Internet of Things explained…💻
With the advancement of communication technology, many industries have implemented using this emerging technology. Internet of Things(IoT) is not just a concept, it is the collective operation of many devices through one network connection. IoT shows us the power of the internet which ultimately helps to make our life better and easier. In this article, I am going to talk about the new trends which come under this umbrella.
Internet of Things has become one of the trending topics in the tech world now. This allows sharing and receiving of data among the devices which are connected through one network connection. These devices each have their own unique IP address. Some of its applications are,
1.Security 🛡️
Security is one of the most important things when it comes to our privacy and safety. How would you define the word “smart home” 👀? The world is getting digitized day by day. I0T helps us take control over our security using modern technology. For example, a “Smart House” is very common in developing countries where people control the security of their own house while being in a different physical location. This will alternately help us save energy while making the environment safer.
2. Data Analytics 📊
The advanced IoT solution makes the process easier when it comes to business transformations and the collection of data through the resources. Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Analysis play an important role when it comes to data analyzing, data visualizing, and time series analysis. This ultimately helps to increase the business value by making the customer’s expectations a reality.
3. Boost the Businesses 👨🏽💼
IoT helps increase business productivity by utilizing the resources efficiently among the business. IoT reduces the cost among the business while providing safety and conducting business transactions. IoT makes the workable vibe among the employees in the business through the connected equipment in the manufacturing, transporting, analyzing, packing, and dispatching. Businesses can gain a better insight about the usage of their products by customers, by analyzing the data and trends in the time series model which ultimately helps to make a personalized user experience among the users.
4. Healthcare 🏥
Healthcare can be considered as one of the key areas that are very well fit with the demand arising due to the pandemic situation in the world. If we consider the COVID-19 Virus, almost all the countries have implemented remote patient monitoring in order to mitigate the spreading of the virus among the general public and all in the health care sector. IoT has made things easier by providing continuous monitoring and reporting which helps the authorized person to make decisions on time. By using these modern IoT devices we can measure our pressure level, blood sugar, and weight. Tracking and alert systems that have been implemented using the IoT helps in on-time treatment while improving the accuracy for lifesaving medical decisions.
Now that you have an idea about what IoT is and how it is utilized in real world applications, let us see how IoT technically works.
In its most basic application, an IoT ecosystem consists of web-enabled smart devices that use embedded systems, such as processors, sensors and communication hardware, to collect, send and act on data they acquire from their environments. What is important to understand is that IoT has no need of human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction in order to perform its function.
There are 4 basic technologies that help to make the IoT function,
1. Hardware
These are basically the interfaces through which data is measure and collect data. Some examples are pinhead microphones or temperature sensors.
2. Software
This is where the device gain its “smart” name. The software is responsible for communicating with the network and transferring and receiving data. The device software also caters for application level capabilities for users to visualize data and interact with the IoT system.
3. Platform
A platform is the place where all the data is data is gathered, managed, processed, analyzed and presented in user-friendly manner. This where the system or anyone using the system can gain useful insights and make meaningful actions based on the task at hand. Each platform has different requirement based on the user or purpose of the system.
4. Communications
The Communication layer includes both physical connectivity solutions (cellular, satellite, LAN) and specific protocols used in varying IoT environments (ZigBee, Thread, Z-Wave, MQTT, LwM2M). Choosing the relevant communications solution is one of the vital parts in constructing every IoT technology stack. The technology chosen will determine not only the ways in which data is sent to or received from the network, but also how the devices are managed and how they communicate with third party devices.
If we look at the data communication aspect of IoT we must identify the key communication protocols used in this domain. These protocols have different pros and cons that cater to a specific use case requirement.
1. Bluetooth
One of the most well known and most used communication technologies in the tech world. This protocol is used for short range data transfers and IoT communications. This protocol is used for wearable type devices for its reduced energy consumption. It is most often used to connect to a mobile phone as the platform.
2.WiFi
The most popular IoT communication protocol used in IoT systems. Developers use this as it is capable of handling significant capacity of data while maintaining fast data transfer speeds. Currently, the most common WIFI standard used in homes and many businesses is IEEE 802.11n, which offers range of hundreds of megabit per second. Typically used for home and office environment based IoT systems.
3.NFC(Near Field Communication)
This a relatively new IoT technology protocol. It is a simple and safe protocol used for communications between electronic devices typically mobile phones. The most common application of NFC can be seen in contactless payments where the IoT infrastructure allows information sharing over short distances of less than 4cm.
4.Z-wave
Z-Wave is a low-power Radio frequency(RF) communications IoT technology that is primarily designed for home automation products such as lamp controllers and sensors among many other devices. A Z-Wave uses a simpler protocol than some others, which can enable faster and simpler development, but the only manufacturer of chips is Sigma Designs compared to multiple sources for other wireless technologies.
5.LoRaWAN
LoRaWAN is one of the popular IoT Technology which targets wide-area network (WAN) applications. The LoRaWAN protocol is designed to provide low-power WANs with features specifically needed to support low-cost mobile secure communication in IoT, smart city, and industrial applications. This protocol specifically meets requirements for low-power consumption and supports large networks with millions and millions of devices, data rates range from 0.3 kbps to 50 kbps.
The above protocols are the communication protocols used in the IoT architecture. There is a separate set of key protocols which enable the unique implementation of the IoT technology.
- Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)
- Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP)
- Message Queue Telemetry Transport Protocol (MQTT)
- Data Distribution Service (DDS)
IoT is not implemented overnight. Especially during a pandemic period like this, we need to have a strong built-in system that helps us to tackle when we are at home. IoT makes things easier and better by providing innovations that go with our busy and packed life schedules. I hope you found this article useful.
Stay safe. Stay Inside…🥰
