The final speaker in the SAT>IP session was Seung Joon IM from “I DO IT” and he talked about a new flat antenna for SAT>IP. Joon set up the company after leaving LG and it is based in Korea.
There are many parabolic antennas in the market, but flat antennas have been widely used in applications including military and are very functional. Joon’s company has sold around 1 million antennas, but the price has been expensive, with retail pricing initially at around €200, although now it is down to €100.
The flat antenna is very small and is relatively easy to camouflage. The LNB is mounted on the back so there is no need to have an arm to hold the LNB which makes the device look very neat. It’s made of plastic so is very robust.
Joon sees SAT>IP as a significant enabling technology for satellite – it helps to protect against the “invasion” by cable and other technologies, so his company has developed an antenna with support in the LNB for the technology to allow 8 users. The next product from the firm will use a bigger LNB on the back of the box which can support up to 32 users.
The firm also makes outdoor/camping antennas, both portable and roof-mounted types. The Snipe Air adds a SAT>IP server and Wi-Fi support to allow multi-channel operation everywhere.
IoT is becoming very important and there are opportunities for home automation. Most of the focus has been on IoT inside the home, but there are lots of opportunities for IoT outside the home such as IP cameras and pollution meters as well as access points etc. For this kind of application, I DO IT has developed a POE port on the back of the antenna. The port can be used to power and connect other devices back to the home network though the antenna.
The cost to install POE alone outside the home can be from $250 to $500, but the POE port only adds a few dollars of cost to the antenna. That helps to offset the higher cost of a flat antenna.
Joon sees opportunities for 32 user band devices in restaurants, parks, cafes and events. Owners can provide free or pay services to deliver video to users.
