Category: Blog

Quality Air & Covid 19: How IoT Protects us from Air Pollution.

Major sources & How to fix poor air quality in Nigeria.

 

Air Pollution is a silent slow killer we all tend to ignore. Let’s take Lagos, Nigeria as a case study. Lagos is one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities, serving as Nigeria’s economic hub. But its rapid population and economic growth have also led to pollution, unhealthy air, a high prevalence of illnesses and untimely deaths.

 

Bloomberg published an article titled, ‘Air Pollution Kills Far More People Than Covid Ever Will’, shocking right? The article stated that more than 10 million people die each year from air pollution, far more than the estimated 2.6 million people as of March 2021, who have died from Covid-19 since it was detected in December 2019. One would think that nothing could restrict your airflow like Covid-19, but in fact, air pollution kills far more people… slowly but surely. So you see, bad air may not kill people as quickly as poison did to King Joffrey in Game of Thrones, but its dangers are slower and far more dangerous because you don’t see it coming!

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has also been a global cause for concern. Researchers found out that there is a strong relationship between the quality of air and the transmission of the virus. It was discovered that exposure to hazardous air increases the death rate among Covid-19 patients by 9%! Air pollutants cause respiratory stress, thereby increasing vulnerability to the virus and death rate.

 

In a bid to address this, IoT Africa Networks Limited held an IoT Air quality & Space monitoring Webinar tagged “Quality Air & Covid 19: How to improve productivity and safety using IoT”. The event took place on May 19th, 2021 and had three global industry experts as keynote speakers. The speakers included Tom Lindblad, the Founder of Connected Finland; Maija Patjas, the Head of International Relations, Rapal Oy; and Melanie Ayoola, the Executive Director of IoT Africa Limited and Tranter IT Infrastructure Services Limited. The event was moderated by Wole Bamgboye, the Marketing Communications Manager, IoT Africa Limited and Tranter IT Infrastructure Services Limited.

 

You may be wondering; what exactly is air quality? What’s space monitoring? What’s IoT? I’m still alive, why should I care? Well, let’s delve into these.

 

Air Quality refers to the state of the air around us, and good air quality means clean, clear, and unpolluted air. The insightful webinar raised awareness about the importance of using the Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor air quality in the lives of Nigerians, as well as the corporate, industrial, and manufacturing sectors. The goal was to show how air quality affects health, safety, and productivity at home and in the workplace. It also emphasized the link between air quality and the spread of the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

 

A major talking point from the webinar was how IoT devices like the Air Quality Monitor can actually monitor and share information with you about the air you breathe in. Isn’t that just amazing? The need to have monitoring devices in homes, offices, manufacturing plants, industrial facilities, etc. is huge. The Connected Airwits CO2 is one of the best air quality monitors out there.

 

During the webinar, Melanie Ayoola, the Executive Director of IoT Africa Networks Limited spoke about the importance of air quality and how it affects our daily productivity. During her presentation, she highlighted how remote work and other corporate workplace perks such as bonus packages and fantastic reward schemes could be undermined by the unavailability of quality air.

Melanie noted that “It could all be less effective in providing a motivated and driven workforce, if the air, the basic natural resource we need to live, is not good enough to sustain the body’s engine”. She went on to explain that “what we are avoiding is an environment where our air is working against us”.

Tom Lindblad, Founder of Connected Finland, was also available to provide additional insights on the topic – Seeing the invisible: how connected inventions can help to monitor and provide covid-safe indoor quality air around you. He explained how Carbon Monoxide (CO2) levels rise when there is less fresh air, causing headaches, restlessness, drowsiness, and other symptoms. Increased levels have been related to decreased productivity, increased sick leave, and the spread of infectious diseases, making this a serious issue in the office, school, and at home.

The third speaker, Maija Patjas, the head of International Relations at Rapal, spoke about how optimized workspaces can create a better work environment and lead to higher efficiency levels among company staff. Maija spoke about how managing hybrid work is making it difficult to optimize space layouts. She highlighted how the way we working is changing from an individual-based system into a social, collaborative use of space, with more focus on how employees feel about the environment, and how they can use a more flexible environment to be more productive. She also explained how improved productivity and collaboration, better satisfaction, better indoor comfort, reduced real estate building, and energy savings can all be achieved when organizations integrate Smart Space Monitoring.

 

To watch the full video of the webinar, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55FFcbZyIEs

 

Major sources of air quality pollution in Nigeria

In Nigeria, there are so many ways we get exposed to all sorts of air pollution. For instance, we are constantly bombarded with exhaust gas from cars, buses, and trucks. This isn’t helped by the fact that many cars that ply the roads do not go through vehicular carbon emission concentration testing… no lies here! Here are some major sources in Nigeria:

  1. Exhaust from cars, buses, and trucks.

  2. Generator fumes.

  3. Industrial Emissions (power plants, oil refineries, and industrial facilities).

  4. Shisha smoking, also called narghile, water pipe, or Hubble.

  5. Bubble smoking.

  6. Cigarettes Smoking.

  7. Bush burning.

  8. Some other sources are wind-blown dust, wildfires, wood-burning.

 

How to fix poor air quality

Carbon Monoxide (CO), Particulate Matter, Lead, Nitrogen Oxides (NO), and Ozone, are some of the major types of pollutants that are dangerous to your health. There are various ways to help improve Air Quality in the workspace, at home and in factories. Here’s how to stay safe from them:

Get an IoT Air Quality Monitor: IoT Air quality monitors are a great way to keep track of air pollution levels in offices, homes, cars, and other facilities. Check out the Connected AirWits CO2 connected carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and humidity metering device. with Air Monitoring devices (which monitor the CO2 level of rooms) and reducing emissions contributing to poor air quality, climate change, and ozone layer depletion requires a collaborative effort and long-term commitment.

 

Open that window! Adequate ventilation is key to promoting healthy indoor air, and opening windows is an easy way to encourage a good indoor and outdoor air exchange.

 

No Smoking: Avoid cigarette or Shisha smoking. Staying around people smoking also affects respiratory health and is responsible for about 3,000 lung cancer deaths globally per year in nonsmokers.

 

Use Exhaust Fans: Run fans in the kitchen to remove cooking fumes and in bathrooms to remove steam.

 

Don’t Cover Up Odors: Avoid air fresheners, scented candles, incense, and other odor-masking fragrances, which can trigger asthma.

 

Vacuum Often: Do this especially if you have pets. Brooms stir up more dust.

 

Change your AC filter: Air filters in Air-conditioning systems fill up and stop filtering particles from the air. Try to change your AC filters regularly.

 

Use cooking vents: Kitchens are a major source of many indoor air pollutants. Gas stoves release carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

 

To be part of the required solution, society, businesses, manufacturing facilities, and government authorities need to work as a team to realize the positive outcomes of having a healthier and more sustainable environment. The IoT Air quality & Space Monitoring Webinar was another insightful event in a series of events held by IoT Africa Networks Limited (A Tranter IT Company). The organization hopes to help Nigerians in all sectors become more efficient, safe, and productive using the Internet of Things.

 
 

About IoT: IoT Africa Networks Limited is the exclusive Sigfox operator in Nigeria and we are responsible for rolling out the first IoT nationwide network in Nigeria. The IoT LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network), powered by IoT Africa Networks Ltd and Sigfox, is a game-changing digital technology in Nigeria.

About Tranter IT: Tranter IT Infrastructure Services Limited (Tranter IT) is an ICT and Internet of Things Solutions company that provides unified technology solutions to business problems. The company is the exclusive distributor of many IoT Connected devices in Nigeria. Tranter IT was founded in 2004 and has over 340 highly skilled employees, including about 280 ICT and IoT engineers.

About Connected Finland: Connected Finland is operating nationwide, dedicated IoT networks powered by global Sigfox-technology. Connected Finland network covers already 85% of the Finnish population and hundreds of global and local ecosystem partners are already utilizing our Low Power Wide Area technology in their IoT solutions.

About Rapal: Rapal specializes in the financial and environmental effects of the built environment. It is The company provides SaaS software for space management, space utilization, and smart office solutions. It is the company’s belief that a functioning work environment and a great workplace experience is a competitive factor that increases productivity and employee wellbeing.

For more information, please visit IoT Africa’s website https://www.iotafricanetworks.com/.

T: 07083557478, 07085801253

Email: enquiries@iotafricanetworks.com,enquiries@tranter-it.com

Website: www.iotafricanetworks.com, www.tranter-it.com.

What Is 5G and How Will It Make My Life Better?

Everybody loves speedy internet, so it’s no surprise that every major telecom in the world is working to make it even faster. Smartphones, watches, homes, and cars are increasingly requiring stable internet connections. In order to pipe in enough bandwidth for that precious wireless feed, we’re going to need an entirely new form of wireless signal—that’s where 5G comes in.

Similar to 4G and 3G before it, 5G is a wireless connection built specifically to keep up with the proliferation of devices that need a mobile internet connection. It’s not just your phone and your computer anymore, either. Home appliances, door locks, security cameras, cars, wearables, dog collars, and so many other inert devices are beginning to connect to the web. Gartner predicts that 20.8 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020. By comparison, there are currently an estimated 6.4 billion connected devices in the world. That’s a lot more devices asking for a quick connection.

To make 5G and the future of wireless internet a little easier understand, we decided to break down exactly what it is and how it will make your life better in the very near future.

What exactly is 5G?

The “G” in 5G stands for “generation.” Wireless phone technology technically started with 1G, and in the early 1990s, and it expanded to 2G when companies first started enabling people to send text messages between two cellular devices.

Eventually, the world moved on to 3G, which gave people the ability to make phone calls, send text messages, and browse the internet. 4G enhanced many of the capabilities that were made possible with the third generation of wireless. People could browse the web, send text messages, and make phone calls—and they could even download and upload large video files without any issues.

Then companies added LTE, short for “long term evolution,” to 4G connectivity. LTE became the fastest and most consistent variety of 4G compared to competing technologies like WiMax. The difference between WiMax and LTE is similar to the difference between Blu-Ray and HD DVDs: Both technologies achieved similar outcomes, but it was important to create a standard for everyone to use. LTE did just that, and it made 4G technology even faster.

5G will build on the foundation created by 4G LTE. It’s going to allow people send texts, make calls, and browse the web as always—and it will dramatically increase the speed at which data is transferred across the network. 5G will make it easier for people to download and upload Ultra HD and 3D video. It will also make room for the thousands of internet-connected devices entering our everyday world. Just imagine upgrading your data connection from a garden hose to a fire hose. The difference will be noticeable.

5G To Transform Lives

5G To Transform Lives

But is 5G really that much faster than 4G?

In short: Yes. Speeds will be significantly faster. Currently, 4G LTE transfer speeds top out at about one gigabit per second. That means it takes about an hour to download a short HD movie in perfect conditions. The problem is, people rarely experience 4G’s maximum download speed because the signal can be disrupted by so many different things: buildings, microwaves, other wifi signals. The list goes on and on.

5G will increase download speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. That means a full HD movie can be downloaded in a matter of seconds. It will also reduce latency significantly (giving people faster load times). In short, it will give wireless broadband the capacity it needs to power thousands of connected devices that will reach our homes and workplaces.

How does it work?

There are already huge consortiums of major global telecoms working to create worldwide standards around 5G. Although most of those standards haven’t been solidified, experts expect it to be backwards compatible (with 4G and 3G) in addition to having some interoperability across the world.

In their most basic form, cell phones are basically two-way radios. When you call someone, your phone converts your voice into an electrical signal. It transmits that electrical signal to the nearest cell tower using radio wave. The cell tower bounces the radio wave through a network of cell towers and eventually to your friend’s phone. The same thing is happening when you send other forms of data (like photos and video) across the network.

Typically, when a new mobile wireless technology comes along (like 5G), it’s assigned a higher radiofrequency. For instance, 4G occupied the frequency bands up to 20MHz. In the case of 5G, it will likely sit on the frequency band up to 6GHz. The reason new wireless technologies occupy higher frequencies is because they typically aren’t in use and move information at a much faster speed. The problem is that higher frequency signals don’t travel as far as lower frequencies, so multiple input and output antennas (MIMOs) will probably be used to boost signals anywhere 5G is offered.

What is 5G and why it will rule the world?

After 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G LTE now comes 5G. It is the fifth generation of wireless network that is expected to be launched in 2020 in India and rest of the world. 5G will be based upon the combination of the existing wireless technologies like GSM, Wi-Fi, LTE etc and the new radio access technologies.

5G will bring higher capacity than the existing 4G network. It is expected to increase the data rates beyond 1GB per second and will provide higher broadband density to the users. It is estimated that peak download rate of data will be of 20/Gbits and upload rate will be of 10G/bits. There will be low latency and low battery consumption while using 5G that means it will increase the battery life upto 10 years and reduce network energy usage by 90%. Several hundreds and thousands of computers will be able to access simultaneous connections at a very high rate. Spectral efficiency will also be increased in 5Gnetwork.

5Gnetwork will benefit the telecommunication sector to a great extent. It will provide better usage of smartphones by increasing their speed. It will introduce VR (virtual reality) and AR (Augmented reality) in smartphone sector.

5G will also bring a biggest change by starting the era of driverless smart cars and smart homes.

A snapshot look at 5G

More than just speed

ADVANTAGES OF 5G

5G network will benefit not only business person but also the commoners. There are several new things that will emerge along with 5Gnetwork making it more reliable and efficient.

Here are some of the things we will be benefited with:

  • Greater speed (enough to download a movie in few seconds)
  • Greater capacity (1,000 times capacity of 4G)
  • Reduced Latency (stop delays)
  • Provide high resolution and larger bandwidth
  • It will gather networks on one platform
  • Lower battery consumption
  • Simultaneous connections can work together
  • Provide uninterrupted and consistent connectivity.
  • Allow access to parallel multiple services
  • Remote place access grant
  • Detect natural disasters

“We are absolutely convinced that 5G is the next revolution,” Tim Baxter, president of Samsung’s US unit, said during a press conference.

Here’s just a taste of what 5G will be able to unlock.

Self-driving cars

While companies like Google and Uber are investing in self-driving cars now, many in the industry don’t believe a fully autonomous vehicle is possible without a 5G network.

“We are absolutely convinced that 5G is the next revolution.” Tim Baxter, president of Samsung’s US unit.

That instantly responsive network and ubiquitous coverage means the cars will be able to use 5G to talk to other cars and sensors built around the city, from street lamps to gas stations.

“It not just about the cars,” Adam Koeppe, vice president of network planning for Verizon, said in an interview Monday. “It’s about urban design and technology.”

Elon Musk Tesla 3

WHAT ADVANTAGES WILL 5G OFFER?

Each new generation of wireless technology has brought faster, more reliable cellular and internet connections. In the 1980’s, first-generation technology made communication via cellphone possible. The next generation, 2G, allowed for more efficient and secure phone calls, and introduced mobile text messaging. 3G ushered in the smartphone era, and 4G/LTE gave us the high-speed connections that make it possible to stream high-definition video on our phones.

5G is projected to bring three main benefits

Faster speed: Data transfer speeds are projected to be about 10 times higher with 5G than is possible with 4G. That means significantly faster transmission of images and videos. With 4G/LTE, downloading a high-definition movie might take about 10 minutes. With 5G, it should take less than a second.

Shorter delays: Though it’s not always noticeable, there is often a brief lag in time from when data is sent to when it’s received. 5G should reduce this so-called latency, making it possible, for example, to watch high-speed virtual reality video with no delays or glitches.

Increased connectivity: Cell towers equipped with 5G technology would have greatly increased capacity over 4G/LTE. That means more people — and more devices — should be able to communicate at the same time.

WILL I NEED A NEW PHONE?

Just as 2G phones couldn’t connect to 3G or 4G networks, today’s 3G and 4G/LTE phones will be unable to connect to a 5G network. So experts predict you’ll need a new phone. The cost of a 5G phone is unclear, but monthly 5G service is likely to cost more than 4G/LTE service.

WHEN WILL 5G BE AVAILABLE?

Samsung and Intel debuted 5G technology at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where it was used to stream live VR coverage of sporting events. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are continuing to develop and test 5G technology and expect 5G service to be available in some U.S. cities later this year. Access to 5G is expected to expand dramatically in 2019.

Source: https://gizmodo.com/what-is-5g-and-how-will-it-make-my-life-better-1760847799

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/tech/what-5g-next-wireless-revolution-explained-ncna855816

“Love Is The Key To Our Success At Tranter IT” – Adedayo Odubanjo

When you first step into the compound and look at the environs of Tranter IT, there is a curiosity that engulfs you and makes you eager to see what lays behind the building structure which boasts of over 40 years of existence.

A look into our offices, you’ll see staff who are sharing ideas, discussing future possibilities, being productive and most importantly the existence of genuine Love amongst the staff.

As we celebrate Valentine’s day, our interview today is with Adedayo Odubanjo, the Head, Human Resources, Tranter IT Infrastructure Services Limited and Tranter International LTD. Adedayo gives an insight on how she encourages employee motivation and a healthy work environment with love, which helps in fostering productivity and overall growth of the company which has almost 350 staff including about 300 IT Engineers.

Read the rest of Adedayo’s interesting interview below:

Fabwoman: Would you rather be doing anything else other than Human Resources?

Adedayo: [Smiles] Over my 10 years’ experience as an HR professional, I have acquired knowledge in social media marketing, digital marketing and also been an editor for a couple of websites so I will say that while I will continue to be an HR Professional, I am open to learning other skills that will help me be the best I can be.

Fabwoman: What is it like being the Head, Human Resources of an IT firm?

Adedayo: Because Tranter IT also renders IT support to clients all over Nigeria, it is quite demanding but I have learnt to put my Empathy, Conflict resolution, Critical thinking, Multitasking and Proactive skills into use on a high scale. The guidance of the Executive Management has also helped me perform my job effectively and efficiently.

Fabwoman: What are the core values of your organisation that has kept it in existence for over 28 years?

Adedayo: The core values of the Tranter Group are Team Work, Excellence, Integrity, Accountability and Innovation. We have however found out that even with all these values in place, the key to overall success at Tranter IT is the ability to show love to one another. The CEO, Lare Ayoola, has shared in various instances, the importance of love in creating a healthy and transparent environment which in turn leads to an organization’s overall success. Mr Ayoola believes that when you speak openly about your business to your employees and they feel comfortable coming to you with anything that’s on their minds, this can do wonders for the collective motivation of the workplace. That’s because love gives birth to transparency which in turn builds trust; when people understand that the Executive Management aren’t hiding anything, and that they’ll listen to anybody, they’re far more likely to respect and appreciate them. Employees are more comfortable bringing up what they like and don’t like, and there are more chances to nip potential problems in the bud by resolving them in a timely fashion.

Fabwoman: You say Love is the key to your organization’s success, how are you celebrating Valentine’s day with your employees?

Adedayo: [Smiles], It’s a tradition for us to share gifts amongst ourselves, so everyone looks forward to Valentine’s day, knowing they will be made to feel special and loved by their fellow colleagues.

Fabwoman: Any final words?

Adedayo: With genuine love, you can never go wrong. Love should not only be shown through words spoken but also by consistent actions and acts of service. Love should also not only be shown on Valentine’s day but every day.

Fabwoman: Thank you for your time with us

Adedayo: Thank you for having me.

Source: https://fabwoman.ng/valentines-day-special-love-is-the-key-to-our-success-at-tranter-it-adedayo-odubanjo/

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