Device extends Bluetooth control in smart homes
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Cassia's router boosts the Bluetooth range of devices, enabling app-based control through three concrete walls.
As more smart functions enter the home, innovations are offering ways to upgrade ‘dumb’ appliances. But for smart devices that use short range Bluetooth 4.0, Cassia has developed a way upgrade their functions, by boosting their control range to 1000 ft.
The wifi-connected Cassia Hub acts like a router, boosting Bluetooth signal from the standard open-air range of 30 ft to 1000 ft, making the signal detectable through three concrete walls. The hub works in two modes — Control Mode lets users pair all existing smart, Bluetooth devices in the Cassia app, acquiring control of up to 22 devices anywhere in the home, and Transparent Relay Mode boosts the signal of native apps when a device cannot be recognized. The Cassia Hub is available for preorder at USD 99, with shipping planned for early 2016.
With Bluetooth being widely used for Internet of Things networks, the hub could overcome the limitation of short-range signals. Could this tech be adapted for smart cities?