Cloud4Wi Unveils the Industry's Smallest IoT Wi-Fi Device for Presence Analytics and Location-Based Services in Retail

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - May 20, 2015) - Cloud4Wi^[1], the world's first open Wi-Fi engagement platform, today announced Fogsense, the industry's smallest IoT Wi-Fi device that provides businesses across different vertical industries (stores, coffee shop and restaurant chains and shopping malls amongst other places) with presence analytics and location-based services. Using Fogsense businesses can easily improve customer engagement and venue efficiency in real-time, leveraging their Wi-Fi network, with significant total cost of ownership (TCO) reduction.

Fogsense, based on Broadcom's WICED™ platform, is the industry's smallest IoT Wi-Fi device designed to collect customers' location data. Fogsense is a plug-and-play device that requires no calibration or complicated set-up. The device is also USB-powered, allowing businesses to easily scale the integration of the device, fitting with both single/small venues, where Fogsense receives power from laptops and point of sale (POS) devices, and in multi-unit/large venues, receiving power from the power outlet.

Fogsense gives businesses access to the cloud-based Cloud4Wi platform. Using the customers' location data collected by Fogsense, the Cloud4Wi platform provides businesses with valuable analytics to monitor real-time and historical trends through a personalized dashboard. These analytics include the number of first-time and repeat visitors, their activity and duration of their stay, at a specific time of day or on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The Cloud4Wi platform also enables businesses to design the user journey to push targeted, localized marketing and advertising messages based on their assessment of customers' behavior at their venue.

The Cloud4Wi platform also provides businesses with a comprehensive SDK to develop their own web applications, leveraging collected data, as well as a full set of real-time, cloud-based APIs to feed collected data into existing systems, such as business intelligence systems. Together, Fogsense and the Cloud4Wi platform, enable a variety of business models. For instance, retailers can easily add presence analytics and location-based services when their legacy Wi-Fi network lacks these capabilities, ensuring they save on their previous investment, minimize further spend and benefit from new technology innovations.

Available in Q4 2015, the new version of Fogsense will also integrate Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology enabling iBeacon and other active customer engagement applications, such as location-aware mobile apps.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Cloud4Wi to deliver Fogsense, based on our WICED™ platform. This innovative IoT Wi-Fi device collects real time presence analytics that are essential to providing location-based services," said Brian Bedrosian, Director of Marketing, Broadcom Corporation. "We believe that Fogsense will enable new deployment scenarios in different vertical markets."

"In the next few years we will see huge growth of location-based services in retail. According to ABI Research, there will be over 1 million indoor location retail deployments by 2020," said Andrea Calcagno, CEO and Co-Founder of Cloud4Wi. "We help retailers that have deployed a Wi-Fi network at their venues easily take advantage of presence analytics and location-based services to boost their business performance. Using Fogsense, they can empower their legacy Wi-Fi network with a significant reduction of TCO."

Fogsense and the Cloud4Wi platform are fully compliant with privacy regulations. A number of security mechanisms are provided to eliminate uniquely identifiable elements from the data collected, such as the "hash" of MAC Address. In addition, opt-in and opt-out policies are implemented to protect customer privacy.

Cloud4Wi will present Fogsense at the Wi-Fi Global Congress^[2] in London, the meeting place for the individuals and organizations driving carrier Wi-Fi.

"We are delighted that Cloud4Wi joined our global alliance," said Ton Brand, Senior Director of Marketing and Industry Development of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA). "Our members can significantly benefit from the continuous Cloud4Wi's innovation in their efforts to drive next generation Wi-Fi experience."

For more information about Fogsense, please visit www.cloud4wi.com/fogsense^[3].

About Cloud4Wi
Cloud4Wi is an open Wi-Fi engagement platform that enhances Guest Wi-Fi access at venues (retail stores, restaurants and coffee shops among other places). Utilizing a cloud platform and matching web applications, businesses are able to provide an enriched Guest Wi-Fi experience, to engage with customers in real time and increase customer loyalty and retention. Leveraging powerful analytics, businesses can design a fully customizable user journey to push marketing and advertising messages. Powered by the comprehensive SDK, Cloud4Wi enables businesses to build their own web applications to optimize their operations and provide customers with a seamless digital experience while they are on site. For more information, visit www.cloud4wi.com/^[4]