The IoT era has ushered in a data explosion, and with increasing real-time data requirements and security and privacy needs, there is an urgent need for IoT gateways to integrate edge computing capabilities.
What is Edge Computing？
Simply put, edge computing is a computational methodology that performs computations on non-central components of a system (e.g., sensors, switches, and various networked devices).
Edge computing refers to an open platform that delivers end-to-end services by integrating network, computing, storage, and application capabilities on the side closest to the data source, with applications typically running on the edge side, enabling faster network service response and meeting the fundamental needs of industries such as real-time business, artificial intelligence, security and privacy protection.
What is the IoT Edge？
The edge of the IoT is where the action happens. A simple IoT system is shown in the figure. Sensors/actuators/devices are often referred to as edge devices. An edge device is any hardware that controls the flow of data at the boundary of two networks. Edge devices play a variety of roles depending on their device type, but they essentially act as network entry (or exit) points. Some of the common functions of an edge device are to transmit, route, process, monitor, filter, transform, and store data passing between networks.
Why is edge computing important for IoT gateways?
As the number of IoT devices proliferates, so does the amount of data being transferred and processed. Using the traditional cloud computing model will face issues such as bandwidth limitations, network latency and security. People have to look for another better way. By integrating edge computing capabilities, Gateways IoT can not only reduce network stress and latency, but also process and manage data efficiently and more reliably. Their effective combination becomes a new solution.
Devices and sensors are responsible for collecting various physical quantities (e.g., temperature, pressure, flow, etc.) and transmitting this data to the edge computing gateway. Edge computing gateways are able to perform local data analysis and processing and upload the processed data to the platform layer or to the cloud.
How does an IoT edge computing gateway work?
IoT Edge Computing Gateway allows access to a growing number of IoT devices with smart sensors. It also supports users to remotely control all devices from a single location. It is a bridge that connects data transfer between devices and plays an important role in the IoT world. Here are specific examples:
First, it may support different protocols between different device manufacturers. IoT gateways using edge computing can support different PLC protocols, industry protocols with specialized protocols, etc. Efficient connectivity between devices can be realized.
Secondly, in those massive data collected through HF, it actually contains a lot of null values and erroneous, redundant data. Edge gateways can filter and analyze the data and transmit only useful information to the cloud, improving the efficiency of transmission and processing.
Then, all IoT devices are vulnerable to external interference and hacking, but edge gateways add another layer of security between the Internet and the physical device.
Finally, IoT edge computing gateways are a prime example of the “ active intelligent edge ”. This means that data can be transformed and processed by the gateway itself, without the assistance of third-party entities or individuals.
Overall, edge computing gateways are essential in the era of IoT. As we’ve covered before, edge computing gateways are responsible for processing and analyzing data from devices in order to enable them to respond in real-time to applications that require low latency.