Export stories in hardware usually start with a trade mission. This one started with a partner who already knew the terrain. iWOW Technology, a Singapore public company specialising in asset tracking, utilities metering and asset monitoring on LoRaWAN networks, approached Meshed in 2022 about people counting for a new precinct.
A Partner on the Ground
iWOW's business is built on LoRaWAN, which made the fit straightforward. The nCounter runs on the same class of network iWOW already deploys and operates, so adding people counting to their portfolio meant adding a device and a data feed, not a new technology stack.
Counting in a New Residential Precinct
iWOW is working in conjunction with the Singapore Government's Housing Development Board to test various types of sensing for a new residential precinct on the eastern side of Singapore, including people counting. Five nCounter devices were shipped to the project, with several commissioned and in operation.
For a precinct still finding its patterns, aggregate movement data answers the questions that matter to its managers. Which spaces draw people, when the peaks come, and how long people stay. All of it counted anonymously, with no individual movements recorded.
What the Platform Shows
The nCounter Platform provides the data feed, storage and dashboard for the precinct's counting data, turning raw counts into graphical insights.
- People in range so far today
- People per hour and per day
- Average dwell time
- Dwell time histograms
From Australian Rollouts to Export
Before Singapore, nCounter had been proven across more than 50 rollouts in Australia, from coastal councils to city precincts. The iWOW deployment made it an export product, carried into a new market by a partner rather than a sales office.
Prove it at home, then let a partner carry it. That is how a bootstrapped Australian product goes international.
