InPlay IN120 NanoBeacon Wins Sensors Converge Award

InPlay’s IN120 NanoBeacon Wireless Sensor SoC received the Best of Sensors award in the IoT & Connectivity Solution category at Sensors Converge 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. The BLE SoC targets scalable wireless temperature monitoring for logistics, packaging, and item-level IoT applications.

Award Recognition at Sensors Converge 2026

InPlay Inc. has won a Best of Sensors award for its IN120 NanoBeacon Wireless Sensor SoC. The device was recognized in the IoT & Connectivity Solution category during Sensors Converge 2026, held in Santa Clara, Calif.

The award was presented on May 6, 2026. According to the award framework, entries are evaluated by a professional jury based on innovation, market value, and their ability to address key challenges in the sensor, electronics, and embedded systems ecosystem.

Sensors Converge is held annually and reached its 41st edition in 2026. The event, together with Fierce Sensors, is part of the Questex portfolio.

BLE SoC for Battery-Powered Wireless Sensing

The IN120 NanoBeacon is an ultra-low-power Bluetooth Low Energy system-on-chip developed for high-volume, battery-powered wireless sensing applications. InPlay positions the device particularly for temperature monitoring at scale.

Wireless temperature sensing is becoming increasingly relevant in IoT applications where environmental data must be captured across large numbers of assets. Food logistics is one example where temperature monitoring can support quality assurance, compliance processes, and operational visibility.

For system integrators and solution providers, the technical relevance lies in the chip-level integration of sensing and connectivity. Instead of combining several components into a wireless sensor design, the IN120 NanoBeacon integrates the core functions required for compact BLE-based temperature sensing.

Addressing Scaling Challenges in Temperature Monitoring

InPlay identifies several limitations in existing temperature sensing approaches. Standalone temperature data loggers can provide accurate measurement, but they are often too expensive and bulky for very large-scale deployments.

Traditional BLE sensor designs may require multiple ICs, firmware development, and larger batteries. This can increase design complexity, bill of materials, and integration effort, particularly when sensing needs to be embedded into small assets, labels, or packaging.

RFID temperature tags can support certain monitoring scenarios, but InPlay points to limitations in continuous sensing, real-time visibility, and accuracy. Manufacturing complexity can also restrict adoption at carton or item level.

Integrated Temperature Sensor in a Compact SoC

The IN120 NanoBeacon addresses these constraints by integrating a factory-calibrated temperature sensor directly into the wireless SoC. The stated temperature accuracy is ±1 °C.

By integrating the sensor into the SoC, the device eliminates the need for external sensor ICs, additional MCUs, or firmware. This can reduce design complexity for wireless sensing products and may support more compact, cost-sensitive deployments.

The component is supplied as an ultra-compact Bumped Known-Good-Die (KGD). It measures 1.6 mm × 1.6 mm × 0.15 mm. InPlay claims that this makes the IN120 NanoBeacon the world’s smallest Bluetooth Low Energy wireless sensor SoC.

Relevance for Item-Level IoT Applications

The small form factor is central to the product’s potential use cases. It enables sensing and wireless connectivity to be embedded into labels, packaging, and space-constrained assets where conventional wireless sensors may not fit.

For end users, this could extend temperature visibility to new categories of goods and assets. For solution providers, it creates opportunities to develop compact wireless sensing products for applications where size, power consumption, and manufacturing scalability are key constraints.

The award at Sensors Converge highlights the industry relevance of integrated wireless sensor SoCs as IoT deployments move closer to carton, package, and item level.