Whether your IoT device is two feet or two continents away from its base station, you have options.
From time to time, one of the major electronics manufacturers—Samsung, LG, and Sony are among the usual suspects—will introduce a new networked appliance or gadget at an event like CES (remember when live trade shows were a thing?) that will inspire a spate of articles about how the Internet of Things revolution is just on the cusp of changing our lives forever. But the Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer just a buzzword designed to generate online excitement and grab reporters’ ink. In truth, the rollout of IoT technology has been progressing surely and steadily for years, growing momentum as it is adopted by new industries and integrated seamlessly into new facets of everyday life.
Before we go further, perhaps it’s useful to take a quick step back and address the question, what is the Internet of Things? Simply put, it refers to the ever-expanding range of devices and objects that can be networked. This not only allows users to remotely manipulate these devices, but more importantly, allows sensors in the devices to collect data about its environment and send it back to a central database. This is where IoT really shows the promise to change the technological paradigm. Once this data is collected, it can be analyzed to optimize processes and contribute to machine learning algorithms that improve software performance over time.
All of these benefits depend on the ability to integrate sensors and network connectivity into any product imaginable. As a world-leading trusted advisor and technology partner for human-machine interface (HMI) devices, sensors, and other cutting-edge technologies, we have plenty of standard sensors and expertise in building custom sensors. However, we are also full-service integrators, meaning we can provide engineering resources to also help our customers solve the networking side of the equation. Long gone are the days when devices were tethered to Ethernet cables; there are a plethora of wireless connectivity options available, each with its own use case depending on distance and power requirements. In this post, we’ll explore the different tiers of wireless connectivity—sorted by range—and the advantages and drawbacks offered by each.
While Bluetooth reigns supreme, there are other formats in the wireless PAN segment that are worth considering. For instance, Zigbee is a low-power, low-bandwidth standard that is especially useful for applications like medical devices, home automation, and other energy-sipping sensors.
Compared to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi offers significantly longer range, which can be further expanded by adding repeaters to create a mesh network. This makes it a great option when coverage needs to encompass a building, factory, or small campus. Not only does it transmit farther, Wi-Fi offers the highest throughput and data rate of any technology on this list. However, these advantages come at the cost of high power usage. This makes Wi-Fi most effective for applications with access to power mains. But when you need to distribute your IoT sensors far and wide, you’ll need something a bit more specialized.
Unlike the previously mentioned tiers, this space is still a Wild West of sorts, with multiple standards competing for market share. However, many do share common traits. Typically, these standards rely on radio frequency (RF) technology, which uses radio waves to transmit data packets from edge devices to base stations, which can then send the information along for analysis or storage.
A number of leading protocols, including SigFox, LoRa, and Dash 7, operate in the unlicensed frequency range, while others—such as NB-IoT and EC-GSM-IoT—operate in the range licensed for cellular data. Once again, this presents a trade-off. The unlicensed bands, by virtue of their open nature, are more heavily saturated than the regulated bands, which means transfer speeds are slower. However, standards operating in the regulated frequencies need to pay licensing fees, making the service more expensive. Which standard is best for your particular application will be mostly be dependent upon your bandwidth needs.
A less developed segment of WWAN networking options uses satellites to communicate with IoT devices. Most of these networks are still being tested or deployed, so the technology is still in its early stages. However, it is certainly a segment we will be keeping our eye on.