It’s undeniable: 2014 was the year when the electronics industry decidedly and collectively moved forward to push the Internet of Things (IoT). In year 2015 IoT markets will continue to grow. I think we’re going to see some critical mass on corralling the IoT in 2015. IoT is a young market – no one seems to be clearly leading. Communications are the key here. Over the last 10 years the world has done a remarkably good job of connecting the global wireless world. The last decade has radically changed the way we live. The smartphone and its cousin, the tablet, was the final link to ubiquitous wireless coverage, globally. The fantasy of the IoT is quite grand: everything on the planet can be smart and communicate. The idea is both powerful and impractical.
IoT is entering peak of inflated expectations: The Internet of Things is at that stage when the efforts of various companies involved in it, along with research, are proving to have a lot of promise. At this stage, the Internet of Things should not have too many difficulties attracting developers and researchers into the fold. As we turn to 2015 and beyond, however, wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity. Tie the common threads of IoT and wearables together, and an unstoppable market movement emerges. There seems to be a lack of public appreciation of the extent to which the Internet of Things is going to fundamentally change how people interact with the world around them.
On the other hand, the Internet of Things is getting poised to enter the trough of disillusionment, which means that there is more room for failure now. There are issues of security, privacy, and sharing of information across vertical implementations that still need to be worked out. Until they are, the IoT will not be able to fulfill all its promises.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to grow significantly, as consumers, businesses, and governments recognize the benefit of connecting inert devices to the internet. The ‘Internet of Things’ Will Be The World’s Most Massive Device Market And Save Companies Billions Of Dollars in few years. BI Intelligence expects that the IoT will result in $1.7 trillion in value added to the global economy in 2019. This includes hardware, software, installation costs, management services, and economic value added from realized IoT efficiencies. The main benefit of growth in the IoT will be increased efficiency and lower costs: increased efficiency within the home, city, and workplace. The enterprise sector will lead the IoT, accounting for 46% of device shipments this year, but that share will decline as the government and home sectors gain momentum. I expect that home, government, and enterprise sectors use the IoT differently.
The IoT is only enabled because of two things: the ability of networks to reach countless nodes, and the availability of cost-effective embedded processors to attach to a multitude of devices. The prices for components and devices continues to decline while the skyrocketing global demand for 24/7 Internet access grows exponentially. The Internet of Things growth will benefit mostly from the autonomous machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity that will make up the bulk of the objects of the IoT. This is the main driver for double-digit growth across verticals in the electronics, and especially the semiconductor industry well into the next decade. The IoT will connect places, such as manufacturing platforms, energy grids, health-care facilities, transportation systems, retail outlets, sports and music venues, and countless other entities to the Internet.
Internet of Things can become Engineering for Everyone. The emergence of open-source development platforms, developed and maintained by dedicated volunteers, has effectively raised the level of abstraction to a point where nonexperts can now use these platforms. The availability of open-source software and, more recently, hardware targeting embedded applications means that access to high-quality engineering resources has never been greater. This has effectively raised the level of abstraction to a point where nonexperts can now use these platforms to turn their own abstract concepts into real products. With the potential to launch a successful commercial venture off the back of tinkering with some low-cost hardware in your spare time, it’s no wonder that open-source hardware is fuelling an entirely new movement. A new generation of manufacturer is embracing the open-source ethos and actually allowing customers to modify the product post-sale.
Exact size predictions for IoT market next few years vary greatly, but all of the firms making these predictions agree on one thing—it’s going to be very big.
In year 2014 very many chip vendors and sensor algorithm companies also jumped on the IoT bandwagon, in hopes of laying the groundwork for more useful and cost-effective IoT devices. Sensors, MCUs, and wireless connectivity are three obvious building blocks for IoT end-node devices. Wireless connectivity and software (algorithms) are the two most sought-after technologies. Brimming with excitement, and with Europe already ahead of the pack, a maturing semiconductor industry looks expectantly to the Internet of Things (IoT) for yet another facelift. The IC sales generated by the connectivity and sensor subsystems to enabled this IoT will amount $57.7 billion in 2015.
Chips for IoT market to grow 36% in 2015, says Gartner as automotive V2X, LED lighting and smart domestic objects are set to drive semiconductor market growth through the year 2020, according to market analysis firm Gartner. The move to create billions of smart, autonomously communicating objects known as the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving the need for low-power sensors, processors and communications chips. By 2018, the market value of IoT subsystems in equipment and Internet-connected things is projected to reach $103.6 billion worldwide, which represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.0 percent from $39.8 billion in 2013.
BI Intelligence expects that by 2019 IoT market will be more than double the size of the smartphone, PC, tablet, connected car, and the wearable market combined. A new report by Yole Developpement pegs the market size in the $70 billion range by 2018, with the next five years presenting a golden opportunity for device makers as the IoT enters the growth stage. Device shipments will reach 6.7 billion in 2019 for a five-year CAGR of 61%.
Number of connected devices is expected to to reach 36 billion units by 2020, cautions that “all of this new market opportunity is under threat.” Other estimate according to market research firm Radiant Insights of San Francisco is that the number of Internet connections will grow from 9 billion devices in 2014 to 100 billion by 2020 (twice as many as the estimate from Cisco Systems Inc). IC Insights forecasts that web-connected things will account for 85 percent of 29.5 billion Internet connections worldwide by 2020. Currently fragmented market, the number of cellular M2M connections could rise from 478 million today to 639 million in 2020.
By 2024, the report predicts that overall market value for components will exceed of $400 billion, of which more than 10% will come from hardware alone. Revenue from hardware sales will be only $50 billion or 8% of the total revenue from IoT-specific efforts, as software makers and infrastructure companies will earn the lion’s share. As the Internet of Things grows to a projected 212 billion items by 2020, the question of regulation looms increasingly large.
The growth of the IoT will present some very interesting issues in a variety of areas. You will see some very fast activity because unless it gets resolved there will be no IoT as it is envisioned.
General consensus is that the interconnect protocol of the IoT will be IP (Internet Protocol). As it stands today, the deployment of the billions of IoT objects can’t happen, simply because there just aren’t enough IP addresses with IPv4. While there is still some discussion about how to connect the IoT, most are in agreement that the IoT protocol will be IPv6. The first step will be to convert all proprietary networks to an IP-base. Then, the implementation of IPv6 can begin. Because direct interoperability between IPv4 and iPv6 protocols is not possible, this will add some some complications to the development, resulting in a bit of obfuscation to the transition for IPv6.
Is There Any Way to Avoid Standards Wars in the Emerging Internet of Things? I don’t see that possible. IoT will be in serious protocol war in 2015. There is a wide selection of protocols, but no clear set of winners at the moment. The real IoT standardization is just starting – There are currently few standards (or regulations) for what is needed to run an IoT device. There is no single standard for connecting devices on the Internet of Thing, instead are a handful of competing standards run by different coalitions of companies: The Thread Group (Qualcomm, The Linux Foundation, Microsoft, Panasonic), The Industrial Internet Consortium (Intel, Cisco, AT&T, IBM, Microsoft), Open Interconnect Consortium (Samsung, Intel, Dell), Physical Web (Google), AllSeen Alliance (Samsung, Intel, Dell) and huge number of smaller non-standardized protocols in use. Each of the standards vary how they do things.
Anyone who tries to build a physical layer and drive a software stack based on it all the way up to the application layer is a fool. But many companies try to do it this year. Today Zigbee is the most cost effective, but tomorrow WiFi will figure it out. On networking field in every few years there’s a new management protocol – what will happen in IoT, it will keep moving, and people will need open APIs.
Currently the IoT lacks a common set of standards and technologies that would allow for compatibility and ease-of-use. The IoT needs a set of open APIs and protocols that work with a variety of physical-layer networks. The IP and network layer should have nothing to do with the media. The fundamental issue here is that at the moment the Internet of Things will not have a standard set of open APIs for consumers. IoT, it will keep moving, and people will need open APIs. I suspect that at some point, after the first wave of the Internet of Things, open APIs and root access will become a selling point.
It is not just technical protocol details that are problem: One problem with IoT is that it is a vague definition. Do we simply mean ‘connected devices? Or something else? One of the main issues, which will only get worse as the IoT evolves, is how are we going to categorize all the different objects.
Early in 2015, the Industrial Internet Consortium plans to wrap up work on a broad reference architecture for the Internet of Things, ramp up three test beds, and start identifying gaps where new standards may be needed. The group, formed by AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM, and Intel, now has about 115 members and aims to make it easier to build commercial IoT systems. The IIC hopes to finish a first draft of its reference architecture by the end of January and have it ratified by March. It will define functional areas and the technologies and standards for them, from sensors to data analytics and business applications. The framework includes versions for vertical markets including aerospace, healthcare, manufacturing, smart cities, and transportation. A breakout section on security also is in the works. Hopefully the reference architecture could be used to help people construct industrial IoT systems quickly and easily.
With the emergence of the Internet of Things, smart cars are beginning to garner more attention. Smart cars are different than connected cars, which are simply smartphones on wheels. Even though the technology has been on the evolutionary fast track, integration has been slow. For car manufacturers, it is a little tricky to accept driverless cars because it disrupts their fundamental business model: Private resources will evolve to shared resources, centrally controlled, since autonomous vehicles can be controlled remotely.
Over the next few years, we’ll see a torrent of new devices emerge that are connected to the Internet and each other through a wide range of different wireless networking protocols. As a result, there’s a race on, not just to get those devices connected, but also to provide the network infrastructure necessary to managing all of them at scale. WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular networks are nowadays widely used, nut new alternatives are coming to solve applications were those technologies are not most suitable. There are different plans for wide area wireless networks that use licensed or unlicensed wireless bandwidth to transmit small amounts of data from various connected device – this could create its own connection to them in a cost effective manner without relying on existing cellular or WiFi networks.
Recently we have developed a pressing need, or desire to put our refrigerators, and everything we have access to while mobile, on the net, morphing the brave new world of the Internet of Things, into the Internet of Everything (IoE). And that will make that last 100 meters—that final frontier of interconnect—a reality. Today, only about 10% of the last 100 meter devices that will make up the IoT are connected. As the IoT evolves, other small cells such as businesses, city centers, malls, theaters, stadiums, event centers, and the like, will connect much of what they have on premise (soda or popcorn machines, vending machines, restaurants, parking garages, ticket kiosks, seat assignments, and a very long list of others). And, there are a very large number of devices that are short-range in all of these various cells. What was once the last mile for connectivity is now the last 100 meters.
Plenty of people and companies in the technology world tend to come at the Internet of Things by dwelling on the “Internet.” But what if, instead, we started with the “Things?” Knowing intimately what “things” are supposed to do and how they think and behave will be the key to solving one of the IoT’s most pressing issues: application layers. Over the past 18 months, the industry has launched numerous consortia, from Qualcomm’s AllSeen and Intel’s Open Interconnect Consortium to Apple’s HomeKit and Google’s Thread. Every entity says it’s targeting the “interoperability” of things at home, but each is obviously concentrating primarily on its own interests, and making their “layer” specifications slightly different from those pursued by others.
It seems that no industry consortium is particularly interested in defining — in gory detail — the specific functions of, say, what a door lock is supposed to do. The library of commands for each function already exists, but someone, or some group, has to translate those already determined commands into an IP-friendly format. One of the standards organizations will take up the challenge in 2015. This will be the first step to “knock barriers down for IoT” in 2015.
Missing today in the IoT are reliability and robustness. Consumers expect their light switched and other gadgets to be infinitely reliable. In many today’s products we seem to be far from reliable and robust operation. Today’s routers can relay traffic between networks, but they have no idea how to translate what functions each device attached to them wants to do, and how to communicate that to other devices. The network needs to be able to discover who else is on the network. Devices connected to network need to be able to discover what resources are available and what new devices are being added. The network needs to be extensible.
Despite the oft-mocked naming scheme, the Internet of Things (IoT) has an incredibly practical goal: connecting classically “dumb” objects—toasters, doorknobs, light switches—to the Internet, thereby unlocking a world of potential. Imagine what it means to interact with your home the same way you would a website, accessing it without geographic restriction. But there is one missing piece of the smart home revolution: smart home operating system. So what will be the system that capitalizes on the smart home in the same way, the enabler of all the applications and actions we want our homes to run and do? There are no ready answers for that yet. And there might not be a singular, cohesive operating system for your home, that this stuff isn’t one-size-fits-all. It might be that the real potential for home automation lies not in local software running on a home device but in the cloud. I think that the cloud is going to be more important over time, but there will always be also need for some local functionality in case the connection to cloud is lost. Right now the Internet of Things is rather disjointed compared to Internet and computers.
When everything will be connected, how about security? In the path to IoT, the issue of data and device security looms large. Security for the ‘Internet of Things’ will be talked about very much in 2015 for a good reason. As Internet of Thigs becomes more and more used, it will be more hacked. Thus security of Internet of Things will be more and more talked about. Virtually anything connected to the Internet has the potential of being hacked, no matter how unlikely. Internet of Things devices often lack systematic protections against viruses or spam. Nowadays most security breaches are software-based, when an application can be compromised. Counter-measures for such attacks range from basic antivirus scanning software, to embedded hypervisors to hardware-bound secure applications tying their execution to uniquely identifiable hardware. There is emerging customer demand for silicon authentication. But the threats extend way beyond software and some hackers will put a lot of effort into compromising a system’s security at silicon-level. Individual devices can get hacked, but all systems should have some way of self-checking and redundancy. Those IoT systems can be very complex at device and system level. The problem with complexity is that you create more attack points and make it easier for hackers to find flaws.
Experts recommend far more layers of cyberprotection than manufacturers have thought necessary. Because many of the devices will often be practically inaccessible, the “patch and pray” strategy used for many desktop software packages is unlikely to be an effective strategy for many forms of IoT devices. Right now, there are hundreds of companies churning out “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices as fast as they can, without thinking too much on the security issues they can cause in the future. The imperative is clear: Do your homework on the specific security features of any IoT device you might consider bringing into the home. What steps are IoT companies taking to keep us safe from others online, and what constitutes a truly “safe” smart appliance?
What we’re opening up is a whole new subject not just of security but of safety. That safety depends on devices to be constantly connected to the Internet the same way they’re connected to the power grid. That’s a whole new area that deserves its own consideration. Keep in mind that IoT is one field where cyber security flaws can kill in the worst case. Connecting unrelated devices in the IoT means many more pieces now affect reliability and security. More devices are now considered critical, such as a connected baby monitor or a smart smoke detector, because wrong information can injure or kill people. The Internet of Things is coming no matter what happens. The people in charge of keeping the public safe and the industry healthy need to be ready.
The European Police Office (Europol) said governments are ill-equipped to counter the menace of “injury and possible deaths” spurred by hacking attacks on critical safety equipment. There are many potential dangers are in transportation: many new cars are Internet connected and potentially vulnerable, SCADA Systems in Railways Vulnerable to Attack and Airline bosses ignore cyber security concerns at their peril. With industrial control systems becoming network-connected, security risks rise and will need a long-term solution. In light of the trend toward the Industrial Internet of Things, development teams must start thinking hard about network security and planning for its long-term viability.
You have to accept the fact that at each point in the IoT there are vulnerabilities to malicious attacks and interception of vital information. Soon, almost every network will soon have some IoT-hacking in it. IDC predicts that in two years from 90 per cent of the global IT networks have met IoT data theft. In a report, cybersecurity firm Fortinet expects greater threats from “denial of service attacks on assembly line, factory, industrial control systems, and healthcare and building management…resulting in revenue losses and reputation damages for organizations globally.” This opens new doors of risks in the areas of corporate extortion, altering of corporate business operations, and the extension of cyberattacks to include physical threats of harm to civilians.
There are lessons to be learned to keep the cyber security in control in the IoT era. There will be lessons to be learned for all the parties of the IoT ecosystem. The companies that figure out how to make security available on multi-stakeholder platforms will be the most successful ones. Figuring out a secure platform is important, but having different levels of security is still important. Different uses have different bars. Security is a self-regulating system to some extent because it is supply and demand. That is the Holy Grail for technology right now, which is how to build systems with enough security—not 100% protection right now—from a unified platform point of view for multiple applications.
The data generated by the Internet of Things has the potential to reveal far more about users than any technology in history: These devices can make our lives much easier … The Internet of Things however, can also reveal intimate details about the doings and goings of their owners through the sensors they contain. As the Internet of Things grows to a projected 212 billion items by 2020, the question of regulation looms increasingly large. There is a lot of effort is going today at the government level. They’re not thinking about whether the Internet goes down. They’re worried about what happens if the Internet gets compromised.
When we have devices on the field, there is question how to analyze the data coming from them. This is easily a “big data” problem because of the huge amount of data that comes from very large number of sensors. Being able to monitor and use the data that comes from the Internet of Things is a huge potential challenge with different providers using different architectures and approaches, and different chip and equipment vendors teaming up in a range of different ways. Many large and smaller companies are active on the field: Intel, IBM, Lantronix+Google, Microchip+Amazon, Freescale+Oracle, Xively, Jasper, Keen.io, Eurotech, and many other.
The huge increase of data is coming. Radiant predicts that wireless sensor networks will be used to monitor and control very many domestic, urban, and industrial systems. This promises to produce an explosion of data, much of which will be discarded as users are overwhelmed by the volume. As a result, analysis of the data within the wireless sensor network will become necessary so that alerts and meaningful information are generated at the leaf nodes. This year has seen the software at the very highest point in the Internet of Things stack — analytics — becoming tightly coupled with the embedded devices at the edge of the network, leading to many different approaches and providers.
Integrating data from one IoT cloud to another will have it’s challenges. Automation services make big steps by cutting corners. Sites like IFTTT, Zapier, bip.io, CloudWork, and elastic.io allow users to connect applications with links that go beyond a simple synch. Check what is happening with integration and related services like IFTTT, ItDuzzit, Amazon Lambda. For example IFTTT is quietly becoming a smart home powerhouse.
Most important sources of information for this article:
With $16M In Funding, Helium Wants To Provide The Connective Tissue For The Internet Of Things
IFTTT, other automation services make big steps by cutting corners
Internet of Things: Engineering for Everyone
IoT in Protocol War, Says Startup – Zigbee fortunes dim in building control
Analysts Predict CES Hotspots – Corralling the Internet of Things
What’s Holding Back The IoT – Device market opportunities will explode, but only after some fundamental changes
Apps Layer: ’800lb Gorilla’ in IoT Nobody Talks About
Analysts Predict CES Hotspots – IoT, robots, 4K to dominate CES
10 Reasons Why Analytics Are Vital to the Internet of Things
Tech More: Mobile Internet of Things BI Intelligence Consumer Electronics – Most Massive Device Market
Wearables make hardware the new software
Zigbee Opens Umbrella 3.0 Spec
IoT Will Give ‘Embedded’ a Shot in the Arm - Connected cities to be largest IoT market
Chips for IoT market to grow 36% in 2015, says Gartner
Apps Layer: ’800lb Gorilla’ in IoT Nobody Talks About
Short-Range, Low-Power Sensors – once the last mile for connectivity is now the last 100 meters
The one problem the Internet of Things hasn’t solved
Plan Long Term for Industrial Internet Security
To Foil Cyberattacks, Connected Cars Need Overlapping Shields
IoT cybersecurity: is EDA ready to deliver?
More Things Are Critical Systems
Silicon, Security, and the Internet of Things
The missing piece of the smart home revolution
Hackers will soon be targeting your refrigerator
10 Reasons Why Analytics Are Vital to the Internet of Things
1,316 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why is the so-called Smart World still So Stupid
http://greenpeak.com/Press/PressKit/2015GreenPeakWhitePaperSmartHomeHype.pdf
The Smart Home will revolutionize how the electronic and technology industries function
in the future.
Because of the Smart Home, how we live our lives will totally change. The industry is alive with Smart Home buzz, excitement and promises. Unfortunately a lot of it is just hype. It is just not real. Yet.
Because today’s – and tomorrow’s smart homes – are not very smart. In fact, most of them are still downright dumb. This is because people are confusing “connected” with “smart”.
To be smart, the smart house actually needs to have some intelligence of its own.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Key to IoT Success: Focus on Standards and Technologies That Move You Forward
http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4438871/Key-to-IoT-Success-Focus-on-Standards-and-Technologies-That-Move-You-Forward?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_systemsdesign_20150429&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_systemsdesign_20150429&elq=578c645627064bb6ac4df2f49ea8352f&elqCampaignId=22760&elqaid=25604&elqat=1&elqTrackId=50916457397b424fbfd0f9b28da7cb8a
Many developers are looking to take advantage of the massive business opportunity presented by the Internet of Things, but hesitate to take the first steps due to numerous shifting standard protocol initiatives. Developers don’t have to wait—as long as they select the right integration partners that enable them to move forward today and continue to grow in the future. Complex architectures need partners that can provide the necessary hardware, software and services for seamless and secure implementation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Saving the bees using the IoT
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/eye-on-iot-/4439281/Saving-the-bees-using-the-IoT?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_systemsdesign_20150429&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_systemsdesign_20150429&elq=578c645627064bb6ac4df2f49ea8352f&elqCampaignId=22760&elqaid=25604&elqat=1&elqTrackId=00ebce38b6f443d69356920348c9bf05
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vendors fielding end-to-end IoT support
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/eye-on-iot-/4438851/Vendors-fielding-end-to-end-IoT-support
Companies making processor chips have long known that they need to provide substantial design support in order to gain design wins. They have apparently taken that lesson to heart as they maneuver to capture the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market. They are starting to position themselves as one stop shops for IoT design by offering everything from the processor to cloud and mobile app support in a unified package.
The ultimate vision for the IoT calls for an integrated ecosystem in which product developers can add new devices to existing IoT services and application developers can leverage the data from deployed devices to create new services. But that vision is still some years from realization, and for now IoT developers must provide a fairly complete package from device to cloud services and (in many cases) to mobile device apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZigBee RF4CE for Remote Controls
http://www.eeweb.com/news/zigbee-rf4ce-for-remote-controls
GreenPeak Technologies announced the release of a new white paper about ZigBee RF4CE. Originally developed by the consumer electronics industry to connect remote controls to TVs, DVD players, etc. RF4CE devices have now become the essential accessory for the Smart Home. Within the last few years, RF4CE has become the dominant standard and has been adopted by ALL the leading operators and their set-top box and remote control makers in the USA. Worldwide, over a 100 million new set-top boxes and remote controls are already using ZigBee and this number is growing rapidly.
“RF4CE is a sophisticated two-way interactive wireless communication protocol ideal for the remote control of consumer electronic devices, set-top boxes and Smart Home applications,”
RF-technology offers many advantages over infrared – no need to aim the remote control at the device to be controlled and the ability of the signal to penetrate walls, floors and furniture. The two-way interactive capability provides “find-my-remote” capabilities and provides operators with a range of exciting features where they can communicate with the end-user (i.e. sending notices of upcoming shows, special offers and even downloading new software to upgrade the remote controls).
Why is the remote control the essential accessory for the Smart Home? According to Cees Links, “Using your smart phone to monitor and control your Smart Home is great when you are away at work or traveling. But when you are at home, it is much easier to just press a button on a remote control to change the lighting, lock the doors, and turn on your air conditioning. Or when you are home, talking or texting on your smart phone, how are your kids going to be able to change the channels or volume on the TV?
There will always be a place for remote controls and RF4CE is the technology of choice!”
http://www.greenpeak.com/Technology/Whitepapers.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
High Costs Hint IoT SoC Design Shakeout?
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1326475&
Semico hopes to identify features and technologies that are “exclusive to IoT applications.”
Let’s face it. Practically every tech company is dazzled, or more accurately, dazed by the sheer volume of the projected IoT market — “50 billion devices to be connected to the Internet by 2020” — as predicted by Cisco.
I’m not about to dispute that forecast. But I am curious to find out how that translates into the SoC market.
As Wawrzyniak sees it, every chip vendor gunning right now for the IoT market is picking only “a niche or two” where they think they can win.
Unlike smartphone apps processors, for example, the IoT SoC platform, even if there is such a thing, is unlikely to cover a full range of needs. After all, IoT is a wildly diversified and fragmented market.
The three obvious building blocks identified as necessary in IoT end-node devices are sensors, MCUs, and wireless connectivity.
Fraud concept?
“The concept that ‘super cheap chips have to be there’ [to kick start IoT] is fraud,” Wawrzyniak noted.
By going cheap, he explained, you leave out potentially critical factors like security, regarded by some as a linchpin. In some IoT device use cases, WiFi connectivity could be also necessary.
In recent months, you might have noticed more talk in the media about IIoT, the Industrial Internet of Things. The IoT industry might be waking up to the fact that IoT for home is really the hardest trick to pull off.
If a home comes with 30 connected devices (not just connected light bulbs but everything else) running 70 individual apps, the inevitable question is who is going to maintain and manage the network, asked Wawrzyniak.
Unlike Industrial IoT, with budgets to pay for professionals to manage the network, not many homeowners are going to spring for a live-in IoT manager, he explained.
If we’re talking about a standalone IoT device — like a door knob or thermostat — to be used at a single point in the home, there’s no problem. But once such a device gets connected to something else, the whole shebang suddenly becomes “a system,” he cautioned.
What matters, said Wawrzyniak, is how deep to embed a connected device into the network.
He acknowledged that the addition of an IoT SoC category is more complicated than it seems, because SoCs created for IoT solutions could easily leak into other applications. Similarly, the existing SoC categories could share certain features with the IoT category.
In a recent Semico report entitled “SoC Silicon and Software Design Cost Analysis: How Rising Costs Impact SoC Design Starts” issued in March, 2015, Warzyniak states that design costs for both the silicon and software efforts, will rise at a 43.7% CAGR through 2018.
“Even after the number of most expensive designs drops back to more normal levels, the designs in red continue to climb.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 10 is now available for the Raspberry Pi 2 and Intel Minnowboard Max
But Microsoft warns that IoT release is rough around the edges
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2406505/windows-10-is-now-available-for-the-raspberry-pi-2-and-intel-minnowboard-max
MICROSOFT has released the catchily-named Windows 10 IoT Core Insider developer preview for devices including the Raspberry Pi 2 and Intel’s Minnowboard Max.
Microsoft warned that the software is pretty rough around the edges, but Steve Teixeira, director of programme management for Internet of Things (IoT) at the firm, said that Microsoft wanted to give makers “the opportunity to play with the software bits early” to get feedback on what’s good, and what’s not.
“You may notice some missing drivers or rough edges”
Raspberry Pi also offers developers some pre-download tips in a blog post. As well as echoing Microsoft’s warning that it’s likely to be buggy, Liz Upton, head of communications at Raspberry Pi, said that you’ll need to be signed up to the Windows Insider programme and have Windows 10 installed on your PC.
Running Windows 10 on a virtual machine won’t offer compatibility for the IoT release as you need access to the SD card reader.
Microsoft also showed off a Raspberry Pi-powered robot during the Build keynote
Windows 10 for IoT
https://www.raspberrypi.org/windows-10-for-iot/
Back in February, when we launched Raspberry Pi 2, the sharp-eyed among you will have noticed the folks at Microsoft making an announcement about bringing Windows 10 for IoT to the Raspberry Pi. We’re excited to share that it landed today – along with a ridiculously cool demo. The chap in the video is HoloLens designer Alex Kipman.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How mHealth Will Change Your Life
http://rtcmagazine.com/articles/view/107935
Overcoming distance and delays is a big hurdle for many people seeking health care, as is the scarcity of qualified specialists in many cases. The emergence of mobile devices with wireless communications is helping to bring more patients the monitoring and care they need.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mentor Graphics Debuts Comprehensive Embedded Suite for Industrial Automation
http://rtcmagazine.com/articles/view/107929
Factory automation has made stunning advances since the introduction of the conveyor belt. Now with the ability to put multiple control applications on a single multicore processor and tie these into an Industrial Internet of Things, the power of cyber-physical systems in manufacturing are making huge strides, speeding production and transforming data into information for the enterprise.
If factory automation began with the introduction of the programmable logic controller (PLC) back in the late 1970s, it has been rapidly developing with the spread of microprocessor and microcontroller-based devices ever since. There was a period when embedded controllers were designed to emulate PLCs, following a known path and building on legacy knowledge and methodologies. That has gradually faded away and today’s factory has developed into an increasingly complex, interconnected world of embedded controllers networked to each other and to supervisory systems and on up to the enterprise IT realm. But ever-increasing competition, the need for lower costs and higher efficiency along with concerns about security and reliability are pushing the developers of industrial automation systems to greater efforts.
The emergence of the Internet of Things is having the effect of also creating the Industrial Internet of Things in which distributed, connected devices generate data that can be employed for the overall management of operations on up to the executive level and to serve customers as well. The need to increase efficiency and lower costs fortunately coincides with the availability of powerful multicore processors that can be used to aggregate functionality. Thus, what were once discrete devices, each with its own power source, can be combined into a single piece of equipment. This results in power savings, enhanced control and easier reconfiguration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home> Community > Blogs > Now Hear This!
5 ways to guard IoT privacy
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/now-hear-this/4439322/5-ways-to-guard-IoT-privacy?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20150430&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20150430&elq=4f0faa4effc44b1e852f410a5efa46e4&elqCampaignId=22779&elqaid=25629&elqat=1&elqTrackId=11382aa6f51943e1bf58df876debac37
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As IoT technologies start to penetrate every aspect of our lives, the days of “don’t like it, don’t use it” have long since passed. Instead, if IoT is to succeed, we must give customers confidence that the products and devices being developed are safe and that their data is secure.
While some of this can be achieved through strong marketing messages, at the end of the day perhaps the best way to address customers’ concerns is to place privacy at the forefront of your product from the very outset. Rather than expecting customers to ‘protect’ their own privacy, we should be providing them with devices that do everything possible to avoid putting that privacy at risk.
5 Keys to Guarding IoT Privacy from the Ground Up
http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=3507&doc_id=277330&
Telling engineers they need to increase their focus on privacy is one thing, but the reality of how to achieve this is a far more complex matter. While there is no one solution to ‘fix’ the issue of privacy, one of the best places for engineers to start is in attempting to ensure that all IoT devices conform to the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs). Originally set out by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the FIPPs have become a go-to standard for safe guarding privacy online.
They include:
Notice – Ensuring consumers are made aware their information is being collected.
Choice – Providing users with the ability to opt-out of data collection.
Access/Accuracy – Allowing users to view the information collected and to verify or contest its accuracy.
Data Minimisation – Never collecting data unnecessarily or retaining it for longer than is required.
Security – Protecting all collected information from internal and external privacy breaches or threats.
While these FIPPs provide strong guidelines for designers and engineers to follow, their application does prove challenging. For example, while increasingly user-friendly privacy controls are being bundled with most new technologies, it is far harder to imagine how this would work with IoT sensors or so called ‘smart dust.’ For many IoT devices, it would simply not be possible to ask permission at every instance of data collection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Increasing Manufacturing Performance with the Internet of Things (IoT)
http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4438847/Increasing-Manufacturing-Performance-with-the-Internet-of-Things-IoT?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20150501&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20150501&elq=1c39a0308c7d4fffab7b472f715ffd0f&elqCampaignId=22802&elqaid=25655&elqat=1&elqTrackId=9007c39409f347ca9f7cade5ebe75642
data analytics applied to factory equipment and sensors can bring operational efficiencies and cost savings to manufacturing processes. The Intel pilot is forecasted to save millions of dollars annually along with additional return on investment business value.
manufacturers benefit from the revolutionary advances in computer processing power, database technology, and tools for big data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Designing IoT security from the ground up
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/esc/4439333/Designing-IoT-security-from-the-ground-up?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20150501&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20150501&elq=1c39a0308c7d4fffab7b472f715ffd0f&elqCampaignId=22802&elqaid=25655&elqat=1&elqTrackId=0bd670dc1be54255842ab478792bb8e7
One of the topics that is near and dear to my heart at the moment is the concept of security as it pertains to the Internet of Things (IoT) in general, and to the bunches of “things” hanging off the branches of the IoT in particular.
IoT security encompasses requirements that are new for many product designers — such as provisioning, authentication, OTA upgrades, and link encryption — and weaknesses in any of these could potentially be used to compromise the security of the end product. From physical attacks to analysis of communications channels, there are many possible attack vectors that need to be considered.
Though the potential of the IoT is vast, adoption can easily be curtailed by security worries. No company wants their products to be a victim of a hack, yet many do not appear to consider security as a primary driver of design decisions.
Networks need security in all elements
http://www.edn.com/education-training/edntv?bclid=870126318001&bctid=4104978346001&_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_video_20150422&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_video_20150422&elq=070c1891712648689a2c5ded539681bc&elqCampaignId=22667&elqaid=25497&elqat=1&elqTrackId=f5e4025bb78742839dc91f10b805d262
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tap Tap Tech – Episode 1 – Internet of Things
http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/onlinecomponentscom/tap-tap-tech-episode-1-internet-of-things
Hey there, Josh here for OnlineComponents.com, this is Tap Tap Tech. Today I’d like to talk about something near and dear to my heart, the Internet of Things, or in shorthand, IoT. It’s become a hot topic recently – lots of references to the Jetsons, lots of excitement. IoT really embodies the future that everyone always dreamed of. From being able to make sure you closed your garage when you left for work to having your medical status continuously updated to your doctor, there are so many potential concepts associated with IoT that I couldn’t list even a small portion of them if that’s all I did for the rest of this video.
So, what are the benefits? Well, that depends. Some things help people live more efficiently and smarter, like the Nest thermostat. Some things could help save lives, like a drug delivery system that can be remotely controlled by a doctor, assuring that a patient gets their medicine but not too much of it. With Bluetooth Low Energy, location beacons are becoming popular
There’s always the opposite side of the coin, in this case, quite a few challenges to overcome. From a purely technical point of view, security is paramount, as many IoT products track very personal information, such as location over time, eating habits, medications, even when the last time it was you exercised.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The internet of things: convenience at a price
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/30/internet-of-things-convenience-price-privacy-security
In the first of our series on the IoT we take a look at connected devices that are available today, the privacy and security issues of using them – and how Britain can play a key part in its future
Tomi Engdahl says:
Get yourself connected: is the internet of things the future of fashion?
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/21/internet-of-things-future-fashion
The catwalk has long been exploring the potential of tech and the results are playful, from a dress inspired by Tinkerbell to a wearable spider
Wearable technologies have so far been dominated by smartwatches and fitness fans keen to exploit the tracking of speed, location and body monitoring to try and improve health. Yes fashion designers are also now exploring the potential of sensors and internet connectivity to create clothing and accessories that are often beautiful and intriguing as well as smart.
Imagine a dress that glows – actually glows thanks to LEDs embedded in the fabric – shimmering down the catwalk. That’s the vision Matt Drinkwater helped achieve with Disney, StudioXO, and Richard Nicoll.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Security Calls for Action
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1326505&
To enable the full potential of the Internet of Things, engineers need to address the security challenge through a combination of interoperability, education and good design.
Many smart, connected devices are either completely unsecured or boast security features that are far too complex for the average consumer to implement, leaving data vulnerable to attack and even raising safety concerns for devices controlling the home, factory and car. Engineers must overcome several security challenges to realize the true power of the Internet of Things.
It’s only a matter of time before we see a major IoT attack. For example, as smart light bulbs are coming in to homes with no security built in whatsoever. Surveillance cameras and home gateways often come with default passcodes that are never changed. If a company attempts to push software updates to its smart devices, both the consumer and company are at risk for a data breach or even physical harm.
The first step to better security is establishing common standards across the entire spectrum
IoT Privacy Is Engineering Fault, Not User Issue
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1326517&
Engineers and product developers rarely put privacy as the number one concern. However, to really woo customers, it has to be a key consideration.
When it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT), individual privacy is at the top of the agenda for both consumers and the wider media. For engineers and product developers, however, it is rarely seen as the number one concern.
For the most part, this may be due to the wide variety of issues that engineers already have to consider when producing their own Internet-connected devices. Between the development of IoT standards, the selection of wireless technologies, and the adoption of an appropriate Internet Protocol, most engineers are still wrapped up in the basic infrastructure of IoT. As a result, more abstract ideas such as personal privacy can quickly fall by the wayside.
It can be all too easy for design engineers to consider privacy as an afterthought. But the truth is that if designers want the Internet of Things to succeed and become widely adopted, they need to start building privacy considerations into designs from the ground up. Waiting for legislators to impose demands from above is only going to slow this down.
The media hype promoting the virtues of IoT to consumers is fast dissipating to make way for an increasing focus on how technology is storing, using, and securing private information. Recently, element14′s own research has shown that as many as 64% of consumers are concerned with how wearable technology will impact their privacy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Moteino Framework
Automation framework based on wireless Moteino nodes.
https://hackaday.io/project/2197-the-moteino-framework
The Moteino automation system is a decoupled framework of internet connected things designed to add convenience, monitoring, security and safety to a residence, living space and beyond. It is powered by a range of devices that are based on the Moteino wireless Arduino compatible development board. The small size and versatility enable you to build low power nodes that gather environmental data, or devices that control things in your home.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino Wireless Directory
Are you looking to add a little connectivity to your latest Arduino project?
http://postscapes.com/arduino-wifi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stacey Higginbotham / Fortune:
Comcast expands home automation platform with nine new partners including Nest, August, and Automatic, plans SDK later this year
http://fortune.com/2015/05/05/comcast-xfinity-home/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Intel and Qualcomm Can’t Agree on IoT Framework
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326527&
Tug of war between engineers and lawyers
How do you tell ISC License from Apache 2.0? Why is a Patent Non-Assertion Pledge necessary? Since when are “Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory” (RAND) terms no longer sufficient?
First thing you do, go to the Intellectual Property (IP) policy page of open collaborative projects such as Qualcomm-led AllSeen Alliance and Intel-led Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC).
But don’t expect a simple answer. The two competing groups, both built around the Internet of Things, provide respective IP policies, sufficiently different but similarly full of legalese. They’re confusing and complicated enough to make anyone shrug and say: “Who cares? I’m just an engineer.”
Hold that thought for a moment.
In comparing the IP policies of AllSeen with those of OIC, there are enough differences – both subtle and big. They include developer accessibility to code and specs, the way groups are structured and specific licenses.
While IP policies alone aren’t likely to determine the viability of one IoT camp over another (AllSeen over OIC, for example), differences might be big enough – at least in the minds of each group’s promoters – to steer them on separate ways and inhibit them from joining forces, at least for now.
“Engineers have actually won the battle,” Updegrove told EE Times. The legal community has been playing catch-up with the engineers since the late 1980’s when “free software” activists like Richard Stallman wrote the first version of GNU General Public License.
Modern high-tech industry groups want to recruit for their cause the best engineering talent available in the world, said Updegrove. They recognize that it isn’t wise to cross talented engineers who adhere to the engineering community’s own code of ethics. As Updegrove explains it, this value system requires that you can use, study, distribute and modify free and open software but you don’t steal from the community. If you improve the code, you give it back to the community.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First three rules of IoT security
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/eye-on-iot-/4439342/First-three-rules-of-IoT-security?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150505&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150505&elq=545bb767702949248ed4cdfc47f093af&elqCampaignId=22850&elqaid=25713&elqat=1&elqTrackId=948e352b0591432598a01cecf13dfb86
There is a wide and growing concern for the security of the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s abundantly clear that the Internet is infested with neer-do-wells who thrive on hacking into networked devices. But many embedded development teams have never had to deal with security issues before, and are still trying to decide what, if anything, they need to do.
First, plan on making your device able to have its firmware remotely updated in a secure manner. The security landscape is undergoing continual change. What keeps attackers at bay today may not work tomorrow. But customers have the reasonable expectation that the equipment they purchase will provide good service for a long time, and without a lot of bother. So, it’s almost certain that an IoT device will need security updates over time, so the facility for making those updates needs to be a fundamental part of its design. The era of sell-and-forget is over for IoT
Second, start thinking about security from the earliest design steps. Security is not something you can bolt onto a working system and have it be effective. It cannot be treated as an afterthought. It must be integral to the device design, not a wrap-around armor plate. Otherwise, the design will have avenues for attack that you don’t know about. Look at things like data flow, feature sets, and the setup process to make sure you have considered the security needs and implications for every aspect of the design.
Of course, no security will be perfect but it can be good enough to make attacking the design cost-prohibitive.
Third, make sure you budget for implementing security. It is still all too often that cost-conscious management provides at best only lip service to IoT security. At worst, they subscribe to the idea that security is not a marketable feature or convince themselves that “no one would want to” attack the product. And so, they don’t allocate funds to implement security properly if at all.
This failure carries a substantial potential for severe repercussions.
There are many specific actions that developers can take to make their IoT design more secure, but these three steps are the foundation on which these actions can build.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stacey Higginbotham / Fortune:
Comcast expands home automation platform with nine new partners including Nest, August, and Automatic, plans SDK later this year
Comcast’s Xfinity home platform adds Nest, August, and more
http://fortune.com/2015/05/05/comcast-xfinity-home/
Comcast has expanded its home automation lineup by adding support for devices from some of the hottest connected home companies in the industry. The nation’s largest cable provider CMCSA -1.36% will add support for August smart locks, the Nest thermostat, Lutron lights, and the Rachio sprinkler, among others, to its Xfinity Home product starting today, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said this morning at the Cable Show in Chicago.
Products from nine companies, which are listed below, will now work with Comcast’s home automation platform, which currently has 500,000 subscribers. Comcast technicians will install the “smart” devices and deliver a tablet to control them. The offering is tiered: On the low end is a more do-it-yourself approach to home automation; on the high end is a full-service offering that includes home security.
Products from nine companies, which are listed below, will now work with Comcast’s home automation platform, which currently has 500,000 subscribers. Comcast technicians will install the “smart” devices and deliver a tablet to control them. The offering is tiered: On the low end is a more do-it-yourself approach to home automation; on the high end is a full-service offering that includes home security.
The additions are important for Comcast because it gives its home automation efforts credibility (and a touch of modernity). Until now, Comcast’s offering seemed stuck in the 1990s while homeowners who were excited at the prospect of Internet-connecting their homes were trawling Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites in search of novel, new devices. Even Home Depot offers the Rachio sprinkler system, Lutron lighting, and the Nest thermostat.
Until now, Comcast customers that had installed such products couldn’t control them using their Xfinity system
Comcast plans to expand its offering further by making available later this year a software development kit, which allows developers to create officially sanctioned services using the Xfinity system.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Powering a Scalable, Hybrid Cloud for IoT Infrastructure
http://www.kontron.com/iotinfra
With projects on the Internet of Things (IoT) gaining speed, developers are now facing new territory in creating the infrastructure. Where does data acquired from sensors go, and what is the right architecture to analyze it?
The simple answer is “the cloud.” Scalability and connectivity are desirable features of an IoT platform.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Data Integrity for the IoT
by Intel
http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4439263/Data-Integrity-for-the-IoT?_mc=NL_TOL_EDT_TOL_featuredtechpapers_20150506&cid=NL_TOL_EDT_TOL_featuredtechpapers_20150506
The data flowing through an Internet of Things (IoT) solution can be its greatest asset and its largest problem. Since IoT devices do not behave in the classical server/client model—where communication occurs in an ordered fashion—an IoT implementation must be designed with the explicit goal of ensuring data integrity.
This paper explains how to manage this complexity with a multi-tiered architecture. It discusses what data integrity entails at each level and how to meet the relevant requirements.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Broadcom wraps new partners into warm IoT embrace
Something WICED this way comes
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/12/broadcom_wraps_new_partners_into_warm_iot_embrace/
Broadcom has spread its arms around a bunch more Internet of Things partners, to expand the reach of platforms like WICED Smart, WICED Wi-Fi, RoboSwitch, StrataConnect and NetXtreme Ethernet.
The company says its aim is to make it easier and cheaper for developers, particularly in start-up land, to get its hands on Broadcom products and dev tools. There’s also a new developer portal providing data sheets, application notes, product selection guides, programming help and video tutorials.
WICED stands for “Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices”. The Smart SDK gives developers access to peripherals, timers, the stack and profiles, with support for ARM RealView RVDS and CodeSourcery C++ tools, with development supported on Linux or Windows.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Research: the majority wants to attach itself to Internet
Premier Farnell element14 Development Community has examined what consumers expect from new technologies still billion by. Multi-emphasized the importance of technology in medicine and environmental protection in the region. On behalf of the Privacy multi-experiencing of concern, especially in Europe. Yet the vast majority of people would like first of all to connect into himself. Literally.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2779:tutkimus-valtaosa-haluaa-liittaa-itsensa-nettiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
element14 Study: Engineering a Connected World
http://www.element14.com/community/groups/internet-of-things/blog/2015/04/20/element14-study-engineering-a-connected-world
We surveyed consumers on a wide range of technologies and innovations across industries: the IoT, wearables, driverless cars, robotics and gesture control to name a few. The results gave us some fascinating insights into everything from the connected devices people are most likely to buy, to which innovations are more hype than substance, to global issues society wants to see tomorrow’s technology address. What’s more, geographic breakdowns of the study present some eye-opening findings on which countries value different technological innovations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Monitor your home remotely using the Arduino WiFi Shield
https://www.openhomeautomation.net/monitor-your-home-remotely-using-the-arduino-wifi-shield/
The first thing you will need is an Arduino board. As usual, I used the Arduino UNO board for this tutorial, but any other official Arduino board should be fine as well. The second most important element in this tutorial is the Arduino WiFi shield. You will also need a small push button to emulate the sensor you want to measure, and a 10K ohms resistor.
Because we are using the WiFi shield, you will also need to have a wireless network running in your home, with WEP or WPA2 personal authentification.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.bikerite.net/tag/type-id/category-technology/keyword-internet+of+things/?sort=VIEWS
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Smart Garden
An Arduino IoT Farming Experiment
https://hackaday.io/project/5037-the-smart-garden
My project, “The Smart Garden” will attempt to produce food for less.
The Smart Garden will also be fully automated, log multiple sources of data, communicate with the cloud, and capable of wireless control.
Micro-controller – I see no reason not to put a ATmega2560 in the first PCB.
Communication – This is where I am going to get really redundant with the first PCB. In the picture you can see a CC3000, a HC-04 BT module, a ESP8266-12×2, and a RF transmitter/receiver. The first PCB will likely include a CC3000, a ESP8266, and a Nordic semi conductor BT chip
Tomi Engdahl says:
Shara Tibken / CNET:
Sources: Samsung to introduce Artik, new chip platforms to power IoT devices, next week
Samsung readies new processors to power the Internet of Things
http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-readies-new-processors-to-power-the-internet-of-things/
The hardware platform, which Samsung will reveal next week during a San Francisco event, will be called Artik, CNET has learned.
Sohn will introduce Artik during a keynote at the Internet of Things World conference on Tuesday in San Francisco. In a press release about the keynote, Samsung has said it “will reveal a major company milestone that will enable the new wave of groundbreaking IoT devices and services. The event will bring together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, developers and emerging companies to discuss the future of IoT and its profound implications.”
Samsung has been making a big bet on the Internet of Things, the concept of using sensors and other technologies to hook just about anything you can think of into the Internet. Analyst firm Gartner predicts the number of networked devices will surge to 26 billion units by 2020 from about 900 million in 2009, turning formerly “dumb” objects into smart ones that can communicate with each other. IDC reckons the IoT market will hit $3.04 trillion that same year.
During the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in January, Samsung, led by co-CEO Boo-Keun Yoon, vowed that all of the company’s products would be built on platforms that are open and compatible with other products. Yoon said that that 90 percent of its devices — which range from smartphones to refrigerators — would be able to connect to the Web by 2017. In five years, every product in the company’s entire catalog is expected to be Internet-connected.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ScenSor DWM1000 Module
For developers of Real Time Location and Indoor Positioning Systems, Location Based Services, Internet of Things and Wireless Sensor Networks
http://www.decawave.com/products/dwm1000-module
http://www.decawave.com/sites/default/files/product-pdf/dwm1000-product-brief.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Project Jarvis – A.I Home Automation & Assistant
https://hackaday.io/project/1214-project-jarvis-ai-home-automation-assistant
Intelligent home automation hardware and software on a budget which utilizes a full home personal digital assistant and electricity savings
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cypress CY5670 CySmart USB Dongle
http://www.mouser.com/new/Cypress-Semiconductor/cypress-cy5670-dongle/
Tomi Engdahl says:
EDA tool better known as Mentor Graphics has introduced RTOS- embedded devices, ie Real-time version that is tailored to a variety of wearable devices and the Internet of Things.
Embedded Nucleus operating system is applied, in particular the area of medicine, physical education and security technology devices market. RTOS supports multi-processor systems, which can, for example, the memory is partitioned between the high-performance microprocessors and controllers A limited.
According to Mentor’s Nucleus is the first operating system for embedded devices, a power management processor, and is optimized to maximize the wearable device operating time of the battery power.
Nucleus OS includes the finished IPv4 and security features necessary for v6 protocol stack, M2M protocols as well as IoT applications and cloud services.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2763:rtos-raataloitiin-paallepuettaviin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open source, open customers, open IoT mind
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/now-hear-this/4439397/Open-source–open-customers–open-IoT-mind?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20150508&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20150508&elq=e96066c1db9b40a6858015d76abdb1c8&elqCampaignId=22919&elqaid=25798&elqat=1&elqTrackId=7659f34dcd084f2186f18322fc3d5fec
Meet Adrian Fernandez, LaunchPad Product Manager, Texas Instruments. He’s a speaker here at ESC Boston. He’s pro-open source and knowledge sharing. And he’s your next partner and customer.
He or someone very much like him, that is. I call out Adrian as an example after attending his “Rapid Prototyping of Cloud-Connected Applications Using Open-Source Modular Hardware” presentation
Fernandez, a TI engineer, is unsurprisingly partial to BeagleBoard in his presentations. He says of TI’s open-source push, which includes serving events like ESC, as well as Maker Faires and various hackathons, and continuing with traditional TI products while folding in new open source: “What we are trying to do is provide multiple points of entry. Our potential customers are changing. We have be flexible.”
Yesterday’s presentation saw Fernandez create a multi-node sensor network live on stage that aggregated data to the cloud using MQTT. Each node featured a sub-GHz radio that sent sensor data to a Wi-Fi-enabled gateway that aggregates data from each node and publishes them to the cloud. Using cloud-side rapid prototyping tools, he triggered customized events in the cloud, including a call to his smartphone to advise him his home was flooding when the network was submerged in water during the demo. In short, he demonstrated instant IoT (Internet of Things) thanks to modular open source in less time than it would take to pick up a coffee.
The “instant” part concerns some engineers. There’s an often heard argument against open-source that it’s too easy to use and that learning is inhibited because what once took multiple skills to master now can be accomplished with plugging in a small, inexpensive platform. But, says Fernandez, that’s what will be the fuel of IoT.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silicon Valley Makes My Head Spin
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1326566&
Samsung is announcing a secure IoT chip next week called Artik, according to CNet. Andy Rubin, the father of Android, has started his own IoT hardware accelerator for IoT and a multi-millon dollar fund to fuel its best customers, said the Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, STMicroelectronics, a top chip maker with several oars in the IoT waters, said it will not continue the bone-crushing slog of Moore’s Law beyond the 14nm node. Thanks to a former colleague, Peter Clarke, for the last story.
Speaking of Mountain View, California, I don’t even want to look at the plans from Google that city council turned down fearing it would become Googletown
I’m not really surprised about the Samsung and Rubin news. Intel was nearly the last company to announce an IoT chip and module with its Quark and Edison products. We used to call them integrated microcontrollers or embedded processors.
I had heard Rubin was looking to create a hardware accelerator
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building the Internet of Things with Raspberry Pi et al, DIY-style
How to create your own IoT gadgets and gizmos
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/09/book_review_iot_diy_at_home_projects_for_arduino_pi_beaglebone/
The Internet of Things (IoT) is all the rage at the moment, with dozens of manufacturers throwing out kit like remote-control lightbulbs, weather stations, thermostats and plenty more. Some of those are great products and some of them are also-rans.
Quite a lot, it turns out, are actually simple enough that you could probably build something like that at home.
That’s what this new book, The Internet of Things: Do-It-Yourself at Home Projects for Arduino, Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black by Donald Norris, is all about. It sets out to show how you can use small computer systems and link them up to sensors, switches and relays to build your own IoT projects. The ubiquitous Raspberry Pi is one of the systems featured, but it also covers Arduino and BeagleBone Black as well.
You could be forgiven from that for thinking that the book will cater for complete beginners, but while it does explain some concepts that may well be new – like abstract classes and interfaces – it’s certainly not a complete programming tutorial.
It’s not all Raspberry Pi in the book, though. There are also projects using Arduino, with both the Uno IDE and Visual Studio 2012 Express. There’s a good explanation of how to use an Ethernet shield to run a web server, and controlling items using a relay board connected to the GPIO pins too.
the principles of interfacing the real world to a computer are important to understand. And this book does attempt to show how that can be done, from both a software and a hardware side.
If you have a Raspberry Pi that you’ve tired of, or you want some inspiration to start playing with an Arduino, this book could well provide that inspiration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OpenEnergyMonitor
http://www.openenergymonitor.org/emon/
OpenEnergyMonitor is a project to develop open-source energy monitoring tools to help us relate to our use of energy, our energy systems and the challenge of sustainable energy.
The OpenEnergyMonitor system is an end-to-end open-source energy monitoring system that is Arduino IDE compatible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino, mqtt, web socket, home automation
https://hackaday.io/project/541-arduino-mqtt-web-socket-home-automation
Arduino, mqtt, web socket, building blocks for home automation. Control led manually and remotely from a webpage and retrieve sensor info
Arduino mqtt and web socket home automation
http://bogdanioanliviu.no-ip.org/arduino-mqtt-web-socket-home-automation/
For some time i’m working on this idea. This should work like this:
be able to retrieve information from a temperature sensor and control some led on/off. This in my opinion it’s the first step in any home automation, like Hello Word, and Arduino it may be the best way to start.
Searching on mosquitto, mqtt, I’ve encounter the following post from Robert Hekkers. Reading more I realized that the best option for me is to use node.js in conjunction with mqtt and socket.io to do the job.
Tomi Engdahl says:
« Same Opentherm Gateway, different approach A smarter smart meter »
Realtime data with MQTT, Node.js, MQTTClient.js and Socket.IO
http://blog.hekkers.net/2012/10/13/realtime-data-with-mqtt-node-js-mqtt-js-and-socket-io/
In the past I’ve tried several solutions besides Ajax; Lightstreamer, Comet-like solutions and other similar products, but they all were either too big, required too much work for a single webpage or the price was too high. But now, the time has come to get rid of Ajax and polling web pages.
Once a year or so, I browse the web to look for an Ajax alternative. And this time I read this comment on a post about MQTT over Websockets. Node.js rang a bell, Websockets too and I decided to give it a try; with Flanagans Javascript bible next to me that shouldn’t be a problem.
So the ingredients for this exercise are:
MQTT, a machine-to-machine (M2M)/”Internet of Things” connectivity protocol, especially useful there where small code footprint is important;
Node.js, a platform for easily building fast, scalable network applications. Lightweight, event-driven and non-blocking I/O; ideal for real-time applications;
MQTTClient.js, an MQTT client for Node.js;
Socket.IO, which enables you to build realtime apps for virtually every browser and mobile device, using different transport mechanisms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ESP8266: Good enough for a battery powered sensor?
http://blog.hekkers.net/2015/04/06/esp8266-good-enough-for-a-battery-powered-sensor/
A report interval of 4 samples per hour will lead to a battery life of roughly 1 year. Increasing the report interval to 60 times an hour (once per minute) will lead to a much shorter battery life: less than 3 weeks.
The biggest problem lies in Wifi. It takes my ESP-12 about 1 … 3,5 seconds to get a Wifi connection after waking up from deep sleep. And this is by far the largest contributor to the total time needed to get a sensor value out the door.
So that’s it, ESP8266 is a no-go? No way! The ESP8266 can still be very helpful in a lot of ways, I’ve had a lot of fun while exploring the ESP8266 and will definitely use them whenever I need always-on Wifi for so,me future project.
Is there an alternative for the ESP8266? Lots of ’em, mine is called Zigbee.
I have some unused 3.3V Arduino Pro Mini’s and some XBee’s and will make some similar power usage charts of those; an XBee is ready to send in 35 milliseconds after power-up, so here the numbers will be quite different …
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ariana Eunjung Cha / Washington Post:
As fitness wearables and sensors become more pervasive, important questions remain about privacy and the usefulness of health data tracking
The Human Upgrade
The revolution will be digitized
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/05/09/the-revolution-will-be-digitized/
Spearheaded by the flood of wearable devices, a movement to quantify consumers’ lifestyles is evolving into big business with immense health and privacy ramifications
Smarr, an astrophysicist and computer scientist, could be the world’s most self-measured man. For nearly 15 years, the professor at the University of California at San Diego has been obsessed with what he describes as the most complicated subject he has ever experimented on: his own body.
Smarr keeps track of more than 150 parameters. Some, such as his heartbeat, movement and whether he’s sitting, standing or lying down, he measures continuously in real time with a wireless gadget on his belt. Some, such as his weight, he logs daily. Others, such as his blood and the bacteria in his intestines, he tests only about once every month.
Smarr compares the way he treats his body with how people monitor and maintain their cars: “We know exactly how much gas we have, the engine temperature, how fast we are going. What I’m doing is creating a dashboard for my body.”
Once, Smarr was most renowned as the head of the research lab where Marc Andreessen developed the Web browser in the early 1990s. Now 66, Smarr is the unlikely hero of a global movement among ordinary people to “quantify” themselves using wearable fitness gadgets, medical equipment, headcams, traditional lab tests and homemade contraptions, all with the goal of finding ways to optimize their bodies and minds to live longer, healthier lives — and perhaps to discover some important truth about themselves and their purpose in life.
In the aggregate data being gathered by millions of personal tracking devices are patterns that may reveal what in the diet, exercise regimen and environment contributes to disease.
Could physical activity patterns be used to not only track individuals’ cardiac health but also to inform decisions about where to place a public park and improve walkability? Could trackers find cancer clusters or contaminated waterways? A pilot project in Louisville, for example, uses inhalers with special sensors to pinpoint asthma “hot spots” in the city.
“As we have more and more sophisticated wearables that can continuously measure things ranging from your physical activity to your stress levels to your emotional state, we can begin to cross-correlate and understand how each aspect of our life consciously and unconsciously impacts one another,”
The idea that data is a turnkey to self-discovery is not new.
Most extreme are “life loggers,” who wear cameras 24/7 , jot down every new idea and record their daily activities in exacting detail. Their goal is to create a collection of information that is an extension of their own memories.
At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in January, new gizmos on display included a baby bottle that measures nutritional intake, a band that measures how high you jump and “smart” clothing connected to smoke detectors. Google is working on a smart contact lens that can continuously measure a person’s glucose levels in his tears. The Apple Watch has a heart-rate sensor and quantifies when you move, exercise or stand. The company also has filed a patent to upgrade its earbuds to measure blood oxygen and temperature.
In the near future, companies hope to augment those trackers with new ones that will measure from the inside out — using chips that are ingestible or float in the bloodstream.
Some physicians, academics and ethicists criticize the utility of tracking as prime evidence of the narcissism of the technological age — and one that raises serious questions about the accuracy and privacy of the health data collected, who owns it and how it should be used.
Critics point to the brouhaha in 2011, when some owners of Fitbit exercise sensors noticed that their sexual activity — including information about the duration of an episode and whether it was “passive, light effort” or “active and vigorous” — was being publicly shared by default.
“Health and fitness have become the new social currency, spawning a ‘worried well’ generation,” he wrote in an opinion piece in the April issue of BMJ, the former British Medical Journal.
“Getting the data is much easier than making it useful,” said Deborah Estrin, a professor of computer science and public health at Cornell University.
Until about three years ago, it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to get a readout about the state of their bodies on a regular basis.
Now dozens of biosensing wearable technologies with names such as the Fitbit Surge, Misfit Shine and Jawbone UP have exploited the miniaturization of computer components and the ubiquity of cellphones to create an industry that is expected to reach $50 billion in sales by 2018, according to an estimate by Credit Suisse.
The research firm Gartner forecasts that 68.1 million wearable devices will be shipped this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside The Amazon Dash Button
http://hackaday.com/2015/05/12/inside-the-amazon-dash-button/
The Amazon Dash Button is a tiny WiFi-enabled device that’s a simple button with a logo on the front. If you get the Tide-branded version, simply press the button and a bottle of laundry detergent will show up at your door in a few days. Get the Huggies-branded version, and a box of diapers will show up. Get the sugar-free Haribo gummi bear-branded version, and horrible evil will be at your doorstep shortly.
The FCC ID reveals the Amazon Dash Button is a WiFi device, despite rumors of it having a Bluetooth radio. It’s powered by a single AA battery, and [Matt] posted pictures of the entire board.
Since this piece of Amazon electronics is being sold for 99 cents, whatever WiFi radio chip is inside the Dash Button could be used for some very interesting applications.
Inside the 802.11b/g/n Amazon Dash Button
http://www.amateurradio.com/inside-the-802-11bgn-amazon-dash-button/
The FCC ID is 2ACBE-0610. Documents in the FCC filing appears to confirm that this is indeed an 802.11b/g/n device
Removing the back of the case reveals a Li-ion AAA battery
Can anyone identify the wireless radio chip?
Whether or not you find it useful to order your laundry detergent at the touch of a button, this has to be one of the least expensive 802.11 devices ever produced.
I wonder what the actual component costs are? I think it’s safe to say more than the 99 cents that I paid for it.
Comments:
“There must be a very easy way to enter the SSID and password into this thing.”
” You download the Amazon Shopping App and configure it that way. You do have to enter your wi-fi password to configure it onto your network.”
“Dash Button is simple to set up. Use the Amazon app on your smartphone to easily connect to your home Wi-Fi network and select the product you want to reorder with Dash Button. Once connected, a single press automatically places your order. Amazon sends an order alert to your phone, so it’s easy to cancel if you change your mind. Unless you elect otherwise, Dash Button responds only to your first press until your order is delivered”
“I scanned the QR code. It’s just a serial number: 1515OZ039004.”
“Under that QR code sticker I suspect you’ll find a system-in-package “chip” containing most likely a Broadcom Wifi network processor. The WLCSP ST ARM ‘F205-looking microcontroller, SPI flash, crystals and other clues make this look like a Broadcom WICED implementation to me, rather than e.g. Qualcomm or another chipset manufacturer.”
“I just tried to buy more than one, now way Jose. They’re limiting it to one each and only Prime members. Three products Tide, Bounty, and Cottonelle… and dollars to doughnuts these “brands” paid a kings ransom to get their dash’s out there first..thus the 18.01 discount for the guts. Tinker On!”
“Also the brands in question aren’t cheap. Probably only takes a couple of presses before they make their money back.
Apart from that, I’m pretty sure it’s not designed to make a profit. More like a pilot”
“Apparently it has a microphone, and is programmable over audio.”
“From Amazon : Note: You may need to increase your iPhone volume, since Dash Button uses ultrasonic tones to sync with your iPhone during setup.
So that’s how it transfers the SSID & Password to the button.”
“oh wait, i just found everything about it
http://www.bitsofcents.com/post/118749233621/disassembling-the-dash
”
“Shameless plug.
I’ve made a similar one with ESP8266
https://hackaday.io/project/5673-esp8266-dash-button
I used ESP-Touch to do SSID settings. It is not as secure and fast as ultrasonic, but it saves a few components.
Currently Espressif released source code of ESP-Touch on Android and iOS and I can replace the reverse engineered one with official code.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
UWB-radar technology senses presence, respiration – in the next room
http://www.edn-europe.com/en/uwb-radar-technology-senses-presence-respiration-in-the-next-room.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=10006295&vID=1328#.VVL7bpNLZ4A
Norwegian company Novelda has created a sensing technology based on low-power impulse radio techniques which, in its first product releases, it is using to build detection modules for medical, health monitoring and “wellness” applications.
There are two sensor modules for detecting human presence and monitoring respiration, both based on Novelda’s XeThru technology. These can detect presence just from the chest movement while breathing, and measure both the rate and depth of breathing, allowing breathing patterns to be tracked in real-time. Despite the high frequencies involved, the technology can successfully detect through a variety of objects including lightweight building materials, duvets and blankets to provide non-contact sensing at a range of up to several metres. Lightweight building materials comprises, for example, internal partition walls. The modules, a company spokesman confirms, can easily detect the movement of baby’s chest wall through cot and bedding materials.
The XeThru X2M300 module is intended for smart home automation where its capability for detecting human presence while being integrated into a building’s structure enables hidden, tamper-proof sensing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Distribution deal for ARM mbed IoT Starter Kit, with Freescale silicon
http://www.edn-europe.com/en/distribution-deal-for-arm-mbed-iot-starter-kit-with-freescale-silicon.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=10006177&vID=1321#.VVL8ApNLZ4A
Farnell element14 has announced it is first to stock the recently launched ARM mbed IoT Starter Kit – Ethernet Edition for IBM Internet of Things Foundation, opening up opportunities for tech enthusiasts across the world to experiment and innovate with the Internet of Things (IoT). Priced at £79 (UK Pounds or local equivalent) the development kit aims to enable people with limited or no experience of embedded design or web development to create IoT applications and devices, “in a matter of minutes.”
The development kit, which guides users through the processes for developing cloud-ready IoT devices, comes with an ARM mbed-enabled development board, built on the Freescale FRDM-K64F Kinetis microcontroller, which has an ARM Cortex-M4 processing core running at 120MHz. An Ethernet connection links the kit to IBM’s Bluemix cloud service, which acts as a guide on how to use the board.
The kits also features a sensor expansion board, which contains a 128 x 32 graphics LCD, 256 kB RAM, 1 MB of flash storage, a speaker, five-way joystick, temperature sensor, accelerometer, potentiometers and a PWM (pulse-width modulation) control line to receive digital signals.
ARM IBM-MBED IOT STARTER KIT DEV BOARD, MK64FN1M0VLL12 ETHERNET IOT
http://uk.farnell.com/arm/ibm-mbed-iot-starter-kit/arm-mbed-iot-starter-kit/dp/2468176
Tomi Engdahl says:
Shara Tibken / CNET:
Samsung launches Artik, a line of chips to power the Internet of Things, for between $10-$100
Samsung launches Artik chips for the Internet of Things
http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-launches-artik-chips-for-internet-of-things/
Samsung Electronics President Young Sohn says the products, which combine hardware and software, are a complete system for building devices that connect to the Internet.
Samsung on Tuesday revealed a new chip family to power the Internet of Things, putting it in more direct competition with Intel, Qualcomm and others in the quest to connect everything.
Young Sohn, the Samsung Electronics president and chief strategy officer in charge of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center, said the Artik line of processors combines hardware and software to help companies quickly and easily build Internet-connected devices. Alex Hawkinson — CEO of SmartThings, a smart-home startup Samsung bought last year — also unveiled the SmartThings Open Cloud to make it easier and faster for device makers and other companies to quickly create apps for the products.
There are three variations of Artik: Artik 1, Artik 5 and Artik 10, with each subsequent chip packing in faster processing and more complex capabilities. The chips will range from less than $10 to less than $100, Sohn said, and will be aimed at everything from simple trackers to drones and smart-home hubs. Both the chips and the SmartThings Open Cloud are available today to be used in new Internet of Things devices.
Young Sohn, the Samsung Electronics president and chief strategy officer in charge of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center, said the Artik line of processors combines hardware and software to help companies quickly and easily build Internet-connected devices. Alex Hawkinson — CEO of SmartThings, a smart-home startup Samsung bought last year — also unveiled the SmartThings Open Cloud to make it easier and faster for device makers and other companies to quickly create apps for the products.
There are three variations of Artik: Artik 1, Artik 5 and Artik 10, with each subsequent chip packing in faster processing and more complex capabilities. The chips will range from less than $10 to less than $100, Sohn said, and will be aimed at everything from simple trackers to drones and smart-home hubs. Both the chips and the SmartThings Open Cloud are available today to be used in new Internet of Things devices.
Samsung has been making a big bet on the Internet of Things, the concept of using sensors and other technologies to hook just about anything you can think of into the Internet. Analyst firm Gartner predicts the number of networked devices will surge to 26 billion units by 2020 from about 900 million in 2009, turning formerly “dumb” objects into smart ones that can communicate with each other. IDC reckons the IoT market will hit $3.04 trillion that same year.
In August, Samsung acquired smart-home startup SmartThings to help with its push.
Currently, about 19,000 devices that connect to SmartThings have been created by companies, and the platform supports more than 30,000 apps
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s button-size Curie will power all kinds of wearables
http://www.cnet.com/news/intels-button-sized-curie-may-power-any-wearable/
Intel believes the chip will serve as a platform for new product. It is set to debut in the second half of the year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NFC Tags Get Much Needed Security Upgrade
NFC Forum beefs up security on its tags as IoT apps proliferate
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326579&
The NFC Forum, which manages and promotes the Near Field Communications protocol, has just come up with a major update of its Signature Record Type Definition (SRTD) 2.0 spec for securing NFC transactions. It comes none too soon, with companies introducing a flood of applications related to cell phones as well a variety of IoT use cases.
According to NFC Forum estimates derived from shipment numbers its members reported, there are in excess of 500 million NFC-enabled smartphones in the global marketplace. And according to market research collected by Strategy Analytics, the number of NFC-enabled devices will grow sharply as an increasing number of manufacturers integrate NFC technology into devices in the home and in commercial buildings, where many will use already widely available smart phones as the means to access such devices.
Then, too, there is the use of NFC in wearable Internet of Things (IoT) applications, where its transmission range of about four inches (10 centimeters) makes NFC ideal for a variety of near-body network apps where such devices need to pass information back and forth and coordinate activities.
The barrier to widespread application is that NFC has had to overcome the lack of adequate security for its various transaction modalities.
In Version 1.0 of the SRTD spec, the mechanisms used for guaranteeing the security of messages using the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) were based on techniques similar to those used in most web browsers, where code signing techniques for securing a transaction are tied to internally create digital certificates, causing a host of security problems.
According to Tony Rosati, NFC Forum Security Technical Working Group Chair, in the original specification signed NDEF records were used to prevent malicious use of NFC tags. So when a smartphone user taps NFC tags containing URLs, there was some protection against such things as phishing attacks that directed users to unsafe network locations. Theoretically, signing the NDEF record protected the integrity of the contents and allowed the user to identify the signer if they wish.
However, the signature RTD mechanisms incorporated into the original specification contained vulnerabilities that permitted the content of signed NDEF records to be manipulated.
According to Rosati, many of these concerns have been dealt with successfully in the Forum’s new Signature Record Type Definition RTD 2.0 spec. In the new version, the signing certificate mechanisms have been beefed up to prevent malicious use of NFC tags. This is done through the use of protected NDEF records that are assigned a certificate obtained from third party Certificate Authorities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet of Things and Manufacturing Applications
Consumer Electronics Show 2015 Unveilings
http://www.sealevel.com/community/blog/internet-of-things-and-manufacturing-applications/
The takeaway from this year’s CES is that everything is, or will be, connected to the Internet. And whether that simplifies your life or brings up concerns about security and privacy (we’d argue that it does both), the future will be defined by connectivity. What does that mean? The future may look like a smartphone that communicates with your car and your home, or even your body. The question isn’t “What will be connected to the Internet?” but rather “When?”
And for the IoT to function for people, it must work across multiple platforms, devices and locations. In other words, openness is key. With each company trying to lead the pack, the main obstruction to the IoT working in reality is incompatibility among platforms. For any technology to work, it has to make sense and be simple to use. Create problems for users, and they will abandon the brand.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Beware the Ticking Internet of Things Security Time Bomb
http://it.slashdot.org/story/15/05/12/1942234/beware-the-ticking-internet-of-things-security-time-bomb
A panel of security experts, including from IBM, LogMeIn and formerly RSA, warn that IoT security is a growing threat because device makers haven’t baked in security. IT security staffs are already inundated with safeguarding internal infrastructure and cloud-based resources, so guarding against a slew of new threats is likely to be overwhelming.
Beware the ticking Internet of Things security time bomb
http://www.networkworld.com/article/2921004/internet-of-things/beware-the-ticking-internet-of-things-security-time-bomb.html
Debate focuses on moving full-speed ahead with IoT vs. pausing to build in security first
Taneja responded that technology is advancing at a rate that’s outstripping enterprises’ ability to secure internal and cloud resources, and then along comes IoT in the form of all sorts of networked sensors and gadgets. “Organizations aren’t spending that much on security. It’s increasing, but it’s not enough and IoT only makes it worse,’ he said. “So it is a time bomb. “
Money will start being spent on IoT security once serious breaches occur, said Taneja, who sold security company Aveska to EMC in 2013.
Srinivasan, VP and head of products for Xively Internet of Things at LogMeIn, said that a big difference between the emergence of IoT and cloud computing is that lines of business were the main catalysts for the cloud whereas OEMs of physical products (say light bulbs) have taken the lead on IoT. “Most of them barely have IT staff,” said Srinivasan, whose company offers remote access and support via a SaaS model.
The perceived information security risk of installing a non-networked light bulb is basically zero, but “the minute you connect it, there are so many things you have to think about… Most OEMs spent decades building those products and honestly don’t have that much software savvy.” Coming up with cost efficient security will be a challenge, but he said it should be worth it to the OEMs since they stand to transform service and sales enablement. He cited Michelin’s strategy to sell “tires as a service,” using embedded technology to detect wear, under-inflation, etc.
IDC’s Mehra says the key to IoT security will be baking security in to IoT devices or at least integrating it as a service from a partner company (IDC sees the number of IoT devices – including those that process data and don’t — exploding from 9 billion in 2014 to 30 billion by 2020). Otherwise, IoT vendors “run massive risk of their business plans falling apart,” he says.
Even if IoT device makers are thinking about security now, a problem is that no one really understands yet what’s needed security-wise, Taneja said. Issues such as data ownership, when it comes to wearables, are up in the air. “As a security industry we haven’t come up with models to deal with this,” he said.
After all, there are companies out there looking to monetize data from him and others, without giving him a cut. “It’s almost like credit bureaus buying and selling info about you, and the only one who doesn’t know anything about you is you,” he says.