Computer technology has been with us since the mid-20th century. However, the technology behind the Internet of Things has been mature since Tom, Dick and Harry all started using PCs. Telemetry science, the earliest representation of the Internet of Things, has been used since the second half of the 19th century to measure and collect weather data or track wildlife via phone lines, radio waves, and satellite communications. Despite its technical limitations, it laid the foundation for the concept of M2M communications, which evolved with the development of connectivity solutions, giving rise to the concept of the Internet of Things as we know it today.
In the future, which will involve millions of managed and monitored asset projects, the technology of the communication industry is to help everyone benefit from the Internet of Things by providing safe and reliable solutions.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interconnected digital devices, machines, objects, animals or people with unique identifiers and the ability to transmit and share data over a network, either person-to-person or between people. The Internet of Things is bridging the gap between the physical world and the virtual world, aiming to create an intelligent environment that enables individuals, as well as society as a whole, to live in a smarter and more comfortable way. The Internet of Things has become a part of our daily lives and there is no doubt that it will. Taking all of this into consideration, what is the mechanism behind the IoT world in which it operates?
What does IoT technology consist of?
Finding your way through the maze of IoT technologies can be a daunting task, considering the diversity and breadth of technological solutions surrounding it. However, for the sake of simplicity, we can break down the IoT technology stack into the four basic technology layers required to make the IoT work. These are the following:
Device hardware
Devices are the objects that actually make up the “things” in the Internet of Things. As the interface between the real and digital worlds, they may take on different sizes, shapes, and levels of technical complexity, depending on the tasks they need to perform in a specific IoT deployment. Whether it’s a pinhead-sized microphone or heavy construction machinery, nearly every material object (even animate, animal or human) can be turned into a connected device by adding sensors. Measure and collect necessary data. Obviously, sensors, actuators or other telemetry devices can also constitute independent smart devices themselves.
Device software
This is actually what makes a connected device “smart.” The software is responsible for enabling communication with the cloud, collecting data, integrating devices, and performing real-time data analysis within the IoT network. What’s more, the device software also fulfills application-level functionality, allowing users to visualize data and interact with IoT systems.
Communication Technology
After the device hardware and software are in place, another layer must exist that will provide the smart objects with the means to exchange information with the rest of the IoT world. Although communication mechanisms are closely related to device hardware and software, it is critical to treat them as independent layers. The communication layer includes physical connectivity solutions (cellular, satellite, LAN) as well as specific protocols used in various IoT environments (ZigBee, Thread, Z-Wave, MQTT, M2M). Choosing relevant communications solutions is one of the important parts of building every IoT technology stack. The technology chosen will determine not only how data is sent to or received from the cloud, but also how devices are managed and how they communicate with third-party devices. For the purposes of this article, we’ll detail some of today’s communications solutions below.
platform
As mentioned before, thanks to “smart” hardware and installed software, the device is able to “sense” what is happening around it and communicate it to the user through specific communication channels. An IoT platform is where all this data is collected, managed, processed, analyzed and presented in a user-friendly way. Therefore, making this solution particularly valuable. Not only its data collection and management capabilities, but also its ability to analyze and find useful insights from the portion of data provided by the device through the communication layer. Likewise, there are many IoT platforms available in the market and one can choose based on the requirements of the specific IoT project and factors such as architecture and IoT technology stack, reliability, custom attributes, protocols used, hardware, security, and cost. It’s worth mentioning that the platform can be installed both locally and in the cloud. An IoT device management platform is a good example of this, as it can be deployed both on-site and in the cloud. The same applies to another IoT platform.
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