Alibaba and MediaTek Collaborate to Create Smartmesh Wireless Connectivity Solution Supporting Bluetooth Mesh Technology

Alibaba's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (AI Labs) and MediaTek entered into a strategic partnership at CES 2018, aiming to foster long-term collaboration in smart home control protocols, IoT chip customization, and AI-powered smart devices. This alliance was designed to accelerate the development of the intelligent Internet of Things (IoT). Following the successful customization of high-performance chips for the Tmall Elf smart speaker, the two companies jointly developed the first Smartmesh wireless connectivity solution that supports Bluetooth mesh technology, helping to bring this innovation into real-world smart home applications. The Smartmesh solution is built on the latest Bluetooth mesh technology and Bluetooth 5 capabilities. MediaTek designed custom Bluetooth chips—MT7581 and MT7583—specifically for Alibaba, featuring Bluetooth Smartmesh, automatic pairing, fast connection, and ultra-low power consumption. These features allow smart home devices to quickly and automatically establish connections, enhancing the overall user experience and accelerating the growth of the smart home ecosystem centered around the Tmall Elf. Yan Renjie, Deputy General Manager of MediaTek and General Manager of the Family Entertainment Products Business Group, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with Alibaba’s AI Lab. He emphasized that the partnership aims to promote a smart home ecosystem driven by voice interaction. The cooperation builds on the success of their previous work on the Tmall Elf X1 smart speaker. With rapid advancements in technology, the smart home market is experiencing significant growth. MediaTek brings expertise in networking, baseband chips, mobile computing, and multimedia, while Alibaba leads in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Together, they believe they can speed up the arrival of the IoT era. The Tmall Elf, developed by Alibaba’s AI Lab, offers users an enhanced voice interaction experience. By the end of July 2017, it had already supported nearly 500 smart devices, and during the 2017 Double 11 Global Shopping Festival, it achieved over one million sales. Chen Lijuan, Head of Alibaba’s AI Lab, stated that the company plans to explore deeper into the IoT space. She highlighted how Alibaba’s AI and cloud computing capabilities complement MediaTek’s chip design expertise, creating a unique smart home networking solution that delivers an unparalleled user experience. This collaboration reflects both parties’ commitment to shaping the future of the IoT era through innovation. In addition, with the launch of the Smartmesh solution, Alibaba also introduced the IoTConnect open protocol based on Bluetooth mesh technology, making it available to the entire industry. This initiative allows smart devices to connect more easily, automatically form networks, adjust themselves, and support the Tmall Elf’s voice control system. The goal is to promote interoperability across the smart IoT industry, encouraging sustainable growth. It also enables audio devices from different brands and platforms to use a common set of connection standards, reducing R&D costs and business investment, and accelerating the adoption of voice-activated interfaces.

Digital Timer

Instruction Manual

1. Features

Clock display, 10 sets of adjustable timed power control, randomized power control, manual switch and optional DST setup.

2. First time charging

This Timer contains a rechargeable battery. It is normal that the new/old model runs out of battery if it wasn`t being charged for a long period of time. In this case, the screen will not turn on.

To charge : simply plug the timer to a power outlet. The charging time should take at least 15 minutes.

If the screen doesn`t light up or displays garbled characters, simply reboot the system by pressing the [RESET" button.

3. Set clock


Hold [CLOCK" button and [WEEK" button to adjust week.

Hold [CLOCK" button and [HOUR" button to adjust hour.

Hold [CLOCK" button and [MINUTE" button to adjust minute.

Hold [CLOCK" button and [TIMER" button to select 12 hour/24 hour display.

Hold [CLOCK" button and [ON/AUTO/OFF" button to enable/disable DST (daylight-saving-time).

4. Set timer

Press [TIMER" button, select and set timer. Setting rotation : 1on, 1off, 2on, 2off, ...... , 10on, 10off.

Press [HOUR" button to set hour for timer.

Press [MIN" button to set minute for timer.

Press [WEEK" button to set weekday for timer. Multiple weekdays can be selected. ex: if selected [MO", the timer will only apply on every Monday; if selected [ MO, WE, FR", the timer will apply on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.


Press [RES/RCL" button to cancel the selected on or off timer. The screen will show "-- -- : -- --" , the timer is canceled.

Press [RES/RCL" button again to reactivate the timer.


When timers are set, press [CLOCK" to quit timer setting and return to clock.

5. Random function


Press [RANDOM" button to activate random function, press again to cancel function.

System only runs random function when [AUTO" is on.

Random function will automatically start the timer from 2 to 32 minutes after the setting.

ex : if timer 1on was set to 19:30 with the random function on, the timer will activate randomly between 19:33 to 20:03.

if timer 1off was set to 23:00 with the random function on, the timer will activate randomly between 23:02 to 23:32.

To avoid overlapping, make sure to leave a minimum of 31 minutes gap between different sets of timer.

6. Manual control

Displayed features:

ON : socket turns on.

OFF : socket turns off.

AUTO : socket turns on/off automatically via timer.

Manual ON setting

Press [ON/AUTO/OFF" button to switch from [AUTO" to [ON".

This mode allows socket of the device to power up. Power indicator will light up.

Manual OFF setting

Press [ON/AUTO/OFF" button to switch from [AUTO" to [OFF".

This mode turns socket of the device off. Power indicators will turn off.

7. Electrical parameters

Operating voltage : 230VAC

Battery : NiMh 1.2V

Power consumption : < 0.9W

Response time : 1 minute

Power output : 230VAC/16A/3680W

Q&A

Q: Why won`t my timer turn on?

A: It`s out of battery, you can charge the timer by plugging onto any power outlet. Charge the device for at least 15 minutes. Then press [RESET " button to reset the device.

Q: Can I set seconds of the timer?

A: No, the smallest time unit is minute.

Q: Does my timer keeps old settings without being plugged onto a power outlet?

A: Yes, the timer has an internal battery, it allows the timer to save settings without a power outlet.

Q: Is the battery rechargeable?

A: Yes, the battery is rechargeable. We recommend to charge it for 4 hours so the battery is fully charged.

Q: Does the timer needs internet connection?

A: The timer does not need internet.

Q: Does the screen have back light function?

A: It doesn`t support back light.

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NINGBO COWELL ELECTRONICS & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD , https://www.cowellsocket.com