Sowa

Hardware design / Software development / Testing

SOWA – excellent speakers for events that connect wirelessly. SOWA provides perfect sound quality without an audible delay, allows you to connect an unlimited number of speakers, and has a range of up to 150 meters.

https://sowasound.com/

The story of our success

Anyone who has participated in large-scale event organizations knows how important high-quality sound is. The speech of the speaker present on stage must be transmitted throughout the venue without delay. Otherwise, an echo effect will be created, and the speaker might hear themselves and fall off track with their presentation. In addition, intricate speaker/mixer systems are often wired together, interfering with aesthetics and potentially endangering attendees. This was before SOWA - wireless speakers without audible delay, providing clarity and sound quality in any part of the venue.
The challenge

Grinn faced while developing the SOWA project was finding a communication protocol allowing sound to be transmitted over sufficiently long distances in real-time. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and analog technologies did not fit the requirements, so we created our own unique 2.4 GHz protocol and antennas from scratch.
The protocol we created made it possible to connect an unlimited number of speakers, all reproducing sound simultaneously with their source.
The maximum delay is 15 ms. The speakers can be placed as far as 200 meters from the sound source in open spaces and up to 75 meters away indoors.
The SOWA is energy efficient, with a battery capable of over 25 hours of continuous use, while a full charge takes about 3 hours.
In addition to the device's technical specifications, making it simple to configure was also essential. And we did it – with only three buttons, the sound at your event is enabled, and the speakers remember all settings from the previous use.
In addition to the general settings for the speaker set, each one can also be configured separately. For example, you can regulate its local volume or direct the speaker's sound to the left, right, or straight ahead.
Despite all the challenges this project posed, Grinn demonstrated a functional prototype only six months from its onset.
The final SOWA was completed in a year, with seven team members engaged in the project.
Grinn was also responsible for embedded software development, hardware design, EMC tests, production tests, and the preparation for production implementation.

Testimonials

"Grinn has made it possible to create Circa—a gorgeous smart alarm that helps you to improve sleeping habits by removing distractions. It's an amazing solution for tomorrow's world. Circa embodies a range of smart features; the device helps us sleep better, so we can finally get rid of the mobile phone next to the bed."

— Hans Brouwer, Founder, Circa

"Grinn are professionals and working with them guarantees quality. Thanks to their high competence and flexibility we jointly carried out an innovative project in the field of IoT. It is worth noting that Grinn's team is great at communicating with people from different areas, which is extremely important in the case of an international project. Combining these two elements allowed us to prepare a product responding to the user's needs—one which makes their everyday tasks easier and gives new possibilities. Therefore, we know that Grinn is the best partner in designing innovative solutions."

— Tijmen Vos, CTO, Panasonic Cameramanager, Eagle Eye Networks

"The executed project fulfilled our expectations 100%, not only in terms of functionality but also in working with state of the art technology. Grinn specialists developed the solution that suited us best. The team's engagement and promptness also brings positive effects. On the basis of our experience, we can definitely recommend Grinn."

— Niek Rijnveld, Managing Director, Optics11

"Versa, which combines the latest technology and is easy to use, is the most complete baggage tracking solution available. Cooperation with Grinn specialists helped us create a product that not only meets user’s requirements, but also meets strict European aviation regulations. To achieve this we’ve created a unique patented auto-flight mode."

— Jimmy Wind, CEO, Versa

"It is worth emphasizing that the project carried out by Grinn fulfilled our expectations in every respect. The most important thing is that Grinn is a stable partner in cooperation. For that reason we can honestly recommend using their services."

— Dariusz Zawirski, Business Development Manager, Hi-P Poland

“Well-equipped for technical expertise and requirements, Grinn delivered hardware design, software development, and the application rapidly. As a dedicated partner, engineers learned the industry to encourage IoT product and workflow improvements. They deliver quality results on-time and helped us create a digital and Internet-connected padlock that meets the highest standards in safety.”

— Andreas Lolle Founder & Mech. Engineer, MSc. Lolle & Nielsen Inventions

“We tasked Grinn with the hardware development of the Airtame PoE Adapter. It is a powering accessory that uses the same custom cable that comes with the Airtame 2 to provide both power and data to the device, securing optimal performance. Grinn engineers also worked with Airtame to develop the production tester which is used to ensure a high quality in mass production. The team at Grinn was able to integrate select hardware components in our design using a quality-centric approach and provide a lot of flexibility to us as a customer when producing this hardware accessory. The Airtame PoE Adapter has improved our product porfolio offering, and our ability to offer setup flexibility to our customers.”

— Kendra Bannister, Head of Hardware, Airtame

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Sowa

The story of our success

The challenge

Testimonials

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