Sigfox Integration Plugin
A new plugin, available on the Thinger.io Plugins Marketplace.
- An easier deployment
- The best performance out of both technologies
- Every useful feature of both platforms
The traditional method, with a data bucket and an access token for the Sigfox callback, is described in Creating real-time IoT dashboards for Sigfox devices (2017).
The plugin
Built to deploy large device networks quickly
The main objective of the plugin is to support the deployment of large device networks quickly, and to allow using every useful feature of both platforms.
Improved device management
- Device auto-provisioning to simplify large network deployments
- Connection timeout alerts
- Device geolocation support and representation in the Google Maps widget
Uplink with payload data processing
- Custom payload processing to convert float variables, transform units or process data with custom algorithms
- Automatic storage in data buckets
- Third-party integrations with a custom endpoint manager
Downlink processes
- Simple configuration of device program parameters in JSON format
- Custom downlink payload processing that translates JSON into an 8-byte message
- Automatic message dispatch
Use cases
New opportunities for IoT projects in production
Integration with Sigfox was already possible, and it left amazing projects such as the IoT Birdfeeder or the meteorological station of Programarfacil.com.
The new capabilities of the integration should help the development of large projects in production areas, such as:
Freezer monitoring
Animal geolocation
Asset management
Fleet geofencing
If you want to undertake a project around one of these use cases, take a look at the platform documentation, where the whole integration is explained in detail, or write to the support team to find together the best way to carry it out.
The plugin system went on to bring other technologies to the platform; the next plugin post was The Things Network Integration Plugin. Today a single Sigfox device can still integrate in minutes through an HTTP callback, while the plugin serves large networks (device connectivity).
Deploy your Sigfox network on Thinger.io
Auto-provisioning, payload processing and JSON downlinks for every device of a Sigfox network.
