The Cost of Wireless Power: A Checklist

You’ve done your research. You know what to look for in a wireless power solution for your company: it needs to travel over a distance, without line of sight, charging pads, or cables. 

The best wireless power solution needs to be expandable, secure, safe, and able to power the many different kinds of devices on your list -- including wearables, medical devices, automotive and IoT sensors, ESLs, and security. It also needs to be managed via the cloud. Just like Cota Wireless Power.

Now it comes down to price. How much will wireless power cost -- and save -- your company in the short- and long-run? There are many elements to the wireless power cost equation. Here are nine to consider: 

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  1. Wireless power license vs product purchase. If the wireless power is available via a license, you’ll have more flexibility to pay for and build exactly what you need when you need it. A product purchase, that is, buying the finished receiver and transmitter, may cause additional fees to update the hardware regularly, retrofit your devices or spaces to make it fit, and purchase new products as you expand or it goes out of date.
  2. Wireless power manufacturing partners. Will you be developing the wireless power transmitter, receiver, or components thereof yourself, or will you partner with an experienced manufacturer?
  3. Electricity efficiency. Does the wireless power solution detect when there are no devices in range and go into “sleep” mode to save power? Does it deliver targeted power only when and where needed?
  4. Wireless power standards. Without standards among all the wireless power players, the cost of getting all the parts to communicate seamlessly goes up. Make sure your wireless power solution has a global wireless power standard for all partners.
  5. Battery savings. Is the wireless power replacing another energy source, like disposable batteries? Calculate the cost of the batteries, how frequently you replace them, and the labor involved in buying, managing, and disposing of used batteries. Subtract this from your wireless power costs.
  6. Labor savings. In your current system, how much labor or downtime is required to charge mobile devices, set up, add, or move outlets and wiring as business needs grow, or to replace expired IoT sensors? You can also subtract these costs from your wireless power bottom line.
  7. Expansion cost. With your chosen wireless power solution, how difficult (and expensive) would it be to expand power to more devices, to a larger room, or to more locations? Can you link transmitters? Some wireless power solutions may require a whole new set-up, essentially starting over, to add more devices or distance. Some are more easily expandable.
  8. Ecosystem limitations. Does the wireless power solution play well with others or does it only work within a limited or exclusive ecosystem? A limited ecosystem can significantly restrict ROI.
  9. Missed opportunity cost. Without wireless power, what opportunities for product or service development are you missing out on? Will you competitors take these on before you do? Losing on big opportunities that wireless power makes possible is a huge business cost.

No matter which industry you are in, from automotive to retail to medical and industrial, wireless power is designed to make current systems more convenient and efficient and allow for the development of additional systems -- like within smart buildings and cities -- to make lives easier, more connected, and safer.

Cota Wireless Power was developed by Ossia to help organizations around the world get there. The licensable technology includes global technology standards so businesses can do what they do best and partner seamlessly with others on different components. It’s expandable and the applications are virtually limitless. We look forward to hearing what you will do with Cota.