The Next Biggest Network — IoT
Networks, the Internet & Data
You and I are connected. We may not know each other, but we are connected. Our world is connected, through the internet. Through networks and systems, we can message, call, and send data anywhere.
How are you reading this right now? It might be through a phone, a laptop, maybe a tablet? No matter where you are, you are connected to the internet.
Dating back to the 1960s, the initial idea of “connected devices” was proposed, but not taken action upon. On the other hand, the internet had started as a way for government researchers to share information.
Computers in the 60s were these large, fat, and obnoxious devices; having all information stored in one place. To get a hold of that precious data, one had to either travel to the actual site of the computer or have magnetic computer tapes sent through the conventional postal system.
A system was needed, a system where all the data could be easily stored, given, taken, and sent. This brings us a couple of decades ahead to 1999; Kevin Ashton from Procter&Gamble worked the supply chain optimization. He wanted to attract senior management’s attention to a new exciting technology called RFID.
As the internet was the hottest trend in 1999 and because it had somehow made sense, he called his presentation “Internet of Things”.
“Confidence is belief in yourself. Certainty is belief in your beliefs. Confidence is a bridge. Certainty is a barricade.”
— Kevin Ashton
When you try to Google the definition of “Internet of Things”, an abundance of the answers are unnecessarily complex as well as wordy. For example:
“The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing
devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or
people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to
transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human
or human-to-computer interaction.” —Tech Target Website
In any way that you are reading this, you have some sort of internet connection. The internet gives you a link between resources, media, and other people. Whether it’s on any device, it yields many benefits to all kinds of people. The Internet of Things (or IoT) takes all the physical places and things and connects them to the internet.
IoT works with devices to send and receive information. This is what makes your device “smart”. This will enable automation, regulation, and control of large-scale devices.
Let’s say you want to listen to the newest song on the charts. You can listen, but not every song on the chart is downloaded onto your phone. Your device just sends (asking for the song) and then receives (streaming) information.
For a thing to be considered “smart”, it does not have to have fat storage space or a supercomputer inside of it; it just requires access to them. The things that can connect to the internet can be distinguished into three different categories:
- Things that collect information, and then send it
- Things that receive information, and use it
- Things that do both
All three of these categories can work off each other and have loads of benefits to accessing data.
An IoT system, but as a Library
Imagine this.
You walk into a huge library, or one of your favorite book stores, looking for the newest version of Harry Potter. There are multiple rows of shelves with hundreds of books stacked up neatly.
What do you do? You go to the front desk, provide the book title or author, and you’re told that the book is at a certain location in an aisle, on a certain floor. Not every single book in the world is here, but enough for you to decide which one you want. You take it, and you return it in a couple of days. Similar steps are for finding an E-book as well.
All of this is possible because when a new book is added to the library, some of the most important details about it are stored in the library’s Internet of Books.
This is almost exactly the same when working with data. You go to a source and ask for data, they send it to you, you use it, and then you send it back.
Now I want you to zoom out to include the entire world.
Once you can capture information on every TV, fridge, vehicle, mobile, you now know where everything is. Add some smart sensors to them (or in our case, books), and they can talk back to the “librarian” or themselves.
The system that allows them to do this is the Internet of Things.
One of the very first requirements for such a system is giving each thing a unique name (an identifier), so you can store all relevant information under that name and call them out in a crowd.
This is when the actual steps for building an IoT system comes.
How an IoT System Works
There are four main steps on how the system works:
- Data is emitted from various sensors and sent to IoT platform security
- The IoT platform integrates the collected data from the sources
- Further analysis is performed on the data; valuable information is extracted (as per requirement)
- The result is shared amongst other devices for a better experience and improving efficiency
All complete IoT systems contain 4 of the same components: Sensors and Devices, Connectivity, Data Processing, and the User Interface.
1. Sensors and Devices
The very first step in an IoT system is the gathering of data from the environment. Sensors and devices collect data that could have various levels of complexity.
We always refer to sensors/devices because multiple sensors can be bundled together, being a part of a device.
Devices that have multiple arrays of sensors have more capabilities than just sensing. Let’s take your cell phone for example. It’s a device with a GPS, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a proximity sensor, microphone(s), and so on. The sensors can detect and sense, but not actually your phone.
Whether it's just a sensor, or a device full of them, the first action is always gathering data.
The Cloud
Going back to the fact that we used to store all our data in large, fat, and obnoxious computers in the 1900s, it was way too expensive and extensive. It’s just easier to rent it in the cloud.
Most businesses that have variables in their costs work off this method because it’s a pay-per-use system and it doesn’t hurt their profits at all.
We use Cloud services on a daily. Whether it be storing photos of you with your loved ones in Google Drive, streaming music on Spotify, or sending your presentation to teams via Dropbox, you’re frequently using a cloud-based system. Google Drive uses Google’s cloud services, and a popular music app, “Spotify” uses Amazon’s cloud services.
Anytime the “Cloud” is mentioned or worked with, the activity taking place happens over an internet connection, rather than just on a device.
What has this got to do with IoT?
IoT systems rely on the data collected; so the cloud is essential for accumulating and drawing insights, from that data. So without the cloud, analyzing data across wider areas is much more challenging. Additionally, when using IoT systems on a more massive scale, putting extensive power on each device/sensor would be detrimental, to your bank account.
The cloud is technically not needed for an IoT system, but it just makes sense. The processing and managing of data would take place locally, rather than with the cloud, using an internet connection; also known as “fog computing” or “edge computing”.
Some advantages of utilizing the cloud include:
- Minimized expenses, for infrastructure and upfront
- Pay-as-needed storage/usage
- High scalability
- Increased lifespans (especially for battery-powered sensors/devices!)
- Ability to withstand extensive quantities of data
With advantages also came its drawbacks:
- Data ownership and concerns regarding the security of your personal data
- Potential server-wide crashes and unexpected activity
- Latency issues (milliseconds can cause a huge difference)
Gateways
To make that connection between a sensor/device and the cloud possible, a “gateway” is required somewhere in between. Gateways act like bridges between the source and the cloud. Information is sent (“talked”) to the gateway from the sensor/device, and then communicated to the cloud.
Why does having that middle step, really matter?
Occasionally, the sensors and devices can generate so much data, that it becomes devastating to the system, making it extremely arduous to store and to transmit. Most of the time, some of the devices associated only need a certain volume of data (that is truly valuable). For example, an installed security camera does not need to send video data of vacant hallways or the darkness at night.
In this case, gateways can be really convenient, as they can filter the data (or in this case, footage) received from sensors/devices, to reduce the processing and storage requirements, but also the subsidiary.
Relating back to the drawbacks of the cloud, security was definitely one of the most nerve-racking concerns. The thought of someone hacking and taking your personal information always brings goosebumps to my arms. In fact, every sensor/device that is connected to the internet is consistently vulnerable.
Gateways reduce the number of sensors/devices that are connected to the internet, only connecting them to the actual gateway. This makes gateways the first initial target on the defensive line; this is why security needs to be one of the top priorities for any gateway.
Sequentially, one of the biggest concerns when constructing an IoT system is the issue of battery life. As an example, IoT systems can be operated in remote conditions; but for data to be communicated, you need to send it to the cloud, usually supported by satellites.
Greater connectivity → Longer range → Increased power consumption
2. Connectivity
After all the collected data is sent to a cloud establishment, the sensors involved in the process should have connections with various attachments.
When it comes to connecting IoT, the options are abundant, including Bluetooth, Cellular, Ethernet, LPWAN, NFC, satellite, RFID, and WiFi. These are just some of the ways you can connect a sensor/device to the internet. Within these options, different providers give you access, such as Rogers, Bell, and Telus. Connecting to the internet with devices is the main purpose of sensors/devices. Without this connection, you can still function, but you cannot send, receive, or benefit from the information.
In the most ideal world, connectivity would consume the least amount of power, have a huge range, and would be able to transfer enormous amounts of data (high bandwidth). It’s sad to say that this exquisite model does not yet exist
Every connectivity option has a tradeoff between either the bandwidth, power consumption, and range. These connectivity options are divided into three major groups. The groups are mostly silhouettes on how they would be classified, rather than a full definition.
A. High Power Consumption, High Range, High Bandwidth
For a wireless attachment, it takes a lot of power to send the data across distances. Let's take your phone for example. You can send, receive and tinker with data over vast distances (ex. texting, sending videos), but you also have to charge it every 1–2 days (or in some cases, hours!). In this group, the connectivity would work with cellular data (on land where cell phone towers are present)and satellites (where cell phone towers aren’t available — overseas).
B. Low Power Consumption, Low Range, High Bandwidth
In order to decrease power consumption and still send a large amount of data, you have to decrease the range. Some known examples include; Bluetooth, Ethernet, and WiFi!
Bluetooth and WiFi ranges are both wireless connections; they both have high bandwidths and lower power consumption as your device is not doing “all the work”. On the other hand, Ethernet is a hard-wired connection, so the range is pretty limited there.
C. Low Power Consumption, High Range, Low Bandwidth
Meanwhile, to increase the range while still maintaining a low power consumption, you have to decrease the amount of data that you’re sending. The options in this group are called Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs).
LPWANs send small packets of data, allowing them to operate at low-power consumption, with greater ranges and infrequent intervals. They are great for IoT systems as they allow large numbers of sensors/devices to send and receive data, while lasting years on the battery life. Although the amount of data might not be immense, the sensors don’t really need to!
In some of the applications mentioned further, the devices need gateways to work, acting like lifesavers.
3. Data Processing
So far, we have talked about the sensors/devices in the world collecting data and then pass that data up to the cloud for processing. This all leads up to meaning that the actual processing stage is extremely extensive!
One of the major parts in processing the data is the IoT Platform. It’s initially a support software that connects everything in an IoT system. This platform facilitates the communication, data flow, device management, and functionality of applications.
IoT platforms can help:
- Connect hardware
- Manage complex communication protocols
- Provide a more secure and authentic interface for devices (and its’ users!)
- Gather, conceive, and interpret data
- Integrate with additional web services
When choosing an IoT platform, you should look for: the stability of the platform, the scalability and flexibility, prior work, and the pricing.
Here are some examples of the best IoT platforms, recommended by businesses in 2019:
4. User Interface
The ending result of a confident IoT system is where the user can view and interact with data that is being captured. The user interface (UI) can just simply be apps on your phone, bringing the interaction between the computer system and user alive! UIs can range from smartwatches, to even your voice-controlled Google Home!
When narrowing down to just the types of mobile apps, there are a few different distinctions on which you should be conscious of:
- Native apps; the normal mobile app, straightly downloaded to your phone and create a better user experience
- Web apps; similar to a website, and can be accessed with a URL. This can work on both mobiles, and desktops/laptops since the entire interface is just on the web browser (removing the technicalities of downloading).
- Hybrid apps; the middle of native and web apps. You can still download it, but you can also open it on a browser.
- Beyond mobile apps; beyond just mobile. Integrated into actual products (Nest Smart Thermostat), but controlled with an app
Examples and Applications
User interfaces are constantly growing rapidly, with entirely unique interfaces possible by technology! From voice assistants to lights in your home controlled by your mood, technological advances will forever continue to evolve.
Smart Homes
When we think of applying IoT into our lives, usually the first thing that comes to our mind is the idea of a Smart Home. It clearly stands out as the most efficient, attractive, and most important applications in the entire industry! Currently, “Smart Home” is the most searched IoT associated feature on Google, with a rising number of 60,000!
Additionally, the IoT Analytics company database for Smart Home includes over 256 companies and startups; which makes them the most active application in the entire field!
The cost of owning a house is one of the biggest expenses in a homeowner’s life. Only some get this amazing privilege, and what rather else than to make smart home products to save time, energy, and money?
Here’s a short video showing how your daily life could be connected “smart” devices.
Wearables
Wearable technology is the distinguishing characteristic of IoT applications, and it's probably one of the earliest industries ever to developed and deployed using IoT. Fitbit’s, heart rate monitors, and smartwatches are the biggest modern-use cases right now, but they are currently expanding as we talk.
For example, let's breakdown the new Fitbit that was recently launched. They’ve recently partnered with Google to open up new perspectives and innovations in the digital health industry. Together, they “bring together the strengths of both companies to innovate and transform the future of wearables”. Additionally, Fitbit also announced that they have plans to deploy “Google Cloud” to enhance operational efficiency, agility, and acceleration to market.
This partnership will allow users to connect data from Fitbit wearables with electronic medical records (EMRs); giving greater awareness of personal health and providing doctors with a more comprehensive view of patients’ wellbeing.
The result could potentially lead to a more personalized care experience and new acumens into any hazards that we’re facing.
Future of IoT
You can never predict what the future holds for us. Personally, I don’t even know what I'll be working on in a year, 5 years, or even 10 years from now!
No matter how great our predictions are, or however much data we have to prove them, the destiny of humanity will culminate based on the choices we are making, today. It’s clearly evident that we’ll continue to connect, interact, and solve problems based on the future present.
At the rate that the human race is moving right now, our potential has amazed people all over the world. We’re committed to applying IoT, and even related tech essential to our daily lifestyles to make it easily accessible to everyone and to share the knowledge with the ones around us.
Key Takeaways:
- An IoT system is basically the network of physical objects that are connected to the internet, allowing them to send, receive, and exchange data.
- These systems can work off each other and have numerous benefits to accessing and gathering data.
- The UI in IoT systems is constantly growing rapidly, with unique interfaces being created every day.
- The amount of applications of IoT in our lives is growing rapidly, and a fully connected world is coming sooner than you think.
- No matter how much you think through your application, inevitably you’re going to run into things you could never foresee.
