There are three core elements typically referenced in the IoT architecture.

• Things – Devices that have a means of connecting (wired or wirelessly) to a wider network.
• Network – Similar to your router at home, the network or gateway connects multiple things to the cloud.
• Cloud – Remote servers in a data centre consolidating and storing your data safely and securely.

Data

Things generate data – small bytes of simple data representing sensed information such as, temperature, humidity or position. This is often described as ‘little data’ as it is small in size.

Once multiple devices pass this little data up through the network to the cloud it is consolidated and tracked over time often becoming ever larger. This is sometimes described as ‘big data’ and this is where the IoT becomes really clever. Big data allows you to interrogate thousands or millions of data points in order to learn, understand or control something more effectively.

Using analytics from sensors allows you to connect events to results or actions. For example, knowing that it is getting darker later in spring using ambient light sensors on street lights means they can be turned on later to save electricity. Or sensors detecting that a machine is vibrating more than normal may be a sign it  isabout to fail, allowing you to order parts and schedule predictive maintenance.

IoT Protocols

There are lots of languages or protocols emerging suited to the IoT, from traditional Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to newly defined LoraWAN™ and Sigfox.

Each is suited to different uses dependant on several key factors:

• Data Rate – How much information is being sent?
• Power Consumption – For example wearables only have a small amount of battery life?
• Range – Does it need to be transmitted a few meters or a few kilometres?
• Frequency – What frequencies are available to use in the region?

Designing for the IoT

A lot of the technology required to build the IoT isn’t new, more that each element has reached a maturity and cost effectiveness where it is now easily available.

IoT Devices generate a lot of data. Everyday we add more devices, more sensors, more parameters and more controls.