For people looking for an innovative, user-friendly, and affordable way to enhance their lives in a connected world, Sixth Sense, an Internet of Things (IoT) product powered by Vox has launched. This is a range of low-powered sensors that deliver a variety of practical use cases for the average South African household.

“These sensors make a person’s life more secure, convenient and can attribute to cost savings. For example, by alerting the user to a leak in a geyser before the geyser bursts, avoiding flooding and costs due to water damage. Think of these sensors as the perfect way of making a house more intelligent,” says Poena van Heerden, Senior Product Manager IoT at Vox.

If you can hang a painting on your wall, then you can install any of the sensors that seamlessly connect to an IoT network spanning virtually the entire country. The devices don’t need your network to transmit as the sensors connect automatically to a specific IoT network that is available almost anywhere. Upon purchase, the sales team will check the IoT network and coverage in your area to ensure coverage is available.

Currently, the range encompasses four sensors, with more to come over the coming months.

  1. The door sensor, which can be used on doors or gates, (whether it is open or closed) can send out alerts after a user-configured amount of time goes by. For instance, if a person leaves their swimming pool gate open, it can immediately send a warning, or you can opt to receive a warning if a door is open/ closed longer than a specific amount of time to the nominated smartphone running the Sixth Sense app.
  2. A GPS tracking that is activated by movement within 2 minutes and will transmit its position at regular intervals, which can be viewed on the Sixth Sense app sensor. Once the sensor moves outside of the Geofence (a virtual fence defined by the user), an alert will be sent, notifying you of this movement. The robustness of the device makes it suitable for indoor as well as outdoor assets such as gate motors, lawnmowers, cars, etc. that need to be protected against theft. They can also be used for convenience tracking by adding the device to a child’s backpack or bicycle.
  3. A leak detector can be placed in the drip tray of a geyser or an area that is prone to accidental flooding. Users get an automatic alert when the sensor picks up water ensuring they can escalate any leak before it causes significant damage.
  4. The temperature sensor measures the temperature every 15 min and transmits this data every hour. This flexible,  robust device can be used indoors as well as outdoors to measure temperature over a period of time at a specific location, and the user can view the data remotely.

“These sensors connect automatically to an IoT specific network, carry very low data payloads and users can log onto the Sixth sense Web portal or the Sixth Sense app to monitor the devices. The cost of the data and access to the platform is included in the monthly fee. With prices starting at R125.00 including VAT per month, users will be hard-pressed to find a more affordable way of injecting “intelligence” into any household device or infrastructure,” adds van Heerden.