Here are some IoT trends for year 2019 to watch:
More device: There are four times as many devices connected to the Internet as there are people in the world, and the number of devices is increasing rapidly. There are computers, smart phones and many different kind of connected devices. Gartner forecasts that 14.2 billion connected things will be in use in 2019, and that the total will reach 25 billion by 2021,
Voice: The integration of voice into IoT devices creates an user experience that many consumers seem to enjoy. The next few years will see voice automation take over many aspects of our lives. The current major players in the IoT voice world are Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant. Microsoft’s Cortana seems to have already lost in the game as Satya Nadella says Cortana won’t challenge Alexa and Google Assistant directly; Microsoft will focus on making it a skill on other voice platforms instead. Voice won’t change everything but it will be one part of a movement that heralds a new way to think about our relationship with devices and data. Consider voice as a type of user interface to be added to the existing list of UI technologies. Voice will not kill brands, it won’t hurt keyboard sales or touchscreen devices — it will become an additional way to do stuff; it is incremental. We need to learn to design around it.Deloitte expects the sales of 164 million smart speakers at an average price of $43 in 2019. The smart speaker market will be worth more than $7 billion next year, increasing 63% from 2018’s $4.3 billion.
Automobiles: Automobiles are leading the way in IoT adoption. Gartner predicts that one in five cars will be connected by 2020. Both Google and Apple have tools that allow drivers to control calls, listen to messages and control apps using voice.
IoT clouds: Developing for the Internet of Things is a complex endeavor, and nobody wants to do it from scratch. IoT data platforms offer a jumping-off point by combining many of the tools needed to manage a deployment from device management to data prediction and insights into one service. There are many IoT cloud platforms to choose from. All cloud platforms have their own distinctive areas of pros and cons. Ultimately the project needs and cost-effectiveness determine whom to choose. Utilizing cloud services also brings new potential risks that are good to understand already at the beginning of the project. I wrote on article to Uusiteknologia.fi magazine issue 2/2018 on IoT cloud platforms.
Digital Twins: Digital twin tech, or a virtual representation of a product, is a critical concept in IoT that’s still being sorted out. Digital twin refers to a digital replica of physical assets (physical twin), processes, people, places, systems and devices that can be used for various purposes. Definitions of digital twin technology emphasize two important characteristics: connection from the physical model to the corresponding virtual model and this connection is established by generating real time data using sensors. Physical objects and twin models interact. Digital twins applications typically integrate internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and software analytics with spatial network graphs to create living digital simulation models that update and change as their physical counterparts change. In various industrial sectors, twins are being used to optimize the operation and maintenance of physical assets, systems and manufacturing processes.
Edge computing: The shift from centralized and cloud to edge architectures is well under way in the IoT space. In the future, computing the edge of the network will become an increasingly important way of processing data from networked devices and sensor networks. Compared to traditional centralized cloud computing, the new edge computing brings computing servers closer to the edge of the communications network. Compared to cloud centered IoT solutions, edge computing allow for lower delays and more reliable operation with respect to cloud services. At the same time, it promises improved security as not all potentially sensitive information needs to be transferred from the site to cloud. However, this is not the end point because the neat set of layers associated with edge architecture will evolve to a more unstructured architecture comprising of a wide range of “things” and services connected in a dynamic mesh. In thins kind of system data processing can be done on almost all network devices from IoT modules to gateways and in the future to 5G base stations. Relevant standardizing organizations on this field are Edge Computing Consortium Europe, OpenFog Consortium and Industrial Internet Consortium.
5G: 5G networks start to arrive. The standards for 5G will be defined in large part by the direct integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices into global networks and devices. 5G networks are expected to be 10 to 100 times faster than current LTE technology. If you are in need for very high speed, your application resides inside the small 5G test networks coverage areas and your IoT device is allowed to consume considerable amount of power (more than 4G solutions), then you might be able to consider 5G. For all other cases I don’t see 5G would offer much for IoT applications in 2019. There is not yet ready 5G standards specifically designed for IoT applications. So for 2019 IoT and IIoT will need to be pretty much stick to 4G technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M. For 5G to shape industrial computing application in larger scale than just some small tests we will have to wait till 2020. Addressing the issues behind Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices and 5G is important in next few years. Qualcomm, the largest supplier of modem chips used in smartphones, has introduced the X50 modem to give IIoT devices the ability to communicate over 5G networks. Beware of “fake 5G” marketing in 2019. The promise is that 5G will enable the future enterprise technologies everyone is predicting and waiting for: fleets of self-driving delivery trucks, virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and a world of enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) deployments — systems that will define an era that the World Economic Forum termed the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Those promises will take years to realize, you will not see most of them in real use in 2019.
AI: Number one in Gartner’s predictions, no surprise, is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be talked a lot with bold claims that AI goes from expert-only to everywhere. I would not expect it to be everywhere in 2019. Gartner, said in a statement, “AI will be applied to a wide range of IoT information, including video, still images, speech, network traffic activity, and sensor data.” At the moment many neural network systems are power hungry when implemented with traditional computer hardware. “For example, the performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) is often limited by memory bandwidth, rather than processing power.” By 2023, it’s expected that new special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN, enabling new edge architectures and embedded DNN functions in low-power IoT endpoints.
IIoT: The concept of a Smart Factory is composed of many different physical and informational subsystems, such as actuators and sensors, control systems, product management systems and manufacturing systems that all work together. This is a very complex system. It is critical to understand differing operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) priorities to achieve collaboration and integration. Without this, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control projects will fail. Also finding the right Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) vendor partner is crucial to success. OPC Foundation has on initiative to extend OPC UA out to field devices to provide vendor-neutral, end-to-end interoperability beyond the plant. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) network works well for OPC UA applications.
Value chain: IoT as an umbrella term will diminish. There are strong views that “Internet of things is not valuable in and of itself” so the conversation is going to shift away from an ambiguous buzzword to the actual use of technology. For product designers this means that when we design our connected world, we need to pull ourselves away from the cool technology that we are building and look at the system through our customers’ eyes. The sales pitch will be more like “It’s about the use cases, it’s about the solutions, it’s about the applications, managing and monitoring assets, performance management solutions, different kinds of solutions coming together to solve a problem—that’s really what the value proposition is.”
IoT platforms: IoT vendors will compete to be the destination for IoT platforms. The IoT supply chain has been moving toward more collaboration to provide development and design kits designed for specific use cases and industries. IoT development kits are sold more and more with bundled IoT could service offer. IoT cloud service providers offer and recommend hardware that is tested to work well with their platforms. IoT platform vendors will be narrowing their scope in 2019, honing in on specific use cases. Business professionals aren’t looking for one industrial IoT platform to manage every process going on at their company, they are instead looking for platforms that specialize in specific tasks.
New development kits: A new breed of development kits is incorporating the three tenets of IoT design — ease of use, security, and business value. The promise is that the design engineers don’t need to have specialized expertise in several areas like networking protocols or security-related tasks, enabling a much faster development time. One way to simplifying design work is by intelligently reusing the fundamental building blocks.
Security: Wireless IoT devices are considered a major threat to the security of industrial networks. A growing number of embedded systems are open to security threats as a result of increasing connectivity and IoT device adoption. And it’s costing OEMs a lot in terms of money and reputation. A 2018 Gartner Inc. survey found that nearly 20% of organizations surveyed experienced at least one IoT-based attack in the past three years. IoT security is already a 1.5 billion dollar market. The market research firm Garnet expects that global spending on IoT security will rise to $3.1 billion in 2021, up from $1.5 billion in 2018. It is not about the spending on IoT security products. Already “a significant portion of OEMs’ existing in-house labor cost is already dedicated to addressing security” and is rising faster than development costs. VDC pegs the worldwide embedded engineering labor spend related to security at $11.6 billion in 2017, representing nearly 8% of the overall cost of embedded engineering labor. There will be different kind of certification marks for IoT product cyber security – some mandated with laws on some countries and some voluntary. 5G is going to increase security risks. Do we understand the 5G security threats to come? Most probably not because we don’t seem to understand well even that 5G really is.
eSIM: The embedded SIM card has been spoken for a long time, and even the first smartphones in which the SIM card has been implemented with an integrated circuit have already been introduced to the market. Infineon has presented the world’s first industrially qualified eSIM. Of course, eSIM shares opinions. Many operators do not like it.
Infonomics and Data Broking: Last year’s Gartner survey of IoT projects showed 35 percent of respondents were selling or planning to sell data collected by their products and services.“Data is the fuel that powers the IoT and the organization’s ability to derive meaning from it will define their long term success,” This brings us to Social, Legal and Ethical IoT because“ Successful deployment of an IoT solution demands that it’s not just technically effective but also socially acceptable,” It is possible tha tIoT Firms Face a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Lawsuits.
IoT Governance: As the IoT continues to expand, the need for a governance framework that ensures appropriate behavior in the creation, storage, use and deletion of information related to IoT projects will become increasingly important. We also need to manage IoT devices to keep them secure and make sure that they do what they are supposed to do. A market for IoT managed services will develop to help manage and operate fragmented IoT assets. “The idea of managing the ongoing end-to-end life cycle of a connected product is becoming more important, and ultimately this managed service opportunity is going to need momentum in the coming year,”
New Wireless Technologies: IoT networking involves balancing a set of competing requirements, such as endpoint cost, power consumption, bandwidth, latency, connection density, operating cost, quality of service, and range. No single networking technology optimizes all of these.
Trusted Hardware and Operating System: Gartner surveys invariably show that security is the most significant area of technical concern for organizations deploying IoT systems. Today organizations often don’t have control over the source and nature of the software and hardware being utilised in IoT initiatives. “However, by 2023, we expect to see the deployment of hardware and software combinations that together create more trustworthy and secure IoT systems.
Home automation: Arm predicts that the intelligent home goes mainstream. In survey results they published two-thirds of respondents said technology became “more a part of my life” during 2018. Cisco Systems is saying connected homes will be a big driver for the Internet of Things. “Connected home applications, such as home automation, home security and video surveillance, connected white goods, and tracking applications, will represent 48%, or nearly half, of the total M2M connections by 2022, showing the pervasiveness of M2M in our lives,” Cisco states in its new white paper, Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Trends, 2017-2022. The market is starting slowly. Bundled IoT services will try to motivate a slow consumer market.
Smart cities: Cities are becoming smarter and smarter in an effort to improve efficiency in operations. Smart cities bring in both benefits and risks. Between smart lighting, traffic controls, and public transportation, smart cities are bringing in a whole new family of threat vectors. Cybercriminals will target smart cities with ransomware attacks. Smart cities need to take precautions.
Silicon Chip Innovation: “Currently, most IoT endpoint devices use conventional processor chips, with low-power ARM architectures being particularly popular. However, traditional instruction sets and memory architectures aren’t well-suited to all the tasks that endpoints need to perform,” New special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN. Very low power circuit designs are important in many applications. Battery-powered designs require complex optimizations for power in the context of area, performance and functionality. Devices that work without battery and gather operating power from environment are maybe even more challenging. Clearly, sensors are a big part of any connected device, and there is a lot of innovation occurring in this market that delivers new features — think AI — all housed in smaller packaging.
Open source: 2019 Will Be the Year of Open Source in IoT and embedded systems applications. From software and even hardware, we saw more activity in open source than ever before in 2018. And the momentum isn’t likely to slow down in 2019. Arduino is pushing strongly to IoT markets with MKR1000 series of IoT boards. Raspberry Pi is very widely used in IoT systems, especially on prototyping and small scale deployments
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Links to other articles for IoT trends for 2019:
Internet of Things in 2019: Five predictions
Kymmenen tulevaisuuden kuluttajatrendiä ja ilmiötä
Deloitte’s 9 tech predictions for 2019
New Chip Architectures, Sensors and Trust in Top 10 IoT Trends (Gartner presented its top 10 strategic IoT technology trends)
Week In Review: IoT, Security, Auto (predictions from Arm, Deloitte and Juniper Research)
Predictions 2019: The Internet Of Things
Gartner Identifies Top 10 Strategic IoT Technologies and Trends
1,285 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Security in an IoT World: Your Big Data Problem is Getting Bigger
https://www.securityweek.com/security-iot-world-your-big-data-problem-getting-bigger
Once again, history is repeating itself: Until protection catches up, threat actors will remain ahead of defenders which puts organizations in detection and response mode. To take the right actions quickly to mitigate damage, security operators need a deep understanding of what is happening in their environment and where to focus attention.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uusiteknologia 1/2018 issue had my article “48 Ethernetistä reaaliaikaisempi – TSN apuun” on TSN networking
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/linkkipankki/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How the Secure Development Lifecycle Can Help Protect IIoT Deployments
https://www.securityweek.com/how-secure-development-lifecycle-can-help-protect-iiot-deployments
It’s Not Enough to Assume a Vendor Has Done Its Job When it Comes to Securing IIoT Devices
What is required is strict adherence to the principles and framework of the Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) process.
SDL is well understood and was first introduced to software engineering almost two decades ago, yet it is still notable by its absence in many new deployments of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies, and in more general hardware development. It’s much more than a process, too. Having a mature SDL process is a key tool that vendors can use to demonstrate their products are secure by design.
To put it another way, SDL is key both to protecting industrial components and networks from cybersecurity risks, and improving the level of trust and confidence that users will ultimately place in them.
What is SDL?
SDL is a mature process for providing cybersecurity assurance. It’s a methodological process to identify and reduce potential threat vectors, based on detailed knowledge and understanding of how and where a product will operate. The latter is a particularly difficult task in the worlds that are opening up to connected devices, such as automotive, medical devices, building management systems and ICS, because they tend to be highly fragmented environments that have been expanded in an ad hoc manner over time. Consequently, it is not always clear at the outset where a product will be operational, and what other systems it will interface with.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The future of IIoT software in manufacturing
https://www.controleng.com/articles/the-future-of-iiot-software-in-manufacturing/
A guide to understanding and using data distribution service (DDS), time-sensitive networking (TSN), and OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) for advanced manufacturing applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The significance of industrial networking for the IIoT
https://www.controleng.com/articles/the-significance-of-industrial-networking-for-the-iiot/
The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) focuses on the role of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in industrial networking.
The Networking Task Group (NTG), a sub-group under the IIC’s Technology Working Group, is responsible for the three lower layers of the Industrial Internet Communication Stack as defined in the Industrial Internet Connectivity Framework (IICF), which are identical to the lower three layers of the OSI model: Physical layer, (data) link layer, and network layer.
In industrial automation, these layers are impacted by the transition from traditional field buses to Ethernet-based protocols. Such industrial Ethernet technologies are defined by international user groups such as Profibus Profinet International, ODVA (Ethernet/IP), the EtherCAT Technology Group, the Ethernet Powerlink Standardization Group and the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA). Some technologies use standard Ethernet without modifications to layers 1 and 2 of the foundational IEEE 802.3 standard, whereas others define deviations in the data link layer.
These Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards define the physical layer and data link layer’s media access control (MAC) of wired Ethernet. A set of common and technology-specific definitions is made available through the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61158 and IEC 61784-5 series.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cybersecurity required for safe IIoT robots
https://www.controleng.com/articles/cybersecurity-required-for-safe-iiot-robots/
For a robot to be safe, it must also be secure from cyberattacks in the age of Industrie 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Everyone in the information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) departments are responsible for ensuring this happens.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MQTT’s role as an IoT message transport
https://www.controleng.com/articles/mqtts-role-as-an-iot-message-transport/
Messaging queuing telemetry transport’s (MQTT) role as an Internet of Things (IoT) message transport derives from its simple design, when it began as an industrial communicator for a pipeline supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Identifying IIoT risks and rewards
Integrators provide a safe passage to smart factory technology
https://www.controleng.com/articles/identifying-iiot-risks-and-rewards/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Automation Suppliers Back OPC UA
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/automation-suppliers-back-opc-ua/51858865760084?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=7146&elq_cid=876648
OPC UA TSN looks to leverage gigabit Ethernet bandwidth and Time Sensitive Networking to deliver open networking solutions for smart factories.
One of the key automation technology megatrends of 2018, OPC UA TSN, took another big step forward with an announcement that the technology is being supported by a wide range of major automation suppliers worldwide, signaling the potential rise of a single, internationally-recognized standard for automation communications. Now, we’re nearing the tipping point, with less talk about the standards itself, and more new product introductions that will no doubt be coming as we head into 2019.
The group of companies backing the technology initiative includes automation and control giants, Rockwell Automation and Siemens, along with a “Who’s Who” of leading suppliers including ABB, Beckhoff, Bosch Rexroth, B&R, Cisco, Hilscher, Hirschmann, Huawei, Intel, Kalycito, KUKA, Mitsubishi Electric, Molex, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Pilz, Schneider Electric, TTTech, Wago, and Yokogawa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 IoT Deployment Flaws to Avoid
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/5-iot-deployment-flaws-avoid/108475889260045?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=7146&elq_cid=876648
When we design our connected world, we need to pull ourselves away from the cool technology that we are building and look at the system through our customers’ eyes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Technologies Embedded System Engineers Should Master in 2019
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/5-technologies-embedded-system-engineers-should-master-2019/53720324260073?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=7146&elq_cid=876648
Here are the technologies that have the greatest impact on the way we design and develop embedded systems.
Technology #1 – Defect Management
Technology #2 – Cloud Connectivity
Technology #3 – Security
Technology #4 – Machine Learning
Technology #5 – Low Power Design
While we should be looking to master these technologies, each area itself could require years to master. It’s important that developers select at least one technology to work at mastering and then at least keep abreast of the basics and advancements in the other areas.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/01/22/uusia-yhteistyotahoja-verkon-reunalaskentaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low Power At The Edge
https://semiengineering.com/low-power-at-the-edge/
What’s the real impact of putting a supercomputer in your pocket?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-iot-security-auto-28/
Microsoft Enterprise Services won a Pentagon contract worth $1.76 billion over five years to provide engineering services to the Department of Defense, Coast Guard, and the intelligence community.
Chris Penrose, president of IoT solutions at AT&T Business, talks about what the growing conglomerate is doing these days in an interview at CES 2019. AT&T had 48.2 million connected devices on its network during the third quarter of 2018, of which nearly half, 24 million, were connected cars, he says. When it comes to vehicle connectivity, the company is supporting both C-V2X and DSRC
Fifth-generation cellular communications will no doubt boost the adoption of IoT, but when will 5G get here? This analysis looks at that topic. “Deployment of full 5G is some way away yet,” says Paul Bevan, research director for IT Infrastructure at Bloor, an advisory and consulting firm. “We are likely to see a rolling deployment of some 5G capabilities from 2020 onwards.” He adds that full-scale 5G deployments are not likely until around 2025.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Skin Patch Acts Like a Battery-Free Fitbit
https://blog.hackster.io/this-skin-patch-acts-like-a-battery-free-fitbit-bbbde29edbb4
Skin patch biomarker sensor that doesn’t need batteries
https://m.techxplore.com/news/2019-01-skin-patch-biomarker-sensor-doesnt.html
microfluidic device designed to mount on the skin and to collect and analyze microliter volumes of sweat. The system includes combined capabilities in electrical and color-based measurements of the rate and loss of sweat, as well as the concentrations of glucose, lactate and chloride and the pH level
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Trends: Let’s Visit a Fortune Teller
https://blog.paessler.com/iot-lets-visit-a-fortune-teller?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Burda-Blog-Global&utm_content=ciotfortuneteller&hsa_src=fb&hsa_ad=23843346884740129&hsa_grp=23843346852520129&hsa_cam=23843346852450129&hsa_ver=3&hsa_acc=2004489912909367&hsa_net=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tata Communications’ Countrywide Internet of Things Will Manage the Chaos in India’s Booming Cities
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/tata-communications-countrywide-internet-of-things-will-manage-the-chaos-in-indias-booming-cities
Building a single network for a country as expansive as India without breaking the bank or sucking too much power is a major challenge. To make it possible, we’re using long-range low-power (LoRa) wireless communications in the 865-to-867-megahertz range. LoRa is a communication technology patented by wireless semiconductor manufacturer Cycleo (now owned by semiconductor supplier Semtech). It doesn’t require the ravenous power consumption of wireless options that would otherwise make large-scale networks challenging.
Signals can easily travel more than 15 kilometers and can penetrate a concrete wall—or three plaster walls.
In 2018, the network’s first command center opened in the city of Jamshedpur. In this center, JUSCO is using over 100,000 sensors to digitize 15 elements of its infrastructure, including streetlights, utilities, and parking meters, all connected to India’s first IoT network. The command center will allow JUSCO to reduce the city’s energy use, increase waste-management efficiency, make construction sites safer, and alleviate rush-hour traffic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With ingestible pill, you can track fart development in real time on your phone
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/01/with-ingestible-pill-you-can-track-fart-development-in-real-time-on-your-phone/
First human trials reveal gut gas chambers and blustery effects of diet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Smart Device Needs to be Useful, Not Just Clever
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/a-smart-device-needs-to-be-useful-not-just-clever
Over the holidays, droves of consumers bought video doorbells, connected lights, and smart outlets that work with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s HomeKit, or Google Home. Plenty of people unwrapped connected speakers and image-processing cameras on Christmas morning.
Many of these purchases will get returned. Or they’ll be thrown away after one too many updates or a security scare.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Battery-free smart devices closer to reality
https://uwaterloo.ca/stories/battery-free-smart-devices-closer-reality-0
Computer scientists hack RFID tags, giving them the ability to sense their environment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are winning
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461504/Wi-Fi-and-Bluetooth-are-winning?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
CES 2019 provided more evidence of companies making decisions on Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi seem to be prevailing. If IoT connectivity were to be compared to roulette (CES is held in Las Vegas, after all), betting on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is like betting on black or red. With most possible outcomes being one or the other, your odds of winning are pretty good.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon Echo Dot (gen3) Tear down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQnRz-leDrY
A look at Amazon’s Echo Dot and the technology they chose.
A nicely designed bit of kit!
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8981-lora-rikkoi-100-operaattorin-rajan
Tomi Engdahl says:
Planning For 5G And The Edge
https://semiengineering.com/planning-for-5g-and-the-edge/
Experts at the Table, part 2: Understanding 5G’s benefits, limitations and design challenges.
SE: Over the past year, people have started realizing there’s far too much data being generated to move it all to the cloud. 5G was supposed to make that possible, but the reality is that isn’t going to happen because it’s too expensive to move all that data. So how does that affect design?
Aitken: The definition of ‘edge’ changes dramatically across business segments. In autonomous driving, the edge is a car. In a wireless sensor node the edge is an RF power device that sits on your wall. You have a range of things that is potentially the edge, and there’s a recognition that you can’t send everything to the cloud. You need to do some kind of hierarchical processing. You need to have the hardware to support that, and you also need to have a software environment that supports it. Just saying you’re going to put this high-powered processor over here and running Linux on it isn’t enough. You have to make sure that system integrates with everything else that you have in whatever node you’re designing, and you have to somehow or other make sure all of this stuff can come together and continue to operate with minimal human intervention. If you’re going to have a trillion-node Internet and it’s going to take an hour of someone’s time to set up each of those nodes, we’re all going to be very busy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoRa Surpasses 100 IoT Nets
Test programs aim to enhance ease of deployments
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1334225
Claiming that the internet of things (IoT) is reaching a tipping point, the LoRa Alliance announced that it has more than 100 networks operating around the world. It plans to expand certification and testing programs this year to ease deployments, which it claims already cover millions of end nodes.
LoRa is one of a basketful of long-range, wide-area networks trying to get traction in IoT. It competes with OnRamp, Sigfox, Telensa, and others in unlicensed bands and with cellular Cat-M and Narrowband IoT networks from cellular carriers.
Wi-Fi vendors will roll out chips for the 802.11ah standard — aka HaLow — this year, increasing competition in the 900-MHz band. Practitioners say it’s still early days for IoT given that each deployment tends to require custom work defining a business case and designing a network for it.
Microcell gateways for LoRa can handle 7,000 to 10,000 nodes, about the same as a HaLow gateway. Lora’s picocells manage up to 3,000 nodes, but its macrocells can handle tens of thousands. LoRa claims range of several kilometers, typically further than HaLow.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Latency recommendations: ITU-T vs. PAESSLER
https://www.paessler.com/network_latency?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=FIN_EN_Search-nonBrand_broad_3&utm_adgroup=latency-of-network&utm_adnum=245591992302&utm_keyword=%2Blatency%20%2Bof%20%2Bnetwork&utm_device=c&utm_position=1t1&utm_campaignid=247676064&utm_adgroupid=56492003012&utm_targetid=aud-316250648051:kwd-394758255573&utm_customerid=870-495-6487&utm_location=2246&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItNvls4qH4AIVGamaCh3N0Q7DEAAYASAAEgKb9fD_BwE
ITU-T
The Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) is responsible for standards in the field of telecommunications. It provides many recommendations with regard to quality of service. When it comes to latency, the ITU-T recommends that delays be no more than 125 milliseconds.
PAESSLER
We have somewhat stricter requirements than the ITU-T, for we recommend a maximum latency of 100 milliseconds.
Network latency: Test vs. monitoring
One-time latency tests
A simple ping query is all it takes to obtain a one-time calculation of latency.
These tests provide for individual measurements. Although they are useful for identifying specific problems, they are not at all suitable for comparisons, analyses, or monitoring.
Perpetual latency monitoring
PRTG keeps a constant eye on all your QoS parameters. Latency, packet loss, jitter, and the Mean Opinion Score are monitored around the clock.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Amazon joins the board of the Zigbee Alliance, which oversees implementation of the Zigbee wireless protocol commonly used in smart home devices
Amazon is taking more control over smart home tech
It joins the board of the Zigbee Alliance
https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/24/18196463/amazon-zigbee-alliance-board-smart-home-tech-control
Tomi Engdahl says:
Understanding MQTT: How Smart Home Devices Communicate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjKK5ab0-Kk
Tomi Engdahl says:
Extreme Power-Save Mode: ESP8266 powered ON after External Interrupt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPd362tRx5o
Have you ever wondered how to turn on ESP8266 using external interrupt? Build a battery powered amazon dash button or a lipo powered door bell using ESP8266 without putting the device in deep sleep? Here is your answer.
Arduino Code:
Code to wake up ESP8266 using external interrupt and send a MQTT message and turn itself off after external signal has vanished.
https://github.com/debsahu/ESP_External_Interrupt
Tomi Engdahl says:
#58 ESP8266 Sensor runs 17 days on a coin cell/transmits data to sparkfun.com and ubidots.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYuYTfO6iOs
In this episode I show how a ESP-07 or ESP-12 measures its voltage and transmits it to data.sparkfun.com and ubidots.com. If it transmits every 2 minutes, it ran 26 hours on a small LIR2450 button cell. If it would transmit each hour, it would last for 17 days and on 2 AA batteries 425 days.
ESP8266-Longterm Sensor Hourly
https://github.com/SensorsIot/ESP8266-Longterm-Sensor-Hourly
Tomi Engdahl says:
EEVblog #998 – How To Program ESP8266 WiFi With Arduino
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6NBnPfPhWE
Tomi Engdahl says:
#172 Hidden: ESP32 and ESP8266 point-to-point (ESP-Now): Fast and efficient. Comparison with LoRa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NsBN42B80Q
Today we will discover a hidden feature to connect two or more ESP32s or ESP8266s directly to each other: ESP-now. It is much faster and more energy efficient. And we will compare it to LoRa (RFM95 and Arduino Pro Mini.
Espressif gave us this possibility and, because it is so fast, they called it ESPnow. And it also works in the Arduino IDE.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The future of IIoT software in manufacturing
https://www.controleng.com/articles/the-future-of-iiot-software-in-manufacturing/
A guide to understanding and using data distribution service (DDS), time-sensitive networking (TSN), and OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) for advanced manufacturing applications.
MQTT’s role as an IoT message transport
https://www.controleng.com/articles/mqtts-role-as-an-iot-message-transport/
Messaging queuing telemetry transport’s (MQTT) role as an Internet of Things (IoT) message transport derives from its simple design, when it began as an industrial communicator for a pipeline supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.
Automation Suppliers Back OPC UA
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/automation-suppliers-back-opc-ua/51858865760084?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=7146&elq_cid=876648
- OPC UA TSN looks to leverage gigabit Ethernet bandwidth and Time Sensitive Networking to deliver open networking solutions for smart factories.
Tomi Engdahl says:
San Diego’s Smart Streetlights Yield a Firehose of Data
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/computing/networks/san-diegos-smart-streetlight-network-yielding-a-firehose-of-data
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.paessler.com/measuring-air-quality-on-new-years-eve?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Burda-Blog-Global&utm_content=newyearseveresults&hsa_acc=2004489912909367&hsa_ad=23843338747450129&hsa_ver=3&hsa_cam=23843338735470129&hsa_src=fb&hsa_grp=23843338735520129&hsa_net=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Manufacturing with Intelligence: A Framework for System-Level Anomaly Prediction
https://innovate.ieee.org/innovation-spotlight/anomaly-prediction-IoT-sensors-data-mining-manufacturing/#utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=innovation&utm_content=Manufacturing%20Anomaly%20Prediction?LT=CMH_WB_2019_LM_XIS_Paid_Social
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G and autonomous vehicles might not go hand-in-hand
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461460/5G-and-autonomous-vehicles-might-not-go-hand-in-hand?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Rather significantly, the [Seeed Studio W600] board will ship with support for both the Arduino development environment and MicroPython.”
Three New Seeed Studio W600-Based Wireless Boards
https://blog.hackster.io/three-new-seeedstudio-w600-based-wireless-boards-347c8ec21d47?fbclid=IwAR3dnlC8_crjBB-jStbbqLLLbwin8odfG6PSF29DS4WXUYjliTfTrOZNWtQ
first ESP competitor that I’d seen announced which actually retailed cheaper than the Espressif ESP8266 and ESP32 modules.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AI + IoT = AIoT — What Lies Behind the Buzzwords?
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/innoch/articles/ai-iot-aiot-what-lies-behind-the-buzzwords
Buzzwords such as the internet of things (IoT), edge computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) have been circulating for quite some time. They tend to be thrown around quite liberally and can come across as somewhat nebulous to the average reader.
This is because the hype around these words tends to blow the concept out of proportion with descriptions over-selling the technology behind it. This is sad, as there is actually true value behind the terminology!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google and NXP advance artificial intelligence with the Edge TPU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou-gulnNkaE
At CES, the Google AIY team shared how it’s advancing AI at the edge with the new Edge TPU chip, integrated with an NXP i.MX8 processor.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Bluetooth 5.1, available to developers today, includes a feature that allows devices to determine the direction of a Bluetooth signal
Bluetooth gains ‘direction finding’ for location accuracy to the centimeter
https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/28/bluetooth-gains-direction-finding-for-location-accuracy-to-the-centimeter/
Today, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), a nonprofit organization that has overseen the development of Bluetooth standards since 1998, revealed more details about one particularly interesting new feature that is arriving in the next iteration of Bluetooth.
With Bluetooth 5.1, which is available for developers today, companies will be able to integrate new “direction finding” features into their Bluetooth-enabled products.
https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/bluetooth-core-specification
Tomi Engdahl says:
Skill Squatting: The Next Consumer IoT Nightmare?
https://www.securityweek.com/skill-squatting-next-consumer-iot-nightmare
Connected devices are proliferating at a rapid rate, and this growth means that we’re only just beginning to scratch beneath the surface with potential use cases for Internet of Things (IoT) technology. IoT has quickly moved beyond basic internet-connected gadgets and wearables to more sophisticated interactive features like voice processing, which in turn has led to a significant rise in voice-activated devices such as smart speakers.
32 percent of surveyed consumers reported owning a smart speaker in August 2018, compared with 28 percent in January of earlier that year, according to new research by Adobe Analytics. The adoption rate of voice assistant technology has overtaken even that of smartphones and tablets – in fact, some predict that as many as 225 million smart speakers will be in homes worldwide by 2020. But at what risk?
Voice assistant-powered devices rely on ‘skills,’ or combinations of verbal commands that instruct the assistant to perform a task. When a user gives a verbal command through a phrase or statement, the device registers the command and determines which skill the user would like to activate. From turning on the lights in your living room to adding an item to your grocery list – or even buying those groceries – for every command you give, there’s a skill attached to that task.
Every smart assistant has the ability to get even smarter with small software applets that allow it to run processes automatically. These applets will look for a statement and then act upon it by running a number of linked skills
Voice processing technology does not always interpret commands correctly.
All of this potential for error exposes users to the risk of activating skills they did not intend to – and therefore opens up a new avenue for cybercriminals to exploit. Bad actors can develop skills that prey on predictable errors in hopes of redirecting commands to malicious skills designed to do things like grant access to password information, a home network or even transmit recordings to a third party. This is known as skill squatting.
Weaponized for Attacks
Although these attacks have not yet been found in the wild, the real-world repercussions are all too easy to imagine. We know from experience – and now research – that speech recognition systems make mistakes that could give cybercriminals access to a user’s home network. By activating a squatted skill, an unexpecting user could allow a malicious actor to extract information about their account, home network and even passwords before running the requested command. Because these devices typically operate quickly and without screens, the squatted skill would be activated so fast that the user would not notice. Like other attacks, cybercriminals can capitalize on human behavior and predictable errors to hijack intended commands and route users to malicious skills.
As of yet, there’s not a large attack of this nature on the scale or magnitude of WannaCry or Meltdown/Spectre to point to as a warning, but as with all new innovations, there will be breakdowns in speech/voice processing technology. Both cybersecurity professionals and consumers need to get serious about how to secure these devices. Just think about the nearly 50 percent of Americans who now own smart speakers – that’s a lot of vulnerable users for cybercriminals to target.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Japanese government plans to hack into citizens’ IoT devices
https://www.zdnet.com/article/japanese-government-plans-to-hack-into-citizens-iot-devices/
Japanese government wants to secure IoT devices before Tokyo 2020 Olympics and avoid Olympic Destroyer and VPNFilter-like attacks.
The Japanese government approved a law amendment on Friday that will allow government workers to hack into people’s Internet of Things devices as part of an unprecedented survey of insecure IoT devices.
The survey will be carried out by employees of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) under the supervision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
NICT employees will be allowed to use default passwords and password dictionaries to attempt to log into Japanese consumers’ IoT devices.
The plan is to compile a list of insecure devices that use default and easy-to-guess passwords and pass it on to authorities and the relevant internet service providers, so they can take measures to alert consumers and secure the devices.
http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000595927.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Avnet Accelerates IoT Innovation at CES 2019
https://markets.financialcontent.com/pennwell.cabling/news/read/37529671/avnet_accelerates_iot_innovation_at_ces_2019
Avnet offers comprehensive technology solutions for the IoT marketplace, spanning products, services and broad community expertise and will demonstrate the following technology solutions during CES 2019:
Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit – In an extension of its partnership with Microsoft, Avnet will introduce the Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit to help product developers overcome the challenges of bringing IoT products to market. The Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit features extensive connectivity and sensor options that help developers create highly secure OT and edge devices that quickly and easily connect to Microsoft Azure. Last spring, Microsoft named Avnet the lead partner for Microsoft Azure Sphere and the first to distribute the product. Azure Sphere is a solution for creating highly-secured, internet connected microcontroller-powered devices, and the new development kit supports rapid prototyping to accelerate IoT deployments.
Avnet SmartEdge Agile – Avnet will introduce its SmartEdge Agile IoT device at CES, enabling AI and security at the edge. Built by Avnet, powered by the STM32 from ST Microelectronics, and integrated with Octonion’s Brainium AI software, the SmartEdge Agile platform is ideal for developing machine learning applications such as predictive maintenance and remote monitoring devices.
Avnet SmartEdge Industrial IoT Gateway – Avnet will preview the Avnet SmartEdge Industrial IoT Gateway, a customized, Raspberry Pi-powered device designed for home and industrial automation applications that require strong end-to-end security.
Music: Not Impossible – An exciting wearable technology, Music: Not Impossible transforms how the deaf community experiences live music by generating musical vibrations on the skin. Comprised of a lightweight vest, wrist bands and ankle bands featuring Vibrotextile™ technology, the product creates an immersive sensory experience for both deaf and hearing concert goers. The initiative is part of a multi-year partnership that combines Avnet’s product design and manufacturing expertise with Not Impossible Lab’s mission to provide greater access to technology for the sake of humanity.
Developer Communities – With more than 1 million members, Avnet’s Hackster.io and element14 are homes to the largest online communities for entrepreneurs, makers and engineers in the world. These communities are at the forefront of IoT innovation and rapid prototyping. They enable and encourage members to share ideas, solve problems, learn from experts and teach each other.
Educational Resource – The Avnet IoT Readiness Workshops provide practical, step-by-step guidance on how to bring IoT initiatives from idea to an action plan—in just two days. Taking place in eight cities this year, the Workshops offer presentations, discussions and exercises to help attendees gain a deeper understanding of IoT from both a business and technical readiness perspective, and also share best practices for integrating IoT into their digital transformation strategy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cisco and AppDynamics Ignite New Era of AIOps, Unveiling Vision for the Central Nervous System for IT
https://markets.financialcontent.com/pennwell.cabling/news/read/37628228/cisco_and_appdynamics_ignite_new_era_of_aiops
AppDynamics, a Cisco company, today unveiled its vision for the Central Nervous System for IT, igniting a new era of AIOps. The Central Nervous System for IT will give businesses full visibility, deep insights, and automated actions across all technology domains that run modern companies: the application, infrastructure, and network.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TIA and IoT Community will collaborate to accelerate smart building technology
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2019/01/tia-iot-community-smart-building-partnership.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2019-01-28&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2354100
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leading association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks, and the Internet of Things Community (IoT Community), the world’s largest and longest standing global independent IoT Community, today announced an agreement to accelerate the digital transformation of the Internet of Things and further the development of smart buildings.
The two organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a set of initiatives regarding smart buildings, manufacturing, connected vehicles, intelligent transportation, healthcare and more. They will share commercial, technical, and standardization insights and explore opportunities for collaboration on technologies, exchange information and expertise, and develop solutions to accelerate the development of the Internet of Things.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are winning
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461504/IoT-connectivity-Wi-Fi-and-Bluetooth-are-winning?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EDNFunFriday-20190125
CES 2019 provided more evidence of companies making decisions on Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi seem to be prevailing. If IoT connectivity were to be compared to roulette (CES is held in Las Vegas, after all), betting on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is like betting on black or red. With most possible outcomes being one or the other, your odds of winning are pretty good.
First Alert showed a line of smoke detectors that integrate with either Apple Siri or Amazon Alexa. But wouldn’t it make as much sense, if not more, to integrate Wi-Fi? A representative of the company acknowledged that versions with Wi-Fi are coming, perhaps later this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-iot-security-auto-29/
Tony Franklin, Intel’s general manager for Internet of Things Segments, is interviewed by Lorin Fries on how the chipmaker is helping to develop smart farming applications.
Hassane El-Khoury, president and CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, touts his company’s smart home technology business in this interview at CES 2019.
The Telecommunications Industry Association and the Internet of Things Community signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on promoting IoT technology.
Microsoft in April will open an artificial intelligence and IoT lab in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, New Pudong Area, Shanghai.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tech Groups Team to Promote Internet of Things
Will share info, collaborate on educating public
https://www.multichannel.com/news/tech-groups-team-to-promote-iot
A pair of tech associations are joining hands in an attempt to get their arms around the internet of everything.
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), which represents tech suppliers, and the Internet of Things Community, a community of IoT companies and advocates, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on initiatives to accelerate the rollout of everything from connected cars and intelligent trains to smart buildings and factories.
TIA2
The two will share commercial, technical and standardization info with an eye toward “harnessing” the power of IoT to build the smart communities of the future.
The effort will also include teaming up on training and education efforts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Overcoming the AIoT Obstacles through Smart Component Integration
https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&partnerref=eet190124&eventid=1919807&sessionid=1&key=9C8350CF5810EF012FB805EE06A934F0®Tag=&sourcepage=register
Enterprises in every industry are gearing up for AI’s integration with IoT at the edge. Analytics and cloud-based applications are crucial foundations for the AIoT infrastructure. But even more importantly, AIoT requires complete, real-time access to the data in fulfill the needs of highly responsive edge computing applications.