Connectivity is the foundation of the IoT, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the wireless technology chosen can have a profound impact on the success of any IoT project. Here are four emerging IoT connectivity standards that will shape the digital landscape in 2020 and beyond.
1.5G
The latest cellular standards have been a hot topic. Although telecom operators in multiple countries have successively announced the launch of next-generation cellular networks, namely 3GPP Release 16, since mid-2019, the “comprehensive 5G vision” has not yet been realized. Version 16, scheduled for completion by the end of 2020, will feature major improvements to Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC). In addition to this, as part of the “5G Efficiency” roadmap, it will also introduce a series of improvements including reducing network congestion, improving energy efficiency and enhancing mobility.
In addition to its established role in the consumer mobility market, 5G is also considered a major catalyst for other emerging technology trends such as augmented/virtual reality and connected cars. The technology provides reliable and ubiquitous connectivity for the Internet of Things in urban areas and will play an important role in telemedicine innovation as well as public safety and mission-critical communications.
As far as the Industrial Internet of Things is concerned, 5G is positioned as a core enabler of time-sensitive networks for factory automation. With the introduction of proprietary 5G deployments, cellular operators are working to address growing security and data ownership concerns among industrial users. However, the high cost and nascent hardware (i.e. base station) support still leaves a big question mark on the business use cases of proprietary 5G networks.
2. Standards-based Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN)
Low-power wide area networks (LPWANs) are designed for low-bandwidth, low-compute endpoints to provide energy-efficient and cost-effective IoT connectivity in large, dense environments. No wireless category currently surpasses LPWAN in terms of battery life, device and network connectivity costs, and ease of implementation. Because of this unique combination of capabilities, LPWAN has become a key driver for large-scale, latency-tolerant sensor networks in the industrial IoT, smart buildings, and smart cities sectors.
Although there are so many LPWAN protocols available today, you may want to learn about the unique advantages of standards-based technologies. Given the explosive growth of IoT devices, quality of service, scalability, and interoperability will become key criteria in your wireless decision-making. Carrier-based standards such as NB-IoT and LTE-M, as well as MYTHINGS (a low-throughput network connectivity solution based on the latest ETSI open standards), have emerged to complement proprietary technologies (such as LoRa , Sigfox, etc.) , and specifically meet these requirements.
In terms of applications, NB-IoT and other operator-based low-power wide area network standards will become the core pillars of future smart city networks. Leveraging existing cellular mobile infrastructure, these controlled networks provide broad coverage in urban areas while eliminating the expense of building infrastructure. On the other hand, for industrial deployments where data security and ownership are dominant, private deployment solutions like MYTHINGS will be the first choice. In addition, industrial facilities are often located in remote areas where service levels from network operators are often poor.
3. Wi-Fi 6
While the term Wi-Fi 6 (aka 802.11.ax) has been around for a while, its full specifications and official release only came late last year. Considering the prevalence of Wi-Fi in our daily lives, it’s no surprise that the latest generation of Wi-Fi received a lot of attention at CES this year. There are now a large number of compatible devices, and as hardware prices continue to fall, 2020 is expected to be a major turning point in the adoption of Wi-Fi 6.
The main upgrade of Wi-Fi 6 compared to its previous version is to greatly increase the overall network bandwidth. Additionally, while UHD video streaming may be the first thing that comes to mind, the increased throughput is designed to address a more specific IoT challenge – device coexistence. The goal of Wi-Fi 6 is not to have lightning-fast speeds on a single device, but to support a greater number of endpoints on the router simultaneously without affecting the data throughput of each device. To do this, the standard allows more data to be packed into each transmission and the total spectrum used is divided into more channels to transmit data streams simultaneously.
Like previous generations, Wi-Fi 6 will become the backbone of broadband IoT in home and enterprise networks. At the same time, by alleviating congestion problems, this technology will enhance the level of public WI-FI infrastructure and improve user experience through new digital mobile services. In-vehicle infotainment systems and in-vehicle diagnostic networks will be the most disruptive use cases for Wi-Fi 6, however, development work may take more time.
4. Bluetooth 5.X
Bluetooth 5.0 builds on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) specification and brings significant leaps in throughput, speed and coverage. Previously, the use of BLE was limited to low-throughput endpoints such as beacons and wearables, so any form of audio transmission required the classic power-hungry Bluetooth protocol. Today, Bluetooth 5.0 offers a power-efficient option for streaming audio and sending large data files without quickly draining your device’s battery. If speed isn’t the most important requirement, Bluetooth 5.0 also allows devices to communicate at low data rates in exchange for improved range of up to 200 meters, making this technology ideal for the next generation of smart home devices.
Bluetooth 5.1 and most recently 5.2 are the two latest derivatives of fifth generation Bluetooth. Although not significantly different from Bluetooth 5.0, they provide compelling capabilities for high-precision direction positioning and indoor navigation services. The protocol uses innovative angle of arrival and departure (AoD) technology to achieve sub-meter positioning capabilities. On the other hand, the disadvantage of these methods lies in the complex and expensive hardware design of fixed positioning receivers or beacons, since they require antenna arrays to receive or transmit signals.
The Bluetooth 5 version supports mesh-based architecture to extend the range of indoor positioning systems and low-power industrial sensor networks. However, it is worth noting that mesh topologies are inherently energy-intensive and network planning and configuration can be a significant task when deploying IoT devices at scale.
Résumer
Each IoT connectivity standard has its place in the IoT world, and it’s up to you to decide which technology is best for your digital solutions and use cases. Typically, industrial and enterprise users end up adopting a hybrid, evolving architecture that incorporates multiple wireless technologies to leverage the full potential of IoT. In this case, designing a flexible, robust, backwards-compatible wireless infrastructure that can scale seamlessly to meet your changing needs will be paramount, and this should be considered from the outset of an IoT project.
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