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Technology

Connectivity technologies, Bluetooth or LPWAN for example, enable devices to communicate and exchange data through the Internet. Connectivity technologies vary in what they bring to individual IoT solutions and devices, each with its advantages and drawbacks.

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Connectivity

LPWAN (low-power wide-area network) is a radio technology used for wireless data communication. LPWANs can transmit data in remote areas over networks often spanning many miles, with very low power consumption. Because of this, LPWAN is vital to IoT solutions in industrial settings like farms and mines.

LPWAN

Cellular connectivity technologies connect devices to the internet via the same mobile networks as smartphones. Because cellular IoT piggybacks on existing networks, it can be a highly accessible option for solutions that need to transfer moderate amounts of data in remote areas - especially if access to power isn't a concern.

Cellular

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a wireless technology standard able to exchange data over a short range. Because of BLE's low energy consumption, IoT devices utilizing it can operate for years on one battery's charge. BLE is ideal for devices that require small amounts of data exchanged over short ranges.

Bluetooth/BLE

Satellite LPWAN is a low-powered connectivity option that enables a direct connection between IoT devices and a telecommunications provider. Although satellite constellations used for satellite LPWAN are typically made up of smaller, cheaper satellites, the resources required to launch a satellite can often be cost-prohibitive.

Satellite

Ethernet is a wired connectivity option that offers greater reliability and security to connected devices, but because it is costly to install and move, IoT devices using ethernet are typically part of a larger wired infrastructure, like traffic or street lights.

Ethernet

IoT gateways enable short-range communication between different devices on the network and, through edge computing, can act as the first filter for data being transferred to the Cloud. IoT devices use gateways as a central hub for all communication with external networks.

Gateways

NFC (near field communication) is a wireless technology that short-range communication between devices and can send data without requiring access to power, though only powered devices can receive and process data. Because NFC does not require manual pairing, it can quickly exchange data between devices that are within a few inches of each other.

WiFi is a low-cost connectivity option for IoT devices, as most buildings are already equipped for it. It's ideal for deployments that require high bandwidth and low latency but isn't always the best for Enterprise deployments due to a lack of reliability.

WiFi

Z-Wave is a wireless protocol used primarily for home automation and is managed by The Z-Wave Alliance. Operating on a low-frequency band, Z-Wave allows for a better device-to-device signal range, though it isn't the best when a large amount of data needs to be exchanged.

Z-Wave

Zigbee is a low-power low-data network protocol that is ideal for home automation, or other applications where devices communicate infrequently at a short range. Zigbee is ideal for allowing interoperability between devices in a Smart Home environment, where devices from different manufacturers need to communicate and exchange data.

Zigbee

LoRa is a proprietary, patented, Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) modulation technique, designed for IoT, and based on spread-spectrum modulation techniques derived from chirp spread spectrum technology. It was developed by Cycleo of Grenoble, France, and acquired by Semtech, the founding member of the LoRa Alliance.

LoRa

NB-IoT, or Narrowband Internet of Things, is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) radio technology standard developed by 3GPP to enable a wide range of cellular devices and services. The specification was frozen in 3GPP Release 13, in June 2016. Other 3GPP IoT technologies include eMTC and EC-GSM-IoT.

NB-IoT

The LoRaWAN® specification is an LPWA networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect battery-operated devices to the internet in regional, national, or global networks, and targets key IoT requirements such as bi-directional communication, end-to-end security, mobility, and localization services.

LoRaWAN

Matter is an open-source communication standard launched by the Connectivity Standards Alliance in 2022. It enables secure communication between smart home devices from different manufacturers and on different protocols such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Thread.

Matter

A mesh network is a flexible and resilient type of network where each device can communicate with every other device directly, without needing a central hub. This makes them adaptable to changes and failures in the network and they are commonly used in wireless systems.

Mesh Networks

Thread is a wireless networking protocol that enables low-power and low-latency connectivity between IoT devices. It uses open standards to create reliable and secure mesh networks, making it suitable for a range of applications in smart homes, industries, and commercial environments.

Thread

WiFi HaLow is a technology that extends the capabilities of WiFi by using a frequency below 1 gigahertz. This allows it to provide longer-range connectivity and use less power, making it ideal for devices such as sensors and wearables. It can also penetrate walls and other obstacles more effectively than other IoT technologies, providing a more reliable connection in challenging environments.

WiFi Halow

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a radio technology that can use very low energy levels for short-range, high-bandwidth communications over a large portion of the radio spectrum.

Ultra-wideband

Mioty is a low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) technology designed for massive industrial and commercial IoT deployments. It stands out for its ability to provide reliable, scalable, and efficient connectivity even in challenging or densely packed environments. Utilizing a unique telegram-splitting technology, Mioty ensures robust data transmission with minimal interference, making it ideal for applications like smart city infrastructure, industrial monitoring, and agricultural technology. This technology supports long-range communication with low energy consumption, making it a compelling choice for IoT scenarios requiring wide coverage and long battery life.

Mioty

Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that allows records to be stored globally across many participating computers, ensuring that it cannot be forged or altered without changing all subsequent blocks. Blockchain technology can enable IoT devices to transfer and store data in a tamper-proof format.

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Blockchain

New technologies mean new standards and regulations. Make sure you're staying up-to-date and complying with the latest.

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Standards & Regulations

Research and development activities by companies, organizations, governments, and people to develop new IoT products and services and improve existing ones.

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Research and Development

Artificial intelligence (AI) enables machines and programs to analyze data and detect patterns, allowing machines to make decisions using real-time data. AI is said to unlock the true power of IoT and is a necessary part of many automated systems.

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AIoT, or Artificial Intelligence of Things, is a developing term for the layering of Artificial Intelligence and other automated tools for statistical analysis onto Internet of Things infrastructure. The combination of these two important aspects of Digital Transformation is expected to lead to better execution and growth of IoT systems and projects. It is also tied to improved process automation and human-machine interactions.

AIoT

New to AI

Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that is designed to create or generate new content, such as images, text, music, and even videos.

Generative AI

Neural networks are a type of machine learning algorithm inspired by the structure and function of the human brain. A neural network consists of interconnected nodes (neurons) that are organized in layers. Each neuron receives input from other neurons and applies a nonlinear transformation to the input before passing it on to the next layer.

Neural Networks

Deep learning is a subfield of machine learning that focuses on neural networks with multiple layers (or deep neural networks). Deep neural networks can learn from vast amounts of data and automatically discover complex features and representations of the data. This makes them well-suited for tasks that involve large quantities of data.

Deep Learning

Augmented reality (AR) combines a user's view of the real-world with a computer-generated image, often to provide contextual information. Through the integration of IoT, AR systems can request and relay data in real time.

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Augmented Reality

Autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, collect data on their environment and surroundings and are able to safely operate with little to no human interference. Through IoT-enabled sensors and technology, autonomous vehicles are able to monitor changes in their surroundings, including driving environments and the behavior of other cars around them.

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Autonomous Vehicles

Cloud software leverages data or programs over the Internet, enabling programs to utilize remote systems or components. Through cloud computing, IoT deployments can utilize resources remotely to simplify on-site installation and maintenance.

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Cloud Software

Device management is a vital part of an IoT solution's installation and continued maintenance. Device management is the process by which devices are added to a network, monitored, and maintained. This process includes provisioning, configuration, diagnostics and regular software maintenance and updates.

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Device Management

Edge computing allows data to be processed at the source, rather than the cloud. Edge computing is especially useful in situations where Internet access is intermittent or where latency is a concern.

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Edge Computing

Hardware components are integral to the success of any IoT deployment or service. Hardware components cover a vast array of devices that can be used to gather, process, store and transmit data. What devices or sensors you need are highly dependent on the goals of your IoT system and Applications.

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Hardware

Sensors are the data collection engine for most IoT systems. They detect environments, activity, and changes in state and then transmit the information to servers, the cloud, or other storage, where the data can be analyzed for use. Some common IoT sensor types include Temperature, Humidity, Location, Pressure, Fill Level, Proximity, Speed and Velocity, Chemical, and Light.

Sensors

Integration services help you get the most out of your existing infrastructure while upgrading with new IoT solutions or devices. IoT integration helps to lower the cost of integrating new IoT devices by allowing you to utilize existing infrastructure, rather than replace it.

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Integration Services

Location technologies are vital to any IoT applications that require monitoring the location of assets or people. Which location technology is best for your solution depends on your needs - your access to the Internet and power, the range at which you need to track assets, and more.

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Location Technology

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite navigation system used to determine the ground position of objects. Although GPS is typically accurate within about 16 feet, it can only be used outdoors and has a high power consumption, making it a great option when power is available, but otherwise costly and battery-draining.

Indoor positioning is valuable for applications where an object is moving solely within one building or campus, for example, tracking equipment within hospitals or tracking valuable inventory in a retail store. Common technologies used for indoor positioning include RFID, BLE, and WiFi.

Indoor Positioning

Outdoor positioning is valuable for applications where objects are being tracked outdoors, typically across long distances, for example, tracking an automotive fleet on its way to its destination or tracking equipment as it moves around a construction site. The most common technology used for outdoor positioning is GPS.

Outdoor Positioning

Radio frequency identification technology (RFID) uses simple, low-cost tags to track and locate assets, typically indoors. RFID tracking systems typically use transponders, attached to the objects or people being tracked, and a reader, which obtains data from low-cost RFID tags.

RFID

Machine learning (ML) is an application of artificial intelligence that enables systems to learn and improve from experience without human intervention. The goal of machine learning is to create systems that can access and learn from data without explicit programming.

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Machine Learning

Mixed reality (MR) uses components of both virtual reality and augmented reality to create environments where both real and virtual objects coexist. Through integration with IoT, MR systems are able to access real-time data and connect with other devices to create more immersive and robust systems.

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Mixed Reality

Understanding network standards and protocols is vital to choosing the connectivity technology to power your IoT solution or device. Some of the common IoT protocols to know are BLE, Cellular Connectivity, LPWANs, Mesh protocols, and RFID - each has its advantages and disadvantages and which one to use will be determined by your particular Applications.

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Network and Protocols

MQTT is a standards-based messaging protocol, or set of rules, used for machine-to-machine communication. Smart sensors, wearables, and other IoT devices use MQTT for data transmission, as it is easy to implement and can communicate IoT data efficiently. MQTT supports messaging between devices to the cloud and the cloud to the device.

MQTT

Virtual reality (VR) immerses users in a virtual environment and enables them to interact with it, typically, in a physical way. Applications integrating IoT and VR include simulating control of something in the physical world, like a remote surgical robot, or enabling users to connect remotely in a virtual space.

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Virtual Reality

Voice interaction, or voice user interfaces (VUI), enables a user to control a machine via voice commands. VUI enables touchless control of devices, even from a short distance away, and is a common control method for IoT devices in the smart home. Specifically via voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa.

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Voice Interaction

Data analytics is the result of the process of data analysis in which raw data is inspected, cleaned, transformed, and processed into more useful and organized formats. The goal is to find useful and new correlations and information that can inform tactical and strategic decision-making.

 

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Data Analytics

Big Data is about managing large data sets, and sets of data sets, that are too large or complex to be analyzed with traditional data management methods and software. It is often made up of a combination of structured and unstructured data that can grow in size and scope at exponential rates.

 

Big Data

Cybersecurity is the software side of the protection of computer systems and networks from bad actors looking to commit cybercrimes and data leakage like information disclosure. It is often used to prevent interruptions of service and also hardware, software, and data theft or damage.

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Cybersecurity

Privacy in the context of IoT is used to refer to the protection of individual rights to choose how and by whom their data is consumed, stored, analyzed, or monetized. Privacy is protected by law in many countries and is a prime mover of regulations like the GDPR. IoT is especially pertinent to digital privacy because of the potential for passive sensors to collect data without the knowledge or consent of individuals.

Privacy

Digital transformation is the adoption of digital technology to digitize non-digital products, services, or operations. The goal is to increase value through innovation, invention, customer experience, and efficiency.

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Digital Transformation

Mobile technology refers to portable devices like smartphones and tablets that are connected through wireless networks and allow users to communicate, access information, and use various applications from almost anywhere.

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Mobile

Embedded systems are networked or otherwise connected computer systems made up of processors, memory, and input/output peripheral devices that have a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system.

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Embedded Systems

IoT platforms are software suites designed to manage or control IoT systems, either on-premise or from the cloud. They often incorporate a dashboard for viewing analytics, network status, and sensor and device activity. An IoT platform can also include functions that allow remote control and management of these endpoints, gateways, and networks. As of 2021, there are about 700 IoT Platforms on the market, depending on criteria.

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IoT Platforms

Low-code development is a way to make software without needing to write lots of code. You can use a platform with easy-to-use visual tools and drag-and-drop features instead of complicated programming languages.

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Low Code Software

Electric vehicles (EVs) are cars that run on electric motors using electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. IoT can help EV owners remotely monitor and control their cars through apps or web interfaces. IoT can also enable communication between EVs, charging stations, and energy grids so that EV owners can easily find charging for their cars.

Technology

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What is the Internet of Things, or IoT? A Simple Explanation

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Mood Predicting Wearables

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What is an API? - A Simple, Non-Technical Explanation

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