Scaling IoT Innovation - The Hardtech Podcast
- Robert Lutz
- Aug 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 20
We’re excited to share that our CEO, John Grady, recently joined The Hardtech Podcast. This respected show takes listeners deep into the design, engineering, and scaling of breakthrough physical-tech products. Hosted by the Glassboard team, the series features candid conversations with founders, engineers, and investors building the next wave of hardware and software innovations.
🎧 Listen to the full podcast here:
The Role of Ayla Networks in the IoT Ecosystem
How does Ayla fit into the connected device landscape, and what exactly do you deliver?
Ayla Networks provides a smart home IoT platform with three core pillars: cloud intelligence, mobile app experiences, and device integration. The company partners with over 50 global brands, taking over where hardware-focused companies hand off, and delivering the connected experiences that define product differentiation.
Helping Brands Create Connected Experiences
When a hardware company approaches you with a product idea, how do you engage?
Ayla starts by understanding the brand’s motivation, customer experience, data insights, replenishment models, or a mix. This drives the onboarding process and ensures the connected solution aligns with business goals. Ayla’s strength lies in enabling partners’ visions without dictating their hardware design. Ayla's professional services team helps refine customer priorities and turn them into actionable plans.
OTA Updates as a Competitive Advantage
How do you make continuous product improvement easier for customers?
OTA (Over-the-Air) updates are central to Ayla’s value. They enable rapid enhancements, bug fixes, and feature rollouts without hardware recalls, transforming what could be a headache into a strategic advantage.
Learning Across Industries
How do you leverage lessons from different product categories?
Ayla applies cross-industry insights, borrowing proven features from unrelated markets to enhance client products. This experience shapes everything from notification timing to UX design, helping partners make smarter decisions.
Hardware Agnostic Approach
Are you tied to specific chipsets or cloud providers?
Ayla is intentionally agnostic, supporting multiple SOC vendors and cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, Azure). This flexibility lets customers choose the best fit for their needs while benefiting from Ayla’s existing integrations.
FastTrack Program for Speed to Market
How do you help customers launch faster?
Ayla’s FastTrack program accelerates time-to-market for seven product categories, leveraging pre-validated hardware, cloud, and app integrations. This approach reduces ramp time to as little as four to six months.
Trends in Connected Device Categories
What product categories are growing fastest?
Video remains a top growth driver, with expanding use cases like pet monitoring and bird identification. Smart lights, plugs, and outlets continue to perform strongly. Outdoor IoT devices, such as lawnmowers, irrigation systems, and exterior lighting, are an emerging focus area.
Integrated Smart Home Experiences
How do you create unified multi-device experiences?
Ayla’s mobile app “scenes” lets users control multiple devices with a single action. The platform powers large-scale deployments like Etisalat’s Smart Living service in the UAE, integrating diverse devices into seamless home control.
Protocol Flexibility
Do you dictate which connectivity protocols your customers must use?
Ayla supports Wi-Fi, BLE, cellular, and other protocols, selecting the best fit for each use case. While most devices connect via Wi-Fi or BLE, Ayla remains flexible to support business and industrial deployments.
Expanding Beyond the Home
Are you moving into outdoor, industrial, or medical device IoT?
Ayla is seeing strong growth in outdoor IoT and early momentum in MedTech and industrial IoT. Wearables, infant health devices, and green technology are key areas of interest for future expansion.
Data-Driven Product Improvement
How do you use data to improve customer experience?
With over 13 million device activations, Ayla uses real-world insights to help partners refine products and services. By pinpointing where users get stuck, especially during setup, Ayla and its partners can turn pain points into opportunities for positive brand engagement.
Importance of Setup Experience
How do you address the challenges of onboarding connected devices?
Around 20% of users face difficulties during initial setup, making this stage critical for retention and reviews. Ayla focuses on simplifying the process and providing ongoing communication to guide customers to success.
Continuous Feedback
How does Ayla’s platform help companies evolve their products?
Connected devices generate a constant flow of feedback. Ayla channels this data back to engineers, enabling continuous improvement, better customer service, and stronger product-market fit.
Looking Ahead in MedTech
What’s next for Ayla in emerging markets?
We anticipate significant growth in wearable health devices, remote patient monitoring, and senior care technology. These sectors, powered by connected data and AI, have the potential to shorten “time to care” and improve quality of life.
Comments