Lumkani Gateway

Lumkani, a social enterprise I co-founded with close friends in 2014, aims to tackle the pressing issue of fires in informal settlements. Rapidly spreading fires in these areas result in significant devastation and perpetuate cycles of poverty. At the core of Lumkani's mission is innovative and cost-effective technology. We have developed a low-cost, mesh-networked heat detector, a robust solar-powered smart gateway, and user-friendly mobile applications for entry-level phones to register and manage customers.

Lumkani's commitment lies in enhancing the physical and financial resilience of individuals who have historically been excluded from the formal economy. Through the implementation of risk-reducing hardware, Lumkani is proud to offer groundbreaking, affordable household insurance to previously overlooked and deemed un-insurable households. 

Lumkani developed the Smart Gateway to enable alerts via SMS to users and to emergency services in the event of fires, and to closely monitor detectors through regular status messages. The Gateways are designed to be extremely easy to install, low cost and solar powered – ideal for the informal settlement environment. Each Gateway can service thousands of detectors, cost effectively adding IoT functionality to the physical network to detectors. 

Similar to the detector, the Gateway underwent an iterative design process. We experimented with various casing and waterproofing solutions, as well as explored diverse backhaul technologies. Prioritizing reliability significantly reduced the product's lifetime cost and enhanced our capacity to repair and decommission devices.

The Gateways are engineered to operate with minimal power consumption, capable of surviving a week without sunlight. They address the substantial challenge of retrieving data from under-resourced communities lacking stable Wi-Fi or cellular networks. This is achieved by leveraging basic networks (2G) and employing innovative communication techniques, such as MQQT-SN. Special attention was given to designing cost-effective antennas that perform optimally in challenging conditions, such as informal homes with low metallic roofs.