In 1999, Kevin Ashton of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) coined the term "Internet of Things" in his talk on RFID tagging. He described his vision as follows: computers and the Internet now rely almost entirely on humans for information ...... The problem, however, is the complexity of the data that people have at their fingertips. If computers could collect data and understand everything without relying on any help from us, then we could use them to track and count every 'thing', thus greatly reducing waste and loss and cutting costs. We'll know when 'things' need to be replaced, repaired or recalled; we'll know if those 'things' are in optimal condition."
At the time, "things" on the Internet of Things (IoT) were envisioned as things that could be counted. They existed in a range of relatively simple applications, such as RFID tags on shipping crates; parking garage entry/exit systems to keep track of whether a space is full; and hotel minibars that keep track of the snacks you consume in the evening and automatically charge them to your bill. Initially, separate counting systems operated as autonomous stand-alone applications.
In contrast, IoT now takes a broader view, with more emphasis on post-processing of accumulated data. As a result, this requires separate applications to remain connected to cloud storage and remotely controlled over the Internet.The scale of the network required for IoT can be unimaginable, and making this a reality requires absolutely reliable connectivity, designed into the product from the start and fully tested throughout the product lifecycle.
Traditional product development efforts are often characterized by silos, rework, and walls, and the PathWave platform supports an agile, connected design workflow. It integrates YesTech's trusted design and test software on top of a single platform, allowing you to accelerate product development. Every step in the product development path is connected and integrated.
Defining the nature and scale of things
Since 1999, IoT has expanded to include machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and applications such as manufacturing and utilities (gas and electricity). While automation already has a place in manufacturing, both IoT and the so-called Industrial Internet support a higher degree of automation while also increasing the flexibility and efficiency of manufacturing processes. New tools that support remote and forward-looking maintenance are examples of this, and they can reduce costs and increase competitiveness.
These trends are influencing forecasts for the size of IoT implementations, which are projected to reach between 15 billion and 50 billion interconnected "things" by 2020 across a wide range of industries. Further projections for disruptive new IoT-related businesses indicate that their potential revenue will be many times greater than that of IoT hardware and network provisioning.
In February 2018, IoT Analytics ranked the top 10 IoT segments based on assembled and categorized IoT projects. The top three segments are all part of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) application space.
1. Among them, smart cities jumped to the number one spot from the number two ranking in 2016. The most popular applications in smart cities are smart transportation, utilities, lighting, environmental monitoring, and public **** security.
2. The second-ranked segment is the connected industry. The most popular applications are equipment monitoring and remote control of connected machinery, such as cranes, forklifts, and throughout mines and oil fields.
3. Connected buildings is the segment with the largest growth since 2016. Most applications involve facility automation, which helps reduce energy costs.
Defined from a working perspective, the "thing" in the IoT can be any stationary or mobile natural or man-made object capable of transmitting data over a network. Take, for example, cargo transportation, fleet management and shipping, where smart BLE tags enable logistics companies to track location, speed, transportation and storage. Another example is flare gas monitoring. Wireless acoustic sensors can monitor valves and control airflow valves flowing to refinery flare stacks to improve compliance and reduce hydrocarbon losses due to failure to detect and repair faulty valves in a timely manner.
Top 10 IoT segments for 2018
IoT-enabling technologies
According to recent trends, it is likely that only a fraction of devices will use wired connections (e.g., USB, Ethernet, fiber optics), and the majority of IoT devices will be wireless. This includes near-field communication (NFC) for mobile payments, geosynchronous satellites for unattended remote weather stations, and Bluetooth? , wireless LAN (WLAN), ZigBee, point-to-point radio, cellular, and more.
Networks will need to cope with a variety of unique devices with different communication requirements. On the one hand, there are simple wireless devices, such as battery-powered sensors and actuators that can operate unattended for years, transmitting very little data. And on the other hand, for spectrum utilization, those high-bandwidth, mission-critical operations and devices, such as power systems or medical devices, that need to have constant, reliable and super-secure connectivity no matter what.
To uniquely identify each device requires a huge amount of IP address space. Since IPv4 addressing space is very limited and currently requires the use of concentrators such as routers and gateways, end-to-end addressing with IPv6 will be a key enabler for IoT devices. ipv6 has a virtually unlimited address space and supports unique addresses for billions of devices.
Access to cloud gateways
Server/cloud-based big data analytics and machine learning are critical for most IoT business models.IoT uses M2M communications to collect data and route control messages between widely distributed "things" (such as sensors or actuators) and cloud intelligence. Many topologies use gateway nodes as aggregation points between "things" and "clouds" (Figure 2).
Gateways vary in complexity. For example, Wi-Fi APs include IP routers and may also include conversion from Ethernet and Wi-Fi to ADSL or other fixed-line protocols. More complex gateways may include significant computing resources programmed using "edge" or "fog" applications that can make local decisions.
Where communication costs are low and latency is tolerable, IoT implementations tend to use simple gateways and then route most of the data to the "cloud" for analysis and decision making. Where communication costs are high or latency requirements are stringent, complex gateway nodes are often specified. These gateways can be maintained and configured remotely, and they monitor a range of local "things". Traffic routed to the cloud may include occasional status updates or alerts triggered when locally monitored thresholds are exceeded (e.g., when the temperature exceeds a maximum value or an intruder is present).
Many wearable apps and a subset of home automation apps utilize smartphones to provide user interfaces or act as gateway nodes. Because Wi-Fi is virtually ubiquitous, it has become the preferred choice for many IoT apps. If a landline or Wi-Fi? link is not available, then cellular protocols are often used. Bluetooth is often used in wearable apps and home automation apps around smartphones. If there is a need for increased security through shorter distances, then NFC is an option. ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Thread can provide robust low-power mesh networks for home automation and smart energy devices.
ISA100.11a and WirelessHART include frequency hopping technology to increase the resiliency of safety-critical IIoT applications. Emerging Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technologies such as LoRa and SIGFOX not only offer the cost, low complexity, and low power advantages of technologies such as ZigBee, but also support longer distances with narrowband, low data rate protocols.
IoT Mapping Technologies and Operating Ranges
Figure 3 shows IoT technologies by operating range. The wireless standards community uses the terms proximity, WPAN, WHAN, WFAN, WLAN, WNAN, LPWA and WWAN to indicate range.
Many formats are available for short-range connectivity between devices and gateways. To facilitate future growth, new standards are rapidly forming and evolving as new devices are connected. Currently, there are more than 60 legacy and new RF formats for M2M and IoT-related applications. Some of these formats, such as Bluetooth, WLAN and cellular, are already in widespread use. Others, such as ZigBee and Thread, are emerging in specific market segments.
To accelerate bringing products to market, some companies have developed proprietary solutions that are relatively easy to create because of their low data rates, low-power transmission and low interoperability requirements. This approach may gradually become obsolete as the globalization of the marketplace is driving a shift in device communications from the use of proprietary designs to the use of standardized solutions.
IoT Vertical Markets and Products
1. Smart Cities-Carefully Optimized IoT IoT Devices
Physical devices play a central role, both in smart cities and in any other IoT application. Smart city projects
require thousands of IoT devices. These devices must have lower energy consumption and excellent performance, while being resistant to interference,
safe and reliable. In a smart city, wireless connectivity between all IoT devices and the infrastructure must be maintained at all times. This connectivity must be gapless, secure and reliable, and capable of delivering high-quality voice and data services simultaneously. In a smart city, IoT devices will likely operate over a low-power wide area network (LPWAN). This network includes both proprietary and open standards options. The mix of so many wireless connectivity technologies makes designing and testing IoT devices in smart cities challenging
The network is the backbone of the smart city, and its performance and capacity limits are critical. Test solutions from Isotek help you test the limits in the lab using realistic traffic. In addition, network security is critical.
Building a smart city requires a hybrid network that serves as a central intelligent network hub to interact with a large number of IoT devices in a complex way. Placing these interconnected objects in a single network leaves opportunities for hackers to take advantage of them. Utilizing YesTech's network visibility solutions, infrastructure and devices such as household items and telephones in smart cities are fully secured.
2. Medical IoT - Ensuring Smart Medical Devices are Highly Reliable; Optimized for Safety and Security
The number of medical IoT devices being networked is climbing. Deployments are especially dense in hospitals, where most of these devices are crowded and operate in the 2.4-GHz band. Within this band, there are also a large number of Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi devices competing for spectrum resources with healthcare IoT devices, interfering with connectivity, resulting in frequent network drops and failures when transmitting critical alerts. This is a serious problem for healthcare IoT devices. Because these devices must be up and running at all times without any interference, even the slightest interruption of data during transmission can be life-threatening to patients. This infographic outlines the impact of interference on medical IoT devices and what steps can be taken to minimize it.
3.? Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is changing the way industrial production is done. Where factories used to give the impression of complex systems with lots of machines, people and manufactured products, they are now moving towards automation and intelligence. Workers are being replaced by robots.
Industrial IoT products need to be able to do tougher, longer-lasting work, with a lifespan of 10 years or more in some cases. They must work seamlessly together, regardless of the environmental conditions in which they operate. The challenge is to design products for Industrial IoT that meet these requirements, including reliability and security. No matter what kind of IoT product you are designing, YesTech can help you to ensure that it is fully optimized to survive and thrive in the Industrial IoT. Our solutions enable you to design and test Industrial IoT products faster, more accurately, and more cost-effectively.
4. Smart Home
Providing low-power IoT devices with trusted performance to create a connected home that consumers love
The smart home is becoming a mainstream part of the public's life. Many traditional homes already use at least one or more IoT devices in their daily lives. Many new homes are being designed from the ground up with IoT technology. By 2022, the typical family living room could contain more than 500 smart devices, according to Gartner.
While the functionality of various smart home devices varies, they adhere to many of the same connectivity and low-power requirements as industrial IoT devices, and many of the same technical challenges exist for smart home IoT devices. YesTech has the solutions and expertise to help you take your smart home IoT devices from design to successful product.
5. IoT Wearables
Getting the right balance between excellent battery life and great functionality
Wearables are everywhere. According to forecasts, as many as 411 million wearable devices will be sold in 2020 alone. With such a huge number of IoT devices, competition will be fierce.
A successful wearable device must be able to do more than just be "cool," but also be economically priced and reliable. It must not interfere with other devices while it is working, and it must not itself be affected by interference. It must strike an excellent balance between functionality and energy efficiency to ensure longer battery life. As you work to create the next "hot" wearable, YesTech is working hard to ensure that your product has the features and power efficiency to stand out from the rest.