Distributing a finished product

General
#1

Hi

I know very little about the imp, i only found out about it yesterday. I like it as a hobbyist device and the API and cloud features look good, if a little limited, but have what may seem a stupid question. If after developing a product I decide to market it how on earth do I allow customers to add it to their own wifi network?

It seems a little odd to ask customers to download an app for their smart phone and BlinkUp.

Am I missing something?

#2

As far as I know the only way to connect to network is via blinkup from the app. I saw something about a program for windows…but in essence its the same thing as the app.

#3

Wow, quick response, thanks!

I suppose without an interface it is difficult to program the wifi settings on the device. Through USB may have been an option.

What if the imp is concealed in a box? I guess the BlinkUp won’t work. Does this mean the imp has to be exposed in all products?

#4

We provide a BlinkUp SDK for our customers that allows you to integrate BlinkUp into your mobile app (so customers will download your app, not the Electric Imp app).

Electric Imp is aimed at connected devices - so having a customer download an app isn’t that odd (for configuration and/or extended functionality).

#5

Again thanks for the quick response.

This makes a little more sense, but will the imp need to be exposed? I guess what I am asking how can wifi be configured in a device where the imp is embedded in a concealed unit, a plastic box for example?

#6
What if the imp is concealed in a box?

We also provide a solder down module (imp-002). The solder down module does not have the BlinkUp circuit on board, specifically for this reason. Using the solder down module, you can conceal the imp inside your product, and only expose a phototransistor/lightpipe/etc

#7

Ok, now it’s making a bit more sense, thanks for the response.

So a finished product would use the imp-002 and a phototransistor would be exposed but connected to the concealed module.

Please forgive my stupid questions, I never heard of the imp 24 hours ago. I like what I have seen so far, although I still need to be convinced about the need to connect to the cloud 24/7.

I’ve bought an imp and a breakout board… I look forward to giving it a go!

Thanks for all the very quick responses.

#8

I think being connect to the net 24*7 is just the way it will be for everyone and everything going forward !

#9

…and with the offline APIs, you don’t need to be connected to the cloud 24/7. Depends on your application. Obviously, if you’re not connected you can’t be contacted asynchronously from anywhere on the internet :slight_smile:

#10

I still need to do a bit of reading I think. From what I have read I like the idea.

Thanks for all the replies.

#11

Hi

I got an imp yesterday and I have to say I had it commissioned and serially connected to an Arduino (which was reading a DHT-22 humidity/temp sensor) and posting data back to the cloud from the sensor in less than an hour. An impressive piece of kit and easy to set up!

If I wanted to make my sensor into a real product I would use the imp-002 along with a ATmega328 (in this example) on a circuit board - straightforward… So the next logical question is how does it become a product in the imp-cloud? What I mean is, is it subscription-based, how do I do this?

I guess what I am asking is how do I mov it from the developer/prototyping planner into a subscription based product?

Thanks for all the help.

#12

You probably want to email sales@electricimp.com who can send you all these details…

#13

OK, thanks a lot.