Comcast subsidiary MachineQ is using LoRaWan technology to connect smart public toilets from Japanese plumbing manufacturer Toto across the USA.

Toto’s aim is to increase its IoT smart toilet products’ installation opportunities in high-traffic public restrooms across the USA.

“For more than 100 years, Toto has improved public restrooms with revolutionary products and technologies that provide a consistently clean, comfortable experience for people,” said Hidemi Ishikawa, CEO of Toto in the USA. “Utilising MachineQ’s fully integrated device-to-cloud platform enables Toto to further increase the value our IoT smart restroom products provide to facilities managers. With MachineQ’s LoRaWan, which interoperates easily with other networks, Toto’s IoT-enabled products easily integrate with facilities’ smart restroom monitoring systems or building automation systems across the USA.”

Whether these facilities are airports, stadiums, hotels or office buildings, MachineQ’s cloud-based IoT connectivity platform should enable Toto’s smart restrooms to help more facility managers solve real-world business problems. They let facility managers better supervise their workforce by reducing needless restroom audits, decreasing restroom downtime, and increasing employee efficiency while managing costs. This can increase consumers’ satisfaction with their public restroom experience, regardless of where they travel for work or play.

“We’re thrilled to work with Toto,” said Steve Salata, vice president of Pennsylvania-based MachineQ. “Toto’s innovative restroom products expand the available offerings within the connected restroom space, benefitting customers seeking modernised, smarter buildings. With our robust platform and network management in place, Toto can focus on further delivering exceptional public restroom experiences.”

Tot’s IoT-enabled products for smart, fully connected public restrooms include Ecopower smart-sensor flush valves for toilets, smart-sensor flush valves for urinals, smart-sensor faucets, and auto soap smart-sensor dispensers.

The products connect seamlessly with GP Pro’s Kolo smart monitoring system, a facility’s smart restroom monitoring platform, or building automation system to provide real-time updates on their status to a dashboard that facility managers monitor via phone, tablet or computer. For example, facility managers and their custodial staff will receive real-time updates or alerts on the number of toilet and faucet activations and their water consumption, operational abnormalities such as leaks or product malfunction, user safety alerting staff to check a toilet stall when an occupant has remained in it for more than 30 minutes, and consumer traffic to determine optimal periods for cleaning and repairs.

Facility managers can harness this information to increase consumers’ satisfaction with their public restroom experience and solve real-world business problems to manage their workforce better and manage costs in their restrooms’ operation.

The plumbing functions operate independently of their IoT capability. That is, if a facility’s internet service is lost and wifi communication disrupted between a Toto IoT-enabled plumbing product and the IoT monitoring system, or an IoT hardware issue occurs, the smart-sensor flush valves, faucets and soap dispensers continue to function properly with no loss or disruption in functionality.

The Ecopower technology creates its own electricity every time water spins a small internal turbine; there is no need for hardwiring to a building’s electrical system or for routine disposable battery replacement, which is costly and toxic to the environment. There is no minimum daily usage requirement.

Because Ecopower faucets and flush valves generate their own energy, they continue to operate without interruption if the building loses its electricity. If the building’s internet service goes out, they continue to collect data on their usage to be transmitted when the internet connection is restored.

The Toto group was established in 1917 in Kitakyushu, Japan. The company is the world’s largest manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and fittings, with $5.45bn in annual sales. It has 33,800 employees in 19 countries and owns manufacturing facilities in Japan, Mexico, Germany, USA, India and China.

MachineQ, a Comcast company, helps enterprises build, connect and deploy long-range, low-power IoT at scale. Using LoRaWan technology, its fully integrated network connectivity platform delivers security and reduced cost of ownership while giving users a single provider for technology, development, service and support.