Internet of Things (IoT)

Unit I
Unit I

Introduction:

1. The term Internet of Things was first introduced by Kevin Ashton in

the year 1999.
2. He described IoT as a “Network connecting objects in the physical
world to the Internet”.
3. The Internet of Things can also be called as the smart object
network, the web of objects, the web of things, and cooperating objects.
4. It is a network of things, that are embedded with sensors and
actuators, which can sense the changes in the environment,
communicate the information using the internet/cloud and respond to
those changes.
5. A Sensor is a device that can sense the change in the environment
(or) that can read inputs from the outer world.
6. An actuator is a device that can trigger an action.
7. Technical definition of smart objects, “A smart object is an item
equipped with a form of sensor or actuator, a tiny microprocessor, a
communication device, and a power source. The sensor or actuator
gives the smart object the ability to interact with the physical world.
The microprocessor enables the smart object to transform the data
captured from the sensors, albeit at a limited speed and at limited
complexity. The communication device enables the smart object to
communicate its sensor readings to the outside world and receive
input from other smart objects. The power source provides the
electrical energy for the smart object to do its work”.
8. A virtual object is a digital representation, semantically enriched, of a
real world object (human or lifeless, static or mobile, solid or
intangible), which is able to acquire, analyse and interpret information
about its context, to augument the potentialities of associated services
for the benefits of the quality of the life of humans as final
consumer of the real world data. Examples: virtual button, virtual
receptionist in theatre.
Differences between IoT and Existing Technologies:

1. Embedded Systems: An embedded system is a computer

embedded in something other than a computer. Under this definition,
any system that has a microprocessor is an embedded system with
the exception of PCs, laptops, and other equipment readily identified
as a computer. Thus this definition of an embedded system would include
smart objects.
2. Real Time Systems (RTS): A real-time system is a system that
always responds to external input, or a timer, in a pre-specified
amount of time. The software for these devices needs to be strict
about its timing, and operating systems that provide this strict
timing are called Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
3. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN): Wireless sensor networks have
evolved from the idea that small wireless sensors can be used to
collect information from the physical environment in a large number of
situations ranging from wild fire tracking and animal observation to
agriculture management and industrial monitoring. Each sensor
wirelessly transmits information toward a base station. Sensors help
each other to relay the information to the base station. In wireless
sensor networks envisioned sensor networks to be composed of so-
called smart dust. Smart dust would be composed of large numbers of
tiny electronic systems with sensing, computation, and
communication abilities. It would be spread over an area
where a phenomenon, such as humidity or temperature, was to be
measured.

4. Mobile Computing (MC): Mobile computing is the field of

wireless communication and carry-around computers, such as laptop
computers. In some ways the mobile computing field spun out of work
initialized within the ubiquitous computing area. Mobile Ad hoc NETworks
(MANETs). MANET research focuses on networking mechanisms for
wireless computers where no network infrastructure exists. In such
situations, routing protocols and other network mechanisms must quickly
establish an ad hoc network.
5. Pervasive/Ubiqutous Computing: It falls under H2M interaction* . It is
a way to describe computing everywhere. Where everything is a
computer and you can talk to device and they answer. You can
see computer screen overlaid in the real world.
6. Internet of Things: IoT falls under M2M interaction*. IoT is a
subclass of ubiquitous computing. We can achive pervasive computing
through IoT. In IoT, Things, all over the environment, are connected
to internet/cloud and deployed by sensors and actuators(Embedded
systems). These smart objects can sense, communicate among
themselves - network of sensors(WSN)(MC). Only quality that makes
IoT stand alone from all other technologies is IoT can take a decision
based on the sensed data and act accordingly.
* There are 3 types of interactions: H2H, H2M, M2M.
(H-Human and M-Machine).

H2H- Humans interacting with Humans

H2M- Humans interacting with Machines

M2M- Machines interacting with Machines

Definition:

According to European Research Cluster on the Internet of Things

(IERC), IOT is defined as “A dynamic global network infrastructure with self-
configuring capabilities based on standard and
interoperable communication protocols where physical and virtual
“things” have identities, physical attributes, and virtual personalities and
use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly integrated into the information
network.”

According to Global Standards Initiative on IoT (IoT-GSI), IoT is defined

as “A global infrastructure for information society, enabling
advanced services by interconnecting things based on existing
and evolving interoperable information and communication technologies”.

Phases of IoT:

1. IoT represents a convergence of several domains and can be

perceived as an umbrella term.

1. Sensors collect information from the physical environment around

them
2. The Communicate
data and events generated are sent through the network to the
desired destination
3. Data collected are aggregated by devices itself or by processor
4. Sophisticated
Analyze analytics the aggregated data can be used to generate
basic patterns, control and optimize processes
5. Where suitable actions are performed based on the information
gathered
Fundamental Characteristics:

1. The IoT is a complex system with a number of characteristics.

2. Its characteristics vary from one domain to another.
3. Some of the general and key characteristics identified
during the research study are as follows:
4. Interconnectivity: With regard to the IoT, anything can
be interconnected with the global information and
communication infrastructure.
5.Dynamic changes: The state of devices change dynamically,
e.g., sleeping and waking up, connected and/or disconnected as
well as the context of devices including location and speed.
Moreover, the number of devices can change dynamically.
6.Things-related services: The IoT is capable of providing thing-related
services within the constraints of things, such as privacy protection
and semantic consistency between physical things and their
associated virtual things. In order to provide thing-related
services within the constraints of things, both the technologies
in physical world and information world will change.
7.Enormous scale: The number of devices that need to be managed
and that communicate with each other will be at least an order of
magnitude larger than the devices connected to the current Internet.
The ratio of communication triggered by devices as compared to
communication triggered by humans will noticeably shift
towards device-triggered communication. Even more critical will be
the management of the data generated and their interpretation for
application purposes. This relates to semantics of data, as well as
efficient data handling.
8.Heterogeneity: The devices in the IoT are heterogeneous as based on
different hardware platforms and networks. They can interact with
other devices or service platforms through different networks.
9.Security: IoT devices are naturally vulnerable to security threats. As
we gain efficiencies, novel experiences, and other benefits from the
IoT, it would be a mistake to forget about security concerns
associated with it. There is a high level of transparency and privacy
issues with IoT. It is important to secure the endpoints, the
networks, and the data that is transferred across all of it means
creating a security paradigm.
10.Sensing: IoT wouldn’t be possible without sensors which will detect
or measure any changes in the environment to generate data
that can report on their status or even interact with the
environment. Sensing technologies provide the means to create
capabilities that reflect a true awareness of the physical world
and the people in it. The sensing information is simply the
analogue input from the physical world, but it can provide the rich
understanding of our complex world.
 Design Considerations of IoT application

1. What is the end goal of the application?

1. Does it need to provide real-time data for information,

planning or safety/security purposes? Or perhaps the intent is
automation and control?
2.Understanding the end-use scenario will enable you to
determine the required power and performance levels.

2. What are the size requirements?

1. Today’s consumers seem to want everything to be as small as

possible, but at what cost? Take wearables for example,
Performance is often limited in these miniature form factors, which
are really only capable of supporting small bursts of data.
2.If small size and high-performance is mandated, a long-lasting
battery will be needed to extend power consumption demands, which can
quickly
make the overall solution larger and more costly.
3.Outfitting a large space in a building can be equally as difficult
since you will have to determine just how many components
will be needed to
ensure sufficient signal transmission throughout a facility.

3. What are the communication range requirements of the application?

1. In an indoor or urban area, with WiFi readily available, range can

be measured in feet or yards.
2.But in an outdoor or rural area, the range needed for a signal to
reach the nearest server/wireless gateway could be miles, requiring
a cellular or GPS interface.
3.If it’s a long transmission distance, higher power and higher
frequencies
will be needed.
4.If it’s a remote location that can’t be accessed frequently, battery
life will
be an important.
5. Interference with physical obstacles or other RF devices can also
affect operational distance.

4. What is the power source?

1. Transmitter power is a very critical matter in the design of an

application since it affects both the range of the communication and the
battery life.
2.The longer the range, the more power is required. The more
power required, the shorter the battery life.
3.If the device will be powered by batteries alone, then all design
decisions must consider how to preserve power.
 1.Many networking technologies will not be a good fit with battery
power.
Frequency of communication has an influence on power selection, too.

5. What environmental considerations need to be addressed?

1. One of the many benefits of wireless systems is that they can

often go where human beings cannot, include harsh
and/or hazardous environments.
2.However, it’s important to verify what types of wireless systems are
able to operate in specific situations (hot, cold, wet, dry) and even
extreme conditions.
3.For example, an application that needs to be implemented in a
medical freezer, or one used in a server farm that emits a great
amount of heat, will likely require more frequent monitoring and
possibly built-in emergency alerts.

4. Does your product need to communicate with other products?

1. If so, then you need to make sure they are interoperable.

2.This goes beyond compliance with organizations such as IEEE, ISO
and others, as even these well-known standards are sometimes
open to interpretation in more than one way.
3.For example, say there are two different manufacturers of media
access controllers (MACs). Both are compliant with the 802.11b
standard, but one doesn’t include all the functionality required for
a specific operation
by the end user. Even though both MACs are compliant with the
same standard, they may not be compliant with one another or
with the user’s
application.
4.The only way to ensure interoperability is via an interoperability
testing and certification process.

5. What about security?

1.Even if your application isn’t targeted for use by the military,

financial industry or health organizations, security of information is,
and always will be, a major design consideration.
2.Bottom line, you need to design-in as many layers of encryption protocols
as feasible; SSL and passwords at the very minimum.

(OR)

When designing your first IoT device, there are 10 things to keep in mind:

1. Cost: “Smart” or IoT products help consumers and manufacturers alike, but
they cost more. Both Ethernet and wireless technologies have come
down below $10, so consider networking in your next product.
2. Network: The network technology you chose for your IoT
product has distance and gateway/router issues. If you need to get to
the Internet then you need Ethernet/Wi-Fi; if you are self-contained in
a room or building then ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth are available.
Remember all wireless technologies need FCC certification.

3. Features: With an IoT connected product, companies can now add

features to their products that were not possible or imagined. These
features can get you direct access to the customer for updates,
maintenance, and new revenue opportunities.

4. User interface: How the user interfaces with a product is important.

Are you going to use buttons, LEDs, or a display on the product?
Also what web and app interfaces are you going to provide?

5. Power: One of the first decisions should be the power source. If the
device will be powered by batteries then all design decisions must
consider how to preserve power. Many networking technologies will not
be a good fit with battery power. Frequency of communication does
have an influence on power selection, too.

6. Size: Size matters. Consider how the network will impact the size of
the device. Connectors and antennas required by some networks will
add to the size.

7. Antenna: All wireless networks use an antenna, internal or external

to the product. The trend is to move the antenna inside the
enclosure if it is plastic. All metal enclosures would require external
antennas.

8. Cloud: Cloud applications provide products a user interface to the

product and the data. There are private and public clouds. Most
clouds have a standard API for developing your application.

9. Interoperability: Does your product need to communicate with

other vendors’ products? If so, then you need to adopt a standard set
of protocols, such as Apple’s HomeKit, to communicate with other products.

10. Security: Security is becoming a major issue, so you need to

design in as many layers of security as feasible. SSL and password are the
minimum.