Track heat, light, humidity, or movement with tiny QBiq Wi-Fi-connected sensors

By Bruce Brown December 11, 2016

qbiq cubes internet connectivity beer protection — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Internet of Things (IoT) doesn’t have to be complicated. Forget about inventory tracking, crop management, or whole-home integrated security systems. What if you just want to get a text message or mobile notification when the mail carrier delivers to your mailbox? Simple tasks like open mailbox tracking with single wireless sensors are what Ubiqweus QBiq cubes are all about.

QBiqs are single-purpose, one-inch cubes designed to connect, monitor, report, and store real-time and collected data about any object to which they are attached. The data history can be accessed by smartphone or tablet apps or sent as real-time notifications. Battery-operated QBiqs connect to a Wi-Fi network, each with a unique website and QR code. Charged by a USB cable, a QBiq cube can run as long as six months per charge, depending on the application.

According to Ubiqweus, the company has plans for additional sensor types, but the initial Qbiq cubes at the planned June 2017 launch will measure temperature (QBiq Temp), humidity (QBiq Feel), light intensity (QBiq Glow), and motion (QBiq Move). To be clear, you’ll need different cubes for different purposes, but you won’t need a hub or a special network.

Ubiqweus suggests you use sticky tape to attach QBiq cubes to monitor refrigerator doors, cookie jars, or medicine cabinet doors as example applications for the QBiq Move. If you wanted to know if it’s warm enough to read on an outdoor patio or if a wine cellar temperature is holding at the right level, QBiq Temps could do the job. The QBiq Glow could record light changes in any room, in a drawer or cupboard, or from inside a mailbox. Humidity tracking for basements, under sinks, or in bathrooms could be a simple setup with QBiq Feel.

A Kickstarter campaign to fund certification and tooling is underway, running now through January 20th. The retail price at launch will be $60 but during the campaign prices for early birds start at $23.

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Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…

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