The Internet of Things (IoT), a network of connected “smart” devices that communicate seamlessly over the Internet, is changing the way we live and work. On farms, wireless IoT sensors can transmit information about soil moisture and nutrients to agricultural experts across the country. IoT alarm systems come with batteries that last for years, providing homeowners with long-term protection. Wearable fitness devices for people and pets can monitor activity levels and provide feedback on heart rate and breathing. Although these apps serve different purposes, they all share one characteristic: a reliance on strong connections.
IoT stakeholders looking for connectivity solutions include radio and chipset manufacturers, platform vendors, device manufacturers, and companies in various industries that purchase IoT-enabled products for their own use or for sale to the public. Companies can now choose from more than 30 different connectivity options with varying bandwidth, range, cost, reliability and network management capabilities. The wide variety, combined with evolving technical requirements, creates a difficult problem. If stakeholders place their bets on one connectivity option while another becomes mainstream, their IoT devices, applications and solutions will quickly become obsolete. If they are unwilling to see how the connectivity landscape evolves, they risk falling behind more aggressive competitors.
Cellular 5G networks (now complete) may eventually become the universal solution for IoT connectivity. Although 5G is now used in some global telecommunications networks and industrial applications, the technology will not be widely available for at least five years due to high development and deployment costs. Annual economic benefits related to IoT are expected to reach $3.9 trillion to $11.1 trillion by 2025, so enterprises cannot afford to postpone IoT investments until 5G arrives.
To help business leaders identify the connectivity solutions that best meet their current needs, we analyzed 13 industries, including automotive, manufacturing, construction, and consumer where IoT adoption is common. In each department, we focus on the connectivity requirements for possible use cases, in other words, the tasks or activities that are best suited for IoT solutions. We then identified the most relevant connectivity solutions for each solution. Additionally, we examine the business factors that may influence how the connectivity landscape evolves, as well as the elements of a strong connectivity strategy.
When considering their options for IoT connectivity, companies must choose solutions from four categories: unlicensed; low-power, wide-area (LPWAN); cellular and alien. Companies may find it difficult to choose among these technologies because each IoT use case poses unique requirements for bandwidth, range, and other connectivity capabilities. LPWAN options are also difficult to evaluate because they are still in the early stages of deployment, and their full potential and drawbacks will only become apparent after large-scale implementation.
Unlicensed connectivity solutions These solutions are not specifically licensed to a specific company, allowing the public to access them on any IoT device using this technology. Unlicensed solutions are relatively cheap and allow enterprises to manage their own networks rather than relying on mobile operators to do so. The downside is that unlicensed technology is susceptible to interference from electrical or environmental obstructions, such as large numbers of buildings that can interfere with signal transmission. They also face difficulties in providing long-distance (more than 100 meters) connectivity. The company offers several options for unlicensed connections, all of which have unique features. For example, Wi-Fi (perhaps the best-known unlicensed option) has a bandwidth of up to 1GB per second. Above Bluetooth, Zigbee, low-power, wide-area connectivity LPWAN technology is relatively new. As the name suggests, they have two characteristics:
low power. Assuming they collect and analyze data every hour and take into account the typical effects of battery self-discharge and degradation, they can keep the device running for years.
A wide range of areas. These technologies provide at least 500 meters of signal range from the шлюзовое устройство to the endpoint. Coverage is lowest in challenging deployment environments such as urban or underground locations.
In addition to providing long battery life and wide range of use, LPWAN technology is reliable and cost-effective. No other technology can provide these four characteristics simultaneously. For example, unlicensed technology is unreliable, while cellular technology is expensive and cannot provide power for years on a single charge. Therefore, LPWAN addresses an unmet need in IoT connectivity.
LPWAN networks currently cover 20% of the global population, so they won’t become the default solution in the next five years, but their availability is growing rapidly. By 2022, we expect the majority of IoT applications to use LPWA networks, which will make connectivity choices even more confusing. (5G will still not be widely available by then).
Several companies have developed proprietary LPWAN technology, including Ingenu (formerly On-Ramp Wireless), Link Labs, LoRa, Sigfox and Weightless. The 3rd Generation Partnership Program, an organization that develops connectivity guidelines, is also working to standardize several non-proprietary technologies supported by many or all mobile device, chipset and module manufacturers. These include Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), the latest LPWAN option developed specifically for IoT. Other non-proprietary technologies include LTE machine-type communications (User Equipment Categories 1, 0 and M), Extended Coverage GSM (EC-GSM) and low-throughput networks.