That’s exactly what Lift AI accomplished when they remotely transformed their nationwide elevator management platform. Lift AI operates devices installed in elevator shafts, continuously monitors performance and detects anomalies to enable predictive maintenance for building owners and maintenance companies. 

When Lift AI needed to completely replace the firmware stack on thousands of deployed devices, transforming them from CircuitPython-based systems to production-grade Zephyr RTOS, they turned to Croxel for what would become a remote “brain transplant” for their fleet. 

Croxel, a Blues-accredited partner, specializes in complex embedded systems transformations, particularly in scenarios where traditional approaches fall short. They focus on architectural migrations that require deep technical expertise, making them the perfect partner to help Lift AI transform its devices. 

The Challenge: Complete Platform Transformation at Scale 

What happens when “it’s not you, it’s me” becomes “it’s not me, it’s the entire technology stack”? Lift AI’s original CircuitPython-based platform had served them well during rapid development and deployment phases. However, as their fleet grew and customer demands evolved, they needed a more robust, scalable foundation. The goal was to transition to Zephyr RTOS for improved performance, enhanced power efficiency, and deterministic operation. 

The constraints were significant: Lift AI has devices installed in active elevator shafts, getting physical access would disrupt the service of those elevators and be expensive. Since elevator monitoring is critical for safety and maintenance, the transformation had to occur without interrupting data flow from these devices. 

This wasn’t a typical firmware update. It required replacing the entire technology stack, the runtime environment, memory architecture, hardware interfaces, and communication protocols, all while maintaining compatibility with existing cloud infrastructure. 

Future Proof Hardware Design: Blues Notecard 

Sometimes the best decisions are the ones you don’t know you’re making. Lift AI had integrated Blues Notecards into their devices, an intelligent connectivity module that provided the infrastructure needed for the remote transformation: 

• Secure cellular connectivity for delivering the new firmware 
• Independent operation from the host processor, creating an air gap 
• Maintained communication throughout the transition 
• Automatic failover capabilities if issues arose 

“We chose Blues early on because we knew connectivity would be critical, but we never imagined it would enable us to completely transform our platform remotely,” said Rob Wurth, CEO of Lift AI. “Being able to do a full remote brain transplant of all of our devices saved us countless dollars in new hardware as well as the engineering time it would have taken to physically replace every device.” 

Finding the Right Partner: Croxel’s Specialized Expertise 

Lift AI successfully deployed their fleet of devices that utilized Blues Notecards. Here’s where Croxel came in to provide experience with CircuitPython, Zephyr RTOS, Blues and building critical systems that made the transformation possible. 

Working with a partner gave Lift AI access to technical expertise they didn’t have and reduced the risk of experiencing common pitfalls. Allowing Lift AI to focus on their core business of elevator management. 

Albert Garvett, CEO and Co-Founder at Croxel shared, “When Lift AI approached us with this unprecedented challenge, they weren’t just looking for firmware developers. They needed partners who could envision and execute what many would consider impossible.’”

Here’s what Croxel enabled for the Lift AI fleet:  

• Every device in Lift AI’s fleet successfully migrated to Zephyr RTOS remotely 
• Zero downtime during the transition 
• Enhanced platform capabilities including improved response times and power efficiency 
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars saved by avoiding technician visits 
• Future-proofed architecture ready for continued evolution 

Redefining Fleet Management 

Lift AI and Croxel demonstrate that IoT devices in the field aren’t locked into their original technology choices. By choosing future-proof foundational technologies, even fundamental architectural changes can be deployed remotely. 

Here’s some additional benefits of remote fleet management: 

• Investment Protection: IoT companies make a significant investment in physical hardware, provisioning and deploying devices to the field. Instead of replacement, this hardware’s lifespan can be extended through platform evolution. 
• Technology Adaptation: Technology is evolving rapidly, as are regulations around connected devices. Companies who can update their devices remotely can remain cutting edge, competitive and compliant. 
• Operational Efficiency: Remote transformation capabilities reduce the risks and costs associated with physically swapping out your devices, including the cost of downtime.  

This represents a shift from viewing connectivity as an endpoint to treating it as one component of an intelligent system that can evolve over time. 

The Future is Transformable 

The project establishes a new paradigm: Smart fleets that can fundamentally transform without physical intervention. Companies that understand this capability can adapt to technological changes faster than competitors locked into static platforms. 

Ready to explore remote fleet transformation? Join our Fireside Chat with the team at Croxel, where we will discuss how they transformed Lift AI’s fleet without touching any hardware, on Wednesday, August 6th at 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST. 

The session will cover how Blues Notecard enables platform evolution, security essentials for remote updates, and strategies for maximizing hardware investments. 

Register now to learn the approach that made Lift AI’s transformation possible. 

The post Protect Your Hardware Investment: How Lift AI Remotely Transformed Their Platform with Blues and Croxel appeared first on Blues.

But understanding the value of a ready-made solution is only half the equation. The other half? Understanding exactly what that solution costs and how it scales with your business. 

Blues pricing is built on a simple principle: you should only pay for what you use, and your costs should be predictable from prototype to production. No monthly minimums for small deployments. No complex tiers that change based on arbitrary thresholds. Just transparent, usage-based pricing that grows with your business. 

We believe that you shouldn’t need a finance degree to predict your connectivity costs, and you definitely shouldn’t face pricing cliffs that make scaling feel like a punishment. 

Let’s break down exactly how Blues pricing works in practice, with real numbers and real scenarios. 

Essentials vs Enterprise: From Development to Scale 

Every month, the first 5,000 Events you use are free. While you develop your connected product, this means that there is no monthly subscription charge, and your prototype can send up to approximately 166 Events per day before you begin to pay for data usage. 

For small to medium businesses with fewer than 500 devices deployed, our 10-year data inclusion and no monthly minimums eliminate the subscription complexity that often makes IoT projects economically unfeasible. You can launch with predictable costs by managing your cadence of data egresses, only pay for what you use, and scale at your own pace without hitting pricing cliffs. 

For enterprises, our Enterprise Service Agreement rewards you with a greater discount, the greater the commitment you make. By only charging for the number of Events you use, you can easily predict your usage and benefit from volume discounts on both data and hardware 

The Math That Matters: Blues Pricing Examples 

Let’s put real numbers down and take a look at four scenarios that break down Blues costs. There are only three things we charge you for:  

• Notecard devices with 10-year connectivity: Device cost and included data: Between $9.75 and $72 
• Event processing: $0.000750 per event, after 5,000 free per month 
• Enterprise Support, Standard Support is free for all users 

Scenario 1 – Essentials Customers, Low Volume 

In Scenario 1, our customer has 100 devices deployed in the field which include Notecard Cellular, they are waking up to transmit data once every hour. This customer is on the Essentials Plan 

• One-off hardware cost = $45 per Notecard = $4,500 
• Data cost  
  • Each Event costs $0.000750 
  • If you have 100 devices consuming 24 Events per day, in a 30-day month, you will consume 72,000 Events 
  • At the beginning of each month, if your account is less than 5,000 Events, we’ll top it up to 5,000 for free. So, the total number of Events you need to pay for is 67,000 Events  
  • 67,000 Events cost = $50.25 per month 

Total cost in the first year = Approx $5,103 

Total cost after the first year = Approx $603 

Scenario 2 – Essentials Customers, High Volume 

In Scenario 2, our customer has 400 devices deployed in the field, including Notecard Cellular. They are waking up to transmit data once every minute. This customer is on the Essentials Plan, but due to the volume of devices, they also have an Enterprise support package. 

• One-off hardware cost = $45 per Notecard = $18,000 
• Support cost = $10,200 per year 
• Data cost 
  • Each Event costs $0.000750 
  • If you have 400 devices consuming 1,440 Events per day, in a 30-day month, you will consume 17,280,000 Events 
  • At the beginning of each month, if your account is less than 5,000 Events, we’ll top it up to 5,000 for free. So, the total number of Events you need to pay for is 17,275,000 Events  
  • 17,275,000 Events cost = $12,956.25 per month 

Total cost in the first year = Approx $183,675 

Total cost after the first year = Approx $165,675 

However, this cost is dramatically reduced if you commit to an Enterprise Service Agreement. In this scenario, the customer knows they will have these 400 devices deployed for 1 year using 207,300,000 events. Under an ESA, you would receive a 57.4% discount, making each event $0.0003197. The total cloud cost each year would be approximately $66,273.81. And, the discount increases the more Events you commit to. If this customer commits to 3 years, they will receive over 70% discount on their cloud costs! 

Scenario 3 – Enterprise Customers, Low Volume 

In Scenario 3, our customer has been prototyping with Blues and plans to deploy 1,000 devices on day one with Notecard Cellular. They know these devices will transmit once an hour and be deployed for at least 3 years, so they sign an Enterprise Service Agreement.  

• One-off hardware cost = $45 per Notecard = $45,000 
• Support cost = $10,200 per year 
• Data cost 
  • If you have 1,000 devices consuming 24 Events per day, in a 30-day month, you will consume 720,000 Events 
  • Over three years, you would need 25,920,000 Events 
  • When you commit to over 25 million events over the course of the ESA, you receive a 50% discount on Event cost. Events now cost $0.0003750 per Event. 
  • 25,920,000 Events cost = $9,720 

Total Cost in the first year = Approx $58,440 

Total cost in the second year = $13,440 

Total cost in the third year = $13,440 

Scenario 4 – Enterprise Customers, High Volume 

In Scenario 3, our customer has been prototyping with Blues and plans to deploy 1,000 devices on day one with Notecard Cellular. They know these devices will transmit once every five minutes and be deployed for at least 2 years, so they sign an Enterprise Service Agreement. 

• One-off hardware cost = $45 per Notecard = $45,000 
• Support cost = $10,200 per year 
• Data cost 
  • If you have 1,000 devices consuming 288 Events per day, in a 30-day month, you will consume 8,640,000 Events 
  • Over two years, you would need 207,360,000 Events 
  • When you commit to over 200 million events over the course of the ESA, you receive a 57.4% discount on Event cost. Events now cost $0.0003197 per Event. 
  • 207,360,000 Events cost = $66,293 

Total Cost in the first year = Approx $88,346 

Total cost in the second year = $43,346 

The Bottom Line: Pricing That Powers Growth 

Whether you’re deploying 100 devices or 10,000, Blues pricing is designed to support your growth at every stage. From the free 5,000 Events per month that let you prototype without subscription fees, to Enterprise Service Agreements that reward commitment with discounts up to 70%, our model aligns our success with yours. 

Remember the hidden costs we outlined in our “Build or Buy” analysis? Field provisioning at $1,000-3,750 per day. Security infrastructure that requires becoming your own security company. Cloud platform management, regulatory compliance, fulfillment complexity, and the opportunity cost of your engineering team’s expertise. 

Our pricing isn’t just about the cost per Event or the hardware price; it’s about eliminating all those hidden costs while providing transparent, predictable pricing that scales with your success. When your competitors are still building, and paying for, their DIY connectivity infrastructure, you’re already shipping products and capturing market share. 

Ready to see the complete financial analysis? Download our comprehensive guide ‘Build or Buy: The True Cost of Developing Wireless Connected Devices‘ and contact our team for a custom ROI analysis based on your specific deployment requirements.” 

Additional Resources 

• Download our guide: Build or Buy: The True Cost of Developing Wireless Connected Devices 
• Discover the case study: How American Crane & Equipment Corporation is cutting cost by 10x with Blues 
• Read the blog: Build or Buy: The Costs Behind IoT Connectivity 

The post Blues Pricing: Simple, Transparent, and Built for Growth appeared first on Blues.

If you’re in IoT product development, you’ve either said these words or heard them in every budget meeting. It’s a natural instinct. When you see the upfront cost of ready-made solutions, the DIY approach seems financially attractive. When it comes to connecting your devices to the cloud, how hard can it be to build your own cellular connectivity, manage your own SIM cards, and create a cloud platform? 

The reality? Building enterprise-grade IoT connectivity in-house can quickly reach $200,000 in development costs alone. More critically, every dollar spent reinventing connectivity is a dollar not invested in your competitive differentiation. Using your own modem and SIM might be cheaper up front, but Blues’ no subscription policy and volume discounts make it a more economical solution in the long term. 

The New BOM: Understanding True IoT Costs 

Traditional Bill of Materials (BOM) calculations focus on component costs, but they miss the complete picture. Think of your BOM like calculating restaurant costs by only considering ingredient prices. You’re missing rent, labor, utilities, insurance, and everything else that keeps the doors open. 

The “New BOM” for IoT devices includes six critical categories that DIY approaches must address:

1. Provisioning and Deployment – Getting devices working in the field

Field provisioning typically costs between $1,000-3,750 per day when you factor in technician time, travel, accommodations, and configuration work. Your skilled engineers spend days in the field instead of improving your core product. That’s a double cost of both their daily rate and lost innovation opportunity.

2. Security and Remote Updates – Protecting devices and keeping them current

DIY security for IoT devices requires building and maintaining your own security infrastructure. Essentially, becoming your own security company. You need skilled security experts, regular vulnerability assessments, threat monitoring, and rapid response capabilities. 

Blues leverages carrier-grade security infrastructure that handles the heavy lifting. Our hardware-based security includes STSAFE Secure Elements with ECC cryptography and NIST P-384 curves, while “off-the-internet” communications use VPN connections with TLS encryption. You get enterprise-grade security without building or maintaining the expertise internally.

3. Cloud platform management – Infrastructure for device communication

Building your own IoT cloud platform requires selecting providers, designing architecture, implementing protocols, and ongoing maintenance to communicate with your devices and access your data. Blues fundamentally changes this equation. Our Notehub cloud platform enables bi-directional communication with your device. We don’t charge a monthly subscription fee; customers are charged based on the number of Events that flow into Notehub, excluding platform events like geolocation or administrative data, so you only pay for what you use.

4. Testing and certification – Regulatory compliance across markets

Regulatory certification can be a complex maze that varies by region and network. FCC, CE, PTCRB, each require specialized testing with premium laboratory fees. Failed tests can lead to extended certification delays, costing months of market entry time. 

Blues Notecards manage all the processes to secure the data on your devices. With comprehensive certifications already secured, you’re not just buying connectivity, you’re buying guaranteed regulatory compliance across global markets.

5. Fulfillment and logistics – Getting products to customers

Getting your devices into your customers’ hands includes more than shipping the product. You need warehouse space, dedicated staff, sophisticated logistics systems, and activation processes for firmware and security protocols. International expansion adds taxation and tariffs that can add $30-40 in fees to a $100 device, squeezing margins even further. 

Blues simplifies fulfillment by eliminating complex activation steps during the process. Notecards come pre-configured, so you avoid the manual configuration, carrier negotiations, and technical setup that typically happen during fulfillment, reducing complexity and costs.

6. Employee time – The hidden cost of internal expertise

Your engineering team’s expertise is your most valuable asset, but DIY connectivity forces them to become telecommunications experts instead of focusing on your product’s unique value. From building prototypes that require manual SIM configuration to providing ongoing customer support for carrier-related issues, every hour spent on connectivity infrastructure is time not invested in innovation that differentiates your product. 

Blues handles the carrier relationships and connectivity troubleshooting so your team can focus on what creates actual value for customers. Instead of your engineers debugging network settings or your support team fielding connectivity calls, you get dedicated expertise that solves problems faster while keeping your internal resources focused on core product development. 

Build or Buy: The Best Choice for Your Business 

The “build vs. buy” decision for IoT connectivity isn’t only about upfront costs or even the cost of hardware and data; it’s about total economic impact over the product lifecycle. When you account for the hidden costs of DIY connectivity, Blues doesn’t just compete on price; it fundamentally changes the economics of connected product development. 

Your engineering team’s expertise is your most valuable asset. Spending it on reinventing connectivity infrastructure is like a software company building their own data centers instead of using cloud services. It’s technically possible, but economically inefficient. 

Blues handles the connectivity complexity so your team can focus on building great products. Whether you’re a startup bringing your first connected device to market or an enterprise scaling global deployments, the economics work in your favor. So, while your competitors spend 18 months building connectivity infrastructure, you’re shipping products and capturing market share. 

Ready to see the complete financial analysis? Download our comprehensive guide ‘Build or Buy: The True Cost of Developing Wireless Connected Devices‘ and contact our team for a custom ROI analysis based on your specific deployment requirements.” 

Additional Resources 

• Download our guide: Build or Buy: The True Cost of Developing Wireless Connected Devices 
• Discover the case study: How American Crane & Equipment Corporation is cutting cost by 10x with Blues 
• Read the blog: From One-Time Sales to Ongoing Success: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Equipment-as-a-Service 

The post Build or Buy: The Costs Behind IoT Connectivity appeared first on Blues.

Getting Started at Blues: A Message from Our New CEO, Ian Small

I’m Ian Small, and as you may have read in this press release, I’ve recently come aboard Blues as CEO. So, this is a great opportunity to start engaging directly with you – our customers and prospective customers – about what’s happening in the market, the journey you’re on, and how we’re working to help you go even further and even faster.

Ray Ozzie and I were first introduced a couple of years ago by one of Blues’ investors. Since then, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about Ray’s vision for Blues and discussing how our customers are building connected products, embedded intelligence and smart technology. We’ve also spent a lot of time aligning on how advances in AI are going to further enable Blues and our customers to transform their businesses. The stars aligned following Blues’ most recent funding round, and I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Ray and the whole crew as the newest member of the Blues team.

In my first getting-to-know-you meeting at Blues, I was asked what motivates me. Throughout my time in Silicon Valley, it’s been the chance to invent the future. But at Blues, inspired by Ray’s vision, we’re doing something even more meaningful: we are partnering with our customers to invent their future. In early reference calls with customers before I joined (hello again to those I spoke with!), I heard how Blues had helped them overcome challenges in cloud-connecting their products, but what really set the hook for me was finding out how they were creating intelligent new services to change their businesses, and their P&Ls using the data previously trapped in their products.

From the outside, Blues may look like a technology company. But in reality, Blues is a transformation machine. Each customer is using Blues to transform their product category, their line of business, perhaps their entire industry. Tapping our knowledge to develop new services. Integrating our technology to accelerate their future. Leveraging our expertise to navigate their path to production. And ultimately, delivering real, measurable business results.

As I look to the months ahead:

• I see many customers bringing Blues-equipped products to market for the first time, completing their transformation journey from idea to impact. I look forward to working with each of you to make sure your product rollout is successful.
• I see those of you working from prototype stage to production pilot, advancing your transformation journey from hypothesis to proof point. I look forward to working with each of you to ensure your pilot is delivering the value that you expect, and to help you navigate that next big step to product launch.
• And I see some of you just starting your journey. Blues is here to help you get your ideas off the whiteboard and into the market, faster and more cost-effectively than you think possible. Whether you’re a developer, a product owner, or a business leader, please feel free to contact us for a fresh perspective.

“Complexity kills,” Ray reminded himself years ago as he grappled with the challenges of bringing widespread radiation monitoring online near Fukushima – the project that ultimately inspired the founding of Blues. So, he set about eradicating that complexity. Today, Blues delivers an easy-to-implement, flexible, reliable, and secure solution that helps each of you create new business value by augmenting your physical products with new intelligent services.

I think back to my first job in Silicon Valley at Apple, where one of the rallying cries was “Changing the world – one person at a time.” Now that I’m here at Blues, I’m certainly happy to still be changing the world. More than that, I’m incredibly energized by the opportunity to work with you all to help you transform your products, develop new intelligent services, disrupt your industries, and together, change the world – one product at a time.

The post Getting Started at Blues: A Message from Our New CEO, Ian Small appeared first on Blues.

The IoT landscape today often appears as a patchwork of insecure, slow, and ineffective devices. Traditional IoT approaches have struggled to deliver on their promises in many cases, with 74% of all IoT products failing to make it to market, and of those that do, 97% struggle with security, while ecosystem fragmentation has hindered true scalability and sustainability. 

At Blues, we’re not just committed to IoT, we’re working to evolve it into something transformative: Embedded Intelligence. 

IoT’s Security Challenge 

The fundamental challenge with traditional IoT lies in the approach: devices connected directly to the internet without proper security protection or comprehensive management. Each new device becomes another potential entry point for bad actors, creating a massive attack surface that grows exponentially with each deployment. 

The results speak for themselves. Major IoT security breaches have compromised everything from consumer devices to critical infrastructure. Many IoT devices can’t receive security updates, creating persistent vulnerabilities in our homes, businesses, and infrastructure. But these challenges are solvable with the right approach. 

What we need now are machines that combine their senses with secure agents that can think and act intelligently, both on their own and in concert with other machines. We see a bright future where connected technology evolves to meet these challenges head-on. 

Introducing Embedded Intelligence 

What exactly is Embedded Intelligence? It’s a combination of hardware, software, and services that create an intelligent machine. A machine that uses data to meet goals. A machine that utilizes sensors and incorporate embedded intelligent agents to unlock unprecedented value and responsiveness. Unlike traditional IoT approaches, which often simply connect devices to the internet, Embedded Intelligence creates machines that can think, act, and adapt autonomously while maintaining secure connections to their environment and the cloud. 

Embedded Intelligence represents a philosophical shift as much as a technological one. Instead of viewing connectivity as the end goal, we see it as just one component of a complete system. Our approach places the embedded agent at the center, creating a secure, adaptable foundation for every connected device. This agent doesn’t just facilitate connections, it manages them, protects the device from threats, and ensures optimal performance regardless of conditions. 

The Two Pillars of Blues’ Embedded Intelligence 

Our solution is made up of two parts that work together to bridge device and cloud, creating a comprehensive ecosystem that addresses the fundamental security challenges of traditional IoT approaches: 

The Embedded Intelligent Agent 

We call it Notecard, and it’s not just a connectivity module, it fundamentally transforms how devices connect, communicate, and operate in the field. Notecard provides: 

• Intelligent radio management: With automatic fallback across every major Radio Access Technology. This means your device can dynamically switch between cellular, WiFi, satellite, and LoRa based on availability, signal strength, and cost considerations. With Notecard, there are no single points of failure for connectivity, your devices stay connected regardless of changing conditions. 

• Inference-based energy optimization: The agent automatically adjusts sensing, computation, and data uplink patterns as needed, balancing performance and power consumption. It can even predict future energy availability and adjust operations proactively, extending device lifespan in unpredictable environments. 

• Unbrickable firmware management: Allowing remote reset, wipe, and “dynamic brain transplant.” This revolutionary approach enables code upgrades or downgrades without risk, provides remote diagnostic capabilities, and ensures long-term sustainability. Even if a firmware update fails catastrophically, your device can recover automatically; eliminating the “bricked ” or rogue scenarios that challenge traditional IoT deployments. 

Notecard is designed as an outboard coprocessor, physically and logically separate from your device’s main application processor. This architecture creates an air gap that fundamentally changes the security model. Even if your application code is compromised, the Notecard remains secure, maintaining control over communication channels and protecting critical systems. 

The Embedded Network Hub 

Your Embedded Network Hub is the command center for your entire fleet of embedded devices. For us, this is Blues Notehub, and it’s not just a cloud service. Unlike generic IoT platforms that try to be everything to everyone, Notehub is purpose-built for managing embedded intelligent agents at scale. It delivers: 

• Intelligent Fleet Configuration & Management: Notehub offers manual, programmatic, and intelligent automatic fleet assignments, providing both direct and polymorphic inheritance for instant, scale-free reconfiguration. This means you can update thousands of devices simultaneously with just a few clicks, or create sophisticated device groupings that adapt automatically based on device characteristics, location, or behavior patterns. 

• Intelligent Storage & Analytics: Event streams intelligently fan out into different storage systems for interactive access, analytics, and warehousing. With support for time-series, geospatial, visualization, and enterprise application integration, you can extract meaningful insights from your device data without building complex data pipelines or analytics systems. 

• Service and Manufacturing-Centricity: Notehub’s API-centric approach focuses on smooth integration with your product procurement, manufacturing, testing, and provisioning practices. It seamlessly connects with your existing enterprise systems, enabling data and event flow from large fleets of deployed devices without disrupting established workflows. 

Notehub isn’t just about managing devices; it’s about making device data actionable and valuable across your organization. It bridges the gap between operational technology and information technology, creating a unified view of your embedded devices and the data they generate. 

Embedded Intelligence: The Power of Integration 

When combined, the Embedded Intelligent Agent and the Embedded Network Hub create a secure, adaptive system that doesn’t just connect a machine, it manages it. Always on, always listening, always secure. This integration enables capabilities that are simply impossible with traditional IoT approaches: 

• Secure Auto-Provisioning & Health Monitoring: Starting with hardware embedded in Notecard, through to auto-provisioning in Notehub, you maintain complete visibility and control over device attributes and behaviors. The system automatically detects unusual patterns that might indicate security concerns, allowing you to quarantine suspicious devices before they can impact your broader network. 

• Air-gapped Security and Protection: Blues implements a ‘dual gap’ prevention system against internet-based intrusion. The first gap is a non-networked ‘request tunnel’ between your application processor and Notecard. The second gap ensures all cellular and satellite traffic between Notecard and Notehub travels on a secure off-internet private VLAN. With encryption at both the transport level and end-to-end encryption for sensitive data, attackers simply can’t reach your devices or data. 

• Intelligent Device Geolocation: Blues enables indoor and outdoor devices to be located using the fusion and triangulation of cell towers, WiFi access points, and LoRa gateways, as well as satellite GPS. The system intelligently adapts based on available signals and automatically detects device movement and orientation, providing reliable location data even in challenging environments without draining battery life. 

These integrated capabilities represent a powerful evolution of IoT, transforming the piecemeal approach where security, connectivity, and intelligence are often bolted on as afterthoughts. With Blues, these critical functions become the foundation of every device and deployment. 

Reimagining IoT for a Secure Future 

With Embedded Intelligence, we’re elevating IoT from simple “connectivity” to a true agent embedded within every machine. A secure, outboard coprocessor entirely separate from the machine’s senses. This isn’t replacing IoT; it’s fulfilling its original promise with embedded intelligence that can think, act, and protect itself. 

Think of the agent as the machine’s trusted advisor, always there, always ready, and always secure. The outboard agent architecture fundamentally changes the security posture of your devices, creating a separation of concerns that protects critical systems even if application code is compromised. 

This approach also creates unprecedented flexibility and future-proofing. As connectivity standards evolve and security requirements change, Notecard can adapt through secure firmware updates without requiring redesigns of your core product. You can even switch radio access technologies in the field, moving from cellular to satellite or WiFi as needed without hardware modifications. 

Let’s Build a Connected Future Together 

Here’s the thing: if your device doesn’t have an intelligent, outboard agent, you’re missing a crucial security component. Every device needs a brain, not just a connection. We believe the future of IoT is bright—filled with devices that can sense, think, communicate, and adapt autonomously while maintaining secure connections to their environment and the cloud. 

Join us as we build a world of truly intelligent, secure machines, machines that fulfill the original promise of IoT and deliver value beyond anything possible with traditional approaches. The future of connected devices is here, and it’s more secure and intelligent than ever.  

Additional Resources 

• Try Notecard for yourself, get started with a development kit  
• Fuel your AI applications with optimized data streams 
• Discover MinSpin, our in house design service to kickstart your product development 

The post IoT’s Security Crisis and Path to Embedded Intelligence appeared first on Blues.

Well, we can’t speak for anyone else, but we happen to know a lot about the ins and outs of Notecard and Notehub’s connection.  

The Heart of the Connection: Notecard  

Notecard is like the sweet, reliable partner that keeps everything in sync. Notecard is a small, powerful embedded intelligence agent that allows IoT projects to collect and transmit data securely and simply. This piece of low-power hardware provides secure, fast, and efficient connectivity with minimal hassle. What more could you ask for in a partner?  

The Backbone: Notehub 

Every great love story needs a little communication and that’s where Notehub comes in. Notehub is Notecard’s partner in crime; a cloud platform that securely stores, routes, and manages the data sent from Notecard, making this data usable. Think of Notehub as the digital storage unit that houses all of the information Notecard collects and sends, with a sprinkle of intelligence that turns data into actionable insights.  

Why They’re a Match Made in Tech Heaven 

When Notecard and Notehub come together, they create a system that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Notecard handles heavy lifting on the ground, collecting and sending data, while Notehub manages the flow of data in the cloud. The pairing works wonderfully because they’re both cloud-connected and designed for scalability. Whether you’re monitoring a handful of devices or hundreds of thousands, the connection between Notecard and Notehub remains strong, ensuring seamless operation no matter how big or complex your system is. 

A Love That Lasts: The Benefits 

Together Notecard and Notehub simplify the process of building IoT solutions. You don’t need to be an expert in hardware or cloud infrastructure to get your project off the ground. The seamless integration between Notecard and Notehub allows developers to focus on the core functionality of their applications instead of worrying about connectivity issues or data management complexities. 

• Effortless Connectivity: The cellular-based design means Notecard can connect even in remote areas without needing Wi-Fi, making it perfect for hard-to-reach places. 

• Secure Data Transmission: Both Notecard and Notehub are built with strong security features, ensuring your data stays safe in transit and storage. 

• Scalability: Whether you’re a startup or an enterprise, the combined power of Notecard and Notehub grows with your business, ensuring that your system can expand as needed. 

• Simplicity & Efficiency: With their easy integration and user-friendly interfaces, Notecard and Notehub take the complexity out of building and managing IoT systems. 

A Love Story for the Future 

Together, Notecard and Notehub are shaping the future of embedded intelligence and proving that some connections are just built to last. So, this Valentine’s Day, let’s raise a glass to Notecard and Notehub, a partnership that is bringing us a smarter, more connected world. 

Happy Valentine’s Day to the dynamic duo of embedded intelligence! Here’s to many more years of seamless connection.  

The post Notecard and Notehub: A Connection Built to Last appeared first on Blues.

Swing by Booth #10271 in the IoT Infrastructure Section, North Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center. 

Meet the teams building with Blues 

Blues is proud to enable companies across all sectors, enabling them to create innovative solutions that address real-world challenges and accelerate traditional industries into the age of intelligent machines. Here’s a first look at a few  of the customers joining in on the fun this year at CES, and what we’ve built together.  

Clarios: Smart Energy for Smarter Vehicles 

Clarios, a leader in advanced battery technology, now offers real-time, cloud-based battery health monitoring to its fleet customers. Leveraging Blues and Snowflake, Clarios enables proactive maintenance to prevent battery failures, supporting the transition to smarter, more sustainable electric and hybrid vehicles.  

Learn how Clarios is revolutionizing battery management systems. 

Clean Earth Rovers: Protecting our Waterways 

The DataPod by Clean Earth Rovers is a compact, solar-powered water-quality monitoring buoy measuring key metrics like pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Integrated with Blues technology, DataPod ensures seamless data transmission, enabling real-time monitoring and actionable insights for healthier waterways. 

Explore how DataPod is advancing water quality monitoring. 

Droople: Intelligent Water Management 

Droople’s Water Intelligence Platform connects water assets to deliver real-time data on flow, pressure, and temperature. With its IoT-enabled AC Plug which can be retrofitted to any water point, and advanced analytics, Droople helps users optimize water use, reduce waste, and promote sustainable management. 

Discover Droople’s transformative water management solutions. 

Enable IoT: Smarter Farming with M30 

Enable IoT’s Sense M30 is a solar-powered soil monitoring sensor designed for precision agriculture. By capturing real-time data on soil health, it empowers farmers to make data-driven decisions that optimize productivity while promoting sustainable land management. 

Learn how Enable IoT is revolutionizing agriculture. 

Entek: Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future 

Entek’s Demand Response Transceiver optimizes energy consumption by enabling real-time control of appliances during peak demand. Integrated with Blues technology, it supports grid stability and sustainability efforts while reducing overall energy use. 

Explore Entek’s innovative energy solutions. 

Giraffe: Security at the Edge 

The Giraffe Edge Controller is an AI-powered platform for mobile security. Its advanced features, like Active Threat Deterrence, use real-time analytics to activate lights, strobes, and audio deterrents, ensuring rapid responses to threats. 

Discover the security revolution led by Giraffe. 

Halma: Adaptive IoT 

Halma’s air quality sensing prototype, powered by Blues, demonstrates modular connectivity across Cellular, WiFi, LoRa, and Satellite technologies. This innovation showcases the potential for versatile and scalable IoT solutions. 

Learn how Halma is solving connectivity challenges. 

Hummble: Noise Free for Better Living 

Hummble’s Heat Pump ANC technology brings peace to noisy living spaces with active noise-cancellation systems. Integrated with Blues technology, it ensures optimized performance and user comfort in residential environments. 

Discover Hummble’s approach to peaceful living. 

Lift AI: Smarter Elevator Management 

Lift AI’s Core Sensor uses onboard cellular communication to deliver real-time elevator performance data. This enhances maintenance efficiency and streamlines asset management, ensuring reliability for users and operators alike. 

Learn more about Lift AI’s smart innovations. 

Sirius NET: Sustainable Aquaculture 

Sirius NET’s Aquafarm Quality solution leverages AI and IoT to monitor aquaculture environments. By transmitting critical water-quality data through Blues, it promotes sustainable aquatic operations and robust yields. 

Explore Sirius NET’s Aquafarm Quality solution. 

True Manufacturing: Smart Refrigeration for Better Efficiency 

True Manufacturing integrates intelligent embedded systems into their refrigerators for real-time performance monitoring. With Blues technology, they ensure food safety, energy efficiency, and streamlined operations for their customers. 

Discover True Manufacturing’s intelligent appliances. 

A new path forward with Blues 

Making Blues a must-see stop on your CES 2025 itinerary?  Swing by booth #10271 in the IoT Infrastructure Section, North Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center, and let’s  what we can build together. 

The post Your First Look at the Companies Pioneering Embedded Intelligence with Blues at CES 2025 appeared first on Blues.

On your marks, get set—not so fast.  

To even get to the starting line, you need data and an intelligent machine to collect and transmit your data securely. Let us show you how Blues Notecard and Notehub are enabling companies to supercharge their business operations by gaining access to data through remote, wireless communication between device and cloud. 

Embedded Intelligence: Your Data Insight Engine 

Digital transformation is all about reimagining how we work, connect, and create by merging innovative technology with everyday operations, making life easier and businesses smarter. As companies look to integrate AI solutions, a major roadblock they hit is deciding how to collect and transmit data into a usable form—you can’t apply insights if your systems can’t capture and share them with you. Let’s pop the hood and take a look at how Notecard and Notehub can fuel AI innovation. 

Efficient Data Collection 

Think of data collection as your engine’s intake system, pulling inputs from your sensors needed to fuel the system. Notecards are plug-and-play modules that offer your systems low-power, secure connectivity through cellular, WiFi, satellite, and LoRa networks. Notecard devices feature: 

• Ultra-low power consumption (~8-18µA when idle) – This extremely low power usage is critical for embedded AI applications that need to run for months or years on battery power. It enables remote deployments and reduces costs while maintaining continuous data collection. 

• Energy Management – Notecard can adapt its behavior in response to your device’s energy source and levels. Suppose your device’s power is running low, it’s nighttime, and the device is solar charged; Notecard will wait to connect and transmit the data until the device has a greater energy reserve, keeping it alive and functioning for longer. 

• Flexible interfaces – The ability to connect with virtually any type of sensor allows you to collect the exact data you need for your machine learning applications.  

This foundation of efficient data collection ensures you’re gathering high-quality data optimized for AI applications while minimizing power consumption and deployment complexity. 

Seamless Data Transmission  

Data transmission in AI embedded systems is like a car’s fuel delivery system— precisely delivering fuel (data) to the engine (AI model). A device infrastructure built with Notecard provides: 

• Global connectivity with automatic failover – Notecards have redundancy to ensure your embedded AI applications stay connected even if the main network fails. By automatically switching between radio access technologies, your devices stay online and keep collecting data. 

• Pre-provisioned cellular service – Pre-configured cellular connectivity eliminates complex carrier negotiations and the need for SIM cards, simplifying global deployment. When equipped with Notecards, your embedded AI systems can be installed almost anywhere with cellular coverage and start working immediately, dramatically reducing time-to-value. Too remote for cellular coverage? Our satellite Notecards are a great option for those hard-to-reach places. 

• Edge-to-cloud synchronization – Efficient data synchronization between edge devices and the cloud ensures all critical data reaches Notehub. Notecards deliver smart, efficient data handling and cost-effective communication while preserving data integrity for applications like machine learning models. 

A strong data transmission infrastructure keeps your devices reliably connected and provides real-time data access. It also supports remote management at scale. 

Scalable Data Management  

Scaling is like upgrading from a single-car garage to managing an entire fleet. Just as maintaining a fleet requires efficient systems for fueling, monitoring, and servicing each vehicle, scaling devices demands streamlined processes for connectivity, data management, and system updates to ensure everything runs smoothly. Here’s how the combined power of Notecard and Notehub ensures scalability: 

• Cloud orchestration – Notehub securely manages data flow from any number of Notecard devices, enabling large-scale AI deployments while maintaining performance and reliability.  

• Centralized device management – Notehub makes comprehensive fleet management possible. It includes remote configuration updates, over-the-air firmware updates, and device monitoring through a single interface. This enables efficient management of large deployments with minimal operational overhead. 

• Flexible cloud routing – Notehub natively supports routing data to AWS, Azure, GCP, Snowflake, and other major cloud platforms, often with no-code implementation. This allows you to leverage your preferred database and analytics tools while avoiding vendor lock-in. And because Notecard devices transmit data in JSON format, Notehub can transform and route appropriately using templates. This ensures your AI systems receive properly formatted data without requiring additional processing or development time.  

This powerful system helps your embedded AI projects grow from pilots to full-scale deployments quickly, all while staying efficient and reliable. 

Secure Data Handling 

Just as a car needs security systems to protect its valuable components, embedded AI applications require comprehensive security to protect sensitive data and maintain data integrity. Notecard and Notehub provide industry-leading security through multiple layers of protection: 

• Hardware-Based Security – The Notecard integrates an STSAFE Secure Element containing symmetric keys manufactured directly into the chip. These keys use ECC with the NIST P-384 curve and ECDSA-with-SHA384 signature algorithm, providing robust protection against physical attacks and secure storage of cryptographic keys. This hardware-based approach means neither manufacturers nor end users need to handle sensitive key material. 

• End-to-End Encryption – Data remains encrypted throughout its journey from device to cloud. The Notecard’s secure element handles encryption at the device level, maintains security during transmission to Notehub, and ensures secure routing to your cloud application. Your AI system’s sensitive data is secured at every step. 

• “Off-the-Internet” Communications – Unlike traditional IoT devices that connect directly to the public internet, Notecards communicate through encrypted “off-the-internet” channels. When connecting to Notehub, the connection between the cellular network and Notehub is made over a VPN using internal DNS servers, with the connection itself encrypted using TLS. This architecture dramatically reduces the attack surface and simplifies security management. 

Comprehensive security ensures both your intellectual property and your customers’ data are protected, while meeting regulatory requirements. 

Revving Up AI Innovation 

Now that you have the critical components of your data engine, your embedded AI system can perform like a well-tuned machine. Here are just some of the ways Embedded Intelligence devices are powering growth, efficiency, and profitability: 

• Predictive Maintenance: Unplanned downtime costs industrial businesses an average of $125,000 per hour, with over two-thirds of businesses experiencing unplanned outages at least once a month. A report by LeewayHertz found that embedding AI in predictive maintenance systems can reduce inspection costs by 25% and annual maintenance fees by up to 10%. 

• Quality Control and Inspection: By combining computer vision with embedded AI, organizations can perform automated visual inspections at scale, detecting defects and inconsistencies that might escape human observation. Research by McKinsey found that gen AI may cut QA expenses by more than 50%, enhance agent efficiency by 25-30%, and drive customer satisfaction up by 5-10%. 

• Asset tracking and optimization: AI-powered tracking systems can predict optimal routes, detect unusual patterns, and provide actionable insights. AI-enabled supply chain management has led to improved inventory costs of 35% and logistics costs of 15% for early adopters. 

Get Your AI Engine in Gear 

With Notecard and Notehub, you get powerful data intake, secure and reliable data transmission, and device management tools for keeping your embedded AI solutions running smoothly. Whether you’re collecting high-quality data, ensuring reliable connectivity, or managing a growing network of devices, these tools give you access to your data and ways to use it. 

Are you ready to tune up your embedded AI product and smooth out access to your data? Drop us a line and see how Blues can transform your business. 

Additional Resources 

• Learn how digital transformation with Blues saved American Crane 10x of their upfront costs 

• Discover how Embedded Intelligence is revolutionizing the HVAC and Heat Pump Industry 

• Get started with Blues today, check out our quick start guides 

The post Fueling the Future of AI with Optimized Data Streams appeared first on Blues.

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At Blues, our mission has always been to empower our customers with cutting-edge solutions that simplify connecting devices to the cloud. As we continue to grow and innovate, it’s essential that our pricing model evolves to create a pathway and vehicle for customers to scale their solutions. 

Today, we’re excited to announce updates to our pricing model as of January 1, 2025. These changes are designed to be transparent, fair, and aligned with our customers’ needs. Whether you’re just getting started or scaling your fleet, our updated pricing structure is designed to offer you flexibility and greater value as you grow. 

Click to skip ahead and read how these changes affect: 

• Essentials customers 

• Development and Analyze & Scale customers 

• Enterprise customers 

Simplifying our Pricing Structure 

In our current model, Essentials customers use Consumption Credits (CCs) for a variety of actions, including routing data from Notehub, making API requests, real-time device messaging, and Notecard web requests. 

The new model simplifies this: customers use CCs for Event ingresses into Notehub, excluding Platform Events. Each Event costs 1 CC, priced at a flat rate of $0.000750 each. 

What are Platform Events

Things that happen on the Notecard and Notehub generate Events that you can see in the Notehub UI. This includes  _session.qo, _log.qo, _health.qo and _geolocate.qo notefiles. These events provide administrative functionality and many of them can be useful for debugging and support. There will be no charge for Platform Events, under the new pricing model you will only be charged for Events you ingress. 

Your Monthly Usage 

Essentials Customers: As before, all customers receive a top-up of consumption credits for free every month, giving them a bank of 5,000 CCs to use each month. That’s the equivalent of 5,000 Event ingresses to Notehub, completely on us. After your free monthly allocation is used, you’ll need to pre-purchase CCs as needed under a pay-as-you-go model. 

Enterprise Customers: Your usage and payment plan will be tailored to your specific needs as part of an enterprise service agreement.  

This change puts the power in your hands while ensuring you have the flexibility to maximize the value of your projects. For more details, feel free to reach out to our team with any questions. 

What’s New for Essentials Customers

We’ve enhanced our Essentials plan to give you even more tools for managing your devices and growing your business. Whether you’re maintaining a small fleet or developing your next big idea, these updates are designed to provide maximum value with minimal hassle. 

Simplified Use of Consumption Credits 

We’ve made it easier to plan your usage and manage costs. Now, Consumption Credits (CCs) are only used for Event ingresses into Notehub, excluding Platform Events, instead of routing Events from Notehub. This harmonized approach gives you better control and the ability to project your costs more easily. 

Access to More Features 

Essentials customers now enjoy features previously reserved for higher-tier accounts. Here’s what’s included: 

• Device Location Tracking: Use the Notehub device location map 

• Heartbeat Monitor Alerts: Stay informed if your device doesn’t connect as expected 

• S3 Archive Integration: Gain full access to seamlessly archiving your data 

Free API Usage 

You can now make up to 10,080 free API requests per day, measured at 7 requests per minute; additional API requests are throttled. If you regularly hit the daily limit, upgrading to an Enterprise plan might better fit your growing needs. 

These updates are all about giving you more power, flexibility, and control without adding complexity. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how these changes can benefit you, feel free to contact our team. 

Changes to the Development and Analyze & Scale Plans

To simplify and improve our offerings, we folded all the features from our subscription plans into Essentials. We will no longer offer Development and Analyze & Scale plans to new customers. 

If you’re currently on one of these plans, don’t worry—you can continue with your existing subscription or choose to transition to either the Essentials or Enterprise tier, depending on your needs. 

Our goal is to offer you more flexibility and the tools to scale your business at your own pace. If you’re unsure which plan is best for you or have any questions, just give us a shout – our door is always open! 

Maximizing Value with the Enterprise Plan

Our Enterprise plan is designed to support your business as it scales, offering 10 years of support for the LTS versions of Notecard firmware and cost savings over hardware, cloud, and support. By signing a multi-year Enterprise Service Agreement, you’ll benefit from exclusive volume discounts, payment flexibility, and price protection throughout the agreement. 

Here’s how the new pricing model enhances the value for Enterprise customers: 

Volume Discounts and Simple Forecasting 

We’ve made usage modeling simple and accessible. With Notehub’s tools, you can easily monitor your device’s behavior and estimate your expected service usage. Using your projections, talk to our sales team to get volume-based discounts (starting from 50%) designed to fit your business. If you’d like assistance refining your projections or crafting a pricing plan, our business team is here to help ensure you get the best rates and maximize the benefits of volume discounts. 

Flexible API Usage 

Under the new model, all customers receive a limit of 10,080 free API requests, measured at 7 per minute. Enterprise customers are charged for additional requests, giving you the flexibility to scale API usage as needed. 

Premium Support

Enterprise customers are required to enroll in Premium Support as part of the Enterprise Service Agreement. This includes a guaranteed response within four hours, an assigned technical account manager, and an on-site proof-of-concept workshop to jumpstart your Blues journey. With Premium Support, your business benefits from consistent, personalized, and priority-level assistance, ensuring your needs are met with expertise and care every step of the way. 

Improved Connectivity Assurance 

The current model adds 500MB of data to the Notecard’s initial data plan as needed. Moving forward, Enterprise agreements include projected cellular data volumes tailored to your business needs. If usage exceeds your projection, you can opt into Enterprise connectivity assurance to ensure your devices stay connected, any overages are settled at a pre-negotiated rate on an annual basis. 

Volume hardware Discount 

Our Enterprise plan includes volume hardware discounts to support customers scaling their solutions. These discounts provide a cost-effective way to manufacture and deploy larger fleets of devices, helping businesses reduce expenses as they expand. 

With the Enterprise plan, you get the tools, support, and pricing flexibility to scale confidently. If you’d like to learn more about how the Enterprise plan can work for your business, reach out to our team.  

Get in Touch 

We’re dedicated to simplifying connectivity and supporting your growth. Our new pricing model is designed to provide flexibility, transparency, and value at every stage, whether you’re starting out with Essentials or scaling with Enterprise. 

As always, our team is here to help if you have questions or want to talk through which plan is best for you – send us a message, our team is here to help!  

The post Helping You Scale: New Pricing Updates for 2025 appeared first on Blues.