ity, using the many virtual interconnections
between devices to provide real-time data
about our energy usage, security alarms and
lighting systems. Connected devices can act
autonomously on our behalf either through
direct communication with each other or
interaction with a smart gateway or cloud
computing resources. Connected devices can
also be controlled by end users using smart
phones, tablets, PCs and device interfaces.
The deployment of wireless sensor
networks that detect temperature, motion,
humidity, light or glass breakage within
smart homes tap the power of the IoT to enhance our convenience, safety and security.
The sensors of a home security system, for
example, can be used for other smart home
applications, such as a digital lighting system that automatically turns on lights when
someone enters a room and then turns them
off when no one is present.
Using the IoT, intelligent devices can
monitor their own operating health and
notify users or OEMs of potential issues.
For example, a dishwasher may exhibit a
recognized wear pattern. If addressed early
by a parts swap or changes to the control
algorithm, it is possible to avoid an outage
and improve overall reliability, thereby reducing the number of warranty service calls.
When connected devices can be managed over the Internet, end users enjoy
greater flexibility in controlling their smart
systems and equipment. A control application can run on any smart phone, tablet or
computer from any geographic location.
By choosing a consistent user interface for
the control application, the user does not
need to learn new commands for each new
function. And the application makes it possible to provide sophisticated interfaces for
devices that traditionally have had only a
few buttons and LEDs.
The power of the IoT means opportunities for companies in every industry (see Figure 2). Although a security company might
find it difficult to expand its reach into the
lighting and home automation markets, it
could instead partner with established lighting and home automation vendors to create
value-added services. This is the power of
the emerging IoT ecosystem, which enables
electronic component suppliers, software
vendors, OEMs and service providers to
focus on their core competencies and leverage the strengths of partnerships to create
compelling applications for end users.
An understanding of power efficiency is
critical to IoT application development as
many connected devices must often operate using energy harvesting sources or run
on batteries for months or years without
maintenance or battery replacement. In
addition to power consumption, connected
device developers must consider factors such
as system cost, component count, MCU performance, system size, standards, interoperability, security, ease-of-use and in-field
troubleshooting.
Adding wireless connectivity to remote
devices not easily reached by Ethernet cable
or powerline communications is another
IoT design challenge that can be addressed
by embedded developers with RF expertise.
There is no one wireless or wireline technology that can serve all IoT application
needs across an entire network. To develop
cost-effective IoT products, engineers must
select the optimal wireless technology for
their application. As a result, the IoT will be
based on a variety of wireless protocols. For
devices to be able to reach out across the In-
ternet, they will also need to support Internet protocol (IP) along the communications
channel. Although Wi-Fi natively supports
IP and works with smartphones, t