Samsung announces Tizen IoT based Samsung Connect Tag ahead of SDC 2017

With just two days left for the Samsung  Developer Conference 2017 to take place in San Francisco on October 18th and 19th, Samsung has just announced a new gadget that will be showcased at the event. Named as Samsung Connect Tag, it is an unique IoT based product that lets you track the things or people you care about wherever the are. Unlike those cheap Bluetooth tracking tags which need to be paired with your phone and hence the range is very short, the Samsung Connect Tag has a much longer range without the need of being paired to a smartphone.

The Samsung Connect Tag runs on a lightweight Tizen RT based OS for IoT and happens to be the world’s first consumer mobile product to utilize Narrowband technology (NB-IoT, Cat.M1). With NB-IoT, the tracker has access to location services over the internet using cellular telecommunication bands. This technology was suppressed due to lack of the right infrastructure in the past, but it now seems the infrastructure setbacks are finally solved and hence Samsung has taken the bold step to make an actual consumer product. The usage of NB-IoT technology helps the Connect Tag to significantly reduce battery usage and hence Samsung has rated its battery life to seven days on a single charge. The Samsung Connect Tag hence has the capability for both indoor and outdoor positioning with the help of GPS, WiFi and Cell ID.
The possible use cases of the Samsung Connect Tag are limitless and can vary from person to person. With it, you can keep a track of the whereabouts of your children, elders and pets,etc. The connect tag’s location can be accessed via user’s Android (only) M or above smartphone and you can get timely notifications or even set geo-confinements so that when the Connect Tag moves out of those boundaries, you get a notification. Those who carry the Connect Tag can also trigger a notification to the owner about their location.
But that’s not all it can do, The Samsung Connect Tag can be integrated with Samsung Smart Things smart home system so that users can also trigger home IoT devices such as lights and thermostats when they come to home or enter a room. The Samsung Connect Tag has been IP68 certified for dust and water resistance and weighs only 25 grams.
Samsung has not mentioned any pricing or availability of the Samsung Connect Tag yet, but it will be first rolling out to South Korea followed by more markets in the future.
 

Samsung Connect Tag Specifications