Characteristics of the Internet of Things

• 1. Connectivity
• Connectivity is an important requirement of the IoT infrastructure.
• Things of IoT should be connected to the IoT infrastructure.
• Anyone, anywhere, anytime can connect, this should be guaranteed at all times. For example, the
connection between people through Internet devices like mobile phones, and other gadgets, also a
connection between Internet devices such as routers, gateways, sensors, etc.
• 2. Intelligence and Identity
• The extraction of knowledge from the generated data is very important.
• For example, a sensor generates data, but that data will only be useful if it is interpreted properly.
• Each IoT device has a unique identity. This identification is helpful in tracking the equipment and at times
for querying its status.
• 3. Scalability
• The number of elements connected to the IoT zone is increasing day by day.
• Hence, an IoT setup should be capable of handling the massive expansion.
• The data generated as an outcome is enormous, and it should be handled appropriately.
 Characteristics of the Internet of Things

• 4. Dynamic and Self-Adapting (Complexity)

• IoT devices should dynamically adapt themselves to changing contexts and scenarios.
• Assume a camera meant for surveillance. It should be adaptable to work in different conditions and
different light situations (morning, afternoon, and night).
• 5. Architecture
• IoT Architecture cannot be homogeneous in nature.
• It should be hybrid, supporting different manufacturers ‘products to function in the IoT network.
• IoT is not owned by anyone engineering branch. IoT is a reality when multiple domains come
together.
• 6. Safety
• There is a danger of the sensitive personal details of the users getting compromised when all his/her
devices are connected to the internet.
• This can cause a loss to the user. Hence, data security is the major challenge.
• Besides, the equipment involved is huge. IoT networks may also be at risk. Therefore, equipment
safety is also critical.
 Characteristics of the Internet of Things
• 7. Self Configuring
• IoT devices are able to upgrade their software in accordance with requirements with a minimum of
user participation.
• Additionally, they can set up the network, allowing for the addition of new devices to an already-
existing network.
• 8. Interoperability
• IoT devices use standardized protocols and technologies to ensure they can communicate with each
other and other systems. Interoperability is one of the key characteristics of the Internet of Things
(IoT).
• It refers to the ability of different IoT devices and systems to communicate and exchange data with
each other, regardless of the underlying technology or manufacturer.
• Interoperability is critical for the success of IoT, as it enables different devices and systems to work
together seamlessly and provides a seamless user experience.
• Without interoperability, IoT systems would be limited to individual silos of data and devices,
making it difficult to share information and create new services and applications.
 Advantages and
Disadvantages of IoT
 Advantages of IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interconnected, embedded devices that can capture and transmit data
without the need for human interaction over a wireless network.
• It can assist in the smarter control of homes and cities via mobile phones. It enhances security and offers personal
protection.
• By automating activities, it saves us a lot of time.
• Information is easily accessible, even if we are far away from our actual location, and it is updated frequently in real
time.
• Electric Devices are directly connected and communicate with a controller computer, such as a cell phone, resulting in
efficient electricity use. As a result, there will be no unnecessary use of electricity equipment.
• Personal assistance can be provided by IoT apps, which can alert you to your regular plans.
• It is useful for safety because it senses any potential danger and warns users. For example, GM OnStar, is a integrated
device that system which identifies a car crash or accident on road. It immediately makes a call if an accident or crash
is found.
Advantages of IoT

• It minimizes human effort because IoT devices connect and communicate with one another
and perform a variety of tasks without the need for human intervention.
• Patient care can be performed more effectively in real time without the need for a doctor’s
visit. It gives them the ability to make choices as well as provide evidence-based care.
• Asset tracking, traffic or transportation tracking, inventory control, delivery, surveillance,
individual order tracking, and customer management can all be made more cost-effective
with the right tracking system.
 Disadvantages

• Hackers may gain access to the system and steal personal information. Since we add so many devices to
the internet, there is a risk that our information as it can be misused.
• They rely heavily on the internet and are unable to function effectively without it.
• With the complexity of systems, there are many ways for them to fail.
• We lose control of our lives—our lives will be fully controlled and reliant on technology.
• Overuse of the Internet and technology makes people unintelligent because they rely on smart devices
instead of doing physical work, causing them to become lazy.
• Unskilled workers are at a high risk of losing their jobs, which could lead to unemployment. Smart
surveillance cameras, robots, smart ironing systems, smart washing machines, and other facilities are
replacing security guards, maids, ironmen, and dry-cleaning services etc.
• It is very difficult to plan, build, manage, and enable a broad technology to IoT framework.
• Deploying IoT devices is very costly and time-consuming.
 “Things” in Internet of Things

• Things’ refers to these machines or physical objects so it

becomes important to understand what kind of objects
can be connected via Internet.

1. Objects with intelligence or Smart Objects.

2. Objects without intelligence or Non-Smart Objects.
• “Smart objects are those physical and digital objects
which can be identified, have sensing/actuating
capabilities, processing and calculating powers, also
storing, and networking capabilities.”
• Examples :
We are surrounded by smart objects in our daily life.
For example, we all have our smartphones in our
pockets. Smart fridge, Smart TV, Alexa voice assistant
are some modern examples of smart objects which we
use in our daily life. Micro-controllers like Arduino can
be easily seen.
 Features of Smart Object :
•
Smart objects have some specific features which are necessary for calling a physical object
as smart object. We will discuss these features below –
Physical Shape :
As the word object refers to something which has some physical shape or size, so any Smart
Object should have these physical features so that it can be deployed somewhere in the
infrastructure.
Unique Identifier :
Smart Objects should have a unique identity so they can be easily identified in the
infrastructure. It is something that differs a specific object from other objects. This type of
physical identity is used by humans for reasoning purposes.
Communication Capabilities :
It must have communication capabilities so that it can send or receive data over internet or
other networking technologies.
Features of Smart Object :
Unique Name and Address :
Here the words, name, and address refer to networking address of the object such as IP
address which is used for communication purposes. The address should be unique in the whole
internet infrastructure. While the name is used by humans for reasoning purposes.

Processing Powers :
Smart Objects have some basic computational and processing abilities to take decisions
accordingly the environment.

Sensing Capabilities :
It should have some sensing capabilities to know about the surroundings (Pressure, toxic
gasses, temp. etc).
 • Non-smart objects are generally those objects which do
not have intelligence and processing capabilities.
Sensors and actuators are non-smart devices.
Sensors :
Sensors are those electronic devices which are made of
sensitive cells and have capabilities to measure or sense
some physical or scientific quantity like temperature,
Non-Smart pressure, the measure of any toxic gas, etc.

Objects : Actuators
Actuators are those electronic devices which performs a
:

specific task by collecting the information by sensors or

like sensors over the internet. We can divide actuator into
two parts –
• Mechanic Actuators –
These are those actuators which perform a task over
themselves or any other object.
• Actions –
Actions are performed by an object. Like sending e-
mails, vibrations.
 IoT stack
The IoT stack and layers refer to the way that IoT architecture is divided in order to distinguish the role that each segment
needs to fulfill in order to make an IoT system work.
IoT Stack Layer 1
Physical or sensor layer
• Similar to OSI physical layer, this IoT layer 1 interfaces with physical components.
The physical components are mainly sensors such as humidity sensor,
temperature sensor, pressure sensor, heart rate sensor, pH sensor, odour sensor
etc.
• The sensors are used for sensing of various parameters as per application of use.
• There are plenty of sensors available for the same functionality and hence the
appropriate selection of sensors is done based on cost and quality.
• It is this layer-1 which provides sensed data to the IoT stack for further
processing.
Passive and active sensors

• A passive sensor is one which just ‘listens’ to what is

happening. Examples include:
• A light sensor which detects if a light is shining on it
• An infra-red sensor which detects the temperature of an object
• An active sensor is one which transmits a signal into the
environment and then measures the response that comes
back.
• One example is an ultrasonic system:
• A pulse of ultrasound is emitted
• If an object is in the way, the pulse is reflected back
• The sensor detects it
• The time taken between emission and detection gives an
indication of the distance of the object.
• Hence an active sensor has an actuator and a sensor.
Remote Sensing

Specular reflection
Double-bounce
Diffuse scattering
IoT Stack Layer 2
Processing and control layer :

• The data provided by layer-1 using

sensors are processed at this layer.
Microcontroller/Processor and
operating system play vital role at this
layer.
• Various development kits can be used
for this purpose such as Arduino,
NodeMCU (based on ESP32 or
ESP8266) , ARM, PIC etc. Typical
operating systems used are Android,
Linux, IOS etc.
Board Selection
• popular of them being the Raspberry Pi and the Arduino series of
boards.
• f you needed the power of an ARM-based processor to run Linux, the
Raspberry Pi single-board computer (SBC) was the obvious choice.
• So which one do you pick?
• It all depends on what your project is. I’ve seen many developers
wrongly assume that a more powerful board is ideal in every situation.
Intuition says the costlier board will solve more problems but it ends up
being more of a hassle than a solution.
Simple I/O
The Arduino boards are recommended for a beginner due to them being
easy to code and vast support and documentation online.
Board Selection
• Internet Connectivity

• use a WiFi shield/adapter with an existing

micro-controller or could use a board like
the NodeMCU or an Arduino Yun which
has WiFi support out of the box.
• The NodeMCU is a little more tricky to
use and the limited documentation or
support makes it a little frustrating to
resolve bugs at times.
Processing / Heavy Tasks

• Boards like the Raspberry Pi and the BeagleBone

are complete computers. They require an
operating system and also have I/O to interact
with electronics.

• If your application involves hardcore

computational tasks targeted at Machine/Deep
Learning, boards such as the Nvidia Jetson series
or the Google Coral are perfectly suited for these
applications.
IoT Stack Layer 3
Hardware Interface
layer

• This layer include components or

interfaces used for communication
such as RS232, RS485, SPI, I2C, CAN,
SCI etc.
• These interfaces are used for serial or
parallel communication at various
baud rates in
synchronous/asynchronous modes.
• The above mentioned interface
protocols ensure flawless
communication.
IoT Stack Layer 4
RF layer :
• This radio frequency layer houses RF
technologies based on short range or long
range and data rate desired by the application
of use. The common indoor RF/wireless
technologies include Wifi, Bluetooth, Zigbee,
Zwave, NFC, RFID etc.
• The common outdoor RF cellular technologies
include GSM/GPRS, CDMA, LTE-M, NB-IoT, 5G
etc. RF layer does communication of data
using radio frequency based EM waves.
• There is another technology which uses light
waves for data communication. This light
based data communication is referred as LiFi.
IoT Stack Layer 5
Session/Message Layer :

• This layer deals with various

messaging protocols such as MQTT,
CoAP, HTTP, FTP (or Secured FTP), SSH
etc. It defines how messages are
broadcasted to the cloud.
IoT Stack Layer 6
User experience layer :

• This layer deals with providing the best experience to the end users of IoT products. To
fulfill this, this layer takes care of rich UI designs with lots of features.
• Various languages and tools are developed for the design of GUI interface software.
• These include objected oriented and procedure-oriented technologies as well as
database languages (DBMS, SQL) in addition to analytics tools.
 User Interface

• The last thing we need to do is to deliver the information

to the end user. This is done via user interface (UI).
• The user interface consists of the features by which a user
interacts with a computer system. This includes screens,
pages, buttons, icons, forms, etc. The most obvious
examples of user interfaces are softwares and
applications on computers and smartphones.
• A user interface doesn’t necessarily require a screen,
however. For example, a TV remote has a user interface
that consists of various buttons, and devices such as
Amazon Echo can be controlled with voice commands.
 IoT Stack Layer 7
Application layer :

• This layer utilizes rest of the six layers to develop the desired application. The
typical case studies or applications of IoT are as follows.
• Smart Home
• Smart Parking System based on Zigbee, LoRaWAN , and other wireless
technologies.
• Smart Energy System, Refer Smart Grid Architecture.
• Smart City
• Smart Lighting System based on ZigBee standard
• Smart Retail
• Smart Agriculture Farming
• Smart Waste Management
 Communication Models in IoT
Request-Response Model

• Request-response model is communication model in

which the client sends requests to the server and
the server responds to the requests.
• When the server receives a request, it decides how
to respond, fetches the data, retrieves resource
representation, prepares the response, and then
sends the response to the client.
• Request-response is a stateless communication
model and each request-response pair is
independent of others.
• HTTP works as a request-response protocol between
a client and server. A web browser may be the client,
and an application on a computer that hosts a web
site may be the server.
Publish-Subscribe Model

Publish-Subscribe is a communication model

that involves publishers, brokers and
consumers. Publishers are the source of data.

Publishers send the data to the topics which

are managed by the broker. Publishers are not
aware of the consumers.

Consumers subscribe to the topics which are

managed by the broker. When the broker
receive data for a topic from the publisher, it
sends the data to all the subscribed consumers.
Push-Pull Model

• Push-Pull is a communication model in

which the data producers push the data to
queues and the consumers Pull the data
from the Queues. Producers do not need
to be aware of the consumers. Queues
help in decoupling the messaging between
the Producers and Consumers.
• Queues also act as a buffer which helps in
situations when there is a mismatch
between the rate at which the producers
push data and the rate rate at which the
consumer pull data.
Exclusive Pair Model

• Exclusive Pair is a bidirectional, fully

duplex communication model that uses a
persistent connection between the client
and server.
• The connection is set up it remains open
until the client sends a request to close
the connection.
• Client and server can send messages to
each other after connection setup.
• Exclusive pair is a stateful communication
model and the server is aware of all the
open connections.