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Introduction to Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are
embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and
exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.

Definition and Characteristics of IoT

Defintion: IoT is a dynamic global network infrastructure of physical and virtual objects
having unique identities, which are embedded with software, sensors, actuators, electronic and
network connectivity to facilitate intelligent applications by collecting and exchanging data.

Characteristics of IoT:

Various characteristics of IoT are:

 Dynamic and self-adapting

 Self-configuring
 Interoperable Communication protocols
 Unique identity
 Integrated into information network

Dynamic and self adapting : The IoT devices can dynamically adapt with sensed
environment, their operating conditions, and user’s context and take actions accordingly. For
ex: Surveillance System.

Self Configuring: IoT devices can be able to upgrade the software with minimal intervention
of user, whenever they are connected to the internet. They can also setup the network i.e a
new device can be easily added to the existing network.

Interoperable Communication: IoT allows different devices (different in architecture) to

communicate with each other as well as with different network. For ex: MI Phone is able to
control the smart AC and smart TV of different manufacturer.

Unique identities: The devices which are connected to the internet have unique identities i.e
IP address through which they can be identified throughout the network. The IoT devices have
intelligent interfaces which allow communicating with users. It adapts to the environmental
contexts

Integrated into information network:The IoT devices are connected to the network to
share some information with other connected devices. The devices can be discovered
dynamically in the network by other devices. Example. If a device has wifi connectivity then
that will be shown to other nearby devices having wifi connectivity.

Sensors
A sensor is electronic circuit that detects changes in an environment and collect data.

The sensor attains a physical parameter and converts it into a signal suitable for processing

The output of the sensor is a signal which is converted to a human-readable form like changes
in characteristics, changes in resistance, capacitance, impedance, etc.

There are many different types of sensors, and they come in different shapes and sizes.The
most common types of sensors are

 Temperature sensors
 Proximity sensors
 Pressure sensors
 Water quality sensors
 Chemical and gas sensors
 Infrared sensors
 Smoke sensors
 Motion sensors
 Level sensors
 Image sensors
 Humidity sensors
 Accelerometer sensors
 Gyroscope sensors
 Optical sensors

ACTUATORS
An actuator is a machine component or system that moves or controls the mechanism of the
system.

Sensors in the device sense the environment, then control signals are generated for the
actuators according to the actions needed to perform.
They are linear or rotatory actuators, can move to a given specified angular or linear position

A servo motor is an example of an rotatory actuator that the motor rotate to 90 degrees, 180
degrees, etc., as per our need.

The following diagram shows what actuators do, the controller directs the actuator based on
the sensor data to do the work.

Types of Actuators

Hydraulic Actuators: A hydraulic actuator uses hydraulic power to perform a mechanical

operation. They are actuated by a cylinder or fluid motor. The mechanical motion is converted
to rotary, linear, or oscillatory motion, according to the need of the IoT device

Pneumatic Actuators: A pneumatic actuator uses energy formed by vacuum or compressed

air at high pressure to convert into either linear or rotary motion. Example- Used in robotics,
use sensors that work like human fingers by using compressed air.

Electrical Actuators: An electric actuator uses electrical energy, is usually actuated by a

motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical torque. An example of an electric
actuator is a solenoid based electric bell.

Other Actuators are

Thermal/Magnetic Actuators: These are actuated by thermal or mechanical energy. Shape

Memory Alloys (SMAs) or Magnetic Shape‐Memory Alloys (MSMAs) are used by these actuators.
An example of a thermal/magnetic actuator can be a piezo motor using SMA.

Mechanical Actuators: A mechanical actuator executes movement by converting rotary

motion into linear motion. It involves pulleys, chains, gears, rails, and other devices to operate

PHYSICAL DESAIGN OF IOT

The physical design of IoT (internet of things) includes things and different protocols.
Things: Things in IoT refers to IoT devices. Things have unique identities. Things can perform
sensing, actuation, and monitoring. Some of the examples of things in internet of things are
shown below.

Things can exchange data with other connected devices and applications, collect data from
other devices, and process the data either locally or send it to centralized servers or cloud. IoT
devices can have several interfaces like:

 I/O interfaces for sensors

 Interface for Internet connectivity
 Memory and storage connectivity interfaces
 Audio/video interfaces
An IoT thing or device is made up of different components. The generic block diagram of an IoT
thing or device is given below

An IoT device provides connectivity interfaces like USB, RJ45, etc. It contains a microcontroller
or processor for computation tasks. It provides audio/video interfaces like HDMI, RCA, 3.5mm
audio channel. It contains memory interfaces like DDR. It might support graphics by providing
a separate Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), it provides storage interfaces like MMC, SDIO.
Finally, it might provides different I/O interfaces for connecting sensors and actuators like
UART, SPI, I2C and CAN.

Protocols

A protocol is a set of rules that governs the communication between two or more devices.

A protocol defines the rules, syntax, semantics and synchronization of communication and possible
error recovery methods.

IOT PROTOCOLS
The OSI Model of IOT Consists of 5 layers so the protocols used are classified as per the
architecture of IoT
Application layer protocols
The application layer is the top layer of the OSI model. At this level, the protocols execute the
most data-intensive processes responsible for exchanging messages between end devices and
software applications.

AMQP (Advanced Message Queuing Protocol)

AMQP is an open standard protocol used for message exchange and queue management

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

HTTP is a widely used protocol for transferring Web pages and data over the Internet.

WebSocket

The WebSocket protocol provides low latency and efficient data transfer. It is ideal for real-time
applications such as online games, financial trading platforms, and chat applications.

LwM2M (Lightweight Machine-to-Machine)

The LwM2M protocol is specifically designed to manage IoT devices

XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol)

The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol is a messaging and presence management
technology

SMS/SMPP (Short Message Service/Short Message Peer-to-Peer)

The SMS protocol is well known for sending short messages over cellular networks. SMPP is the
standard for exchanging SMS messages between Short Message Service centers and external
messaging servers

SSI (Simple Sensor Interface)

SSI technology is a simple communication protocol for real-time data transfer between sensors
and computers

CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol)

CoAP is designed specifically for locally constrained devices and networks. It's lightweight,
efficient, reliable, and can be integrated with existing web services

DDS (Data Distribution Service)

The DDS technology is a protocol for reliable real-time data exchange between IoT devices.

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)

MQTT is a reliable message delivery protocol. It's easy to implement and suitable for IoT
devices with limited bandwidth and power

Transport layer protocols

The transport layer is the fourth layer in the OSI model and ensures the reliable transmission of
data between end systems

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

The TCP standard is a connection-oriented protocol. It uses acknowledgment messages to

guarantee that data packets arrive in the correct order and without loss

UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

UDP is a connectionless protocol that sends data packets directly to the recipient without first
establishing a connection

Network layer protocols

The network layer is the third layer of the OSI model. It is responsible for forwarding data
packets between different networks. The appropriate protocols decide which route the data
packets take to reach their destination efficiently.

IP (Internet Protocol)

IP is a widely used protocol for addressing and routing data packets on the Internet. It's flexible
and compatible with almost any type of network and device

6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks)

The 6LoWPAN protocol promotes efficient use of bandwidth and power. It is specifically
designed for low-power wireless networks and enables the seamless integration of small IoT
devices into the Internet with minimal power consumption.

Data link layer Protocols

The data link layer is the second layer of the OSI model. Technologies in this layer maintain the
error-free transmission of data between two directly connected devices.

IEEE Standards

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) develops and maintains several
standards for data transmission. They are robust, compatible with many types of networks, and
interoperable across devices and vendors

LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network)

LPWAN technology includes several protocols such as LoRaWAN and NB-IoT. The LoRaWAN
standard supports data transmission over long distances, while NB-IoT is ideal for low-power
devices

Physical layer Protocols

The physical layer is the lowest layer of the OSI model. Protocols at this level govern the
transmission of bits over a transmission medium, such as copper wire, fiber optic cable, or
radio waves.

Bluetooth/BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

Bluetooth is a wireless technology for short-range data transmission. BLE is the low-power
version of Bluetooth and is ideal for battery-powered devices

Ethernet

Ethernet technology is a common standard for wired networks. As an IoT protocol, Ethernet
provides robust and fast data transmission, ideal for Industry 4.0 and smart buildings where
high bandwidth is required.

Wireless technologies: 2G, GPRS/Edge, 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G

Mobile communication standards enable wireless communication over long distances

NFC (Near Field Communication)

The NFC protocol supports wireless communication over very short distances, typically a few
centimeters. NFC is easy to use, offers fast transmission, and does not require
device pairing like Bluetooth

PLC (Powerline Communication)

The PLC standard uses existing power lines for data transmission, which provides a
cost-effective networking solution without the need for additional wiring

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network)

The LPWAN protocol LoRaWAN is a wireless technology for long-range

communicationstransmitting data over long distances with low power consumption.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

RFID technology uses radio waves to identify and track objects

Wi-Fi

Widespread Wi-Fi technology creates locally restricted networks. It's easy to deploy,
compatible with many devices and applications, and provides fast data transmission

Z-Wave

The Z-Wave protocol is designed for home automation. It's energy efficient, easy to install, and
supports a high level of interoperability between devices from different manufacturers.

ZigBee

ZigBee technology is a low-power IoT protocol. It's ideal for battery-operated devices in smart
home, industrial automation and healthcare applications.

There are also a few more industry-specific IoT protocols and a number of security protocols

Communication Models in IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connected devices that can communicate with each
other, share data, and perform tasks without human intervention

Effective communication in IoT enables devices to share data, receive instructions, and
respond to requests in a timely and accurate manner

For example, in a smart home, the communication between the devices (such as lights,
thermostats, and security systems) allows them to work together to create a more convenient
and secure living environment for the occupants

Client-Server Model

In the Client-Server communication model, the client sends encoded requests to the server for
information as needed. This model is stateless, meaning that each request is handled
independently and data is not retained between requests. The server categorizes the request,
retrieves the data from the database or resource representation, and converts it to an encoded
response that is sent back to the client. The client then receives the response.
Publish-Subscribe Model

The Publish-Subscribe communication model consists of three entities: Publishers, Brokers, and
Consumers.

Publishers are responsible for generating and sending data to specific topics managed by the
broker. Publishers are not aware of the consumers subscribed to the topic.

Consumers subscribe to the topics managed by the broker to receive data from the publishers.
The broker is responsible for sending the data to the appropriate consumers based on their
subscription to specific topics.

The broker is responsible for accepting data from the publishers and forwarding it to the
appropriate consumers subscribed to that specific topic. The broker is the only entity that has
information regarding the consumer to which a particular topic belongs, and publishers are not
aware of this information.

Push-Pull Model

The Push-Pull communication model consists of three entities: data publishers, data
consumers, and data queues. Publishers and consumers are not aware of each other.
Publishers push messages or data into the queue, and consumers on the other end pull data
out of the queue. The queue acts as a buffer for messages when there is a difference in the
rate of data push or pull by the publisher and consumer.
Exclusive Pair Model

Exclusive Pairs are communication models that provide full-duplex, bidirectional

communication between a client and server. These models are designed for constant or
continuous connections between the two entities.

IOT Communication APIs

IoT Communications APIs are a set of protocols and interfaces that allow IoT devices and
platforms to communicate with one another. These APIs enable developers to create apps that
interface with IoT devices over conventional web protocols including HTTP, MQTT, CoAP, and
others.

Internet of Things Communications APIs standardizes how IoT devices communicate with one
another and with other systems

Types of Communication APIs in IoT

There are numerous IoT communications APIs accessible, each with its own set of advantages
and disadvantages. Among the most popular APIs are:

REST APIs
REST APIs are a popular choice for IoT communications because they offer a straightforward
and scalable method of exposing IoT device capabilities over the web.

WebSocket
WebSocket is a protocol that provides for bidirectional, real−time communication between a
client and a server. WebSocket is frequently used in the context of IoT Communications APIs to
provide low−latency, real−time data streaming between IoT devices and cloud services.

CoAP
Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a protocol used in Communications APIs for
resource−constrained devices and networks. It is a simple protocol for exposing and
manipulating IoT device resources via the internet.

MQTT
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight messaging protocol used in IoT
Communications APIs to link devices to the cloud. MQTT was created to be efficient,
dependable, and simple to use, making it an excellent choice for IoT applications.

IoT Enabling Technologies

IoT enabling technologies are crucial for connecting and managing devices in IOT's ecosystem.
These include sensors for data collection, communication protocols like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi for
device interconnectivity, cloud platforms for data processing and storage, and cyber security
measures to protect data integrity and privacy. Together, they create a network of
interconnected devices that can operate smartly.

It Includes
 1. Wireless Sensor Network
2. Cloud Computing
3. Big Data Analytics
4. Communications Protocols
5. Embedded System

Wireless Sensor Network(WSN)

A WSN comprises distributed devices with sensors which are used to monitor the
environmental and physical conditions. A wireless sensor network consists of end nodes,
routers and coordinators.

Example
 Weather monitoring system
 Indoor air quality monitoring system
 Soil moisture monitoring system
 Surveillance system
 Health monitoring system

Cloud Computing

It provides us the means by which we can access applications as utilities over the internet.
Cloud means something which is present in remote locations. With Cloud computing, users can
access any resources from anywhere like databases, web servers, storage, any device, and any
software over the internet.

It provides different services, such as –

 IaaS (Infrastructure as a service)

IaaS providers are Google Compute Engine, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure etc.
Ex : Web Hosting, Virtual Machine etc.

 PaaS (Platform as a service)

Computing platforms such as hardware, operating systems and libraries etc. Basically, it
provides a platform to develop applications.
Ex : App Cloud, Google app engine
 SaaS (Software as a service)
SaaS Applications are sometimes called web-based software on demand software or hosted
software.SaaS applications run on a SaaS provider’s service and they manage security
availability and performance.
Ex : Google Docs, Gmail, office etc.

Big Data Analytics:

It refers to the method of studying massive volumes of data or big data. Collection of data
whose volume, velocity or variety is simply too massive and tough to store, control, process
and examine the data using traditional databases.
Big data is gathered from a variety of sources including social network videos, digital images,
sensors and sales transaction records.

Several steps involved in analyzing big data

 Data cleaning
 Processing
 Visualization

Examples

 Bank transactions
 Data generated by IoT systems for location and tracking of vehicles
 E-commerce and in Big-Basket
 Health and fitness data generated by IoT system such as a fitness bands
Embedded Systems:

It is a combination of hardware and software used to perform special tasks.

It includes microcontroller and microprocessor memory, networking units (Ethernet Wi-Fi
adapters), input output units (display keyword etc. ) and storage devices (flash memory).
It collects the data and sends it to the internet.
Embedded systems used in

Examples

 Digital camera
 DVD player, music player
 Industrial robots
 Wireless Routers etc.

Communications Protocols:

They are the backbone of IoT systems and enable network connectivity and linking to
applications. Communication protocols allow devices to exchange data over the network.
Multiple protocols often describe different aspects of a single communication. A group of
protocols designed to work together is known as a protocol suite; when implemented in
software they are a protocol stack.

They are used in

 Data encoding
 Addressing schemes

IoT levels and Deployment Templates

Based upon the number of monitoring nodes used, type of data base used, complexity/
simplicity of analysis, computation there are 6 levels of IoT. Different applications are
implemented based on this level. The IoT systems consist of these following components.

 Device
 Resources
 Controller Service
 Database
 Web Service
 Analysis Component
 Application

Device: An Io T device allows identification, remote sensing, actuating, and remote monitoring
capabilities.

Resource: Resources are the software components on the IoT device for accessing, processing
and storing sensor information, or controlling actuators connected to the device Resources
include the software components that enable network access for the device. For ex: The
programs that we have written for object detection using IR sensor, to find out the distance
using ultra sonic sensor etc.

Controller Service: Controller service is a native service that runs on the device and interacts
with the web services. Controller service sends data from the device to the web service and
receives commands from the application for controlling the web services. For ex: The ESP 8266
programming, setting of API keys, SSID etc.

Database: Database can be either local or in the cloud and stores the data generated by the
IoT device.

Web Service: This act as an interface between IoT device, application, database and analysis
components. Web services can be implemented using HTTP and REST principle or using Web
Socket protocol.

Analysis Component: The analysis component is responsible for analysing the IoT data and
generates results inform which are easy for the user to understand. Analysis can be performed
either locally or in the clouds.

Application: IoT applications provide an interface that the user can use to control and
monitor various aspects of the IoT system.
IoT level 1:

o It has single node/device for sensing, monitoring, actuating, storing data,

performing analysis and hosting application.
o Data involved is not big. So data is stored in local database.
o It is suitable for modelling design low cost and low complexity solution.
o Primary analysis requirement is not computationally intensive. So can be analysed
locally.
o EX: Home automation
IoT level 2:

It has single node/device for sensing, monitoring, actuating, performing analysis and
hosting application.

o Data involved is big. So data is stored in cloud. It uses cloud based application to
visualise data.
o Primary analysis requirement is not computationally intensive. So can be analysed
locally.
o EX: smart irrigation

IoT level 3:
o It has single node/device for sensing, monitoring, actuating and hosting
application.
o Data involved is big. So data is stored in cloud.
o It uses cloud based application to visualize data.
o Primary analysis requirement is computationally intensive. So can be aggregated
and analyzed in cloud.
o EX: tracking package handling
IoT level 4:

o It has multiple nodes/devices for sensing, monitoring, actuating, performing

analysis and hosting application.
o Data involved is big. So data is stored in cloud. It uses cloud based application to
visualise data.
o Primary analysis requirement is computationally intensive. So can be aggregated
and analysed in cloud.
o It has two observer nodes i.e local and cloud based. They can subscribe to and
receive information collected in cloud from IoT device. They can process and use
that information for various applications
o Observer node does not perform any control function.
o EX: Noise Monitoring
IoT level 5:

o It has multiple nodes/devices for sensing, monitoring, actuating.

o One coordinator node for collecting and sending the data to cloud by controller
service.
o Data involved is big. So data is stored in cloud. It uses cloud based application to
visualise data. Suitable for wireless sensor network.
o Primary analysis requirement is computationally intensive.
o Analytic component analyse the data and stores result in cloud and make
prediction.
o Ex: Forest Fire Detection
IoT level 6:

o It has multiple independent nodes/devices for sensing, monitoring, actuating and

sending the data to cloud by controller service.
o Data involved is big. So data is stored in cloud. It uses cloud based application to
visualize data. Primary analysis requirement is computationally intensive.
o Analytic component analyse the data and stores result in cloud.
o It has centralized controller which is aware of the status of all the end nodes and
sends control command to the nodes.
o Ex:Weather monitoring and structural health monitoring.
Domain Specific IoTs
The Internet of Things (IoT) applications had a wide range of domains such as

 Home Automation
 Smart Cities
 Environment
 Energy systems
 Retail
 Logistics
 Industry
 Agriculture
 Health

HOME AUTOMATION

Smart Lighting: It helps in saving energy by adapting the lighting to the ambient conditions
and switching on/off or diming the light when needed

Smart Appliances : Makes the management easier and also provide status information to the
users remotely

Intrusion Detection : It use security cameras and sensors(PIR sensors and door sensors) to
detect intrusion and raise alerts. Alerts can be in the form of SMS or email sent to the user.
Smoke/ Gas Detectors: Smoke detectors are installed in homes and buildings to detect
smoke that is typically an early sign of fire
Home Network Routers: All the Internet connected devices in homes these days, the
network router continues to be by far the most targeted in attacks

SMART CITIES

Smart Parking

Smart Lighting
 Smart roads

ENVIRONMENT

 Weather Monitoring:
 Air Pollution Monitoring
 Noise Pollution Monitoring
 Forest Fire Detection
 River Flood Detection

ENERGY

 Smart Grids
 Renewable Energy Systems
 Prognostics

RETAIL

 Inventory Management:
  Smart Payments
 Smart Vending Machines
 LOGISTICS
 Fleet Tracking
 Shipment Monitoring
 Remote Vehicle Diagnostics

AGRICULTURE

Smart Irrigation