Every year, sensor manufacturers around the world compete to develop new products, each more innovative and powerful than the last. X-TELIA's team of experts enjoys testing new products, many of which end up in the trash. X-TELIA now distributes sensors from all over the world (South Africa, Italy, France, Sweden, Spain, China, South Korea, USA, Canada, etc.). Here are a few that we find interesting.

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People counter for building

Equipped with 3D ToF (Time of Flight) detection technology, a new sensor has just entered the market. The device with an incredible accuracy of 99.5% is completely anonymous and works as well in the daytime as in the dark. Equipped with articifial intelligence, the device can count several people entering and leaving at the same time and keeps up to 1 million detections in its local memory so that nothing is missed in case of network failure.

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Gas detection sensor

This new 5+ year battery operated LoRaWAN sensor constantly monitors ambient air quality for the presence of flammable gases (CH4) such as natural gas or propane. The ultra-sensitive device can detect as little as 8% LEL (Lower Explosion Limit) and notifies residents with a powerful 85 dB audible alarm, visual alarms (LEDs) and alarm messages sent via LoRaWAN. It stores the last 800 readings.

If detected, the unit can activate a valve to shut off the gas and/or activate a fan to vent the gas.

Industrial sensor with integrated solar panel

There are several standards to get telemetry. We can talk about analog interfaces like 4-20mA or 0-10V which are used by several manufacturers of level or pressure probes. There are also digital interfaces like RS232, RS485 or MODBus. To read several of these, the sensor often needs to power the probe for a few seconds, the time to make the reading and then send the data wirelessly through the LoRa network. Even though LoRa transmission consumes very little power, powering a probe with the same device can quickly consume the sensor's batteries. That's why we really like the new LoRaWAN industrial sensor with integrated solar panel that can power probes at different voltages with a renewable energy source, capable of running for a month without light. 

Vehicle counting sensor for parking lots 

Last June we visited the Italian company Nabla Quadro, in the suburbs of Rome, to see the most advanced in

in terms of vehicle counting with a LoRa sensor buried in the asphalt. Indeed, the Italian company has been developing its technology for more than 14 years, and it seems... The sensor uses 3 counting technologies simultaneously (passive optical, active optical, magnetic) to count the entry or exit of vehicles in a parking lot. It can also be used to detect vehicles in a parking lot or to measure the speed of a passing vehicle. Not only is this the most advanced counting sensor we've ever seen, but the design of the housing is quite brilliant. It allows the sensor to be easily removed from the street to replace the battery or repair a damaged sensor. Special screws secure the sensor to the ground in a special base. Since the sensor is at the same level as the street, it is not damaged by the plow in winter. Nabla Quadro has projects in the Nordic countries where the climate is similar to ours. We are currently deploying a first project with this technology in Montreal.

Connected hygiene sensors

We are now distributing connected hygiene products from JVD, a French company that has been developing and distributing dispensers for soap, gel, toilet paper, hand paper and more for nearly 40 years. A few years ago, they started developing a line of connected hygiene devices that always know the level of consumables in the dispensers and never run out. 

You should have thought about it...

A smart sensor to measure traffic
and occupancy

Sensors that count the number of people entering and exiting a building have been on the market for a long time, using an infrared beam or radar. These solutions are effective but do not give any indication of where people go once they enter. 

A new AI-enabled sensor mounted on the ceiling of a room can determine how many people are in which area of the room at any given time, and generate powerful traffic data. It is ideal for measuring the occupancy rate of meeting rooms for example. The beauty of such a system is that everything is 100% anonymous since no video cameras are used in this solution. 

Tank level measurement sensor

An Irish company has developed a range of ultra-rugged wireless sensors for reading the levels of water, fuel, oil or other liquids tanks. They even have explosion proof (ATEX) versions of their products.

These waterproof and weatherproof devices use ultrasound to measure the distance between the sensor and the liquid surface. What's interesting about these products is that they can replace a tank cap and screw into place, making installation very simple. 

Smart Building: LoRaWAN Gateway - BACnet IP / Modbus TCP

The French company Wattsense (now part of Siemens), has developed the ideal product to provide new HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) management systems with information on the status of each room through wireless LoRa sensors. 

The device receives data from sensors scattered throughout a building and translates it into a protocol that the HVAC management system understands. This eliminates the need to deploy traditional sensors, connected by wires running through ducts. In some cases, the savings can be enormous. The deployment time is also much shorter since it only takes a few minutes to install a wireless temperature and humidity sensor. 

The Wattsense device is a black box that manages all the complexity behind a LoRa system and allows easy integration of sensors into a building management system. The data can remain local to the building or can also be sent to a cloud-based platform for remote viewing. 

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