logo
logo
Sign in

Things to Consider Before Choosing Internet of Things connectivity options

avatar
Airlinq Inc
Things to Consider Before Choosing Internet of Things connectivity options

Internet of Things connectivity management — the way you connect devices & sensors to your data processing module is the major IoT challenge. As each business case has its own goals, each Internet of Things system has its own needs, including the needs to connectivity in terms of range, data throughput, latency, etc.

IoT applications are emerging in various verticals or application enablement platforms. Connected cars are already being provided by numerous automotive players, while other smart solutions & services are being developed, such as connected factories & smart agriculture. As early IoT adopters, various telecom operators are, together with other IoT ecosystem partners, already providing smart services beyond the mobile broadband connectivity. Global IoT connectivity is the key enabler of digital business transformation. Timely & controlled access to data insights offered by the connected devices & sensors enables the creation of new processes, products & business models. This leads to informed business decisions.

Before choosing Internet of Things connectivity options

Internet of Things connectivity management services varies in range, power consumption, reliability, cost, bandwidth, & scalability capabilities. Various options need a specific environment, for instance, closed space with little electromagnetic interference, & is completely useless in other environments such as underground or outdoors. To choose the right option for an IoT connectivity management platform, these things should be taken into consideration –

The area of coverage –In other words, how far the device or sensor can be installed or move & still be able to constantly send data to the processing module. This range can be small a few inches in case of the access card and as far as a few miles in case of the agricultural drone.

  • Battery consumption –

There are various IoT devices that are constantly plugged and have direct access to the charging station. Others are scattered around the wide-area, for instance, soil sensors in the field, & need to have a reliable nearly life-long battery solution to be able to constantly send portions of data without the need of battery replacement.

  • Cost –

Cost depends on several factors. Mainly, it is the volume of data, service provider & the number of devices or area served.

  • Bandwidth –

In the IoT system, bandwidth implies the volume of data that can be sent between modules, for instance, a sensor & cloud storage. There are various IoT connectivity platforms that provide very high bandwidth, for instance, WiFi, & those which allow sending a small fraction of data frequently.

  • Existing infrastructure –

When designing the IoT system, take into consideration the existing infrastructure that it will sit in and, where it is possible, align the choice of IoT connectivity platform accordingly.

Every IoT system combines the four components – Sensors/Devices, Data Processing, Connectivity, and User Interface. However, an IoT system by AirLinq can combine these components in different ways & can use very different forms of connectivity. It all comes down to your specific application and organizational need.

 
collect
0
avatar
Airlinq Inc
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more