Sierra Wireless has announced a new open source embedded platform it will use so developers can build machine to machine apps around its wireless modules.
Called Legato, it integrates the commercial-grade Wind River Linux with an M2M application framework and rich tools.
In testing now, Vancouver-based Sierra says it will make M2M application development quicker, easier, and more flexible by providing a tested and validated solution on an established, well-supported open source foundation with built-in connectivity, security, and management.
Later this year Legato will be pre-integrated in all Sierra Wireless smart modules original equipment makers put in devices, starting with AirPrime WP and AirPrime AR Series modules.
Legato also connects to Sierra’s AirVantage M2M cloud for transmitting and storing data. It also makes updating embedded applications, the company said.
“We expect millions of devices to be connected over the next few years, but there are significant challenges to overcome to enable the Internet of Things,” Sierra CTO Philippe Guillemette said in a statement. “One of these challenges is the time and investment required to get a new M2M application from design to deployment and beyond.
“In building Legato, our aim is to provide a complete device-to-cloud solution for developers, along with tools, support, and a development community to help streamline these efforts and give embedded M2M projects a head start.”
Sierra said Legato’s Linux base will let it be easily ported to any external processor, meaning it can be used across a deployment with a mix of hardware solutions and re-used from one generation of hardware to the next.