According to Intel IoT is expected to be a multi-trillion-dollar market, with 50 billion devices creating 44 zettabytes (or 44 trillion gigabytes) of data annually by 2020. But that widely cited 50 billion IoT devices in 2020 number is clearly not correct! Forecast of 50 Billion Devices by 2020 Is Outdated. In 2017 we should be talking about about some sensible numbers. The current count is somewhere between Gartner’s estimate of 6.4 billion (which doesn’t include smartphones, tablets, and computers), International Data Corporation’s estimate of 9 billion (which also excludes those devices), and IHS’s estimate of 17.6 billion (with all such devices included). Both Ericsson and Evans have lowered their expectations from 50 billion for 2020: Evans, who is now CTO of Stringify, says he expects to see 30 billion connected devices by then, while Ericsson figures on 28 billion by 2021.
Connectivity and security will be key features for Internet of Things processors in 2017. Microcontroller (MCU) makers will continue to target their products at the Internet of Things (IoT) in 2017 by giving more focus on battery life, more connectivity of various types, and greater security. The new architectures are almost sure to spawn a multitude of IoT MCUs in 2017 from manufacturers who adopt ARM’s core designs.
ARM will be big. Last year, ARM’s partners shipped 15 billion chips based on its architectures. The trend toward IoT processors will go well beyond ARM licensees. Intel rolled out the Intel Atom E3900 Series for IoT applications. And do not forget MIPS an RISC-V.
FPGA manufacturers are pushing their products to IoT market. They promise that FPGAs solve challenges at the core of IoT implementation: making IoT devices power efficient, handling incompatible interfaces, and providing a processing growth path to handle the inevitable increase in device performance requirement.
Energy harvesting field will become interesting in 2017 as it is more broadly adopted. Energy harvesting is becoming the way forward to help supplement battery power or lose the need for it altogether. Generally researchers are eyeing energy-harvesting to power ultra-low-power devices, wearable technology, and other things that don’t need a lot of power or don’t come in a battery-friendly form factor.
Low power wide area networks (LPWA) networks (also known as NarrowBand IoT) will be hot in 2017. There is hope that f LPWA nets will act as a catalyst, changing the nature of the embedded and machine-to-machine markets as NB-IoT focuses specifically on indoor coverage, low cost, long battery life, and enabling a large number of connected devices. The markets will become a kind of do-it-yourselfers paradise of modules and services, blurring the lines between vendors, users and partners. At the same time for years to come, the market for low power wide area networks (LPWA) will be as fragmented and is already in a race to the bottom (Sigfox, said to be promising costs approaching $1 per node per year). Competing technologies include Sigfox, LoRa Alliance, LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat M1 (eMTC), LTE Cat NB1 (NB-IoT) and other sub-gigahertz options almost too numerous to enumerate.
We are starting to see a battle between different IoT technologies, and in few years to come we will see which are winners and which technologies will be lost in the fight. Sigfox and Lora are currently starting well, but telecom operators with mobile networks NB-IoT will try hit the race heavily in 2017. Vendors prep Cat M1, NB1 for 2017: The Cat M1 standard delivers up to 380 Kbits/second over a 1.4 MHz channel. NB-1 handles up to 40 Kbits/s over 200 kHz channels. Vendors hope the 7-billion-unit installed base of cellular M2M modules expands. It’s too early to tell which technologies will be mainstream and which niche. It could be that cellular NB-IOT was too late, it will fail in the short term, it can win in the long term, and the industry will struggle to make any money from it. At $2 a year, 20 billion devices will contribute around 4% of current global mobile subscription revenues.
New versions of communication standards will be taken into use in 2017. For example Bluetooth 5 that adds more speed and IoT functionality. In 2017, we will see an increase in the number of devices with the new Bluetooth 5 standard.
Industrial IoT to gain traction in 2017. Industrial applications ultimately have the greater transformative potential than consumer products, offering users real returns on investment (ROI) rather than just enhanced convenience or “cool factor”. But the industrial sector is conservative and has been slow to embrace an industrial IoT (IIoT), but is seems that they are getting interested now. During the past year there has been considerable progress in removing many of the barriers to IIoT adoption. A global wide implementation of an IIoT is many years away, of course. The issues of standards and interoperability will most likely remain unresolved for several years to come, but progress is being made. The Industrial Internet Consortium released a framework to support development of standards and best practices for IIoT security.
The IIoT market is certainly poised to grow. A Genpact research study, for instance, indicates that more than 80% of large companies believe that the IIoT will be essential to their future success. In a recent market analysis by Industry ARC, for instance, the projected value of the IIoT market will reach more than $120 billion by 2021. Research firm Markets and Markets is even more optimistic, pegging IIoT growth at a CAGR of 8% to more than $150 billion by 2020. And the benefits will follow. By GE’s estimate, the IIoT will stimulate an increase in the global GDP of $10 to $15 trillion over the next 20 years.
Systems integrators are seeking a quick way to enter the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) market. So expect to see many plug and play IoT sensor systems unveiled. There were many releses in 2016, and expect to see more in 2017. Expect to see device, connectivity and cloud service to be marketed as one packet.
IoT analytics will be talked a lot in 2017. Many companies will promise to turn Big Data insights into bigger solutions. For industrial customers Big Data analytics is promised to drive operational efficiencies, cut costs, boosting production, and improving worker productivity. There are many IIoT analytic solution and platform suppliers already on the market and a growing number of companies are now addressing industrial analytics use.
In 2016 it was all bout getting the IoT devices connected to cloud. In 2017 we will see increased talk about fog computing. Fog computing is new IoT trend pushed by Cisco and many other companies. As the Internet of Things (IoT) evolves, decentralized, distributed-intelligence concepts such as “fog computing” are taking hold to address the need for lower latencies, improved security, lower power consumption, and higher reliability. The basic premise of fog computing is classic decentralization whereby some processing and storage functions are better performed locally instead of sending data all the way from the sensor, to the cloud, and back again to an actuator. This demands smarter sensors and new wireless sensor network architectures. Groups such as the Open Fog Consortium have formed to define how it should best be done. You might start to want to be able to run the same code in cloud and your IoT device.
The situation in IoT security in 2016 was already Hacking the IoT: As Bad As I Feared It’d Be and there is nothing that would indicate that the situation will not get any better in 2017. A veritable army of Internet-connected equipment has been circumvented of late, due to vulnerabilities in its hardware, software or both … “smart” TVs, set-top boxes and PVRs, along with IP cameras, routers, DSL, fiber and cable modems, printers and standalone print servers, NASs, cellular hot spots, and probably plenty of other gear. IoT world at the moment is full of vulnerable devices, and it will take years to get then replaces with more secure devices. Those vulnerable devices can be used to make huge DDoS attacks against Internet services. The 2016 October 21 cyberattacks on Dyn brought to light how easily many IoT devices can be compromised. I expect that kind of incidents will happen more in 2017 as DDoS botnets are pretty easy to build with tools available on-line. There’s no question that everyone in the chain – manufacturers, retailers and consumers – have to do a better job securing connected devices.When it comes to IoT, more security is needed.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
MEMS & sensors in air quality: China and India have been in the news lately with deadly air pollution issues. Expect to see fast-rising designs to detect air quality to improve it somehow in 2017. UV and gas sensors from IDT have also been in the news lately at CES. Wearables are now becoming equipped with air quality and chemical sensors and new system designs are being developed to integrate the air quality devices into our everyday life. Even infrared light sensors have entered the applications realm. Bosch sensors are also helping to improve environmental air quality. You can be sure that we will hear more about these sensors in 2017.
Source: http://www.edn.com/design/sensors/4443156/Microphones–A-sound-technology-choice-for-communication-and-control?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20161229&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20161229&elqTrackId=3b374286cb8d4f3d8d88dde65a3c18c8&elq=6a0ece316c0842b4a0808c224412b15e&elqaid=35341&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=30890
Tomi Engdahl says:
The tyranny of numbers: Sensors in the next 60 years
http://www.edn.com/design/sensors/4442436/2/The-tyranny-of-numbers–Sensors-in-the-next-60-years
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Ready to Light Up in 2017
Components in place, security awareness high
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331063
Much work has been done in 2016 laying foundations for the Internet of Things. Next year, IoT needs many stories about deployments.
Among several foundational elements, security finally got the attention it deserves in 2016.
The big denial-of-service attack in October that exploited poor password security in IP cameras and digital video recorders became the poster child for IoT vulnerabilities. It raised awareness to a new level that we hope is sustained for years to come, given that good security is an ongoing process in education about measures and countermeasures.
In September the Industrial Internet Consortium released its security framework.
In another foundational area, cloud-computing giant Amazon weighed in last year announcing its IoT services. It arrived after dozens of others have rolled out their own offerings, turning what was once a wasteland into a robust marketplace.
There’s never been a shortage of good microcontrollers.
In software, a move to greater interoperability got started in 2016. The merger of the Open Connectivity Foundation and the AllSeen Alliance in October was the biggest step in this direction. It was part of a wider move to collaboration and consolidation among groups including Thread, Zigbee, and others.
Big chip makers laid their foundations for capturing an emerging IoT market in 2016. The rivalry between the Intel and ARM
Tomi Engdahl says:
Police Want Alexa Data; People Begin to Realize It’s Listening
http://hackaday.com/2016/12/28/police-want-alexa-data-people-begin-to-realize-its-listening/
It is interesting to see the wide coverage of a police investigation looking to harvest data from the Amazon Echo, the always-listening home automation device you may know as Alexa. A murder investigation has led them to issue Amazon a warrant to fork over any recordings made during the time of a crime, and Amazon has so far refused.
Not too long ago, this is the sort of news would have been discussed on Hackaday but the rest of my family would have never heard about it. Now we just need to get everyone to think one step beyond this and we’ll be getting somewhere.
All of the major voice activated technologies assert that their products are only listening for the trigger words. In this case, police aren’t just looking for a recording of someone saying “Alexa, help I’m being attacked by…” but for any question to Alexa that would put the suspect at the scene of the crime at a specific time. Put yourself in the mind of a black hat.
Amazon Echo and the Hot Tub Murder
https://www.theinformation.com/amazon-echo-and-the-hot-tub-murder
Tomi Engdahl says:
Strategies for Ensuring the Reliable Operation of Connected Internet of Things (IoT) Devices
https://hosteddocs.emediausa.com/mentorpaper_98555.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Souliss
Arduino and Android SmartHome at your fingertip
http://souliss.net/
SST Is A Very Tidy ESP8266 Smart Thermostat
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/01/sst-is-a-very-tidy-esp8266-smart-thermostat/
There is no reason though for an IoT thermostat to be a commercial product like the two mentioned. Our subject today demonstrates this; SST is a Wi-Fi smart thermostat using an ESP8266 that can be controlled by an app, thanks to its use of the open-source Souliss IoT Framework.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Ready to Light Up in 2017
Components in place, security awareness high
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331063
Much work has been done in 2016 laying foundations for the Internet of Things. Next year, IoT needs many stories about deployments.
Among several foundational elements, security finally got the attention it deserves in 2016.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Problem with IIoT Design
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=8&doc_id=1331075&
It’s good to think about things before we do them.
For good or ill, the Internet of Things (IoT) is upon us. It’s still in its infancy, but the patterns are setting quickly. If we don’t rethink the way IoT designs are being done, however, we could be in for a lot of trouble, especially in the industrial sector.
There is no question that the IoT is starting to take off. Wearables, sensors, predictive maintenance, production line analytics, connected cars, asset tracking, smart meters, smart homes, smart cities, and smart buildings are popping up everywhere. But all too often the design behind these devices is not all that smart. It’s clever, it’s innovative, but IoT designs are also all-to-often piecemeal and rushed to market. What’s being created is a system of systems, without the system-level design issues getting addressed.
The OMG turned its attention to the Industrial IoT (IIoT), taking on management of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) to help define a common IoT architecture and interoperability standards for industry.
The idea, according to Hause and Bleakly, is to consider the IoT design in light of the entire system, using model-based systems engineering to define the system as well as the design’s requirements and to describe how the bits are to fit together. “This approach uses math notation to describe the system. Such models yield more precise specifications and standards for the system design,
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Getting the IoT to work at an enterprise level is not a small task,” Bleakley said. “These systems are becoming too complex; they don’t fit into a designer’s head any longer.”
Source: http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=8&doc_id=1331075&
Tomi Engdahl says:
OWL Insecure Internet of Energy Monitors
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/02/owl-insecure-internet-of-energy-monitors/
[Chet] bought an electricity monitor from OWL, specifically because it was open and easy to hack on at him within the confines of his home network. Yay! Unfortunately, it also appears to be easy to hack read outside of his home network too, due to what appears to be extraordinarily sloppy security practices.
The short version of the security vulnerability is that the OWL energy monitors seem to be sending out their data to servers at OWL, and this data is then accessible over plain HTTP (not HTTPS)
[Chet] discovered that the username and password fields appear not to be checked
If you’re running any IoT devices, it’s probably worth listening to what they’re saying and noting to whom they’re saying it, because every time you send your data off to “the cloud” you’re trusting someone else to have done their homework. It is not a given that they will have.
Owl Intuition Insecure API
January 1, 2017 — 0:05
http://www.chet.ie/?p=267
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ubuntu Core 16: Building secure and interoperable IoT ecosystems
http://blog.hackerearth.com/2016/11/ubuntu-core-16-for-iot.html
Device security
So just how does Ubuntu Core 16 make IoT devices secure?
The entire Ubuntu Core 16 operating system is delivered as snaps (including kernel, libraries and major applications). Additionally, the OS automatically updates itself frequently to counter new threats and keep the system safe.
Snaps make Ubuntu Core 16 secure and reliable because of the following features:
Read-only
Tamper proof
Digitally signed
Stored as images.
Thus, Ubuntu Core 16 makes security cracking over the Internet extremely difficult without getting physical access to the device itself.
Since the whole Ubuntu Core 16 OS is built as a snap, the device can store multiple updates and the device can smartly choose only to install the healthiest updates. The transactional nature of Ubuntu Core 16 secures the device with a clean rollback if a wrong update is installed.
The snaps are delivered to devices via cloud as compressed base file system. Inside each Snap directory there is a file called meta/snap.yaml. In this file, the developer of the Snap can describe the following:
Security requirements
How the Snap can integrate with other parts of the system
When to update the system
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Wilson / Co.Design:
Mattel announces Aristotle, a $300 voice assistant for young children that doubles as a smart baby monitor and toy, shipping in June 2017
Mattel Is Building An Alexa For Kids
Her name is Aristotle, and she has eyes, and ears, inside your child’s bedroom.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3066881/mattel-is-building-an-alexa-for-kids
“What do you want to ask Google?” my wife asked our toddler after installing Google Home.
“Everything,” he responded in the most casual and sincere way. Duh. Of course a young human with endless questions would have endless queries for an internet service with endless answers.
But over the course of dinner, as he did his best to yell to the machine, “Okay, Google, how fast do lions run?”
Google’s voice assistant understood me perfectly
And yet it couldn’t understand a single question asked by the young
“She doesn’t help!” he lamented with a frown.
My toddler’s dinnertime disappointment with Google Home is the exact scenario that Mattel believes it can fix with Aristotle, a $300 Wi-Fi speaker-based voice assistant that functions like Google Home or Amazon Echo, but is built to live in a child’s room—and answer a child’s questions—rather than rule the entire home.
Mattel’s solution is personal voice training—which is used by companies like Dragon more extensively than Apple or Google.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
With Alexa, Amazon is building the operating system of the home, a strategy that’s more evident with each new Alexa-integrated device announcement
Alexa: Amazon’s Operating System
https://stratechery.com/2017/amazons-operating-system/
The concept of an operating system is pretty straightforward: it is a piece of software that manages a computer, making said computer’s hardware resources accessible to software through a consistent set of interfaces.
Amazon’s Operating System
It was apparent on day one that the Echo was a much more compelling product than the Fire Phone:
The physical device (the Echo) was simply a conduit for Alexa, Amazon’s new personal assistant. And critically, Alexa was a cloud service, the development of which Amazon is uniquely suited to in terms of culture, organizational structure, and experience.
The Echo created its own market: a voice-based personal assistant in the home. Crucially, the home was the one place in the entire world where smartphones were not necessarily the most convenient device, or touch the easiest input method: more often than not your smartphone is charging, and talking to a device doesn’t carry the social baggage it might elsewhere.
There was an ecosystem to assemble: more and more “smart” products, from lightbulbs to switches, were coming on the market, but nearly every company trying to be the centerpiece of the connected home was relying on the smartphone.
In short, Amazon is building the operating system of the home — its name is Alexa — and it has all of the qualities of an operating system you might expect:
All kinds of hardware manufacturers are lining up to build Alexa-enabled devices, and will inevitably compete with each other to improve quality and lower prices.
Even more devices and appliances are plugging into Alexa’s easy-to-use and flexible framework, creating the conditions for a moat: appliances are a lot more expensive than software, and lot longer lasting, which means everyone who buys something that works with Alexa is much less likely to switch
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Problem with IIoT Design
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=8&doc_id=1331075&
It’s good to think about things before we do them.
For good or ill, the Internet of Things (IoT) is upon us. It’s still in its infancy, but the patterns are setting quickly. If we don’t rethink the way IoT designs are being done, however, we could be in for a lot of trouble, especially in the industrial sector.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZigBee Alliance Offers Universal Language for IoT
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331086&
PARIS–At CES 2017, the Zigbee Alliance will demonstrate dotdot as a universal language for the IoT, making it possible for smart objects to work together on any network. Members of the zigbee alliance and Thread Group will also showcase the first demonstrations of dotdot devices running over Thread’s IP-based networks.
“Dotdot represents the next chapter in the Zigbee Alliance’s continued commitment to create and evolve open standards for the smart networks in our homes, businesses and neighborhoods,”
“The application layer that is the core language of zigbee devices has driven significant growth in the IoT,”
Most IoT devices don’t speak the same language, even if they use the same wireless technology. The result is an Internet of Things that is often a patchwork of translations, adding complexity for developers and limiting users to single-vendor systems.
According to the Zigbee Alliance, the solution lies in a common language between all IoT devices on any network, giving developers a common platform to innovate on, and users the freedom to choose products that work for them.
Today’s Zigbee devices speak a common language. With dotdot, that language – the application layer at the heart of Zigbee technology – can be applied across other IoT networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rust Running on the Realtek RTL8710: ESP8266 Alternative?
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/04/rust-running-on-the-realtek-rtl8710-esp8266-alternative/
For simply getting your project connected to WiFi, a least among hacker circles, nothing beats the ESP8266. But it’s not the only player out there, and we love to see diversity in the parts and languages that we use. One of the big shortcomings of the ESP8266 is the slightly-oddball Xtensa CPU. It’s just not as widely supported by various toolchains as its ARM-based brethren.
And so, when [Zach] wanted to do some embedded work in Rust, the ESP8266 was out of the picture. He turned to the RTL8710, a very similar WiFi module made by Realtek.
In the end, the setup that [Zach] describes is a mix of FreeRTOS and some of the mbed libraries, which should be more than enough to get you up and running fairly painlessly on the chip.
Rust on RTL8710 running FreeRTOS
https://polyfractal.com/post/rustl8710/
Tomi Engdahl says:
On the Cutting Edge of Smart Grid Innovation: IoT Hero Nexgrid
http://community.silabs.com/t5/Official-Blog-of-Silicon-Labs/On-the-Cutting-Edge-of-Smart-Grid-Innovation-IoT-Hero-Nexgrid/ba-p/184499?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=december2016newsletter&utm_medium=email&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0RJNVpERmhaalZqTlRabSIsInQiOiJyMEhKbWg2d1pGQkhZc1NPS0c1ZG1vbE14TklxM1wvelJRa3NtT2gzdEdtMU9QeXVMTk9uajBYdlJ0ZlBPazdlcjF2Tkkzc3FaQ1gxdW5CYmFBOUNaTXlnKzdqanluU0RJQVlJUGxFQTdWbkt2NVhYckVzU0ViU2NHZ1BpbEFFcGQifQ%3D%3D
Nexgrid is in the Smart grid space. Long story short, we focus on providing full turnkey solutions for utilities to manage their electric, water, and gas metering needs. Our products also include monitoring and control for street lights as well as in-home tools for thermostats and remotely managed devices for hot water heaters, pool pumps, and other high-consumption devices.
Essentially, we build very large wireless networks that communicate from the utility all the way into homes without using the customer’s Internet connection. All the smart meters and smart devices communicate in real time over one network, using Nexgrid’s technology which is ultimately a utility-owned network for smart grid — unlike some of our competitors’ products that use a proprietary wireless technology or require the consumer’s home Wi-Fi modem.
Tell me what specific Silicon Labs product you’re using to help make all this happen, and why did Nexgrid select it?
We’re using the EM357 ZigBee wireless radios. It’s in every one of our products, truly every last one. Additionally, our smart grid gateways have an additional Wi-Fi radio. So ultimately, all our units can use each other as repeaters if needed. For example, a thermostat can wirelessly mesh to a hot water heater controller, then to an electric meter, then out to a streetlight and to another streetlight and so forth until it gets back to the utility.
At the company’s inception we felt it was critical to only utilize standardized methods of communication throughout our entire platform, specifically 802.15.4 and 802.11.
Then we found the Ember chip set platform, which looked to us like the most powerful and the most proven technology. And that’s how we ultimately found Silicon Labs. Today we have hundreds of thousands of devices deployed and the most powerful smart grid technology on the market so we clearly made the right choice.
Last question: How do you see the IoT continuing to unfold in the next 5–7 years, given your experience in a really future forward space?
I think a lot of doors are now being opened. With the cost reduction of solar panels, windmills, and introduction of geothermal technology, consumers are sometimes producing more power in their own home or business than what they use from their utility for the first time ever.
it completely changes the electric grid which has remained the same for over 100 years. And today Nexgrid’s technology supports the monitoring of the electric that not only comes into the home or business but how much goes back onto the grid.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Parks: Interoperability Key to Smart Home
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2016/12/parks-interoperability-key-to-smart-home.html?cmpid=enl_BTR_Weekly_2017-01-03
According to Parks Associates, interoperability initiatives are key to smart home growth opportunities. For example, 11% of U.S. broadband households have a smart thermostat, up from 5% at the end of 2014, but the majority of those thermostats are stand-alone products and not integrated into a smart home system.
“Cloud-based API frameworks such as Works-with-Nest and interoperability initiatives such as OCF are providing a path for multivendor ecosystems,” said Tom Kerber, Parks’ director, IoT Strategy. “Smart home platforms face new competition from heavyweights including Google, Apple, Amazon, and Samsung, and interoperability initiatives will certainly impact the competitive landscape as well.”
Parks research indicates that nearly 60% of U.S. broadband households want their networked cameras to work with smart door locks or smart smoke/CO detectors, underscoring the demand for safety and security use cases among smart home products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Distributor Avnet gazes into the mobility market’s crystal ball
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/12/distributor-avnet-gazes-into-the-mobility-market-s-crystal-ball.html
As 2017 begins, distributors will need to invest and expand into next-generation technology enablers to ensure that they are able to provide value-added services to the channel ecosystem. As a part of this, 2017 will likely see distributors investing in value-added solutions for enterprise mobility, particularly focusing on specializing in mobility capabilities and solutions, Mobile Application Development platforms, automated mobile quality, deployment of devices and applications, and smart wireless infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Harvesting Energy from RF Sources
http://mwrf.com/systems/harvesting-energy-rf-sources?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20170103_MWRF-001_956&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=9114&utm_medium=email&elq2=a0b42d6137504b4d909b8b1b688578dd
Excess energy from transmitted communications signals can be captured and transformed to dc power, perfect for a wide range of low-power electronic devices
Energy sources are all around, and RF/microwave signals are just one type of those sources. Military equipment suppliers, for example, have already experimented with circuits that extract energy from motion, such as using a soldier’s walking motion to generate the power supply for recharging a portable radio system. In the medical world, where implantable devices must be powered by external power supplies, ICs are being developed with on-chip antennas and the capability to draw power from radio waves in a patient’s environment. The rapid growth of IoT devices and applications will be creating increasing demand for energy-harvesting solutions that can free many future wireless devices from their dependences on batteries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
With Alexa, Amazon is building the operating system of the home, a strategy that’s more evident with each new Alexa-integrated device announcement — The concept of an operating system is pretty straightforward: it is a piece of software that manages a computer, making said computer’s …
Alexa: Amazon’s Operating System
https://stratechery.com/2017/amazons-operating-system/
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoFi
https://hackaday.io/project/1552-lofi
LoFi is a very low cost ($5), small, auto-transmitting module. Preassembled and preprogrammed. Simply attach to your appliances or projects!
LoFi is a very low cost ($5), small, auto-transmitting module. All you need to do is to attach the modules to interesting appliance circuit points or sensors throughout your home and garden. The data arrives on your PC or can be sent to the Internet with a WiFi hotspot.
No programming, no protocols to learn, and no carrier boards for you to make. Just attach!
Using your desktop or laptop, you can set trigger levels on individual modules to tell them when to transmit. For example, send an update when the voltage changes by more than 1 V on the vibration sensor near the garage door opener. You can also set the module on a timer, such as hourly on your garden monitor.
The possibilities are endless!
The sender is compact (1.25 sq. inch) and operates from 1.8 to 5.5 V. The module consists primarily of an Atmel ATtiny84A which monitors the inputs and outputs the data.
Configuration is accomplished using a laptop or desktop connected via a standard FTDI serial cable.
The sender costs only $2.43 in parts (qty 1000) or $3.50 (qty 10).
The sender uses only 18 µA on average. This means it can be installed in small places while running on a coin cell, or can be virtually maintenance free with a pack of AAs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Forrester recognizes IBM as a leader among IoT platforms
https://developer.ibm.com/iotplatform/2016/11/21/forrester-lists-ibm-as-an-iot-platform-leader/
In the newly-published report, The Forrester Wave™: IoT Software Platforms, Q4 2016, vendors are evaluated on their current offering, strategy and market presence. According to Forrester, IoT software platform vendors offer capabilities that fall into five core categories:
Connect: create and manage the link from the device to the internet.
Secure: protect IoT devices, data, and identity from intrusion.
Manage: control the provisioning, maintenance, and operation of IoT devices.
Analyze: transform data into timely, relevant insight and action.
Build: create applications and integrate with enterprise systems.
In the Forrester Wave report, IBM Watson IoT Platform is positioned in the leaders section
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vodafone and Arrow Electronics link up with Internet of Things agreement
http://www.vodafone.com/business/press-release/vodafone-and-arrow-electronics-link-up-with-internet-of-things-agreement-2016-12-06?ecmp=sm_extw_&src=sm_extw_
Vodafone announced today that Arrow Electronics will become the first electronics components distributor to integrate Vodafone’s market-leading internet of things (IoT) technology into its IoT Things eVolved initiative as well as Arrow’s range of dedicated IoT modules and developer kits globally.
Arrow Electronics will sell Vodafone’s global IoT SIM as well as offer Vodafone managed connectivity as part of its eVolve IoT initiative. Arrow’s eVolve offering is a combination of hardware and software capabilities that dramatically simplifies the way original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), enterprises and suppliers build, deploy and manage connected and intelligent systems. eVolve is an end-to-end framework enabling businesses to deploy, manage, monitor, analyse and monetise secure connected devices throughout their entire lifecycle globally.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arrow Execs: Having Both Computing And Components Expertise Is Vital to Success in IoT
http://www.crn.com/news/networking/300083057/arrow-execs-having-both-computing-and-components-expertise-is-vital-to-success-in-iot.htm?itc=hp_tax_networking
Arrow executives said they are now the only distributor capable of creating and managing the data around a smart device, thanks to rival Avnet’s decision to sell its Technology Solutions business to Tech Data.
“To try and do that [all of IoT] as two separate companies is virtually impossible to do,” Chris Stansbury, Arrow Electronics’ chief financial officer, said at the Raymond James Technology Investors Conference on Tuesday. “We’re now the only player who can do that.”
Creating an IoT practice that addresses both the design of intelligent devices as well as the communication, storage and security needs of those devices and the data they create can be a challenge
Arrow is not concerned about Tech Data now having both a broad line and specialty IT distribution practice under one roof.
Arrow is focusing on products and technologies that typically require a longer sales cycle, custom configuration and pricing, intense negotiation and multiple selling partners. Kerins said Arrow tends to shy area from sales that are primarily about inventory availability and price such as PCs, printers, smartphones and workstations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intelligent Buildings
For smarter, healthier, more productive people.
http://semiengineering.com/intelligent-buildings/
ARM believes that by 2035 one trillion devices will be connected to the internet. We will find a large number of them in the next generation of high performing buildings. According to McKinseyi, half the opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) vendors are expected to come from the built environment; from homes, buildings, factories and cities.
More than 50 percent of the world’s seven billion people already live in cities. By 2050 close to ten billion people will inhabit our planet, two-thirds of whom will be urban dwellers
To inspire the trust and confidence of all the decision makers in this value chain, technology vendors must provide solutions that are low cost, low maintenance, easy-to-use and highly secure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Build Security Into Your IoT Wearable Device
http://semiengineering.com/how-to-build-security-into-your-iot-wearable-device/
Code and boot time authentication, how to establish a chain of trust, process separation and space partitioning, and other things you need to consider.
In today’s connected world, IoT wearable devices should be built from the ground up to include basic, fundamental security capabilities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will 2017 Be The Year Of DDoS?
It could be a rough year for cyber security.
http://semiengineering.com/will-2017-be-the-year-of-ddos/
Forrester Research sees a rough year ahead for cyber security. Indeed, targeted espionage, ransomware, denial of service, privacy breaches and more are expected to escalate in 2017. In addition, Forrester Researcher analysts predict that more than 500,000 Internet of Things (IoT) devices will be compromised in 2017.
Perhaps not surprisingly, IDC analyst Kevin Lonergan recently warned that IoT equipment suppliers must begin implementing effective device security.
“Attackers can easily gain access to these devices via unchanged default passwords and vulnerabilities in outdated firmware,”
DDoS attacks are frequently executed by botnets comprising vast numbers of exploited IoT devices. Protecting Internet infrastructure companies and services from DDoS attacks can be quite challenging
It should also be noted that manufacturers who have their devices exploited by botnets do incur very real losses, including recalls and a badly damaged reputation.
“To the extent that the law does not provide appropriate incentives for companies to design security into their products, and does not offer protections for those that do, the President should draw on these recommendations to present Congress with a legislative proposal to address identified gaps, as well as explore actions that could be accomplished through executive order,”
Put simply, vulnerable IoT devices cannot be pushed to market with little regard for security, as they pose a direct and very real threat to providers, services and individuals.
2017 Predictions:
Dynamics That Will Shape
The Future In The Age
Of The Customer
https://go.forrester.com/wp-content/uploads/Forrester-2017-Predictions.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Things To Come This Year
What lies ahead for the Internet of Things?
http://semiengineering.com/things-to-come-this-year/
Parks Associates released a white paper in December, “Top 10 Consumer IoT Trends in 2017,” which notes that U.S. broadband households have an average of more than eight connected computing, entertainment, and mobile devices, along with two connected home devices, such as networked cameras, smart lighting, or smart thermostats.
“Consumer interaction with the devices and services in their lives – at home, in the car, on the go – will continue to evolve in 2017 to be more personal and targeted,”
Approximately 50% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart home device in the next 12 months, and they will tie these devices to their mobile platforms, broadband connections, and other devices to create a singular but ever-expanding user experience.”
Cybersecurity will be a watchword in IoT during 2017, following October’s distributed denial-of-service attack that affected multiple websites for a day, and a continuing string of data breaches.
“It should come as no surprise that we predict 2017 to be the year of enhanced cybersecurity.”
“The Internet of Things (IoT) is still a popular buzzword, but adoption will continue to be slow,”
Top 10 Consumer IoT Trends in 2017
http://www.parksassociates.com/whitepapers/top10-2017-banner
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making Secure Chips For IoT Devices
Technology is improving, but so is awareness about the need for security.
http://semiengineering.com/making-chips-for-iot-devices-secure/
Chips and modules going into Internet of Things node devices must have cybersecurity features designed and built into them. Multiple vendors are responding with products meant to keep the IoT devices protected from the cyberattacks that are becoming more common.
A recent report outlines four areas: Public perception, hacking vulnerability, company readiness, and true security.
Hardware vendors have been focused on this issue for some time, often with mixed results because threat levels—and perceived threat levels—vary greatly from one market to the next, and from one product to the next.
“When you look at verticals and you analyze the use cases, this is the extension between usability and security,”
The problem is that as more things are connected, so are their vulnerabilities. So the least-important device in a connected chain may provide an entry point for a much more complex and well-designed system.
Among the other principles laid out by Department of Homeland Security are:
Advance security updates and vulnerability management;
Build on proven security practices;
Prioritize security measures according to potential impact;
Promote transparency across IoT, and
Connect carefully and deliberately.
Counterfeiting is another risk factor. While most IP or counterfeit chips are simply less expensive, it carries a dual risk of either extra circuitry or inferior security.
There are a number of questions to answer in implementing cryptography, Pilozzi noted. “One key, or two?” he asked. There is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) symmetric block cipher, along with AES2 and AES3. In asymmetric cryptography, he added, there is the RSA cryptosystem, elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), and various private and public keys.
“Bigger is better and stronger in keys,” he said. “ECC uses a smaller key for some strength.”
How the Internet of Things will affect security & privacy
http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-security-privacy-2016-8?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
The Internet of Things is connecting more devices every day, and we’re headed for a world that will have 24 billion IoT devices by 2020.
New developments would allow connected cars to link up with smart city infrastructure to create an entirely different ecosystem for the driver, who is simply used to the traditional way of getting from Point A to Point B.
And connected healthcare devices give people a deeper and fuller look at their own health, or lack thereof, than ever before.
But with all of these benefits comes risk, as the increase in connected devices gives hackers and cyber criminals more entry points.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES17: Arduino Unveils LoRa Modules For The Internet Of Things
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/06/ces17-arduino-unveils-lora-modules-for-the-internet-of-things/
WiFi and Bluetooth were never meant to be the radios used by a billion Internet of Things hats, umbrellas, irrigation systems, or any other device that makes a worldwide network of things interesting. The best radio for IoT is something lightweight which operates in the sub-Gigahertz range, doesn’t need a lot of bandwidth, and doesn’t suck down the power like WiFi. For the last few years, a new low-power wireless communication standard has been coming on the scene, and now this protocol — LoRa — will soon be available in an Arduino form factor.
Also on deck at the Arduino suite were two LoRa shields. In collobration with Semtech, Arduino will be releasing the pair of LoRa shields later this year. The first, the Node Shield, is about as simple as it can get — it’s simply a shield with a LoRa radio and a few connectors. The second, the Gateway Shield, does what it says on the tin
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Primo, and NRF
Arduino Primo line is based on the ESP8266 WiFi chip and a Nordic nRF52832 for Bluetooth. The Primo comes in the ever-familiar Arduino form factor, but it isn’t meant to be an ‘Internet of Things’ device. Instead, it’s a microcontroller for devices that need to be on the Internet.
Also on display at CES this year is the Primo Core which we first saw at BAMF back in May. It’s a board barely larger than a US quarter that has a few tricks up its sleeve. The Primo Core is built around the nRF52832, and adds humidity, temperature, 3-axis magnetometer and a 3-axis accelerometer to a square inch of fiberglass.
Source: http://hackaday.com/2017/01/06/ces17-arduino-unveils-lora-modules-for-the-internet-of-things/
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Alexa, Order Everyone In San Diego A Doll House”
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/07/alexa-order-everyone-in-san-diego-a-doll-house/
Every day it seems there is a new Alexa story in the news, as for the moment the Amazon voice assistant is in the ascendant over its rivals from Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Today’s slice of Alexa weirdness comes courtesy of a newsreader in San Diego, who inadvertently triggered Alexa-enabled devices within hearing distance of a television to buy doll houses when he reported on a Dallas child’s accidental purchase.
News anchor sets off Alexa devices around San Diego ordering unwanted dollhouses
http://www.cw6sandiego.com/news-anchor-sets-off-alexa-devices-around-san-diego-ordering-unwanted-dollhouses/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Security Risks Grow
http://semiengineering.com/iot-security-risks-grow-2/
Experts at the table, part 2: Mirai, Shodan, and where the holes are in security; establishing a chain of trust from a solid root; how to future-proof security.
SE: Do we have a handle on what needs to be done to secure connected devices?
Dry: With the Mirai attacks, there was security in place. But there is an education process that isn’t being followed. Is it fair to say they were not secure? Maybe.
Sivertson: People were possibly lazy, too. They don’t want to do security. It’s hard. I love my Apple watch and my Apple laptop. I open it up, I twist my watch, and I don’t have to log in. I hate passwords. Most people do. I don’t like it when my bank says I have to update my password. But I would bet almost everyone has at least one password that is at least five years old. It’s the ease of things that the bad guys take advantage of. We have to make security better and easier for the consumer.
SE: Shodan is an interesting search engine because it tells you all the devices that are connected and, potentially, which ones are not secure.
SE: As we start connecting more devices and add more capabilities, they cross what traditionally were vertical market lines. What is secure in one area may not be as secure in an adjoining market. How do you deal with that?
Dry: That’s one of the promises of IoT, which is enabling new business models across adjacent verticals. It’s standards-based. If these things interoperate with each other, then they should be able to leverage across at the same level of security as you would expect.
Yanamadala: It’s about learning. Not everything has to be reinvented. Mobility is one example. Smart cards are another. A lot of the components of the security challenge have been solved. There are things we can learn from verticals where there is more mature security. What is secure enough in IoT is not secure enough in a financial application. But what was secure in 2014 will not be secure enough in 2017.
Dry: It’s cost-based, as well. Smart meters adopted some of the concepts from the smart card market. But if you look at the U.S. electric smart meter, the total average selling price was about $50 to $80, depending on the feature set. Adding a secure element would have bumped up their cost by about $1, but there was a lot of pushback. So instead, most of the vendors opted for software security early on. They’re still waiting for security to be added into MCUs with on-chip security modules and other nice anti-tamper features.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making Secure Chips For IoT Devices
Technology is improving, but so is awareness about the need for security.
http://semiengineering.com/making-chips-for-iot-devices-secure/
Chips and modules going into Internet of Things node devices must have cybersecurity features designed and built into them. Multiple vendors are responding with products meant to keep the IoT devices protected from the cyberattacks that are becoming more common.
While IoT privacy remains a key concern for consumers and homeowners, IoT security has taken on top-of-mind priority for the many companies entering and serving the market. A recent report outlines four areas: Public perception, hacking vulnerability, company readiness, and true security.
How the Internet of Things will affect security & privacy
http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-security-privacy-2016-8?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lutron expands smart home wireless control capabilities to ceiling fans
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2017/01/lutron-wireless-ceilingfans.html?cmpid=enl_CIM_CIMDataCenterNewsletter_2017-01-09
Smart home specialist Lutron Electronics announced the compatibility of its Caséta Wireless system with new Wi-Fi and Apple HomeKit-enabled Symphony and Signal ceiling fans from Hunter Fan Company. Available now for $299 and $349, respectively, these are the first HomeKit-enabled ceiling fans on the market, according to the companies
According to a product press release: “Last year, the Caséta Wireless system was hailed as one of the first Apple HomeKit-enabled products on the market.
Priced from $99, the Caséta Wireless kits are available on Amazon.com, Apple Stores and Apple.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low Cost Platform Allows Prototyping Wearables with Ease
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/low-cost-platform-allows-prototyping-wearables-ease/71517114347228?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170105.tst004t
Wearable technology is finding inroads into vertical markets such as healthcare, industrial, and automotive sectors.
Wearable technology is finding inroads into vertical markets such as healthcare, industrial, and automotive sectors. For example, special vehicle-health applications that monitor fuel efficiency, automobile speed, and the heart rate of a fatigue driver are being developed by Nissan, BMW, and Mercedes automotive manufacturers. The cost of wearable technology development boards ranges from low cost to highly expensive. Adafruit has created a cost-effective wearable platform called the Flora were special electronic modules have been designed to work with the microcontroller-based maker board.
An Atmel ATMEGA32 microcontroller provides the processing power for the Flora, providing six digital pins, two communication pins, and two serial control lines. These digital pins and control lines are accessible to makers, designers, and engineers by half circle solder pads that surround the Flora’s perimeter.
Adafruit has provided all of the Eagle Cad circuit schematic diagrams and PCB layout drawings for engineers, designers, and makers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making sure Bluetooth 5 keeps its low-power promises
http://www.electropages.com/2016/12/making-sure-bluetooth-5-keeps-its-low-power-promises/?utm_campaign=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Making+sure+Bluetooth+5+keeps+its+low-power+promises
A principle operating characteristics for Bluetooth 5 is it must be extremely frugal regarding power consumption. To facilitate this, SIG, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, has called for low-energy features to be integrated into Bluetooth 5 that are targeted at Internet of Things (IoT) apps.
A specification will be available that quadruples the range of Bluetooth connections by transmitting data multiple times. And it will accommodate transmission speeds of 1 and 2 Mbit/s.
The instruments are now able to cover all RF tests defined by Bluetooth SIG, from Bluetooth Basic Rate V1.2 up to the new Bluetooth 5 specification for low energy
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connected IoT devices are becoming more functionally rich–not only in capabilities, but in the data they generate and transmit. As these devices blend seamlessly into our daily lives, it’s vital that developers secure and protect the data in these devices from being stolen or manipulated.
Source: https://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/resources/overview/how-to-secure-and-protect-sensitive-data-on-connected-iot-devices-212b360a-abeb-45fe-a5f7-f79efe8d429d?clp=1&contactid=1&PC=L&c=2017_01_06_esd_iot_security_wp_all_2
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week In Review: IoT
Qualcomm ships 1B+ IoT chips; CES is big scene for IoT; ZigBee Alliance speaks a new language.
http://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-34/
Qualcomm reported before the official opening of CES 2017 that it has shipped more than 1 billion Internet of Things chips to date, for such applications as automotive electronics, Internet-connected televisions, sensors, and wearable gadgets (including smartwatches). The company didn’t include chips for smartphones and tablet computers in that total.
Qualcomm has already shipped more than a billion chips for the Internet of Things
http://venturebeat.com/2017/01/03/qualcomm-has-already-shipped-more-than-a-billion-chips-for-the-internet-of-things/
The company is also targeting the automotive industry with chips for self-driving cars and other electronic functions, such as car connectivity and environment sensing. Cars need advanced chip functions, like computer vision for sensing the environment and other vehicles.
Qualcomm said it will bring gigabit-class LTE wireless networking to connected vehicles, using the Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 LTE modem. Right now, Qualcomm has a reference platform with new chips that will make connecting in the car seamless.
Qualcomm is putting its Snapdragon 820A processor into cars right now. Volkswagen will use the 820A processor and the Snapdragon X12 and X5 LTE modems in its future vehicles. And Qualcomm, Ericsson, and others will field test the automobile connectivity technology this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week In Review: IoT
Qualcomm ships 1B+ IoT chips; CES is big scene for IoT; ZigBee Alliance speaks a new language.
http://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-34/
Qualcomm reported before the official opening of CES 2017 that it has shipped more than 1 billion Internet of Things chips to date
NXP Semiconductors unveiled a batch of products at CES 2017. The chip company is working with Microsoft to improve IoT security.
Marvell Technology Group is demonstrating its connectivity, data storage, and networking chips at CES 2017
Rambus is in the Qualcomm booth at CES to demonstrate the Rambus CryptoManager security platform, working with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor and QCA4010 Wi-Fi chip, in a smart city application.
Qorvo this week introduced the GP695 system-on-a-chip device for smart home devices. The SoC supports the Bluetooth Low Energy, IEEE 802.15.4, Thread, and ZigBee 3.0 communication protocols for actuators and sensors in the home
AT&T is expanding its IoT Starter Kit for developers with one version for Amazon Web Services and another for Raspberry Pi
The Norton Core router is meant to provide better protection for IoT devices in the home.
Cypress Semiconductor and Verizon Communications are collaborating on wireless connectivity with end-to-end security for IoT developers.
The ZigBee Alliance introduced the dotdot language at CES, aimed at providing a standardized communication platform for IoT devices, regardless of the network being used by those devices.
Sierra Wireless has developed AirPrime modules for Verizon’s LTE Category M wireless network. Sierra’s Cat-M1 module is based upon Altair Semiconductor’s ALT-1210 LTE chipset
Tomi Engdahl says:
The zigbee alliance to Unveil Universal Language for the IoT from CES 2017 – Making it Possible for Smart Objects to Work Together on Any Network
By zigbee alliance
January 3, 2017
zigbee Press Releases
The zigbee alliance to Unveil Universal Language for the IoT from CES 2017 –
Making it Possible for Smart Objects to Work Together on Any Network
http://www.zigbee.org/the-zigbee-alliance-to-unveil-universal-language-for-the-iot-from-ces-2017-making-it-possible-for-smart-objects-to-work-together-on-any-network/
The zigbee alliance today announced that from CES 2017 this week it will be showcasing the path to a unified Internet of Things (IoT). Highlights will focus on the growing momentum behind zigbee (3.0) products and development solutions, and the alliance’s newly announced dotdot — the universal language for the IoT, making it possible for smart objects to work together on any network. Members of the zigbee alliance and Thread Group will also showcase the first demonstrations of dotdot devices running over Thread’s IP-based networks.
https://www.speakdotdot.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT devices being increasingly used for DDoS attacks
Malware is infesting a growing number of IoT devices, but their owners may be completely unaware of it.
https://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/iot-devices-being-increasingly-used-ddos-attacks
Tomi Engdahl says:
CES2017: Which Internet of Thing is Best Internet of Thing?
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/09/ces2017-which-internet-of-thing-is-best-internet-of-thing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT-ify All Things: LG Has Gone Overboard
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/09/iotify-all-things/
If you been following Hackaday lately, you’ve surely noticed an increased number of articles about IoT-ifying stuff. It’s a cool project to take something old (or new) and improve its connectivity, usually via WiFi, making it part of the Internet of Things. Several easy to use modules, in particular the ESP8266, are making a huge contribution to this trend. It’s satisfactory to see our homes with an ESP8266 in every light switch and outlet or to control our old stereo with our iPhone. It gives us a warm fuzzy feeling.
But what happens when this becomes mainstream? When literally all our appliances are ‘connected’ in the near future?
This year, at CES, LG Electronics (LG) has introduced Smart InstaView™, a refrigerator that’s powered by webOS smart platform and integrated with Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service.
LG SMART INSTAVIEW REFRIGERATOR FEATURES VOICE CONTROL, WEBOS AND REMOTE VIEWING CAPABILITIES
http://www.lgnewsroom.com/2017/01/lg-smart-instaview-refrigerator-features-voice-control-webos-and-remote-viewing-capabilities/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Sound Control of Kitchen Lights
http://hackaday.com/2017/01/10/open-sound-control-of-kitchen-lights/
Controlling the Internet of Things is all about passing information around. Realistically, it doesn’t matter what is used, be it MQTT, HTTP, serial data, whatever, and it doesn’t really matter what data is sent as long as the sender and receiver agree on what the data means. MIDI could be used to pass information back and forth, for example and while MIDI is good for some things, Open Sound Control is a more modern alternative and one area where OSC excels over MIDI is Internet connectivity. [Matt] used OSC to control the lighting he installed in his kitchen.
Internet of kitchen lighting, with OSC
http://axio.ms/projects/2017/01/03/Internet-of-kitchen.html
Why buy purpose-designed, expensive and great-looking strip lighting when I can instead hack them together myself using hot glue and scrap wire?
Then, I can value-add by using an ESP8266 module to make the lights remote-controllable!
I chose Open Sound Control (OSC) for this, which is traditionally used for media signalling, i.e. ‘a better MIDI, over the network’. I don’t know why I did this instead of using something like Blynk or an HTTP-based control page.
This project is a bit hacky for kitchen lighting, but the OSC+ESP8266 portion might be useful for:
Controlling real actuators from music sequencers (e.g. solenoids! Boom! Tish!)
Cheap stage lighting/effects using ESP8266s
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bosch Dev Kit to Ease IoT
Kit speeds development
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1331136&
Every sensor and wireless chip maker is edging into the Internet of Things (IoT) market, one of the fastest growing international markets, predicted to surpass $1.6 billion by 2021 according to IoT Analytics (Hamburg, Germany). Fellow German company Bosch Sensortec aims to maintain its current lead by integrating its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and other sensors into every IoT device under the sun.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES, Las Vegas) it tried to demonstrate its prowess by introducing a fistful of innovative applications and IoT enablers for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices featuring mobility, logistics and Industry 4.0 (the marriage of IoT, cyber-physical systems and cloud computing).
One premier proof-of-concept device was a cigarette-lighter sized Retrofit eCall IoT that plugs right-in to the cigarette lighter hole (usually called the auxiliary power jack) present on every car. This IoT module turns any vehicle (whose driver has a Bluetooth-equipped smartphone) into a GM-like On-Star or Ford-like Sync equipped vehicle including roadside service, emergency dispatch and even concierge services like finding restaurants and booking hotels.
To demonstrate how logistics can use the IoT, Bosch showed a Transport Data Logger (TDL). The device is attached to each high-value crate to be shipped, which it monitors with built-in sensors that log temperature, humidity, tilt, location and shocks.
For OEM’s planning their own IoT devices, Bosch showed its Cross Domain Development Kit (XDK110) which contains a MEMS accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope, coupled with humidity, pressure, temperature, acoustic and digital light sensors.
To its growing family of extension boards
a long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) that can connect IoT devices up to 25 miles apart
http://xdk.bosch-connectivity.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Trumps Mobile App Debates
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1331119&
While the debate over native versus Web apps continues, the Internet of Things is raising more important questions about the future of software development.
The fact is, while native apps may have come to dominate the marketplace, Web apps still have their merits.
We’re also seeing markets converge, enabling a hybrid approach to app development. Third-party W3C HTML5 frameworks such as Phonegap from Cordova can allow developers to use the best of both approaches. What’s more, cross-platform coding enables apps that have access to the full spectrum of functionality exposed by the underlying platform and device, including platform-specific capabilities like Apple Pay and Android Wear.
As mobile has become the major player in brand engagement, so native apps have become the preferred option. It’s not just the fact that they can be controlled and sold exclusively through online sites such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play, creating potentially huge revenue streams for developers and service providers. Because they’re developed specifically for each platform, they can easily access hardware in the device such as Bluetooth and generally run faster than Web apps, delivering a better user experience too. They also can take advantage of native gestures such as inertial scrolling and share data such as contacts and photos. What’s more, they don’t need to be downloaded every time they’re launched.
At Google I/O 2016, Google launched an Android upgrade that enables the operating system to run native apps through the browser without downloading them.
The next big thing is, of course, the Internet of Things (IoT), which could well be the catalyst that drives further industry convergence. To move forward and truly realize the potential of IoT, we need to adopt a standard set of protocols, something that has so far proved very difficult to achieve. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) wants to adopt common standards across IoT development. However, HTML doesn’t currently have the technology to run and connect with IoT devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Smart Money’s on Smart Home
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/01/the-smart-money-s-on-smart-home.html?cmpid=enl_BTR_Weekly_2017-01-10&
The rise of smart home technologies and their adoption is one of the safer bets to come out of the CES show floor in Las Vegas last week. Let’s take a look at some of the smart home-related news that has come out both in the last few days and just before the end of the year.
Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) has made a slew of announcements of late, including the introduction of a whole-home networking solution. The cloud-based platform, which will be included at no extra cost for customers with a Comcast WiFi gateway device, is intended to allow people to add devices, pause device use during dinnertime, pair WiFi extenders to boost signal strength and use voice controls to see who’s on the network.
The new service is scheduled to be automatically enabled in the first half of 2017 for the approximately 10 million existing Xfinity Internet customers who have a compatible Xfinity wireless gateway.
Comcast also revealed that a connected thermostat from Zen Ecosystems has been integrated into the Xfinity Home ecosystem. This is a step toward the relaunch of EcoSaver technology that will help customers reduce energy usage with real-time weather analytics.
This is a step toward the relaunch of EcoSaver technology that will help customers reduce energy usage with real-time weather analytics.
Parks Associates agrees, saying that smart home applications are increasingly shifting to voice control. The research house says 44% of U.S. broadband households have used voice control functions on at least one of their connected smart home platforms, including 64% of heads of household ages 18-24.
The high usage rates among Millennials suggest that voice controls are quickly becoming the preferred means of interaction with Internet-connected devices, and younger consumers especially will see greater value in new smart home platforms with voice control as standard in the user interface.
Comcast Aims to Make Smart Homes Smarter, Greener
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2017/01/comcast-aims-to-make-smart-homes-smarter-greener.html?cmpid=enl_BTR_Weekly_2017-01-10
At the Smart Home Marketplace at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) announced a partnership between Xfinity Home and Zen Ecosystems, the manufacturer of a connected thermostat that is integrated with the Xfinity Home ecosystem and part of its family of core devices. The integration is another step toward the relaunch of EcoSaver technology to help Xfinity Home customers automatically reduce energy usage with real-time weather analytics to optimize a home’s heating and cooling efficiency. According to the National Academy of Sciences, heating and cooling account for about 39% of total energy use in a typical home.
“Together, Comcast’s Xfinity Home and Zen Ecosystems make ideal partners on the journey to help consumers easily turn their homes with connected devices into smart homes all manageable on one platform – the Xfinity Home platform.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Secure IoT Communications Made Easy with Embedded Cryptography
http://intelligentsystemssource.com/secure-iot-communications-made-easy-with-embedded-cryptography/
Awareness of the Internet of Things (IoT) has pretty much reached saturation point within the electronics industry and is now steadily permeating the consciousness of the population at large, especially among more tech-savvy consumers. Consequently, the focus of attention is shifting from what the IoT is and what it can do, to what are the issues in making it work seamlessly across multiple platforms and, more importantly for many people, making it secure to use.
The ability to secure internet communications has long been established within the IT industry and we are all familiar with internet browsers that use encryption techniques, such as SSL (secure socket layer), to protect the transmission of confidential user information. Similarly, anyone who has ever needed to configure a wireless internet router has probably encountered AES (advanced encryption security)
“Good,” I can hear you say, “the internet is secure, so the IoT must be also.” But not so, or at least, not necessarily.
First, we need to understand that the IoT extends beyond the realm of traditional Internet-connected computing devices.
Second, even established Internet communications might be vulnerable at the point of access or at intermediate points where the data is transferred from one network to another. The challenge here is securing against unauthorized access while also ensuring that authorized users can readily access the information they require.
We’ve mentioned encryption, integrity and authentication as potential tools to secure the IoT.
Encryption is simply the implementation of cryptographic algorithms
Authentication and Integrity – Techniques to authenticate the sender of an encrypted message and ensure the integrity of a message, share elements in common with one another and with aspects of the preceding discussion on encryption.
Many microcontrollers (MCUs), for example, incorporate dedicated hardware to perform encryption. The solution most frequently encountered is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
AES is commonly implemented with block sizes of 128, 192 or 256 bits and is a symmetric cipher, meaning both sender and receiver require the same key – if necessary, this key can always be shared using an initial public key message exchange.
Other hardware accelerators implement message authentication, with the most common MAC algorithm being the Secure Hash Function (SHA) standard