The Internet of Things revolution started in 2015 and will continue to be strong in 2016. 2015 was the year everyone talked about the Internet of Things. (So was 2014. And 2013.) But unlike before, it was the year everyone started making plans, laying groundwork, and building the infrastructure. Internet of Things is coming. It’s not a matter of if or whether, but when and how. The premise of IoT is that a connected world will offer gains through efficiency.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has been called the next Industrial Revolution — it will change the way all businesses, governments, and consumers interact with the physical world. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an environment in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer the data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)
and the Internet. IoT is also called the Internet of Everything. A critical component for the IoT system to be a success will be secure bi-directional communication, mobility and localization services.
In the future, everything will be connected. It won’t just be our phones that access the Internet; it will be our light bulbs, our front doors, our microwaves, our comforters, our blenders. You can call it the Internet of Things, The Internet of Everything, Universal Object Interaction, or your pick of buzzwords that begin with Smart. They all hold as inevitable that everything, everything will be connected, to each other and to the Internet. And this is promised to change the world. Remember that the objects themselves do not benefit us, but what services and functions they make it possible to obtain. We will enjoy the outcome, hopefully even better quality products, informative and reliable services, and even new applications.
There will be lots of money spend on IoT in 2016, the exact sum is hard to define, but it is estimated that nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years. IoT is now a very large global business dominated by giants (IBM, Intel, Cisco, Gemalto, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Bosch, GE, AT&T, T-Mobile, Telefonica and many others). I see that because it is still a young and quickly developing market, there will be lots of potential in it for startups in 2016.
There will be a very large number of new IoT devices connected to Internet in the end of 2016. According to Business Insider The Internet of Things Report there was 10 billion devices connected to the internet in 2015 and there will be will be 34 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devicesw ill comprise 10 billion (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.). Juniper research predicted that by 2020, there will be 38.5 billion connected devices. IDC says it’ll be 20.9 billion. Gartner’s guess? Twenty-five billion. The numbers don’t matter, except that they’re huge. They all agree that most of those gadgets will be industrial Internet of Things. The market for connecting the devices you use all day, every day, is about to be huge.
Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions because they see ways the IoT can improve their bottom line: lowering operating costs, increasing productivity, expand to new markets and develop new product offerings. Sensors, data analytics, automation and wireless communication technologies allow the study of the “self-conscious” machines, which are able to observe their environment and communicate with each other. From predictive maintenance that reduces equipment downtime to workers using mobile devices on the factory floor, manufacturing is undergoing dramatic change. The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling increased automation on the factory floor and throughout the supply chain, 3D printing is changing how we think about making components, and the cloud and big data are enabling new applications that provide an end-to-end view from the factory floor to the retail store.
Governments are focused on increasing productivity, decreasing costs, and improving their citizens’ quality of life. The IoT devices market will connect to climate agreements as in many applicatons IoT can be seen as one tool to help to solve those problems. A deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2C was agreed at the climate change summit in Paris in December 2015. Sitra fresh market analysis indicates that there is up to an amount of EUR 6 000 billion market potential for smart green solutions by 2050. Smart waste and water systems, materials and packaging, as well as production systems together to form an annual of over EUR 670 billion market. Smart in those contests typically involves use of IoT technologies.
Consumers will lag behind businesses and governments in IoT adoption – still they will purchase a massive number of devices. There will be potential for marketing IoT devices for consumers: Nine out of ten consumers never heard the words IoT or Internet of Things, October 2015! It seems that the newest IoT technology extends homes in 2016 – to those homes where owner has heard of those things. Wi-Fi has become so ubiquitous in homes in so many parts of the world that you can now really start tapping into that by having additional devices. The smart phones and the Internet connection can make home appliances, locks and sensors make homes and leisure homes in more practical, safer and more economical. Home adjusts itself for optimal energy consumption and heating, while saving money. During the next few years prices will fall to fit for large sets of users. In some cases only suitable for software is needed, as the necessary sensors and data connections can be found in mobile phones. Our homes are going to get smarter, but it’s going to happen slowly. Right now people mostly buy single products for a single purpose. Our smart homes and connected worlds are going to happen one device, one bulb at a time. The LED industry’s products will become more efficient, reliable, and, one can hope, interoperable in the near future. Companies know they have to get you into their platform with that first device, or risk losing you forever to someone else’s closed ecosystem.
The definitions what would be considered IoT device and what is a traditional computing devices is not entirely clear, and I fear that we will not get a clear definition for that in 2016 that all could agree. It’s important to remember that the IoT is not a monolithic industry, but rather a loosely defined technology architecture that transcends vertical markets to make up an “Internet of everything.”
Too many people – industry leaders, media, analysts, and end users – have confused the concept of
“smart” with “connected”. Most devices – labeled “IoT” or “smart” – are simply connected devices. Just connecting a device to the internet so that it can be monitored and controlled by someone over the web using a smart phone is not smart. Yes, it may be convenient and time saving, but it is not “smart”. Smart means intelligence.
IoT New or Not? YES and NO. There are many cases where whole IoT thing is hyped way out of proportion. For the most part, it’s just the integration of existing technologies. Marketing has driven an amount of mania around IoT, on the positive side getting it on the desks of decision makers, and on the negative generating ever-loftier predictions. Are IoT and M2M same or different? Yes and no depending on case. For sure for very many years to come IoT and M2M will coexist.
Nearly a dozen contenders are trying to fill a need for long distance networks that cut the cost and power consumption of today’s cellular machine-to-machine networks. Whose technology protocols should these manufacturers incorporate into their gear? Should they adopt ZigBee, Apple’s HomeKit, Allseen Alliance/AllJoyn, or Intel’s Open Interconnect Consortium? Other 802.15.4 technologies? There are too many competing choices.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, two pioneers of the Internet of Things are expanding their platforms and partnerships. Crowdfunding sites and hardware accelerators are kicking out startups at a regular clip, typically companies building IoT devices that ride Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Bluetooth Special Interest group is expected to release in2016 support for mesh networks and higher data rates.
Although ZWave and Zigbee helped pioneer the smart home and building space more than a decade ago, but efforts based on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 6LoWPAN are poised to surpass them. Those pioneering systems are actively used and developed. Zigbee Alliance starts certification for its unified version 3.0 specification in few months (includes profiles for home and building automation, LED lighting, healthcare, retail and smart energy). EnOcean Alliance will bring its library of about 200 application profiles for 900 MHz energy harvesting devices to Zigbee networks. Zigbee will roll out a new spec for smart cities. The Z-Wave Security 2 framework will start a beta test in February and Z-Wave aims to strike a collaboration withleading IoT application framework platforms. Zigbee alredy has support Thread.
The race to define, design and deploy new low power wide area networks for the Internet of Things won’t cross a finish line in 2016. But by the end of the year it should start to be clear which LPWA nets are likely to have long legs and the opportunities for brand new entrants will dim significantly. So at the moment it is hard to make design choices. To protect against future technology changes, maybe the device makers should design in wireless connectivity chips and software that will work with a variety of protocols? That’s complicated and expensive. But if I pick only one technology I can easily pick up wrong horse, and it is also an expensive choice.
Within those who want to protect against future technology changes, there could be market for FPGAs in IoT devices. The Internet of Things (IoT) is broken and needs ARM-based field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to fix it, an expert told engineers at UBM’s Designers of Things conference in San Jose. You end up with a piece of hardware that can be fundamentally changed in the field.
There seems to be huge set of potential radio techniques also for Internet of Things even for long distance and low power consumpion. Zigbee will roll out a new spec for smart cities in February based on the 802.15.4g standard for metro networks. It will compete with an already crowded field of 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz networks from Sigfox, the LoRa Alliance, Ingenu and others. Weightless-P is an open standard announced by Weightless SIG, which operates at frequencies below one gigahertz. Weightless-P nodes and development cards will be expected to be in the market already during the first quarter of 2016, at the moment Weightless IoT Hardware Virtually Unavailable.
I expect LoRa Technology is expected to be hot in 2016. The LoRaWAN standard enables low-data-rate Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless communication with a range of up to 10 miles, a battery life of 10 years, and the ability to connect millions of wireless sensor nodes to LoRaWAN gateways. LoRa® technology works using a digital spread spectrum modulation and proprietary protocol in the Sub-GHz RF band (433/868/915 MHz). I see LoRa technology interesting because lots of activity around in Finland in several companies (especially Espotel) and I have seen a convincing hands-in demo of the LoRa system in use.
It seems that 3GPP Lost its Way in IoT and there is fragmentation ahead in cellular standards. In theory 3GPP should be the default provider of IoT connectivity, but it seems that it has now failed in providing one universal technology. At the moment, there are three major paths being supported by 3GPP for IoT: the machine-type version of LTE (known as LTE-M) and two technologies coming from the Cellular-IoT initiative — NB-IoT and EC-GSM. So here we are with three full standardization efforts in 3GPP for IoT connectivity. It is too much. There will like be a base standard in 2016 for LTE-M.
The promise of billions of connected devices leads everyone to assume that there will be plenty of room for multiple technologies, but this betrays the premise of IoT, that a connected world will offer gains through efficiency. Too many standard will cause challenges for everybody. Customers will not embrace IoT if they have to choose between LTE-M and Sigfox-enabled products that may or may not work in all cases. OEM manufacturers will again bear the cost, managing devices at a regional or possibly national level. Again, we lose efficiency and scale. The cost of wireless connectivity will remain a barrier to entry to IoT.
Today’s Internet of Things product or service ultimately consists of multiple parts, quite propably supplied by different companies. An Internet of Things product or service ultimately consists of multiple parts. One is the end device that gathers data and/or executes control functions on the basis of its communications over the Internet. Another is the gateway or network interface device. Once on the Internet, the IoT system needs a cloud service to interact with. Then, there is the human-machine interface (HMI) that allows users to interact with the system. So far, most of the vendors selling into the IoT development network are offering only one or two of these parts directly. Alternatives to this disjointed design are arising, however. Recently many companies are getting into the end-to-end IoT design support business, although to different degrees.
Voice is becoming more often used the user interface of choice for IoT solutions. Smartphones let you control a lot using only your voice as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung have their solutions for this. For example Amazon, SoundHound and Nuance have created systems that allow to add language commands to own hardware or apps. Voice-activated interface becomes pervasive and persistent for IoT solutions in 2016. Right now, most smart home devices are controlled through smartphones, and it seems like that’s unlikely to change. The newest wearable technology, smart watches and other smart devices corresponding to the voice commands and interpret the data we produce – it learns from its users, and generate as responses in real time appropriate, “micro-moments” tied to experience.
Monitoring your health is no longer only a small group oriented digital consumer area. Consumers will soon take advantage of the health technology extensively to measure well-being. Intel Funds Doctor in Your Pocket and Samsung’s new processor is meant for building much better fitness trackers. Also, insurance companies have realized the benefits of health technologies and develop new kinds of insurance services based on data from IoT devices.
Samsung’s betting big on the internet of things and wants the TV to sit at the heart of this strategy. Samsung believes that people will want to activate their lights, heating and garage doors all from the comfort of their couch. If smart TVs get a reputation for being easy to hack, then Samsung’s models are hardly likely to be big sellers. After a year in which the weakness of smart TVs were exploited, Samsung goes on the offensive in 2016. Samsung’s new Tizen-based TVs will have GAIA security with pin lock for credit card and other personal info, data encryption, built-in anti-malware system, more.
This year’s CES will focus on how connectivity is proliferating everything from cars to homes, realigning diverse markets – processors and networking continue to enhance drones, wearables and more. Auto makers will demonstrate various connected cars. There will be probably more health-related wearables at CES 2016, most of which will be woven into clothing, mainly focused on fitness. Whether or not the 2016 International CES holds any big surprises remains to be seen. The technology is there. Connected light bulbs, connected tea kettles, connected fridges and fans and coffeemakers and cars—it’s all possible. It’s not perfect, but the parts are only going to continue to get better, smaller, and cheaper.
Connectivity of IoT devices will still have challeges in 2016. While IoT standards organizations like the Open Interconnect Consortium and the AllSeen Alliance are expected to demonstrate their capabilities at CES, the industry is still a ways away from making connectivity simple. In 2016 it will still pretty darn tedious to get all these things connected, and there’s all these standards battles coming on. So there will be many standards in use at the same time. The next unsolved challenge: How the hell are all these things going to work together? Supporting open APIs that connect with various services is good.
Like UPnP and DLNA, AllJoyn could become the best-kept secret in the connected home in 2016 — everyone has it, no one knows about it. AllJoyn is an open-source initiative to connect devices in the Internet of Things. Microsoft added support for AllJoyn to Windows in 2014.
Analysis will become important in 2016 on IoT discussions. There’s too much information out there that’s available free, or very cheaply. We need systems to manage the information so we can make decisions. Welcome to the systems age.
The rise of the Internet of Things and Web services is driving new design principles. The new goal is to delight customers with experiences that evolve in flexible ways that show you understand their needs. “People are expecting rich experiences, fun and social interactions… this generation gets bored easily so you need to understand all the dimensions of how to delight them”
With huge number of devices security issues will become more and more important. In 2016, we’ll need to begin grappling with the security concerns these devices raise. The reality of everything being connected can have unintended consequences, not all of them useful – Welcome to the Internet of stupid (hackable) things.
Security: It was a hot topic for 2015 and if anything it will get hotter in 2016. The reason is clear. By adding connectivity embedded systems not only increase their utility, they vastly increase their vulnerability to subversion with significant consequences. Embedded systems that add connectivity face many challenges, of which the need for security is both vital and misunderstood. But vendors and developers have been getting the message and solutions are appearing in greater numbers, from software libraries to MCUs with a secure root of trust.
Bruce Schneier is predicting that the IoT will be abused in conjunction with DMCA to make our lives worse instead of better. In theory, connected sensors will anticipate your needs, saving you time, money, and energy. Except when the companies that make these connected objects act in a way that runs counter to the consumer’s best interests. The story of a company using copy-protection technology to lock out competitors—isn’t a new one. Plenty of companies set up proprietary standards to ensure that their customers don’t use someone else’s products with theirs. Because companies can enforce anti-competitive behavior this way, there’s a litany of things that just don’t exist, even though they would make life easier for consumers.
Internet of Things is coming. It’s not a matter of if or whether, but when and how. Maybe it’ll be 2016, maybe the year after, but the train is coming. It’ll have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and probably eight other things, and you’ll definitely get a push notification when it gets here.
More interesting material links:
1,510 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Death, Taxes, and Laundry
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/19/death-taxes-and-laundry/
There’s an old saying that the only two things that are certain are death and taxes. However, unless you live in a nudist colony, there’s probably also laundry. [Darpan Bajaj] and some friends were at a hackathon and decided to put their washing machine on the Internet.
Washman- The Intelligent washingmachine system
http://www.instructables.com/id/Washman-the-Washingmachine-Monitoring-System/
Washman is a intelligent monitoring system for washing machines in hostels using IoT. Washman will inform the students whether the washing machines in multiple floors in hostels are occupied or not.
Materials Used:
1- Bolt IoT platform
2- Arduino Mini Pro
3- Ultra sound scanner
4- IR sensor
5- Vibration sensor
6- Personal computer and Android mobile to setup hotspot
Bolt : IoT Platform
http://boltiot.com/
Bolt is an Internet of Things platform (Hardware+Software) that enables you to build IoT products and projects.
Control and monitor your devices from anywhere in the world with a smartphone app or a web browser
Tomi Engdahl says:
Add Bluetooth to a Cheap Electronic Lock
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/19/add-bluetooth-to-a-cheap-electronic-lock/
James] works from home. His office is filled with objects that can be described with adjectives such as, “expensive,” and, “breakable.” His home, however, is filled with professional object-breakers known as children. To keep these two worlds from colliding, he installed a keypad lock on his office door. The potential side-effect of accidentally training his children to be master safe-crackers aside, the system seems to work so far.
However, being a hacker, the tedium of entering a passcode soon grew too heavy for him. Refusing to be a techno-peasant, he set out to improve his lock. The first step was to reverse engineer the device. The lock is divided into two halves, one has a keypad and handle, the other actually operates the lock mechanism. They are connected with a few wires.
he polished the app and code until he reached his goal. All of the code is available on his GitHub.
https://github.com/jpuderer/Bluedoor
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Water Cannon Junk Build Shoots Into Our Hearts
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/19/bluetooth-water-cannon-junk-build-shoots-into-our-hearts/
We’ve seen a few remote controlled turret builds in the past, but this one from [Noel Geren] is pretty neat: it shoots water and uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for control.
The pump from the gun is connected to a simple relay that replaces the trigger. Both the relay and the servo are connected to an RFDuino with a servo shield, which is programmed to respond to simple commands to rotate and fire.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fixed e-SIM will come to smart sensors
DNA Enevon supply of waste bins IoT by organizing M2M modules with integrated e-SIM cards. Waste collection containers are installed and connected to a mobile network sensors indicate when the emptying of the container is necessary.
Finnish Enevon small size, given to a waste container apparatus includes a M2M modem in addition to the temperature sensor, the acceleration sensor and the function of the sensor. They allow the system to predict the vessels are met and draw up a waste management route for cars recommendations.
“Enevon service is an excellent example of a useful industrial solution to the Internet. M2M is there a growing business area and we are very excited to continue to cooperate with the Enevon such a global delivery “, large customer sales director Eva Lindholm from DNA says.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/04/21/kiintea-e-sim-tulee-alyantureihin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A case study in electronic design of a home health care monitoring device
http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4441864/A-case-study-in-electronic-design-of-a-home-health-care-monitoring-device?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20160421&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_analog_20160421&elqTrackId=167a8d64392740beaff50d6fedb158c1&elq=b236cf115b0f40f9bde206086ee3ebd7&elqaid=31947&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=27863
A Nuvation Engineering client in the tele-health industry was seeking assistance upgrading a health monitoring device used by patients who are managing their care at home. The device collects data from various personal health monitoring devices (PHM) and uploads it to a central monitoring station manned by live agents. The client was primarily a health monitoring services provider and developing electronic devices was not their core business.
The current device was several years old and some components had reached parts obsolescence. The device could also only support a single PHM device and needed to support multiple devices simultaneously.
The new device needed to:
Collect health information via USB and Bluetooth from multiple PHM devices simultaneously (e.g. blood-glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, etc.)
Upload PHM device data to the cloud via Internet, cellular networks, and home phone line
Be designed to meet North American and European EMC and Electrical Safety standards
Use components with lifecycles that exceeded the planned product life
Be manufactured at a price point that was well within the average home-care patient’s budget
PHM device connectivity standards
Standards for connected health monitoring devices used in the home are governed in part through collaboration between IEEE and the Continua Health Alliance, whose mandate is “to establish an eco-system [sic] of interoperable personal health systems that empower people and organizations to better manage their health and wellness.” [1] Nuvation provided hardware and firmware solutions to help make the device compliant with Continua’s special USB standard for PHM devices.
The device had to undergo testing to ensure compliance with a range of medical and information technology equipment regulatory standards
The client was hoping this next-generation product could be produced at a lower price than its predecessor. During the discovery phase of the project however, Nuvation determined that the hardware and software components required to support the functional requirements would in fact make the product more expensive. Cost drivers included requirements for an Android operating system, a telephone line interface, color LCD screen, and the ability to power the device from both standard cell batteries and an AC adapter. The Android OS requirement for example, limited the type of CPU that could be selected and imposed a minimum memory requirement on the design, and supporting POTS required a telephone modem.
After weighing the options of accepting the higher price point against reducing the functionality, the client determined that their customers would prefer the full functionality and still respond positively to the revised price.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT gateway starter kit for end-to-end data service
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/iot-gateway-starter-kit-for-end-to-end-data-service/801ba51e3d8b2718ad97455c5ab3df79.html
Advantech’s IoT Gateway Starter is designed to provide end-to-end data service and a quick path to Internet of Things (IoT) innovation with a reliable platform and open gateway technologies. The package includes a ready-to-run system (Intel Celeron J1900 platform and Microsoft Windows 7 Embedded), IoT server-side software and platform service (WISE-PaaS), a software development kit, technical support service, and Microsoft Azure service certification and integration. With it, designers can take their IoT innovation to market faster and do so with a combined hardware, software, and services package in the IoT Gateway landscape.
“IoT projects are complex and take a long time to implement. Customers are looking for a quick and efficient solution to jumpstart their IoT development.
They unify different protocols under MQ telemetry transport (MQTT), the prevailing IoT unifying protocol
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet of Things solutions program launched
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/internet-of-things-solutions-program-launched/361cb76a961d20842addb14e8cdd5ad9.html
The Dell IoT Solutions Partner Program has been launched for the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and solutions. The program will combine a global, multi-tiered network of experienced independent software vendors (ISVs) with a portfolio of IoT assets.
Dell, Kepware, and Software AG are collaborating to develop IoT enabled predictive maintenance models utilizing distributed analytics to address the industry’s biggest operational challenges, such as unplanned downtime, overall equipment effectiveness, maintenance cost and return on assets.
With Microsoft and Blue Pillar, Dell is delivering automated demand response solutions which help utilities maintain grid reliability and enable customers to realize significant value through dispatch of onsite power generation or reduction in consumption.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial networking technologies add value to existing infrastructure
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/industrial-networking-technologies-add-value-to-existing-infrastructure/56297533ccca92db978b2105575dbb79.html
Today’s Web-enabled, data-centric world is full of new technology that can be used to connect things in new ways and share information across previously uncrossable boundaries.
The landscape of process control systems has completely changed in the last five years. The industry has moved forward from where the state-of-the-art was integrating process data with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and is now pushing into the realm of completely connected, distributed, and always-on systems to devices that didn’t even exist a few years ago.
Regardless of the name—the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industrie 4.0, the digital factory, or the connected enterprise—these developments are here to stay. They present many new opportunities to provide value to existing technologies, but they do require users to update work habits and style of thinking. What worked even five years ago does not necessarily apply anymore. When implemented correctly, though, these new technologies give the companies who use them a deeper understanding of every aspect of their world.
Tracking, analyzing data from new sources
Energy usage is an example of the new data streams available to users. Web-enabled power meters, gas meters, and flowmeters allow access to get real-time information on water, air, gas, electricity, and steam usage. This information can be combined with utility billing information to understand the most cost-effective times of day to run a process and provide a level of oversight for billing that previously would have required a lot of manual calculation.
Technology from outside of the manufacturing world such as beacons, geo-fencing, and smartphones with global positioning system (GPS) capability can all be implemented at a processing facility to provide a real-time view of where personnel are in the plant. The information can provide location-specific alerts and allow, with appropriate security, control of the process from mobile devices in certain physical locations.
Integrating devices with existing systems
One of the most difficult hurdles to integrating IIoT-enabled devices is integrating them with existing systems. Through the use of open platform communications (OPC), data distribution service (DDS), and the MQ telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol, integrating new devices is becoming as simple as adding them as a node on an existing network. MQTT is an Internet of Things (IoT) protocol built on a machine-to-machine (M2M) architecture, which makes it easy for a distributed array of devices to communicate with one another to share information about their status and environmental readings.
The increasing number of companies developing IoT-capable devices brings about a growing number of communication protocols. A group of devices made by one manufacturer will likely be able to communicate with each other, but not to devices from another company. By using OPC, DDS, or MQTT as a bridge between an existing system and new devices, this problem is nearly eliminated.
Many existing systems use OPC or DDS, and many of the major software vendors are releasing MQTT communication links to enable compatibility between their systems and IIoT devices. Adding this information brings more context to process control and ERP, and other manufacturing execution system (MES) data adds more value to the system.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Data analysis: a key requirement for IIoT
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/data-analysis-a-key-requirement-for-iiot/54a8711882555c97b394bdf4fb898d31.html
Industrie 4.0 data analytics: A proliferation of data analysis solutions are designed to help industry benefit from the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), explained Suzanne Gill, editor-in-chief for Control Engineering Europe, from the 27th Honeywell User Group EMEA event in Madrid.
Technology change
“The pace of technology change is much faster today,” continued Kapur. “Systems traditionally would have become obsolete every 5 to 10 years. However, the underlying operating system technology used today is changing much more rapidly so there is a need to update systems more regularly.”
There is also increasing interest in cyber security issues and the IIoT. “At this point the IIoT is throwing up more questions than answers,” said Kapur. “Customers will not be throwing away their existing systems to implement IIoT, so we need to help them unleash the power that they already have. I believe that control systems will become the heart of the IIoT, which will rely on process data for operation, maintenance, and optimization—and that data comes from the control system.”
Kapur said the IIoT will give engineers the ability to host applications in a more centralized environment. With different source applications becoming centralized in the cloud, it will no longer be necessary to maintain the same application multiple times, and upgrades will be much easier to achieve. It will also allow less skilled engineers to manage applications. “I believe that the IIoT will allow for greater efficiencies and increased uptime. It offers nothing new, just a way of doing things differently,” he said.
In the cloud
According to Kapur, Honeywell is enabling customers to leverage the benefits of cloud-based applications and this, he says, is helping to lower engineering costs and optimize scheduling during the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage, where time savings of up to four months have been achieved along with up to 30% reductions in engineering costs. “We have seen an increase in projects executed in the cloud environment-almost 2,000 projects since April 2015,” said Kapur.
Bruce Calder, chief technology officer for Honeywell Process solutions, reiterated the point that the IIoT concept is nothing new to the process industry. “We have been doing it for decades,” he said. “We already have the capacity to make use of this information to benefit plant performance. However, ever more connected devices and systems are generating vast amounts of data, and the next big change will be how this data is managed.”
Platform independence
The growing demand for products that easily interconnect and share data in meaningful and effective ways has resulted in increased interest in platform-independent architectures for data exchange, and the Platform Industrie 4.0 trade organization has stated that OPC UA is the only standard relevant for the reference architecture model for Industry 4.0, which has resulted in a huge increase in interest and activity for OPC UA solutions.
Commenting on this subject Kapur said: “Today we communicate between the plant and the control system through different communication mechanisms. There is no one standard. There is a need for a common language that allows devices and equipment to talk to the control system. OPC UA is a key standard enabling this communication. Honeywell is a key provider of OPC UA and is working with different organizations to find out how the standard can become a scalable application right down to the sensor level for data aggregation.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Speed development of IoT devices
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/embedded-basics/4441832/Speed-development-of-IoT-devices?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160421&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160421&elqTrackId=9df5db51247f4bd9b4bbca5866c8d48f&elq=88c33febbb214fe39923a4668269f06d&elqaid=31950&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=27866
For decades embedded systems have been built in nearly the exact same way, but the demands of market conditions, budgets, and technological advancements are rapidly transforming the way embedded systems are being built. The complexities and challenges of building an internet connected device, a potentially huge market that developers can no longer ignore, are quite staggering if a developer follows traditional design techniques. Below are a few ideas on how developers can rapidly develop internet connected devices.
Idea #1 – Select an embedded platform
Idea #2 – Adopt an alternative programming language
Idea #3 – Leverage development kits
Idea #4 – Use modules and frameworks
Idea #5 – Don’t be afraid to push the envelope
Final thoughts
The on-set of the IoT era is proving to be exciting not only because of the creation of new products but also because of the new techniques becoming available to build those systems. The very way in which embedded systems are being built is beginning to change. Before long, the idea of writing a low level driver or middleware will be as foreign as it is to .NET developer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Internet of Things will create a completely new professions
Internet of Things IoT is not just hype, but Finnish companies will open with it more jobs sector experts. Companies themselves estimate the number of jobs, even during double in the year.
a survey by the Saranen Consulting, the most needed in the field of software engineers and sales professionals. Also, IOT-skill people analytics, marketing, consulting, testing and information security professionals are in demand.
Knowledge of industrial internet startup employs dozens of experts on the subject and makes the company works 150 people. Radar is on to find talent.
“The team is constructing appreciate the interdisciplinary skills and the ability to look at things from a completely new angle. The most important is the ability to understand customers and their needs: not only now but also in the future “, start-up truck leader Taneli Tikka line. He also appreciates the hard technology know-how and experience in the industrial exploitation of the Internet practical.
“New professions are coming from. The big question is what they are, because technology is changing really making progress. ”
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/esineiden-internet-luo-taysin-uusia-ammatteja-6543769
Tomi Engdahl says:
Automated Blinds Open the Window to our Heart
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/21/automated-blinds-open-the-window-to-our-heart/
[Brian Harms] made his living room window blinds open and close automatically using servos, an Arduino, and a SmartThings Arduino shield. Best of all, it’s connected to his Amazon Echo so that merely saying “Alexa, turn on/off the blinds” will open and close them.
To accomplish the feat [Brian] used two laser cut acrylic gears; one of which was attached to the servo horn, and the other to the long square rod running the length of the blinds. Despite using the bulky Arduino and shield, the finished product is inconspicuous and streamlined, and the single Arduino controls all three of the blinds in the living room.
Blinds are a common connected home hack
Dumb Blinds made Smart
https://imgur.com/a/7pfOZ
Hobby servo, servo horn, and lasercut gears.
The servo horn that sticks up is actually really convenient because it makes it easier for us to manually open the blinds if the power is out or the internet is down.
Here is the arduino I used to control the blinds. I wanted it to be connected to the other smart devices in my home, so I used a smartthings arduino shield.
Blinds “on”
Blinds “off”
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Verizon is big on IoT ‘cos its wireline biz is dying on the vine
Telco keeps revenues up with strong hardware sales
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/22/verizon_is_big_on_iot_mostly_because_its_wireline_biz_is_dying_on_the_vine/
Verizon says that it will focus on “developing new markets,” as the telco giant was just able to keep revenues on the uptick.
The US carrier said that it would be shifting a focus over towards the internet of things (IoT) and its content market in the coming months, as it looks to bolster sagging revenues in other parts of its business.
At the same time, Verizon says it will be increasingly looking to build its IoT business, which logged $195m in revenues, up 25 per cent over the year-ago quarter.
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‘Big Data’ Angst Might Foster ‘IoT Fatigue’
Fear of Siri, Big Brother
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1329499&
Even before the market is up and running, we might be witnessing the onset of IoT fatigue, especially manifest in fear of ‘Big Data’.
It used to take years for the general public to catch on to new technologies and devices, and even longer to grasp all the intended and unintended consequences of their use.
With the Internet of Things (IoT), however, I sense a public perception that’s outpacing the actual promise of IoT.
IoT, a notion little known to most consumers a few years ago, has gotten 2.3 million social Twitter mentions in just the first three months this year (January 1st to April 10th), according to Argus Insights, a Los Gatos, Calif.-based market research firm.
Surprising isn’t the volume of social mentions. It’s the fact that such social conversation is already exposing, in one way or another, the gap between IoT’s reality and perception.
We might be witnessing the onset of IoT fatigue even before the market is up and running.
According to the “State of the Internet of Things: What’s Leading Market Conversations” report issued by Argus Insights Wednesday (April 20), IoT chatter involving the industry and consumers is heavily concentrated around ‘Big Data’ concerns.
Disconcerting, however, is that IoT ‘Big Data’ conversation is now turning into “fears of what will happen to this pool of data and how will it remain secure,” Argus Insights’ reported.
New Argus Insights IoT Market Report Reveals Big Data is Top of Mind within Internet of Things
http://www.argusinsights.com/iot2016-pr/
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Study Findings: Cloud Solves Challenges in IoT Product and Service Delivery
https://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/ibm/study-findings-cloud-solves-challenges-in-iot-product-and-service-delivery/
This research conducted by IBM shows the growing interest of many organizations in the Internet of Things, and that Cloud is becoming increasingly important in solving challenges in the delivery of IoT products and services.
How does cloud figure into the Internet of Things?
Internet of Things (IoT) has firmly moved beyond the hype according to our latest research, but as companies start to consider how to build out the next generation of IoT offerings – products, applications and services – there seems to be no shortage of uncertainty surrounding how developers and IT departments will be impacted, or the likely role for cloud services within IoT. Developers need a robust ecosystem of performant, secure technologies and platforms to develop these offerings, but the consensus around which ones best meet these requirements, and extent of the learning curve involved in developing IoT services – and the requirement to seek out new personnel skilled in a range of different technologies – is still evolving. While developers have already found use for cloud-based services within their IoT offerings, it’s equally clear that concerns around security, performance, ease of use and skills may dictate cloud’s future role in IoT projects and architectures.
According to our recent BCN and Telecoms.com Cloud and IoT survey, which includes responses from over 651 developers and IT professionals, enterprises are firmly sold on the coupling of IoT and cloud and are well on their way to developing applications and services. About 65 per cent of respondents agree or strongly agree companies that are slow to integrate cloud – whether at the storage, middleware, ancillary service or application evel – into their IoT solutions will fall behind the competition, so it is clear IT organisations themselves see a pivotal role for cloud in IoT. By contrast, 78 per cent disagree or strongly disagree that there is no space for cloud services in IoT.
When looking at cloud at different levels of the stack, three quarters of respondents (74 per cent) believe these services can solve middleware challenges for IoT, 70 per cent believe cloud can help solve architectural constraints associated with delivering IoT applications and services, and 68 per cent agree or strongly agree that cloud can also help solve storage problems associated with IoT sensorgenerated data and logs. This may be because IoT typically implies the interconnection of a range of devices – potentially speaking an equally broad range of languages – sending data to a centralised repository from the very edge of a network. The importance of robust middleware within that context cannot be stressed enough. Cloud storage is also useful for IoT developers that may not have enough capital to deploy on-premise storage that is scalable enough to meet the demands; with cloud developers can also shard and / or replicate data to a range of different storage services, optimising for any number of variables including latency, proximity to data processing services (i.e. analytics), and cost.
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Small Experiments in DIY Home Security
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/24/small-experiments-in-diy-home-security/
[Dann Albright] writes about some small experiments he’s done in home security.
He starts with the simplest. Which is to purchase an off the shelf web camera, and hook it up to software built to do the task. The first software he uses is the free, iSpy open source software. This adds basic features like motion detection, time stamping, logging, and an interface. He also explores other commercial options.
Next he delves a bit deeper. He starts by making a simple motion detector. W
Build Your Own DIY Home Security System with Text Messaging
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/build-diy-home-security-system-text-messaging/
Ask HackADay: Network Security Camera
http://hackaday.com/2010/04/10/ask-hackaday-network-security-camera/
Open Source Video Surveillance Software
iSpy is the worlds leading open source surveillance software for Windows PCs
http://www.ispyconnect.com/
iSpy the most feature-rich surveillance software in the world!. Some key features include: Unlimited Cameras and Microphones (including IP and USB cameras), Motion Detection, Motion Processing, Recording, Scheduling, Audio, Remote Access, Network Audio Broadcasting, Password Protection, Desktop Recording, YouTube Uploading, Cloud Uploading, FTP, SFTP, SMS, Twitter and Email alerts.
iSpy is the world’s most popular open source video surveillance and security software. With more than 2 million users worldwide, iSpy works with more cameras and devices than anything else on the market.
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Energy Monitor Optically Couples to Smart Meter
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/24/energy-monitor-optically-couples-to-smart-meter/
Hackers love to monitor things. Whether it’s the outside temperature or the energy used to take a shower, building a sensor and displaying a real-time graph of the data is hacker heaven. But the most interesting graphs comes from monitoring overall power use, and that’s where this optically coupled smart-meter monitor comes in.
[Michel]’s meter reader is pretty straightforward. His smart wattmeter is equipped with an IR LED that pips for every watt-hour consumed, so optical coupling was a natural approach. The pulse itself is only 10 ms wide, so he built a pulse stretcher to condition the pulse for a PIC microcontroller. The PIC also reads the outside temperature with a DS18B20 and feeds everything to the central power monitor
Power Monitor (smart meter hack)
https://hackaday.io/project/10673-power-monitor-smart-meter-hack
A simple hack on a smart meter to monitor household power consumption vs Exterior temperature and wood stove usage.
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IoT-based Smart Lighting System in the Cloud
https://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/ibm/iot-based-smart-lighting-system-in-the-cloud/
This article presents a secure IoT-based customer service platform for PhotonStar’s halcyon products in the cloud. PhotonStar uses IBM’s Bluemix platform Liberty to give fast and effective online technical support to its customers including password reset service, automatic system backup and recovery, and renote access for troubleshooting.
PhotonStar LED Group plc has developed an extremely innovative wireless lighting system based on ARM® processor technology that seamlessly integrates LED lighting, sensors and control.
The halcyon system needed a cloud based customer service platform before the product could be released for sale, and PhotonStar required an out of the box user experience that was quick for the customer to navigate. Especially important was ease of use in programming customized lighting controllers which allow PhotonStar to provide a secure backup, remote technical support and password reset service.
Keeping it Secure
Security in the halcyon lighting system is a key feature and delivers a huge benefit to users who are confident that their lighting system is based on state of the art technology. The partnership with IBM enhances the delivery of a secure customer service platform and generates confidence and assurance of continuous service, which is vital to an emerging IoT business to develop new service models.
Smart Lighting
Lighting is one of the fastest growing market segments in the IoT and the deployment of smart lighting networks presents a huge opportunity for the industry.
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It’s Easy to Start Using Powerful IoT Recipes
https://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/ibm/its-easy-to-start-using-powerful-iot-recipes/
A thriving community is helping shape the Internet of Things. Experienced developers can access and contribute powerful IoT recipes at developerWorks Recipes from IBM. This step-by-step tutorial offers a head start on IoT or other applications that connect hardware, run analytics, use machine learning and more. They also help you get more from IBM’s Bluemix, an open source solution for developers to quickly and securely create, develop, and manage applications in the Cloud.
Getting started with developerWorks Recipes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE6Yo8RWJlY
Quickly produce recipes to inspire millions of developers.
https://developer.ibm.com/recipes/?utm_source=EEWeb&utm_medium=TechCommunity&utm_term=2016&utm_content=Content&utm_campaign=IBM
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Connecting Raspberry Pi as a Gateway to Watson IoT using Node-RED – Part I
https://developer.ibm.com/recipes/tutorials/connecting-raspberry-pi-as-a-gateway-to-watson-iot-using-node-red/
This recipe will help you connect your Raspberry Pi, as a gateway, to the Watson IoT Platform, using the easy wiring approach of Node-RED.
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Report: Intel will lay off 12% of workforce, re-focus on IoT, data centers over PCs
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/04/report-intel-will-lay-off-12-of-workforce-re-focus-on-iot-data-centers-over-pcs.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_CablingNews_April252016&eid=289644432&bid=1384637
“The cuts will hit 12,000 employees around the world and take until mid-2017 to complete. Intel Corp. will record a $1.2 billion charge in the second quarter because of the actions. The company expects the layoffs to deliver $750 million in savings this year and annual savings of $1.4 billion by mid-2017.
The chipmaker is trying to move from being a PC-based business to one that caters more to cloud computing, data centers and the Internet of Things (IoT). Intel says in a statement that the data center and IoT markets are its “primary growth engines” now, with memory and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) “accelerating these opportunities.”
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Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
SmartThings poaches Amazon engineering director Robert Parker to oversee future hardware and software development as its new SVP of engineering
SmartThings poaches Amazon engineering director to start simplifying the smart home
http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/25/11501540/smartthings-hires-amazon-director-engineering-as-svp
SmartThings has hired Robert Parker away from Amazon to oversee future hardware and software development as its new SVP of engineering. At Amazon, Parker served as a director of engineering, spending five years working on a number of the company’s top projects, including Alexa, the Fire TV Stick, and Prime Music. Before that, he spent 18 years at Microsoft.
“”SmartThings has this opportunity to really be the heart of your home.””
Now starting at SmartThings, Parker says he intends to apply his knowledge of building consumer-friendly products to the smart home market, which is in dire need of help. “I’m going to make something that is measurably better for your house,” Parker says.
“Openness has really allowed people to participate,” Parker says, referring to the 30,000 developers working in SmartThings ecosystem. “The next step is to sit there and say, ‘now that you’re participating, let’s making sure that we help the ecosystem as a whole get better, work better, be more reliable, and be more scalable.’”
Samsung’s Developer Conference kicks off on Wednesday, and SmartThings will certainly have a role to play there. Samsung is starting to integrate SmartThings with its high-end TVs, and it’s promised to make all of its products part of the IoT by 2020.
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MTconnect
http://www.mtconnect.org/
Digital manufacturing depends on data from a diverse set of industrial equipment on the factory floor. Uniform, robust communications are part of the necessary infrastructure for modern business systems and 21st century analysis and decision-making.
The MTConnect standard enables manufacturing equipment to provide data in structured XML rather than proprietary formats. With uniform data available from production equipment, sensor packages, and other hardware, a world of applications to provide more efficient operations, improved production optimization, and increased productivity is opened up to industry.
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A case study in electronic design of a home health care monitoring device
http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4441864/A-case-study-in-electronic-design-of-a-home-health-care-monitoring-device?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_pcbdesigncenter_20160425&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_pcbdesigncenter_20160425&elqTrackId=7d36f3a5b8164175866b3fded8bc8131&elq=18e447f1870d43eba2ff4ea0e3811c04&elqaid=31980&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=27892
A Nuvation Engineering client in the tele-health industry was seeking assistance upgrading a health monitoring device used by patients who are managing their care at home. The device collects data from various personal health monitoring devices (PHM) and uploads it to a central monitoring station manned by live agents. The client was primarily a health monitoring services provider and developing electronic devices was not their core business.
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Microchip’s Long-Range Low-Power End Node Solution
With the growing Internet of Things, Microchip has a LoRa® technology wireless solution to address increasing demands on end-devices for long range connectivity, low-power for battery operation, and low infrastructure cost for volume deployment.
LoRa-Main-Lrge
Microchip’s LoRa technology solution is ready to run out-of-the box and with the complete LoRaWAN protocol and certifications in place, it reduces time to market and saves development costs.
More: http://www.microchip.com/design-centers/wireless-connectivity/embedded-wireless/lora-technology#utm_source=Aspen-Lab_EEWeb.com&utm_medium=ePostcard&utm_term=FY17Q1&utm_content=WSG&utm_campaign=ePostcard
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‘Network-Ready’ Dimmable LED Lighting Offers More Energy Savings
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329534&
Energy Focus, Inc. has developed a new generation of ‘Network-Ready’, dimmable LED lighting products, including dimmable tubular LED lamps that operate in direct-wire mode (without a ballast) and dual-mode (with or without a ballast), an integrated, dimmable emergency backup TLED.
Energy Focus’ Network-Ready products incorporate industry standard (IEC 60929) 0-10 V dimming protocol. As a result, power and light output of the Network-Ready lamps and fixtures can be controlled via a variety of dimming control mechanisms and networks, including wireless, broadband over power-line (BPL), as well as directly via wired low voltage D.C. (twisted-pair). The Network-Ready LED products are expected to not only yield an immediate energy savings of typically 50% or more compared to fluorescent, but also potentially save an additional 20-30% of energy by utilizing the dimming feature through dimming control, occupancy sensing and daylight harvesting.
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IoT Sparks Clash of Carriers
TMobile, Orange share divergent views
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329532&
SAN JOSE, Calif.&mdash The Internet of Things is redrawing the map of who will compete against whom when it comes to low-power wide area (LPWA) networks. It’s a looming battle for which carriers, OEMs and chip makers are all gearing up.
For example, a handful of service providers such as Orange, the former France Telecom, are rolling out IoT networks now based on the LoRa specification for unlicensed 800-900 MHz bands. Many other carriers are expected to start deploying IoT networks next year using an emerging narrowband cellular standard based on LTE being developed by the 3GPP.
Meanwhile, Sigfox, the first mover in this sector, is rolling out its own 800-900 MHz service worldwide. Several other players with their own technologies such as Ingenu are trying to deploy competing networks or license others to build them.
Cisco Systems has jumped into the LoRa camp, offering gateways for the network. Both LoRa and Sigfox are attracting interest from chip makers including Microchip, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments.
“Different operators have different business models and needs, but if they deploy something like Sigfox how that evolves to a 3GPP service remains to be seen,”
The narrowband LTE standard won’t hit the sub-$5 chip costs of unlicensed alternatives nor will it be the best use of valuable licensed spectrum, said Jameson Buffmire, a business analyst in Orange’s San Francisco office.
“The big fight for [cellular] operators is who can serve video fastest to iPhones,” said D’Arcy. By contrast Sigfox uses what is “probably the slowest net in the world…we’re focused on low-end IoT nodes that for cost and bandwidth reasons send SMS-style messages at most ten times a day,” he said.
“We are focused on the low end,” he said, noting a firmware upgrade feature planned for narrowband LTE will itself require 60-100 Kbits/second. “I’m sure whatever gets spec-ed will be quite a bit higher in data rate than Sigfox,” he said.
Currently, On Semiconductor and the Atmel group at Microchip provide Sigfox reference designs based on integrated transceivers paired with microcontrollers. Texas Instruments, Silicon Labs and others will sample integrated chips supporting Bluetooth, Zigbee, Sigfox and Thread later this year, D’Arcy said.
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Mark Hachman / PCWorld:
Intel CEO outlines new strategy: focus on connected things like PC and IoT, cloud, new memory business like 3D XPoint, 5G, manufacturing and fab innovation
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3061210/components/intel-declares-independence-from-the-pc-as-it-lays-out-a-broader-5-point-strategy.html
Intel declares independence from the PC as it lays out a broader 5-point strategy
The PC’s just another ‘connected thing’ in this new world order.
In what only can be called a manifesto of Intel’s new values, Krzanich described how Intel is transforming itself “from a PC company to a company that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices.” To drive the point home, Krzanich noted that the PC is just one among many connected devices.
What might be called the “new” Intel will be built upon five pillars, Krzanich said:
The cloud—including servers, data centers, and virtualization
Connected “things,” such as sensors, autonomous vehicles, or PCs
An evolving memory business, from 3D XPoint memory to advances in server and data center infrastructure
Connectivity, specifically 5G networking
Manufacturing and the underlying fab technology.
About 40 percent of Intel’s revenue and 60 percent of its profit margin already come from outside the PC, Krzanich said last week, when the company began publicly signalling its new focus.
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News & Analysis
IoT Security Spending to Skyrocket
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329533&
Global enterprises and consumers will pump nearly $350 million into securing the Internet of Things (IoT) this year, a figure that is set to grow exponentially in coming years as networks of connected objects expand, according to market research firm Gartner Inc.
According to Gartner’s latest forecast, IoT security spending is set to nearly double between 2014 and 2018, growing from about $232 million to nearly $550 million. The market research firm predicts that IoT security spending growth will pick up significantly after 2020, as improved skills, organizational change and more scalable service options improve execution.
“The market for IoT security products is currently small but it is growing as both consumers and businesses start using connected devices in ever greater numbers,” said Ruggero Contu, a Gartner research director, in a statement.
Gartner projects that there will be 6.4 bill connected devices in use worldwide this year, up 30% from last year. The firm estimates that were will be some 11.4 connected devices by 2018.
“However, considerable variation exists among different industry sectors as a result of different levels of prioritization and security awareness,” Cantu said.
Much of the attention focused on IoT security vulnerabilities to date has focused on vehicles and other large equipment that, if compromised, could have the potential to cause significant damage, injury and loss of life.
According to Gartner’s forecast, by 2020 more than 25% of identified security attacks in enterprises will involve IoT. However, the firm projects that IoT will still account for less than 10% of IT security budgets.
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Companies to create smart microgrid using Internet of Energy platform
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/companies-to-create-smart-microgrid-using-internet-of-energy-platform/545eca070a31fddba04c472f7146b736.html
DNV GL, Group Nire and Geli (Growing Energy Labs, Inc.), will produce and operate an Internet of Energy (IoEn) platform designed to integrate and manage up to 100 distributed energy resources (DER) in an effort to help improve the U.S. electrical grid’s efficiency and reliability.
DNV GL, Group Nire and Geli (Growing Energy Labs, Inc.), will produce and operate an Internet of Energy (IoEn) platform integrating the management of up to 100 distributed energy resources (DER). The project, which is financed through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), is one of 12 projects in the Network Optimized Distributed Energy Systems (NODES) program. The goal of the program is to accelerate technologies that improve the U.S. electrical grid’s efficiency and reliability. An increased number and types of electricity sources creates additional need for smart grid applications to monitor and control electricity flow.
The IoEn project will be deployed at Group Nire’s utility-connected microgrid test facility in Lubbock, Texas, where it will be integrated with local utility monitoring, control and data acquisition systems to demonstrate advanced management of up to 100 disparate distributed energy resources using Geli’s “Internet of Energy” software. The Internet of Energy platform will simultaneously manage both market level regulation and distribution system support functions to facilitate large-scale integration of renewable generation onto the grid.
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The Immersive, VR, Internet of Things Unicycle
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/27/the-immersive-vr-internet-of-things-unicycle/
Want something that you’ll try for fifteen minutes before realizing it’s extremely stupid and has limited utility before throwing it in the back of a closet to eventually sell at a yard sale? No, it’s not the Internet of Things, but good guess. I’m speaking, of course, about unicycles.
[retro.moe] is a unicycle and Commodore 64 enthusiast, and being the enterprising hacker he is, decided to combine his two interests. This led to the creation of the Uni-Joysti-Cle, the world’s first unicycle controller for the Commodore 64, and the first video game to use this truly immersive, better-than-an-Oculus unicycle controller.
The UniJoystiCle™
https://retro.moe/unijoysticle/
The UniJoystiCle™: The first and only solution to play Commodore 64 video games with your unicycle. Unique immersive experience, much better than VR.
An innovative and revolutionary device that decodes joystick movements sent from your smartphone. It forwards the received data back to the Commodore 64 in a safe and secure way.
Coded 100% in C++, the firmware uses an uber-fast network protocol. Responsiveness is a top priority. Works with any ESP8266 module, and its range is more than 100ft.
A beautifully designed application that follows all the UI/UX modern best-practices. Coded 100% in Swift
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A revolutionary computer grabs the electric power out of thin air – unlimited lifetime IoT devices
The tiny, only thumb-nail sized WISP or Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform is a wireless programmable computer. It uses energy much the same way as the RFID chips will receive, that is, it changes the transmitter to radio waves carried to a small amount of electricity.
This small amount is sufficient not only to the WISP in the operation, also gives it enough power to stay awake for a moment. During this time, the device can be upgraded or completely re-programmed.
The biggest difference that develops will be the Internet of Things for. WISPin help from literally just obtained from the use of sustainable smart devices, as small appliances no longer need the battery or AC power, and they never need to recharge.
Source:
http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/mullistava-tietokone-nappaa-sahkovirtaa-tyhjasta-ilmasta-rajaton-kayttoika-iot-laitteille-6545019
This Battery-Free Computer Sucks Power Out Of Thin Air
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3059141/this-battery-free-computer-sucks-power-out-of-thin-air
A quarter-sized computer could change everything from wearables to architecture
Today, the biggest hurdle when it comes to designing new gadgets is battery technology. These big, bulky things restrict the forms our smartphones, computers, and wearables can take, and unfortunately, battery technology is so stagnant that there’s no promise of things getting better any time soon.
But what if you could leave the battery out of the equation entirely? That’s just what the University of Washington’s Sensor Lab has done. Researchers there created the WISP, or Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform: a combination sensor and computing chip that doesn’t need a battery or a wired power source to operate. Instead, it sucks in radio waves emitted from a standard, off-the-shelf RFID reader—the same technology that retail shops use to deter shoplifters—and converts them into electricity.
The WISP isn’t designed to compete with the chips in your smartphone or your laptop. It has about the same clock speed as the processor in a Fitbit and similar functionality, including embedded accelerometers and temperature sensors.
Surprisingly, Parks says this technique is pretty fast. It has about the same bandwidth as Bluetooth Low Energy mode, the wireless power-sipping technology which drives most Bluetooth speakers and wireless headphones. That’s what gives the WISP—which has been knocking around as a project since 2006— its new killer feature, thanks to a team-up with the University of Delft: it can now be reprogrammed wirelessly. So, for example, a fitness tracker running on WISP can now download a new tracking function, or be updated to fix a bug or glitch, without plugging it into anything. That’s important because it’s never been done before.
The WISP isn’t the only battery-free computer chip out there. Parks says there’s also ambient battery-free sensors that leech whatever power they can, from passing television waves, cell towers, and so on. But right now, these ambient battery-free computers are very slow, and aren’t remotely programmable. By pairing the WISP with an RFID reader, Parks says they’ve been able to make a battery-free computer that’s up to 10 times as powerful as an ambient one.
But where WISP could be used right now is architecture. By embedding these sensors in concrete structures, inspectors could detect whether or not a building’s foundations had been damaged by an earthquake—without cracking anything open. Parks also says battery-free computers are perfect for implantable devices, to monitor patients’ health. There’s also interest in WISP-like computers from the agriculture industry, which sees value in it as a way of monitoring thousands of plants at a time.
WISP (Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform)
https://sensor.cs.washington.edu//WISP.html
WISP, the Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform, is a family of sensors that are powered and read by UHF RFID readers. WISPs do not require batteries since they harvest their power from the RF signal generated by the reader. The WISP is an open source, open architecture EPC Class 1 Generation 2 RFID tag that includes a fully programmable 16 bit microcontroller, as well as arbitrary sensors. Unlike the WISP, conventional RFID tags are black boxes that cannot execute arbitrary computer programs, and do not support sensors. We have given WISPs to collaborators around the world. Many of the applications have been sensing related, but we were also surprised to find many applications in the areas of cryptography and security, enabled by WISPs programmability.
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Energy efficiency is key to cloud services for the Internet of Everything
http://www.edn.com/design/power-management/4441898/Energy-efficiency-is-key-to-cloud-services-for-the-Internet-of-Everything?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160427&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160427&elqTrackId=f7e8a97397eb4648a19649f108473ad8&elq=cb3415bcd15a47ef985235d5761add9e&elqaid=32016&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=27928
Embracing traditional data services and the burgeoning requirements of the Internet of Things (IoT), the Internet of Everything (IoE), as it is now being referred to, is adding considerably to the pressure being applied to data communication networks and the storage capabilities of data centers. With the inevitable growth in this infrastructure that this rising demand is driving, the energy efficiency of these various Cloud services is inevitably and deservedly coming under increased scrutiny. Any measure that realizes valuable energy savings, including efficiency improvements in the supply of power to the many, many servers in these data centers, will not only help operators keep costs down but will also benefit the environment. Collaboration between leading companies in the power space, with each bringing to bear their own unique experiences, is one initiative that is providing a way forward.
Introduction: An Imminent Explosion of Data
Retail operations already generate significant volumes of data – according to Cisco, a large store may collect 10GB of data every hour and transmit 1GB of that to a data center. Industrial operations can generate vastly higher levels of data, for example, automated manufacturing plants can generate 1TB per hour while a large mining operation can easily exceed 100TB per hour. With the addition of connected “Things”, such as sensors and controls enabling infrastructure management and security applications in commercial and residential properties, a veritable explosion of data is imminent.
Capturing all this data continuously is the easy part. Transforming it into useful information is what really counts and is where Cloud services are key.
Alleviating the Energy Consumption Concern
While looking at potentially establishing higher maximum equipment operating temperatures to save on cooling costs, operators also recognize the importance of improving the overall energy efficiency of data center equipment; to reduce the direct energy consumed but also the heat generated and hence the cost of cooling.
Maximizing efficiency at every point is vital, throughout the servers, their power supplies and through the system-management software. Despite this, peak power consumption continues to increase to meet the demands for increased computing capability and the consumption of a typical server board has increased from a few hundred watts to 2kW or 3kW today, and could reach 5kW or more in the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The way in which Industry’s move to Smart Automation is leading to increased Interoperability and a Revolution in Human Machine Interface (Hmi) design. Day by day, as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) starts to make an impact, automation is becoming ‘smarter’. What until recently was seemingly impossible to achieve on the factory fl oor is quickly becoming reality, as previously fragmented and disparate systems become increasingly integrated and interconnected on more functional and interoperable platforms.
Source: http://www.kontron.com/wp-fusionclient
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chariot Web of Things Arduino Shield
https://hackaday.io/project/9966-chariot-web-of-things-arduino-shield
Make rad mesh networks of self-associating things whose resources are discoverable, observable in a browser
Chariot delivers full self-configuring 6LoWPAN + CoAP service on an Arduino Shield. Chariot’s wireless networking technology distributes your Arduino projects into a local cloud, rendering sensors, actuators, and processor pins as web addressable publish/subscribe resources. We made Chariot to provide Makers with new technology on which to create experimental designs and innovations.
Build heterogeneous pub/sub sensor and actuator networks with 6LoWPAN/CoAP endpoints. Mash up Web 2.0 apps with data from the network edge and augment control of the world around you, easily.
Chariot’s system approach provides the key IoT functionalities:
Web of Things: CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) provides you with the latest Internet of Things protocol standards that create web services to seamlessly and simply integrate dynamic, event-driven, Arduino smart objects. Web addressability down to the processor pin level is provided.
App Interfaces: Chariot includes an open source websocket-based, node.js backend for the Yún that exposes Chariot’s publish-subscribe capabilities. CoAP resource discoverability is provided from the web and between Chariot-equipped Arduino motes residing in your wireless mesh. We also provide a Javascript frontend for prototyping and debugging.
IPv6 stack: in addition to IPv6 networking, the IPv6 stack contains the IETF RPL routing protocol for controlling traffic over low-power lossy IPv6 wireless networks. IETF 6LoWPAN header compression and adaptation layer for IEEE 802.15.4 wireless links means efficient operation and reduced power consumption.
Lightweight link layer mesh protocol for low-power wireless networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
OnHub Supports Home Automation Via IFTTT After Latest Software Update
http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/04/28/onhub-supports-home-automation-via-ifttt-after-latest-software-update/
The OnHub has been out for more than six months now, and it hasn’t evolved much beyond the basic router functionality. Google promised us smart home features, and now it’s starting to happen. The latest OnHub update added support for IFTTT. The channel is already live for you to start crafting automation recipes, but your OnHub needs to be on firmware version 7978.51.0, which is rolling out now.
The IFTTT integration is definitely the headliner here, but that’s not all that came in this software. Here are the full release notes from Google.
IFTTT integration: This gives you creative control over OnHub and other devices. Setup at IFTTT.com/OnHub
Device list now shows usage data for wired devices
Updated device usage graphs in the app
General stability and performance improvements
The options for OnHub in IFTTT are pretty limited right now. Your If triggers include a device of your choosing either connecting or disconnecting. That’s basically the same as leaving or getting home, assuming you choose a phone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Agam Shah / PCWorld:
Samsung announces Artik Cloud service that allows businesses to collect and analyze data from the internet of things; service is free for hobbyists
Samsung’s Artik Cloud to challenge Microsoft’s Azure in IoT
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3062164/samsungs-artik-cloud-to-challenge-microsofts-azure-in-iot.html
Samsung’s service for businesses will support a wide range of devices and third-party cloud services
Samsung and Microsoft have crossed paths in the smartphone and tablet markets, and will now do battle in the cloud.
Samsung on Wednesday announced the Artik Cloud service for businesses, which the company hopes will give it a strong position in the emerging Internet of Things market. In IoT, it will take on cloud services like Microsoft’s Azure and IBM’s Bluemix.
Simply put, the Artik Cloud provides the tools needed for companies to securely collect, store and analyze telemetry data collected from a wide range of sensors.
The cloud service also provides software tools and connectors to link IoT data to other cloud services or silos of data that companies may have in server installations or outside sources.
Artik Cloud was announced at the Samsung Developer Conference taking place in San Francisco this week. The service is designed to help businesses deploy Internet of Things products and services quickly, the company said.
The new cloud service is one way Samsung hopes to tap into the fast-growing Internet of Things market, which is also being targeted by top companies like Microsoft, IBM and Intel. Gartner is forecasting that 6.4 billion connected devices will be used worldwide in 2016, climbing to 20.8 billion by 2020.
The service is part of a family of Artik hardware and software products. Samsung is selling Artik developer boards to make gadgets, drones, robots, wearables and home and industrial automation products.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud service, meanwhile, has connectors to the Raspberry Pi 3. Samsung offers SAMI, a basic IoT cloud service for developers, and the SmartThings service to control home devices.
But Samsung’s strength is in hardware, and it doesn’t have the software muscle of Microsoft. So the answer was to provide an open cloud service to which IoT hardware and services can be easily added and linked.
Artik Cloud is free for hobbyists who have limited needs, but has different tiers of pricing for businesses, reaching up to $6 per device per month for a maximum of 100,000 messages. Samsung will also provide custom quotes for large IoT installations.
It will also work with Web services like Twitter and Instagram. It’ll connect to home automation systems based on the simple IFTTT (If This Then That) Web service
Make connections, not silos.
https://artik.cloud/
Connect all your devices and services, even those that haven’t been invented yet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Speed development of IoT devices
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/embedded-basics/4441832/Speed-development-of-IoT-devices?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20160428&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20160428&elqTrackId=bfb884d0940c44ee8a50e08525f31fad&elq=da864f7a039743dbab5e17089f1e7c8b&elqaid=32052&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=27968
For decades embedded systems have been built in nearly the exact same way, but the demands of market conditions, budgets, and technological advancements are rapidly transforming the way embedded systems are being built. The complexities and challenges of building an internet connected device, a potentially huge market that developers can no longer ignore, are quite staggering if a developer follows traditional design techniques. Below are a few ideas on how developers can rapidly develop internet connected devices.
Idea #1 – Select an embedded platform
Idea #2 – Adopt an alternative programming language
Idea #3 – Leverage development kits
Idea #4 – Use modules and frameworks
Idea #5 – Don’t be afraid to push the envelope
Final thoughts
The on-set of the IoT era is proving to be exciting not only because of the creation of new products but also because of the new techniques becoming available to build those systems. The very way in which embedded systems are being built is beginning to change. Before long, the idea of writing a low level driver or middleware will be as foreign as it is to .NET developer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What are the engineering and design challenges in creating successful IoT (the Internet of Things) devices and then connecting them to the Internet? These devices are usually small, resource-constrained electronics designed to sense, collect, send, and/or interpret data. Some of the devices need to be smart enough to act upon data in real time, 24/7. Are the design challenges the same as with embedded systems, but with a little developer- and IT-skills added in? What do engineers need to know?
Source: http://www.eetimes.com/radio.asp?webinar_id=25
Tomi Engdahl says:
The first step is to install the required packages: sudo apt-get install dnsmasq hostapd
I’ll go into a little detail about the two:
hostapd – This is the package that allows you to use the built in WiFi as an access point
dnsmasq – This is a combined DHCP and DNS server that’s very easy to configure
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connect All Your IoT Through Your Pi 3
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/29/connect-all-your-iot-through-your-pi-3/
If you’re playing Hackaday Buzzword Bingo, today is your lucky day! Because not only does this article contain “Pi 3” and “IoT”, but we’re just about to type “ESP8266” and “home automation”. Check to see if you haven’t filled a row or something…
Seriously, though. If you’re running a home device network, and like us you’re running it totally insecurely, you might want to firewall that stuff off from the greater Interwebs at least, and probably any computers that you care about as well. The simplest way to do so is to keep your devices on their own WiFi network. That shiny Pi 3 you just bought has WiFi, and doesn’t use so much power that you’d mind leaving it on all the time.
Even if you’re not a Linux networking guru, [Phil Martin]’s tutorial on setting up the Raspberry Pi 3 as a WiFi access point should make it easy for you to use your Pi 3 as the hub of your IoT system’s WiFi.
Using your new Raspberry Pi 3 as a WiFi access point with hostapd
https://frillip.com/using-your-raspberry-pi-3-as-a-wifi-access-point-with-hostapd/
There’s a new Raspberry Pi. This is exciting. It also has on-board WiFi. This makes it doubly exciting!
One of my first thoughts was, can I use it as a SoftAP for some ESP8266 sensor nodes? As it turns out, you can, and it’s not that difficult, as the BCM43438 chip is supported by the open-source brcmfmac driver!
The first step is to install the required packages: sudo apt-get install dnsmasq hostapd
I’ll go into a little detail about the two:
hostapd – This is the package that allows you to use the built in WiFi as an access point
dnsmasq – This is a combined DHCP and DNS server that’s very easy to configure
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s OnHub Is First WiFi Router To Support IFTTT
https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/04/28/2243239/googles-onhub-is-first-wifi-router-to-support-ifttt
The first router to feature IFTTT support is Google OnHub. IFTTT is an abbreviation of “If This Then That,” a free web-based service that can allow users to create “recipes,” which are triggered based on changes to other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
OnHub’s smart features can now connect to the 300-plus programs and apps supported by IFTTT.
Google provides some examples in its blog post.
OnHub Keeps Getting Better – Now Supports IFTTT
https://on.google.com/hub/blog/2016-04-28/onhubifttt/
OnHub isn’t like other routers. Not only does it support super fast Wi-Fi and is easy to set up, but it also has software that updates itself regularly. This way, you can can get automatic security updates as well as new features that make OnHub even smarter and better. Over the last few months, we’ve updated OnHub to support Guest Wi-Fi, the innovative On.Here interface, and automatic band steering. Today, we’re excited to announce that OnHub is the first router to support IFTTT.
IFTTT (pronounced like “gift” without the “g”) is a service that allows you to create simple commands, called “Recipes,” to control and automate basic tasks and devices in your home.
To create Recipes for things you would like to happen automatically, just register and login at IFTTT.com (it’s free) and connect to the OnHub channel. Then start cooking up the Recipes that serve you best. Because OnHub on IFTTT works with so many products and services, there are lots of options for Recipes you can create.
For example, say you want to know when your child gets home from school. You would set up a Recipe that says, If my child’s device connects to my OnHub, Then send me an email. That’s it. Your child gets home, their device connects, and you get an email. Other possibilities include: turn the lights on automatically when you walk in the door, prioritize your Nest Cam when it senses motion or sound, or send a notification when your child’s phone is in use.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bell Labs Forecasts Mobile Capacity Crunch
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1329552&
A Bell Labs study says overall cellular traffic generated by IoT devices will only account for 2% of total mobile traffic by 2020, the real pick-up coming when video-enabled sensors and cameras begin to predominate.
Throughout its long and illustrious existence, Bell Labs has focused on the big questions—and in its early days under the ownership of AT&T, on the fundamentals. How else could its researchers have come up with the transistor, charged coupled device image sensors, lasers, and the solar battery.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Barb Darrow / Fortune:
Cypress Semiconductor buys Broadcom’s IoT business for $550M as Cypress CEO steps down
Cypress Semiconductor Losing Its CEO While Gaining a New Business From Broadcom
http://fortune.com/2016/04/28/cypress-semiconductor-ceo-broadcom/
Cypress snaps up Broadcom’s Internet of things biz for $550 million in cash
Cypress Semiconductor announced on Thursday that its chief executive officer, T.J. Rodgers, is stepping down. The chip maker is also buying Broadcom’s BRCM 0.00% Internet of things division for $550 million in cash.
In the Broadcom transaction, Cypress CY -0.11% will get that company’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee products along with associated intellectual property. It will also acquire the Broadcom WICED brand and set of developer partners. Zigbee is a wireless technology that aims to assure that devices from different manufacturers can talk to each other.
In a separate statement about the Broadcom deal, Rodgers said Cypress is already a significant player in the so-called Internet of things market by virtue of its ultra-low-power, programmable system-on-chip (PSoC) technology. The drawback was that it could only pair those chips with generic radio communications devices.
“Now we have the highly regarded Broadcom IoT business—state-of-the-art Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee RF technologies—that will transform us into a force in IoT and provide us with new market opportunities as well,” Rodgers wrote.
Tomi Engdahl says:
1btn – an Open Source Dash
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/29/1btn-an-open-source-dash/
The availability of cheap radios, omni-present WiFi and powerful web services means the IoT wave is here to stay. Amazon got into the act with its “do only one thing” Dash button. But a more interesting solution would be an IoT “do it all” button.
[Anand] has been working on his 1btn Open Source WiFi connected IoT button for a while. It connects to the Internet over WiFi to trigger whatever action you have assigned to it using a simple, online interface. It’s reconfigurable and open source. Which means it can be used in pretty imaginative ways, and if needed, can be re-flashed with your own custom firmware should you decide to really get under its hood.
The 1btn’s ESP8266 module is usually in sleep mode, waking up when the button is pressed, making the connection, performing the task and then going back to sleep once confirmation is received.
1btn: Open Source WiFi connected IoT Button
1btn is a powerful, open source, do-it-all button for the Internet…
https://hackaday.io/project/11269-1btn-open-source-wifi-connected-iot-button
Tomi Engdahl says:
ESP8266 or MKR1000?
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/29/esp8266-or-mkr1000/
If you are a regular Hackaday reader, you’ve probably seen plenty of ESP8266 projects. After all, the inexpensive device is a workhorse for putting a project on WiFi, and it works well. There is a processor onboard, but, most often, the onboard CPU runs a stock firmware that exposes an AT command set or Lua or even BASIC. That means most projects have a separate CPU and that CPU is often–surprise–an Arduino.
It isn’t a big leap of logic to imagine an Arduino with an integrated WiFi subsystem. That’s the idea behind the MKR1000. But the real question you have to ask is: is it better to use an integrated component or just put an Arduino and ESP8266 together?
a YouTube video
examines several factors on the MKR1000, the Arduino Due and Uno, and several other common boards. The examination covers performance, features, and power consumption.
#51 New Arduino/Genuino MKR1000: First tests and comparison with ESP8266
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE6sVm3QdE0
In this video I test the new Arduino/Genuino MKR1000 and compare it with the UNO and the NodeMCU board with an ESP-12E. I show you how to program it, how fast it is, how much current it draws, and how sketches can be ported from ESP8266 to the MKR1000.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Soda Fridge Hack to Fix a Lazy People Problem
http://hackaday.com/2016/04/29/soda-fridge-hack-to-fix-a-lazy-people-problem/
[Paul] participated in a hackathon at work and created a hack to help solve what was ultimately a people problem. A soda fridge at work wasn’t getting refilled when empty. Instead of trying to make people less lazy, [Paul] went with making the fridge more needy.
The first thing [Paul] did was make a soda fridge refill sensor from a scale. As the fridge got emptier, it got lighter. The scale senses that and can decide it’s time for a refill.
The soda fridge sits on an analog scale with a dial. [Paul] saw there was no need to measure the exact weight of the fridge, only to detect a refill threshold. He came up with a simple hack: colored paper attached to the scale’s dial and an Arduino with an OSEPP COLOR‑01 color sensor pointed at the paper.
We’ve seen people interface directly to the load sensors in weight scales before, but this hack took a completely different approach.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Minimal 433 MHz Web Home Automation
http://hackaday.com/2016/05/01/minimal-433-mhz-web-home-automation/
How minimal can a decent home automation setup be? If you need an HTML frontend, you’re going to need a webserver. An ESP8266 will do the trick. And then you need to be able to control your electronics. The cheapest and easiest way to do that is with the ubiquitous 433 MHz remote-controlled outlets and a $1 radio unit from an online auction site. Add in a cheap ESP8266 module, and your total outlay is going to be under $20.
That’s exactly what [Nikos Kantarakias] did. He combined a bunch of available ESP8266 Arduino libraries — one for driving the 433 MHz radio modules, [Paul Stoffregen]’s libraries for keeping time and for setting alarms, and another for keeping track of time zones — with some of his own code for setting up WiFi access, and it’s done.
It’s all available on GitHub for your perusal. The code does some strange things
THE433: Home Automation with ESP8266, NodeMCU
https://nobugsjustfeatures.wordpress.com/2016/04/02/the433-home-automation-with-esp8266-nodemcu/
This is a sketch for controlling RF remote control sockets or relays that operate at the 433MHz frequency and are compatible with the Arduino/esp8266 RCSwitch libraries.
The main feature is that you can schedule events (up to 10) to turn ON/OFF your devices that repeat daily/weekly or that actuate once only within a week from setting the command.
A web interface is used to control the RF devices directly given a relative command at the main form and also scheduling the time events by giving at the same form a keyword to enter the scheduled events interface.
A web interface is used to control the RF devices directly given a relative command at the main form and also scheduling the time events by giving at the same form a keyword to enter the scheduled events interface.
control 433MHz (compatible with Arduino libs) sockets/devices through web and time rules
https://github.com/nikant/THE433
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT security spending to reach $348m in 2016: Gartner
http://www.zdnet.com/article/iot-security-spending-to-reach-348m-in-2016-gartner/
Gartner predicts worldwide security spending on the Internet of Things will reach $348 million this year, a figure up 23.7 percent from 2015
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cypress to Pay $550 Million for Broadcom’s IoT Business
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329569&
Cypress Semiconductor Corp. will pay $550 million to acquire Broadcom Corp.’s Wireless Internet of Things (IoT) business under the terms of a definitive agreement announced Thursday (April 28).
Under the terms of the deal, Cypress (San Jose, Calif.) will acquire Broadcom’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee IoT product lines and intellectual property. The deal also includes Broadcom’s WICED brand and developer ecosystem.
“What we bring to the party is over 30,000 customers worldwide who need advanced, ultra-low-power wireless communication but only can absorb it in the form of an easy-to-use programmable embedded system solution,” Rodgers said.