The Mr. Beacon Ambient IoT Podcast

Ismail Hamdad, Co-Founder of Adsum Networks, joins Mr. Beacon to explore how AI can accelerate IoT firmware development from months to hours. We discuss Adsum’s IoT Decoder, giving AI coding agents the tools and context to work with physical hardware, the future of open IoT development, and Ismail’s journey from telecom engineering to entrepreneurship.

Ismail’s Top 3 Songs:

• “Hurricane” by Bob Dyl...

Matt Maupin of Silicon Labs joins the Mr. Beacon Podcast to discuss the evolution from Zigbee to Matter over Thread, the company’s concurrent multi-protocol technology, and its collaboration with Philips Hue. We explore interoperability, wireless reliability, commercial IoT, chip integration, Bluetooth Channel Sounding, and how these technologies can make connected devices easier and more dependable.

Mister Beacon is hoste...

Rob Tiffany, Research Director at IDC and author of “Saving the Earth with the Internet of Things,” joins Mr. Beacon to explore how IoT can tackle real-world challenges in agriculture, water, food and sustainable cities. We discuss his 100 practical IoT recipes, pioneering work connecting vending machines, his definition of digital twins, and why combining IoT, automation and AI could unlock enormous opportunities.

R...

What happens when IoT finally gets the connectivity infrastructure it has been waiting for?

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, Steve talks with Alper Yegin, CEO of the LoRa Alliance, about LoRaWAN and why he believes it has become a fourth pillar of wireless connectivity alongside Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular.

Alper explains what makes LoRaWAN different: long range, deep indoor coverage, extremely low power consumpt...

Just a few weeks after the European Union finalized the first Digital Product Passport standard, JTC 24 Chair Thomas Knothe returns to the Mr. Beacon Podcast to explain what it means for manufacturers, consumers, and the future of AI-driven commerce. We discuss batteries, circular economy goals, product transparency, repairability, security, and how Digital Product Passports could become foundational infrastructure for AI agents op...

This week on the Mr. Beacon Podcast, I talk with Art Tkachenko about enabling Bluetooth devices to communicate directly with satellites. We explore Hubble’s hybrid terrestrial and satellite IoT network, ultra-low-cost global asset tracking, beamforming technology, AI-assisted engineering, and the future of Ambient IoT. It’s a fascinating look at how space-based connectivity could dramatically expand what’s possibl...

What is AI actually good for? Curt Schacker, Co-founder of TrackVision, joins me to answer that question with a real-world example that will resonate with anyone who has ever stared down a mountain of pre-project groundwork. The conversation explores where AI genuinely delivers, what it still cannot replace, and why the hardest part of any implementation might soon get a whole lot easier.

Curt’s Top 3 Movies

• “It&r...

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, Dr. Karsten Königstein of Sinfosy explains how ambient IoT is transforming manufacturing by turning smartphones into powerful tracking tools. Using Bluetooth and QR codes, his team delivers real-time, precise visibility into assets and workflows. The result is a scalable, cost-effective system that replaces “search” with “find” across modern industrial environments.

Dominique Guinard returns for his fifth appearance to explore C2PA, a rising standard for verifying digital content in the age of AI. As synthetic media becomes harder to detect, C2PA acts like a “nutrition label” for images, video, and text, revealing provenance and authenticity. We discuss how it works, who’s adopting it, and why it matters for misinformation, trust, and the future of digital media.

Dom&rsquo...

Andy Ellwood, Founder & CEO of Stretch, joins the Mr. Beacon Podcast to discuss reinventing grocery shopping with AI-powered insights. By turning shopping lists into smart comparison tools, Stretch helps consumers save time and money. Andy also shares lessons from building in public, the power of shopper-first design, and his vision for AI agents that advocate for consumers in retail.

Andy’s Top 3 Songs

• “Diffe...

Simon Ford, founder of Blecon, returns to the Mr. Beacon Podcast to discuss a major milestone for the company and the broader IoT industry. Blecon’s new collaboration with Zebra enables existing frontline devices to become nodes in a Bluetooth network, unlocking asset tracking and operational visibility without new infrastructure. Simon and I explore practical use cases, supply-chain insights, and why this approach could help...

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, Jenny Stanley, Founder of Appetite Creative, explains how connected packaging is transforming products into digital engagement channels. From QR codes and Digital Product Passports to data-driven marketing and post-purchase experiences, she shares real campaign insights, best practices, and emerging trends shaping retail and CPG. Discover how brands are using packaging to build loyalty, ga...

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, we speak with Infineon Distinguished Engineer, Steve Hanna, about security in Ambient IoT, AI, and connected systems. We explore real-world risks like counterfeit goods and privacy breaches, plus practical approaches such as cryptographic identity and low-power security. Steve also shares insights from standards work at IETF and Matter, along with career advice and personal reflections.

Retail’s next transformation isn’t driven by chatbots—it’s powered by scale, signals, and ambient IoT. In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, Thaddeus Segura, SVP of Product at Vusion, the global leader in electronic shelf labels, joins again. They explore how tens of millions of connected labels are reshaping pricing, fulfillment, computer vision, and in-store intelligence—and why these real-world...

In this episode, retail strategist Leon Nicholas—VP of Retail Insights & Solutions at Smurfit WestRock—breaks down the forces reshaping modern commerce. Leon explains why smart packaging, AI, automation, and shifting consumer behavior are transforming everything from supply chains to in-store experiences. He reveals how retailers can stay relevant, why “everything will be tagged,” and how small chains ca...

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, we talk with Lawrence Richenstein, Founder and CEO of WePower Technologies, about how kinetic energy harvesting is powering the next wave of battery-free IoT devices. Lawrence shares WePower’s journey from startup rescue to innovation leader, unveiling self-powered sensors and switches that generate energy from motion—redefining sustainability, reliability, and the future of am...

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, José Cantera from the IOTA Foundation explains how IOTA’s distributed ledger technology is transforming global supply chains. We discuss the Tangle, the Twin project in Africa and the UK, and Europe’s Digital Product Passport, showing how open-source, energy-efficient infrastructure is building trust, transparency, and sustainability across industries — turning blockchain...

In this episode of the Mr. Beacon Podcast, we unpack Avery Dennison & Wiliot’s latest partnership, share lessons from coding with AI tools like Cursor, and explore Amazon’s Alexa+ upgrade. Then, we sit down with Ersan Günes, SVP IoT & Head of AI at Inpixon, to discuss Chirp technology, AI-powered tools like Ask Pixie, and how IoT and AI are converging to reshape factories, logistics, and smart environments.

E...

This week on the Mr. Beacon Podcast, Qualcomm’s new Dragon Wing Q6690 chip, bringing RFID to smartphones—a long-promised shift for auto-ID and IoT. We also speak with Jason Wu, CEO of InPlay, about the $1 Bluetooth beacon and how InPlay’s NanoBeacon technology lowers costs, simplifies deployment, and opens new markets from smart labels to cold chain monitoring. A timely look at IoT’s evolving economics and e...