The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept of connecting devices with each other and to the Internet. This ‘Internet of Things’ term was coined in 1999. It refers to the extensive network of connected people and things that share data with each other. Today, the Internet of Things (IoT) is combined with most sensors, smart products, from mobile phones to industrial devices. These technologies that interact with or use IoT in order to perform a task are considered IoT enabling technologies.
IoT devices capture billions of data to provide insights to the owner to help with management. IoT projects combine different sets of technologies, system integrations, engineering solutions, and user interfacing. In consumer and industrial IoT solutions, several aspects of technological implementations exist, and the types of technologies behind IoT solutions are vast. This article will discuss the top 5 IoT enabling Technologies and their roles in the public and industrial sectors.
Table of contents:
What are IoT Enabling Technologies?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of multiple connected devices that use technology to communicate with the cloud and each other. The segment has evolved due to the inclusion of various technologies. IoT devices and systems can include home automation solutions, industrial automation solutions, and others.
These IoT technologies are embedded with software, IoT sensors, and other advanced technologies. These technologies assist the IoT-enabled devices in exchanging data accordingly and performing tasks precisely.
Here is the list of the top 5 IoT enabling technologies –
- Wireless Sensor Network
- Cloud Computing
- Big Data Analytics
- Communications Protocols
- Embedded System
Wireless Sensor Network
Wireless Sensor Networks, or WSNs, consist of distributed device systems with sensors. They monitor the physical and environmental conditions in a particular area. A WSN has end nodes, coordinators, and routers. The end nodes of a WSN have multiple sensors attached to them. The data is passed to a coordinator with the assistance of the router.
In WSN, coordinators also act as gateways to connect to the Internet. Most IoT solutions require a Wireless Sensor Network for data transmission. The primary role of the Wireless Sensor Network is capturing data from physical systems and sharing it on the Internet.
In these Wireless Sensor Networks, sensors connect to the Internet with the gateway or directly access the Internet, depending on the network type.
Wireless Sensor Networks are primarily used in:
- Temperature management systems.
- Humidity management systems.
- Light management systems.
- Indoor Air Quality monitoring systems.
- Health monitoring systems.
- Surveillance systems.
- Soil moisture monitoring systems.
- Energy monitoring solutions.
- Pressure monitoring systems and more.
Here are a few IoT sensors that contain a Wireless Sensor Network:
- Temperature sensor.
- Vibration sensor.
- Humidity sensor.
- Pressure sensor.
- Light sensor.
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Ultrasound sensor
- Gas sensor
- PIR sensors etc.
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing involves server configurations, databases, big data, data analysis, and other various tools that can provide IoT data insights. It is a way to use a virtual computer from anywhere in the world with the same personalized experience.
With Cloud Computing, you can access applications available all over the Internet. Users can access any kind of resource from anywhere. Therefore, using databases, storage, web servers, devices, and software on the Internet has become easy.
There are three types of Cloud Computing services. Those are:
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides several online services including virtual machines, physical machines, networking, servers, data center space, and storage based on pay-per-use. In Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), users can install and manage the operating systems and applications.
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Computing Engine, IBM Cloud, and others are the current major infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) providers in the market.
Virtual Machines, web hosting, and so on are a few examples of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides the user with a cloud-based platform to support creating and delivering web-based applications. These applications do not require costly and complex underlying hardware and software. With the Platform as a Service (PaaS), clients can install, build, control, and modify the applications.
Google App Engine, SAP Cloud Platform, and Dokku are Platform as a Service (PaaS) examples.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software as a Service (SaaS) is the way to deliver software applications to clients over the Internet. In Software as a Service (SaaS), you do not have to install or maintain the software. Instead of doing these, you can just access the software via the Internet. On top of that, Software as a Service (SaaS) frees the users from the complexity of hardware and software management.
SaaS software is often called hosted software, demand software, or web-based software. SaaS providers maintain the software’s availability, performance, and security.
Google Docs, Slack, Zoom, and HubSpot are examples of Software as a Service (SaaS).
Characteristics of Cloud Computing:
- Pay per use.
- Massive network access.
- Measured service.
- Rapid scalability.
- Self-services on demand.
Benefits of Cloud Computing:
- There is no need to maintain or manage.
- You can pay per use. Scalability depends upon you.
- Backups are completed and automated.
- Even the upgrades are automated.
- You do not have to worry about the storage.
- You can access cloud-based applications from any location, whether web browser or mobile.
Big Data Analytics
Big Data Analytics is the method of analyzing a massive volume of data. In short, Big data is a collection of data with a huge volume, variety, and velocity.
Big data is based on these 3 Vs.
Volume:
- Terabyte
- Files
- Tables
- Records
- Transactions
Variety:
- Structured data
- Unstructured data
- Semi-Structured data
- Text, video, and audio data
Velocity:
- Real-time data
- Streams
- Batch
Therefore, traditional databases make it challenging to store, manage, control, examine, and process data. Big data can be gathered from various resources, such as transaction records, images, social network videos, and more.
Examples of using Big Data Analytics:
- Bank transactions.
- E-commerce.
- Data processed by IoT electronics for tracking.
- Grocery stores.
- Social Network.
- Fitness and health data generated by IoT systems and devices.
Communications Protocols
Communications Protocols are the foundation of the IoT systems. It is one of the popular IoT enabling technologies. These allow network connectivity and link to software applications. Moreover, Communication Protocols enable the devices to exchange data over the network. These also define the data exchange format.
In a single communication, multiple protocols can describe different aspects. When a bunch of protocols are designed to work together, it is called a protocol suite. On the other hand, when communication protocols are implemented in software, they are called protocol stacks.
Communication Protocols are primarily used in:
- Data encoding.
- Addressing schemes.
- Routing of the data packets from the source to the destination.
Embedded System
An embedded system is a combination of software components and hardware components. Embedded Systems are designed to perform a specifically assigned task. Embedded Systems can be independent systems or work as a part of an extensive system. These Systems include microprocessors, Microcontrollers, Network units such as Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters, storage devices, memory, input, and output units. Embedded Systems are designed to collect specific data and send the data to the Internet. Some Embedded Systems have Graphics, App-specific, and Digital signal processors (DSP).
Embedded Systems are used in:
- Home appliances.
- Digital camera, watch.
- MP3 players, DVD players.
- Aerospace sectors.
- Defense sectors.
Conclusion
The Internet of Things (IoT) continuously evolves the world around us. The IoT enabling technologies we explored in this article have been phenomenal for personal and industrial use. From seamless data collection to data management and analysis, these IoT enabling technologies are the backbone of the smart future. In addition, it will be easier than ever to automate tasks, improve efficiency, and create new possibilities. IoT’s potential and importance are limitless for creating an intelligent and more connected world.
FAQ
Q. What is IoT in electronics?
A: The Internet of Things (IoT) is the collective connection network between devices and technologies that executes the communication between the cloud and the devices themselves.
Q. What are the advantages of IoT?
A: There are several advantages of using IoT systems. IoT helps resource visibility in real-time. With the improved operational efficiency, monitoring and management of the assets, data-driven insights IoT solutions improve decision-making and end-customer experience.
Q. What is the enabling technology of IoT?
A: There are multiple IoT enabling technologies. Wireless Sensor Networks, Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, Communications Protocols, and Embedded Systems are quite popular among them.
Q. What are IoT enabled systems?
A: IoT devices are hardware, including sensors, gadgets, appliances, actuators, and machines. IoT-enabled systems are the components where IoT devices are programmed for dedicated applications. With the IoT enabling technologies, they can share data over networks.
Q. What are the enablers of IoT?
A: System installers, electricians, repairers, architects, craftsmen, and plumbers assist the end customer in using IoT services by connecting devices, IoT-enabling technologies, and systems.
