Thinger.io

Thinger.io, operated by the Spanish company INTERNET OF THINGER SL, provides an open-source platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). The project's inception traces back to 2014, originating as a side project by Dr. Álvaro Luis Bustamante during his time as a researcher at the University Carlos III of Madrid. Frustrated with existing IoT platforms that were difficult to use or inefficient, he aimed to create a solution that offered a balance between simplicity and power. In 2018, the project evolved into a formal company, co-founded by Álvaro Luis Bustamante and Jorge Trincado Castan, and launched an enterprise version of the platform.

The core of Thinger.io's business is a cloud-based IoT platform designed to help users prototype, scale, and manage connected products. It addresses a market that includes individual developers, educational communities, and businesses requiring scalable IoT solutions. The business model operates on a freemium basis, offering a lifetime free account for learning and prototyping, while generating revenue through tiered subscription plans for private cloud instances with expanded features and capabilities. These plans cater to various needs, from single developers to large enterprises, offering features like unlimited devices, multiple developer seats, and white-label branding options. The company also provides on-premise deployment for clients who require self-hosted infrastructure.

The platform itself is hardware-agnostic, capable of connecting with a wide array of devices and communication standards, including MQTT, LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and NB-IoT. Its architecture consists of a backend IoT server and a web-based frontend. Key features include device and user management, real-time data storage and monitoring, and customizable, code-free dashboards for data visualization. A significant component is the IoT Marketplace, which allows users to extend the platform's core functionalities by installing plugins for third-party service integrations like Node-RED, Grafana, and Siemens LOGO!, or for adding advanced analytics and machine learning tools. This ecosystem approach is designed to bring together hardware manufacturers, IoT consultants, and end customers, fostering collaboration and speeding up development times.

Keywords: IoT platform, open-source IoT, device management, data visualization, IoT cloud, M2M, hardware agnostic, LoRaWAN, Sigfox, MQTT, NB-IoT, IoT dashboards, remote device control, firmware updates, private cloud IoT, on-premise IoT, IoT marketplace, multi-tenancy IoT, industrial automation, smart cities, connected products, data storage, real-time monitoring