“The internet of things” (IoT) is a term for the ever-growing network of devices that are connected to the internet. These devices can include anything from home appliances to cars to medical implants. The main appeal of the IoT is the ability to connect these devices and control them remotely. This can allow for increased efficiency and convenience in people’s lives.
What Is IoT Connectivity?
Different types of connectivity are available to connect IoT devices, including applications, sensors, trackers, gateways and network routers. The term “IoT connectivity” is used to describe the specific IoT network solutions that can power this kind of connectivity. This could be Wi-Fi, cellular or LPWAN, to name a few.
How Does IoT Connectivity Work?
The IoT ecosystem is constantly growing as more and more web-enabled smart devices are created. These devices use embedded systems, such as processors, sensors and communication hardware, to collect data from their environments and then share it with other devices or send it to the cloud for analysis. Often, these devices communicate with each other in order to act on the information they receive, meaning that much of the work is done without human intervention. However, people can still interact with the devices if they need to set them up or give them instructions.
Why Is IoT Connectivity Important?
The internet of things has transformed the way we live and work, giving us complete control over our lives. By automating homes and businesses, IoT provides us with a real-time look at how our systems operate, delivering insights into everything from machine performance to supply chain operations. This technology enables companies to reduce labor costs, improve service delivery, and manufacture and deliver goods more efficiently. It also offers transparency into customer transactions. As such, IoT is one of the most important technologies of our time that will continue to pick up steam as more businesses realize its potential.
How To Choose the Perfect IoT Device
Choosing the perfect IoT device requires a consideration of the following main factors:
Cost
With IoT connectivity solutions, analyzing the available cost prospects is of critical importance to determine whether or not it is readily deployable or will it be requiring a network infrastructure to get into action. If you require network technology for IoT devices, you will need to evaluate the required equipment, the required technology and whether or not that equipment is a one-time purchase (for example, a modem).
Since Dusun’s gateway has built-in integration with platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure and others and is pre-connected with the cloud, the developer enjoys the ease of directly using these facilities from the platform without doing any development themselves. This significantly reduces the cost of IoT application development.
Coverage
When considering which connectivity solution to select, one of the most important factors to take into account is coverage. You need to make sure that the signal will be strong enough to reach all of your devices, regardless of their location. This includes being able to penetrate buildings and operate in isolated areas.
Some network types come with existing infrastructure that you can connect to. This means that coverage is already available over a large area. However, other technologies require you to deploy the infrastructure yourself, which can increase the cost of each deployment.
Bandwidth
When choosing an IoT connectivity solution, bandwidth is an important consideration. Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transferred over a network. If you have devices that require high amounts of data transfer, you’ll need to make sure the solution you select has sufficient bandwidth to support your needs.
Power Supply
IoT devices usually rely on batteries for power, and these can’t be recharged. This means that the connectivity solution you choose needs to be low-power to preserve the battery life of the device. Some technologies, like Wi-Fi, were not designed with IoT in mind and thus tend to consume a lot of power. However, there are specialized solutions like narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M which have features that help extend battery life.
Mobility
IoT devices that need to receive and transmit data while moving at high speeds require specialized connectivity solutions. If your application involves mobile elements, you need to ensure that your chosen solution can handle this kind of data transfer. Dusun’s Roombaner Gateway is a cutting-edge IoT gateway that connects an array of wired and wireless sensors and devices via Zigbee 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Sub-GHz and Modbus. It also features a 232/485/Modbus/DI/AI interface for added convenience.
Latency
The time it takes for data to be sent and received is called latency. In most cases, this delay isn’t a big deal. But for things like self-driving cars, even a small amount of latency can be dangerous.
That’s why it’s important to consider the inherent latency of different network technologies when choosing one for time-sensitive applications. Nothing is worse than when an application times out and data is lost or devices have to resend the information.
Security
IoT devices are useful because they can connect to other devices and networks. However, this connectivity can also create significant vulnerabilities. Hackers can exploit IoT devices to steal data or incorporate them into “botnets.” For years, hackers have been discovering new ways to exploit IoT devices. Firmware updates can help close security holes, but not all network technologies will enable over-the-air (OTA) updates due to limited bandwidth. If you’re concerned about the security of your devices, it’s worth considering whether you’ll need the ability to update them remotely. Dusun offers advanced encryption AES-128 that can help protect sensitive data between end devices and gateways, and data conversion can make raw data more user-friendly.
Indoor Penetration
Different signals have different strengths. For example, devices that are typically deployed underground or in buildings with a lot of obstructions will need a signal that can penetrate those obstacles well. In general, lower-frequency signals have better indoor penetration. Another thing to consider is the signal’s maximum coupling loss (MCL), which reflects how much interference the signal can theoretically handle. The higher the MCL, the greater the indoor penetration.
Redundancy
If you lose connectivity, it could cost you big time. Not only could you lose money, but depending on the application, lives may be at stake. That’s why having a redundant network is so important. It ensures that you always have a backup system in place.
Get To Know Dusun’s IoT Connectivity Solutions
When it comes to the Internet of Things, cellular connectivity is a top choice for many reasons. It is straightforward to set up and use, has strong coverage in a variety of settings (indoors, outdoors, and on the move), high data throughput, and excellent bandwidth. Additionally, there are specialized solutions for different types of use cases.
Cellular connectivity is the wave of the future, and Dusun is at the forefront with its IoT platform. Our platform provides unmatched global coverage. And because our solution is cloud-native, it provides built-in redundancy for guaranteed uptime of 99.99%. Plus, you can integrate our connectivity data with all the tools you already use. So don’t wait — shop Dusun today!
Sources
Oracle – What is IoT?
McKinsey & Company – The future of connectivity: Enabling the Internet of Things
