There is a lot of hype around IoT and how it can benefit us, from self-driving cars to detecting glucose levels for better human health.
At it’s simplest form, a fitness band used to monitor physical activity is an example. Other complex use cases involve managing HVAC systems for energy management, factories using IoT for operations and equipment optimization and smart cities using IoT for public safety and transportation.
According to McKinsey, “the potential economic impact of IoT is as much as $11.1 trillion per year in 2025 for IoT applications”.
Businesses are looking into strategic value of implementing IoT to solve complex problems. They are working with technology vendors, network providers and hardware manufacturers to ensure that the IoT devices and systems work together to realize the full value of the IoT applications. This includes not only optimizing business processes but also using predictive data analytics for business benefits.
It has been reported that the rate of adoption of IoT is 5 times faster than electricity or telephony.
While most of the use cases are true, the fact is that the technology is constantly evolving, designing and implementing these systems would involve ramping up your technology capabilities.
The things in the “Internet of Things” refers to a network of devices that can communicate with each other through the Internet. These devices have the ability to also send and receive data. When connected with a computer or smart phone, they have the ability to automate processes and form a network of integrated applications. Some of the examples of these “things” are smart meters, fitness trackers, home appliances, medical devices and even shoes or clothes using sensors. Any object embedded with a computer chip can form a system in the IoT.
The minimum things required for an IoT application to function are the hardware device, the software, device unique identifier or IP (Internet Protocol) address, Internet connectivity and a cloud platform.
The device hardware usually consists of sensors or embedded chips. These are very small inexpensive devices with varying CPUs, operating systems and memory. These are placed in various locations like buildings, factories and cities or even inside animals for data collection purposes.
The IP address is the most important element of the device. This unique identifier allows you to identify the device sending or receiving the information.
Communications or Internet connectivity allows the device to communicate with each other. The Internet connection can be wired, through Ethernet cables, or wireless, such as a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Communications technology is advanced to the extent that it makes data sharing and data access simple and seamless.
Since the volume of data collected is more than 100 Exabytes per month, a cloud platform that offers low-cost storage is essential.
Finally, the cloud applications or the data analytics software is crucial to converting this data into actionable insights that has a powerful impact on your business.
With the advent of smart buildings and green building initiatives, IoT is increasingly used to measure, analyze, monitor and control Business Energy Management system (BEMS). Facility and building managers are now able to monitor energy equipment and systems in real time and use the data to optimize and control.
Many building technology implementers are unsure about the best network connectivity – wired or wireless, for IoT implementations.
Wired and Wireless have both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to network connectivity. Understanding these benefits and drawbacks will help you make an informed decision when implementing an IoT solution.
IoT technology is deployed in many ways so no single network solution is right. It depends on the situation and where the devices are located. Some of the factors affecting the selection of the type of network are network range, network bandwidth, power usage, interoperability, intermittent connectivity and security.
A wired network uses Ethernet cable to connect to the network. The Ethernet cable is in turn connected to a DSL or cable to the network gateway. The wired networks are mature technology and it is easy to get plugged into if you already have phone lines, power lines, and coaxial cable lines.
Even in the case of wireless network, those networks are usually connected to a wired network at some point; hence the most commonly used network is a hybrid of both wired and wireless network connectivity.
As most wired networks tend to be bulky and expensive, Wireless IoT implementations are the common solution. Setting up a wireless network is a simple process that involves configuring it to get it up and running in no time.
With the evolution of network technologies, we see a wide range of solutions like RFID, Bluetooth, WiFi as well as the less familiar ones like - ZigBee, Z-Wave or UWB (Wltra Wide-Band).
There are 4 common communication models used by IoT 1. Device-to-Device, 2.Device-to-Cloud, 3.Device-to-Gateway, and 4.Back-End Data-Sharing.
The type of wireless implemented will depend on the communication model.
In conclusion, while it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of the wired solution compared to the wireless, the right solution often depends on your business use case.
Understanding the specific needs of your facility and how continuous monitoring will help reach your goals is the most important aspect when weighing out the pros and cons of wired versus wireless network solutions.