It’s undeniable: 2014 was the year when the electronics industry decidedly and collectively moved forward to push the Internet of Things (IoT). In year 2015 IoT markets will continue to grow. I think we’re going to see some critical mass on corralling the IoT in 2015. IoT is a young market – no one seems to be clearly leading. Communications are the key here. Over the last 10 years the world has done a remarkably good job of connecting the global wireless world. The last decade has radically changed the way we live. The smartphone and its cousin, the tablet, was the final link to ubiquitous wireless coverage, globally. The fantasy of the IoT is quite grand: everything on the planet can be smart and communicate. The idea is both powerful and impractical.
IoT is entering peak of inflated expectations: The Internet of Things is at that stage when the efforts of various companies involved in it, along with research, are proving to have a lot of promise. At this stage, the Internet of Things should not have too many difficulties attracting developers and researchers into the fold. As we turn to 2015 and beyond, however, wearables becomes an explosive hardware design opportunity. Tie the common threads of IoT and wearables together, and an unstoppable market movement emerges. There seems to be a lack of public appreciation of the extent to which the Internet of Things is going to fundamentally change how people interact with the world around them.
On the other hand, the Internet of Things is getting poised to enter the trough of disillusionment, which means that there is more room for failure now. There are issues of security, privacy, and sharing of information across vertical implementations that still need to be worked out. Until they are, the IoT will not be able to fulfill all its promises.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is beginning to grow significantly, as consumers, businesses, and governments recognize the benefit of connecting inert devices to the internet. The ‘Internet of Things’ Will Be The World’s Most Massive Device Market And Save Companies Billions Of Dollars in few years. BI Intelligence expects that the IoT will result in $1.7 trillion in value added to the global economy in 2019. This includes hardware, software, installation costs, management services, and economic value added from realized IoT efficiencies. The main benefit of growth in the IoT will be increased efficiency and lower costs: increased efficiency within the home, city, and workplace. The enterprise sector will lead the IoT, accounting for 46% of device shipments this year, but that share will decline as the government and home sectors gain momentum. I expect that home, government, and enterprise sectors use the IoT differently.
The IoT is only enabled because of two things: the ability of networks to reach countless nodes, and the availability of cost-effective embedded processors to attach to a multitude of devices. The prices for components and devices continues to decline while the skyrocketing global demand for 24/7 Internet access grows exponentially. The Internet of Things growth will benefit mostly from the autonomous machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity that will make up the bulk of the objects of the IoT. This is the main driver for double-digit growth across verticals in the electronics, and especially the semiconductor industry well into the next decade. The IoT will connect places, such as manufacturing platforms, energy grids, health-care facilities, transportation systems, retail outlets, sports and music venues, and countless other entities to the Internet.
Internet of Things can become Engineering for Everyone. The emergence of open-source development platforms, developed and maintained by dedicated volunteers, has effectively raised the level of abstraction to a point where nonexperts can now use these platforms. The availability of open-source software and, more recently, hardware targeting embedded applications means that access to high-quality engineering resources has never been greater. This has effectively raised the level of abstraction to a point where nonexperts can now use these platforms to turn their own abstract concepts into real products. With the potential to launch a successful commercial venture off the back of tinkering with some low-cost hardware in your spare time, it’s no wonder that open-source hardware is fuelling an entirely new movement. A new generation of manufacturer is embracing the open-source ethos and actually allowing customers to modify the product post-sale.
Exact size predictions for IoT market next few years vary greatly, but all of the firms making these predictions agree on one thing—it’s going to be very big.
In year 2014 very many chip vendors and sensor algorithm companies also jumped on the IoT bandwagon, in hopes of laying the groundwork for more useful and cost-effective IoT devices. Sensors, MCUs, and wireless connectivity are three obvious building blocks for IoT end-node devices. Wireless connectivity and software (algorithms) are the two most sought-after technologies. Brimming with excitement, and with Europe already ahead of the pack, a maturing semiconductor industry looks expectantly to the Internet of Things (IoT) for yet another facelift. The IC sales generated by the connectivity and sensor subsystems to enabled this IoT will amount $57.7 billion in 2015.
Chips for IoT market to grow 36% in 2015, says Gartner as automotive V2X, LED lighting and smart domestic objects are set to drive semiconductor market growth through the year 2020, according to market analysis firm Gartner. The move to create billions of smart, autonomously communicating objects known as the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving the need for low-power sensors, processors and communications chips. By 2018, the market value of IoT subsystems in equipment and Internet-connected things is projected to reach $103.6 billion worldwide, which represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.0 percent from $39.8 billion in 2013.
BI Intelligence expects that by 2019 IoT market will be more than double the size of the smartphone, PC, tablet, connected car, and the wearable market combined. A new report by Yole Developpement pegs the market size in the $70 billion range by 2018, with the next five years presenting a golden opportunity for device makers as the IoT enters the growth stage. Device shipments will reach 6.7 billion in 2019 for a five-year CAGR of 61%.
Number of connected devices is expected to to reach 36 billion units by 2020, cautions that “all of this new market opportunity is under threat.” Other estimate according to market research firm Radiant Insights of San Francisco is that the number of Internet connections will grow from 9 billion devices in 2014 to 100 billion by 2020 (twice as many as the estimate from Cisco Systems Inc). IC Insights forecasts that web-connected things will account for 85 percent of 29.5 billion Internet connections worldwide by 2020. Currently fragmented market, the number of cellular M2M connections could rise from 478 million today to 639 million in 2020.
By 2024, the report predicts that overall market value for components will exceed of $400 billion, of which more than 10% will come from hardware alone. Revenue from hardware sales will be only $50 billion or 8% of the total revenue from IoT-specific efforts, as software makers and infrastructure companies will earn the lion’s share. As the Internet of Things grows to a projected 212 billion items by 2020, the question of regulation looms increasingly large.
The growth of the IoT will present some very interesting issues in a variety of areas. You will see some very fast activity because unless it gets resolved there will be no IoT as it is envisioned.
General consensus is that the interconnect protocol of the IoT will be IP (Internet Protocol). As it stands today, the deployment of the billions of IoT objects can’t happen, simply because there just aren’t enough IP addresses with IPv4. While there is still some discussion about how to connect the IoT, most are in agreement that the IoT protocol will be IPv6. The first step will be to convert all proprietary networks to an IP-base. Then, the implementation of IPv6 can begin. Because direct interoperability between IPv4 and iPv6 protocols is not possible, this will add some some complications to the development, resulting in a bit of obfuscation to the transition for IPv6.
Is There Any Way to Avoid Standards Wars in the Emerging Internet of Things? I don’t see that possible. IoT will be in serious protocol war in 2015. There is a wide selection of protocols, but no clear set of winners at the moment. The real IoT standardization is just starting – There are currently few standards (or regulations) for what is needed to run an IoT device. There is no single standard for connecting devices on the Internet of Thing, instead are a handful of competing standards run by different coalitions of companies: The Thread Group (Qualcomm, The Linux Foundation, Microsoft, Panasonic), The Industrial Internet Consortium (Intel, Cisco, AT&T, IBM, Microsoft), Open Interconnect Consortium (Samsung, Intel, Dell), Physical Web (Google), AllSeen Alliance (Samsung, Intel, Dell) and huge number of smaller non-standardized protocols in use. Each of the standards vary how they do things.
Anyone who tries to build a physical layer and drive a software stack based on it all the way up to the application layer is a fool. But many companies try to do it this year. Today Zigbee is the most cost effective, but tomorrow WiFi will figure it out. On networking field in every few years there’s a new management protocol – what will happen in IoT, it will keep moving, and people will need open APIs.
Currently the IoT lacks a common set of standards and technologies that would allow for compatibility and ease-of-use. The IoT needs a set of open APIs and protocols that work with a variety of physical-layer networks. The IP and network layer should have nothing to do with the media. The fundamental issue here is that at the moment the Internet of Things will not have a standard set of open APIs for consumers. IoT, it will keep moving, and people will need open APIs. I suspect that at some point, after the first wave of the Internet of Things, open APIs and root access will become a selling point.
It is not just technical protocol details that are problem: One problem with IoT is that it is a vague definition. Do we simply mean ‘connected devices? Or something else? One of the main issues, which will only get worse as the IoT evolves, is how are we going to categorize all the different objects.
Early in 2015, the Industrial Internet Consortium plans to wrap up work on a broad reference architecture for the Internet of Things, ramp up three test beds, and start identifying gaps where new standards may be needed. The group, formed by AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM, and Intel, now has about 115 members and aims to make it easier to build commercial IoT systems. The IIC hopes to finish a first draft of its reference architecture by the end of January and have it ratified by March. It will define functional areas and the technologies and standards for them, from sensors to data analytics and business applications. The framework includes versions for vertical markets including aerospace, healthcare, manufacturing, smart cities, and transportation. A breakout section on security also is in the works. Hopefully the reference architecture could be used to help people construct industrial IoT systems quickly and easily.
With the emergence of the Internet of Things, smart cars are beginning to garner more attention. Smart cars are different than connected cars, which are simply smartphones on wheels. Even though the technology has been on the evolutionary fast track, integration has been slow. For car manufacturers, it is a little tricky to accept driverless cars because it disrupts their fundamental business model: Private resources will evolve to shared resources, centrally controlled, since autonomous vehicles can be controlled remotely.
Over the next few years, we’ll see a torrent of new devices emerge that are connected to the Internet and each other through a wide range of different wireless networking protocols. As a result, there’s a race on, not just to get those devices connected, but also to provide the network infrastructure necessary to managing all of them at scale. WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular networks are nowadays widely used, nut new alternatives are coming to solve applications were those technologies are not most suitable. There are different plans for wide area wireless networks that use licensed or unlicensed wireless bandwidth to transmit small amounts of data from various connected device – this could create its own connection to them in a cost effective manner without relying on existing cellular or WiFi networks.
Recently we have developed a pressing need, or desire to put our refrigerators, and everything we have access to while mobile, on the net, morphing the brave new world of the Internet of Things, into the Internet of Everything (IoE). And that will make that last 100 meters—that final frontier of interconnect—a reality. Today, only about 10% of the last 100 meter devices that will make up the IoT are connected. As the IoT evolves, other small cells such as businesses, city centers, malls, theaters, stadiums, event centers, and the like, will connect much of what they have on premise (soda or popcorn machines, vending machines, restaurants, parking garages, ticket kiosks, seat assignments, and a very long list of others). And, there are a very large number of devices that are short-range in all of these various cells. What was once the last mile for connectivity is now the last 100 meters.
Plenty of people and companies in the technology world tend to come at the Internet of Things by dwelling on the “Internet.” But what if, instead, we started with the “Things?” Knowing intimately what “things” are supposed to do and how they think and behave will be the key to solving one of the IoT’s most pressing issues: application layers. Over the past 18 months, the industry has launched numerous consortia, from Qualcomm’s AllSeen and Intel’s Open Interconnect Consortium to Apple’s HomeKit and Google’s Thread. Every entity says it’s targeting the “interoperability” of things at home, but each is obviously concentrating primarily on its own interests, and making their “layer” specifications slightly different from those pursued by others.
It seems that no industry consortium is particularly interested in defining — in gory detail — the specific functions of, say, what a door lock is supposed to do. The library of commands for each function already exists, but someone, or some group, has to translate those already determined commands into an IP-friendly format. One of the standards organizations will take up the challenge in 2015. This will be the first step to “knock barriers down for IoT” in 2015.
Missing today in the IoT are reliability and robustness. Consumers expect their light switched and other gadgets to be infinitely reliable. In many today’s products we seem to be far from reliable and robust operation. Today’s routers can relay traffic between networks, but they have no idea how to translate what functions each device attached to them wants to do, and how to communicate that to other devices. The network needs to be able to discover who else is on the network. Devices connected to network need to be able to discover what resources are available and what new devices are being added. The network needs to be extensible.
Despite the oft-mocked naming scheme, the Internet of Things (IoT) has an incredibly practical goal: connecting classically “dumb” objects—toasters, doorknobs, light switches—to the Internet, thereby unlocking a world of potential. Imagine what it means to interact with your home the same way you would a website, accessing it without geographic restriction. But there is one missing piece of the smart home revolution: smart home operating system. So what will be the system that capitalizes on the smart home in the same way, the enabler of all the applications and actions we want our homes to run and do? There are no ready answers for that yet. And there might not be a singular, cohesive operating system for your home, that this stuff isn’t one-size-fits-all. It might be that the real potential for home automation lies not in local software running on a home device but in the cloud. I think that the cloud is going to be more important over time, but there will always be also need for some local functionality in case the connection to cloud is lost. Right now the Internet of Things is rather disjointed compared to Internet and computers.
When everything will be connected, how about security? In the path to IoT, the issue of data and device security looms large. Security for the ‘Internet of Things’ will be talked about very much in 2015 for a good reason. As Internet of Thigs becomes more and more used, it will be more hacked. Thus security of Internet of Things will be more and more talked about. Virtually anything connected to the Internet has the potential of being hacked, no matter how unlikely. Internet of Things devices often lack systematic protections against viruses or spam. Nowadays most security breaches are software-based, when an application can be compromised. Counter-measures for such attacks range from basic antivirus scanning software, to embedded hypervisors to hardware-bound secure applications tying their execution to uniquely identifiable hardware. There is emerging customer demand for silicon authentication. But the threats extend way beyond software and some hackers will put a lot of effort into compromising a system’s security at silicon-level. Individual devices can get hacked, but all systems should have some way of self-checking and redundancy. Those IoT systems can be very complex at device and system level. The problem with complexity is that you create more attack points and make it easier for hackers to find flaws.
Experts recommend far more layers of cyberprotection than manufacturers have thought necessary. Because many of the devices will often be practically inaccessible, the “patch and pray” strategy used for many desktop software packages is unlikely to be an effective strategy for many forms of IoT devices. Right now, there are hundreds of companies churning out “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices as fast as they can, without thinking too much on the security issues they can cause in the future. The imperative is clear: Do your homework on the specific security features of any IoT device you might consider bringing into the home. What steps are IoT companies taking to keep us safe from others online, and what constitutes a truly “safe” smart appliance?
What we’re opening up is a whole new subject not just of security but of safety. That safety depends on devices to be constantly connected to the Internet the same way they’re connected to the power grid. That’s a whole new area that deserves its own consideration. Keep in mind that IoT is one field where cyber security flaws can kill in the worst case. Connecting unrelated devices in the IoT means many more pieces now affect reliability and security. More devices are now considered critical, such as a connected baby monitor or a smart smoke detector, because wrong information can injure or kill people. The Internet of Things is coming no matter what happens. The people in charge of keeping the public safe and the industry healthy need to be ready.
The European Police Office (Europol) said governments are ill-equipped to counter the menace of “injury and possible deaths” spurred by hacking attacks on critical safety equipment. There are many potential dangers are in transportation: many new cars are Internet connected and potentially vulnerable, SCADA Systems in Railways Vulnerable to Attack and Airline bosses ignore cyber security concerns at their peril. With industrial control systems becoming network-connected, security risks rise and will need a long-term solution. In light of the trend toward the Industrial Internet of Things, development teams must start thinking hard about network security and planning for its long-term viability.
You have to accept the fact that at each point in the IoT there are vulnerabilities to malicious attacks and interception of vital information. Soon, almost every network will soon have some IoT-hacking in it. IDC predicts that in two years from 90 per cent of the global IT networks have met IoT data theft. In a report, cybersecurity firm Fortinet expects greater threats from “denial of service attacks on assembly line, factory, industrial control systems, and healthcare and building management…resulting in revenue losses and reputation damages for organizations globally.” This opens new doors of risks in the areas of corporate extortion, altering of corporate business operations, and the extension of cyberattacks to include physical threats of harm to civilians.
There are lessons to be learned to keep the cyber security in control in the IoT era. There will be lessons to be learned for all the parties of the IoT ecosystem. The companies that figure out how to make security available on multi-stakeholder platforms will be the most successful ones. Figuring out a secure platform is important, but having different levels of security is still important. Different uses have different bars. Security is a self-regulating system to some extent because it is supply and demand. That is the Holy Grail for technology right now, which is how to build systems with enough security—not 100% protection right now—from a unified platform point of view for multiple applications.
The data generated by the Internet of Things has the potential to reveal far more about users than any technology in history: These devices can make our lives much easier … The Internet of Things however, can also reveal intimate details about the doings and goings of their owners through the sensors they contain. As the Internet of Things grows to a projected 212 billion items by 2020, the question of regulation looms increasingly large. There is a lot of effort is going today at the government level. They’re not thinking about whether the Internet goes down. They’re worried about what happens if the Internet gets compromised.
When we have devices on the field, there is question how to analyze the data coming from them. This is easily a “big data” problem because of the huge amount of data that comes from very large number of sensors. Being able to monitor and use the data that comes from the Internet of Things is a huge potential challenge with different providers using different architectures and approaches, and different chip and equipment vendors teaming up in a range of different ways. Many large and smaller companies are active on the field: Intel, IBM, Lantronix+Google, Microchip+Amazon, Freescale+Oracle, Xively, Jasper, Keen.io, Eurotech, and many other.
The huge increase of data is coming. Radiant predicts that wireless sensor networks will be used to monitor and control very many domestic, urban, and industrial systems. This promises to produce an explosion of data, much of which will be discarded as users are overwhelmed by the volume. As a result, analysis of the data within the wireless sensor network will become necessary so that alerts and meaningful information are generated at the leaf nodes. This year has seen the software at the very highest point in the Internet of Things stack — analytics — becoming tightly coupled with the embedded devices at the edge of the network, leading to many different approaches and providers.
Integrating data from one IoT cloud to another will have it’s challenges. Automation services make big steps by cutting corners. Sites like IFTTT, Zapier, bip.io, CloudWork, and elastic.io allow users to connect applications with links that go beyond a simple synch. Check what is happening with integration and related services like IFTTT, ItDuzzit, Amazon Lambda. For example IFTTT is quietly becoming a smart home powerhouse.
Most important sources of information for this article:
With $16M In Funding, Helium Wants To Provide The Connective Tissue For The Internet Of Things
IFTTT, other automation services make big steps by cutting corners
Internet of Things: Engineering for Everyone
IoT in Protocol War, Says Startup – Zigbee fortunes dim in building control
Analysts Predict CES Hotspots – Corralling the Internet of Things
What’s Holding Back The IoT – Device market opportunities will explode, but only after some fundamental changes
Apps Layer: ’800lb Gorilla’ in IoT Nobody Talks About
Analysts Predict CES Hotspots – IoT, robots, 4K to dominate CES
10 Reasons Why Analytics Are Vital to the Internet of Things
Tech More: Mobile Internet of Things BI Intelligence Consumer Electronics – Most Massive Device Market
Wearables make hardware the new software
Zigbee Opens Umbrella 3.0 Spec
IoT Will Give ‘Embedded’ a Shot in the Arm - Connected cities to be largest IoT market
Chips for IoT market to grow 36% in 2015, says Gartner
Apps Layer: ’800lb Gorilla’ in IoT Nobody Talks About
Short-Range, Low-Power Sensors – once the last mile for connectivity is now the last 100 meters
The one problem the Internet of Things hasn’t solved
Plan Long Term for Industrial Internet Security
To Foil Cyberattacks, Connected Cars Need Overlapping Shields
IoT cybersecurity: is EDA ready to deliver?
More Things Are Critical Systems
Silicon, Security, and the Internet of Things
The missing piece of the smart home revolution
Hackers will soon be targeting your refrigerator
10 Reasons Why Analytics Are Vital to the Internet of Things
1,316 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
You might be able to adapt ideas from this project to IoT:
DIY Smartphone
http://hackaday.io/project/5083-diy-smartphone
DIY Smartphone using Raspberry Pi A+ Pi, Camera, PiTFT, and Adafruit FONA with custom mobile OS.
Introducing the tyfone: A DIY smartphone anyone can make. The tyfone uses the Raspberry Pi for processing and has a 3.5in touchscreen. The tyfone uses an Adafruit Fona to give the tyfone the capability to make calls, send sms messages, and get the time using a RTC. The tyfone also has a 5mp camera module giving it the power to take HD photos and send them to dropbox over WiFi. Speaking of Wifi, the tyfone has a USB wifi adapter so it can communicate with the internet along with cellular networks. All this technology is enclosed in a 3D printed case.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Internet of Things isn’t just coming soon …
Column How moving all my gadgets made me realise how many there already are
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/2402769/the-internet-of-things-isnt-just-coming-soon
I’VE JUST MOVED HOUSE. You probably don’t care about that directly, but in the process of setting everything up I was forced to realise how far the Internet of Things (IoT) has already invaded our lives.
At the moment, I am looking at my router homepage and there are over 20 different internal IP addresses allocated on it after a week.
And why am I telling you this? Because 30 years ago we struggled to program the video recorder. Today, with almost no effort, me, my partner, my dog, my house, my garden, my entire life has been wired together by invisible strings and tiny sensors. And we’ve only just begun.
The Internet of Things isn’t coming next year, or next month, or even next week. This house move has made me realise that it’s happening now, today, and it crept into our lives before we even noticed. We’re all meshed together. And we’ve only just begun. The smartphone-controlled doorbell is on order for a start.
The advent of the internet was a revolution in our lifetime. But this? It’s like a second Genesis.
And best of all, we’re far ahead of where we were supposed to be, according to Back To The Future II. And that makes me just a little bit smug. I just wish I could find a sensor that unpacked my boxes of crockery and put them away
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hack the Home
http://hackaday.com/2015/04/07/hack-the-home/
GE is hosting a massive hackathon at their microfactory called FirstBuild which is located in Louisville, Kentucky.
The concept of FirstBuild is pretty cool. GE has created what they like to call a microfactory for innovating new products in small production runs to flush out good ideas.
The event is being sponsored by lots of big names like Intel, Atmel, TI, Freescale, MakerBot and even Autodesk
We have to wonder — what happens when GE sees an idea they like?
https://firstbuild.com/mary/mega-hackathon-hack-the-home/brief/
Tomi Engdahl says:
ARM Injected with Low Power API
Silicon Labs Cortex-M MCU is focus of effort
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326223&
ilicon Labs will develop a power management application programming interface (API) for ARM’s mbed device software that targets the Internet of Things. The API will be rolled out this month with Silicon Lab’s 32-bit EFM32 Gecko microcontroller, which runs mbed on an ARM Cortex-M.
Silicon Labs did not provide specific power consumption goals, but pointed to several features enabled by its API that could reduce power. For example, it automatically enables an optimal sleep mode based on the MCU peripherals in use.
“The new power management APIs for ARM mbed make it possible for developers to create applications that take advantage of the low-power features of ARM Cortex-M based microcontrollers,” ARM’s Zach Shelby, vice president, IoT business marketing, said in a release. “This is an important step toward enabling full energy-awareness in IoT devices.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless-enabled LED lighting drivers reduce product integration and deployment costs
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4439096/Wireless-enabled-LED-lighting-drivers-reduce-product-integration-and-deployment-costs?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150406&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150406&elq=537f8394bb004ec1ad2d517d78d40d10&elqCampaignId=22415&elqaid=25195&elqat=1&elqTrackId=35726875903449f0abe26f2a10e64a68
The network-enabled LED lighting drivers created by Daintree Networks and LG Innotek make it easier and more cost-effective than ever for fixture manufacturers to add smart lighting capabilities to their LED troffers and retrofit kits.
Perhaps more important for EDN readers is the fact that that the driver’s wireless transceiver is based on open standards which enables it to co-exist with nearly any ZigBee-based control system, including Daintree’s outstanding ControlScope energy management solution
The wireless module that LG Innotek is shipping today is based on the ZigBee HA profile, but they expect to support the ZigBee 3.0 universal profile soon after it’s finalized.
This jointly-developed LED driver is a great move for both Daintree and LG, but the biggest beneficiaries will probably be their customers. While many manufacturers have adopted a “walled garden” strategy which lock their customers into a proprietary network protocol, LG has embraced Daintree’s philosophy of developing excellent control systems which, by supporting open standards, are compatible with a huge large ecosystem of standards-based lighting products.
The advantages of this approach are evident in the LED drivers which offer simplified integration and installation. With embedded wireless LED drivers, customers can eliminate the cost and installation challenges associated with multi-box wireless implementations that require a separate wireless adapter plus an LED driver for advanced wireless troffers and retrofit kits.
Note to embedded developers: If you’re currently involved with smart lighting products, there’s probably a market niche waiting for you to occupy within Daintree’s open standards-based ecosystem.
Daintree is also aligning its open architecture with several other applications, including ZigBee-based plug load controllers, thermostats and smart bulbs, as well as other widely-used network protocols such as Open ADR and BACnet.
These recent developments are why I’m cautiously optimistic that the Daintree/Innotek partnership which produced these drivers will add momentum to the widespread acceptance of open standards for lighting controls. Without them, smart lighting is probably fated to remain a niche market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Wingfield / New York Times:
Meld, creator of smart oven knobs with automatic temperature controls, launches Meld Knob and and Clip on Kickstarter
With Meld, Another Step Toward the Internet of Tasty Things
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/with-meld-another-step-toward-the-internet-of-tasty-things/?_r=0
Most demonstrations of new technology do not involve cooking and then tasting freshly fried potato chips, sprinkled with sea salt and pepper.
They should.
The chips came out of a conventional pot filled with hot oil sitting on an ordinary gas stove, all of which had received what was effectively a brain transplant from two devices, both the creations of a new start-up called Meld. The first was a temperature sensor that clipped to the side of the pot, providing a precise reading of the oil inside the pot. The second was a round device attached to the front of the stove in place of one of its knobs, which communicated wirelessly with the sensor in the pot to regulate the temperature of the oil.
Think of Meld as a Nest thermostat for your kitchen. Both add I.Q. points to the (usually) dumb systems in people’s homes that control different forms of heating — Nest for the furnace, Meld for the stove.
Meld is exploiting the tailwinds from two trends, the first of which is illustrated by the success of Nest, bought by Google for $3.2 billion. Nest showed the promise of adding connected devices, collectively called the Internet of things, to homes. Sensors and silicon for connecting devices are getting increasingly cheap, and smartphone apps give people friendly interfaces for controlling them.
It’s also an attempt to tap growing interest in modernist cuisine, a gastronomic movement
One of the most popular tools of modernist cuisine is sous vide
Meld can do sous vide cooking, along with many other types of cooking
The clip and knob remained in tight communication to keep the oil in the pot at a constant Goldilocks temperature, neither so hot that the oil smoked and the potatoes burned and not so cool that they came out undercooked.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless M-Bus is a European standard for the remote reading of water, gas, electricity and heat meters. This software package includes a complete protocol stack that provides support for the S (868 MHz), T (868 MHz), C (868 MHz) and N (169 MHz) wireless M-Bus modes specified by EN13757. The protocol stack provides API-based access at the application layer or at the data link layer. An optional serial command interface is included to enable control of the wireless M-Bus solution from an external host processor. Refer to the quick start guide for additional details.
Silicon Labs provides evaluation hardware for an easy and effective way to demonstrate the capabilities of the wireless M-Bus software.
Source: http://www.silabs.com/products/wireless/Pages/Wireless-M-Bus.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
World’s fastest M2M module
Swiss company u-blox has introduced the fourth generation of LTE-tax operating in the M2M module, which it praises the fastest in the market. Toby-L280 module supports Class 4 LTE connections in frequency channel 28.
Band 28 -aluetta used for commercial purposes, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the band is coming soon for use in Asia, Brazil and Argentina.
The module has physical dimensions of 24.8 x 35.6 mm.
Between the two devices as the data can be transferred as many as 150 megabits per second.
Module can transfer data to the HSPA + and – GPRS networks where 4G connection is not available.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2647:maailman-nopein-m2m-mokkula&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your home automation things are a security nightmare
Veracode tests leave lazy devs red-faced
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/08/your_home_automation_things_are_a_security_nightmare/
It’s not just home broadband routers that have hopeless security: according to security outfit Veracode, cloudy home automation outfits also need to hang their collective heads in shame.
With nothing but standard by-the-manual configurations and network traffic capture – but with no attacks against the devices or the cloud services – the testers reckon they turned up a variety of vulnerabilities in kit from Chamberlain Group, SmartThings, Ubi and Wink.
It seems that if you’re the kind of uber-lazy gadget-fan who can’t imagine pressing a button to do something voice control is possible, you’re matched by uber-lazy device developers. Versacode found that all but one of the devices it tested failed even its non-hostile vulnerability tests.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet of Things will not come without energy efficiency
Internet of Things lot of promise. Everyday life more efficient, better security, and even healthier lives. But none of this is possible without better energy efficiency.
IoT’s definition
IoT is a term thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean? Simply put, the IoT is composed of hardware, software and services to the confusion – mostly the latter two – which, together with the collection and transfer of information, analyze data and make decisions based on this data that will improve the effectiveness of some of the tasks
Energy efficiency: The key challenge for the IoT
This trend to accelerate consumer demand for smaller and thinner devices, in particular in the case of wearable. The trend is becoming increasingly more complex circuits, the number of transistors doubling every 18 months
In the coming years, the IoT will bring users in a very different experience. It means better connectivity, simplicity, convenience, continuous online presence, or at least it felt. Why should activate the IoT device by pressing a button when it could be turned on all the time, listening and waiting for the user’s wishes and commands?
Continuous IoT device forms in another interesting problem. Around the clock doing IoT nodes collect an amazing amount of data, the rationalization of growing into a huge problem. In other words, the data collection will be easier to part of the equation, it is more difficult to use it in half.
Intelligent Sensing and big data analytics will increase the critical role, as they allow a smarter data collection and correspondences discovery of a large mass of data, so that trends or significant events can be identified and form the basis of measures where appropriate. Here again, energy efficiency is crucial, with the data collection require power, such as a memory where data is stored.
In order to IoT device would work for many years with one battery is needed the kind of energy efficiency, which is not easy to achieve. It requires the use of low-power components and efficient for better power systems. It requires changes in both architecture and component level.
Even now, almost every IoT of the design phase is focused on the greatest possible energy efficiency
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2643:esineiden-internetia-ei-tule-ilman-energiatehokkuutta&catid=26&Itemid=140
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Internet of Stuff is a gigantic ultra-perv robbery network – study
Entire IoT project is terrifying vision of digi-crims’ paradise
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/08/internet_of_things_is_terrifying_criminal_paradise/
IoT devices facilitate robbery, stalking and cybercrime. That’s the downbeat conclusion of a new study by app security firm Veracode into the insecurity of connected devices.
Veracode reached its conclusion after looking into a variety of IoT kit, finding they are often designed without data security or privacy in mind.
The report found that the Ubi could enable cyber-criminals to know exactly when to expect a user is at home, based on when there is an increase in ambient noise or light in the room. This could facilitate a robbery, or even stalking in the case of a celebrity or a disgruntled partner.
Ubi develops a platform for voice and language interaction with the Internet of Things kit.
Veracode researchers also found that the microphone on a Wink Relay touchscreen controller could be turned on by cyber-criminals or spies to listen in on any conversations within earshot of the device. Lastly, vulnerabilities in a Chamberlain MyQ smartphone control system could create a means for thieves to be notified when a garage door is opened or closed, indicating a window of opportunity to rob the house.
With around 4.9 billion connected devices in use today and an estimated 25 billion expected by 2020, cybersecurity is becoming a major concern. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that cyber-attackers could potentially hijack and misuse sensitive information recorded by the technology or that the technology could even create physical safety risks for consumers.
A Russian website discovered last year streamed live footage from thousands of private webcams, CCTV systems and even baby monitors from around the globe.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet of Thieves: All that shiny home security gear is crap, warns HP
If you can monitor your house across the web, so can everyone else
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/10/iot_home_insecurity/
In a recent study, every connected home security system tested by HP contained significant vulnerabilities, including but not limited to password security, encryption, and authentication issues.
HP’s Fortify on Demand security service assessed the top 10 home security devices – such as video cameras and motion detectors – along with their cloud and mobile application components. It uncovered vulnerabilities in all of them. None of the systems required the use of a strong password, for example, and 100 per cent of the systems failed to offer two-factor authentication.
Connected home security systems are part of the booming Internet of Things (IoT) market, and vendors are understandably keen to carve out a slice of the action – with fast time-to-market, rather than data security, at the forefront of their thinking.
Manufacturers are under pressure to release security systems that deliver remote monitoring capabilities.
All accessed systems collected some form of personal information, such as names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and even credit card numbers.
The new HP study highlights how ill-equipped the market is delivering secure products, re-emphasising an observation we’ve heard from several security firms over recent months: The lessons learnt in the client-server, mobile, and cloud technology markets are not being applied when it comes to the IoT, including such devices as connected home security systems and smart meters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart connectivity for the wearable revolution
http://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4439117/Smart-connectivity-for-the-wearable-revolution?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20150408&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_consumerelectronics_20150408&elq=ef75315f73a44dc0aa22e0f19ea2ee72&elqCampaignId=22443&elqaid=25231&elqat=1&elqTrackId=115a2044144146389470c383901132ec
Wireless power
Wireless power is based on resonant inductive coupling. This point has encouraged the creation of multiple standards consortia. A consortium called Wireless Power consortium (WPC) is working on a standard that can be applied to wearables for wireless power called Qi (taken from Chinese word for natural energy and pronounced “Chi”) standard. Another consortium called Alliance for Wireless Power and Power Manage Alliance (A4WP) now has joined with Power Matter Alliance (PMA).
A combination of better battery technologies (flexible, thinner, lighter, faster) and power “harvesting” whether it is using solar, mechanical movement, body heat or other means is being looked at by startups and established companies in Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley, and other places around the world.
Contactless data
Contactless data is done using electromagnetic radiation. It requires close proximity between the cable and the device. It is also referred to as short-range communication and is done at extra high frequency (EHF) at 60-GHz band using the ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) bands, a non-licensed spectrum. It is used to penetrate plastic and is compatible with USB, VESA and SATA standards. The challenges are high power requirements and a need for intelligence to wake up and sleep. It also requires RF expertise for robustness, low electromagnetic interference (EMI) and regulatory compliance such as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) compliance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel outs updated Atom x3 chip destined for IoT devices
Processor comes with LTE connectivity and extended weather range
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2403178/intel-outs-updated-atom-x3-chip-destined-for-iot-devices
CHIPMAKER Intel has unveiled a new version of the Atom x3 processor designed with the Internet of Things (IoT) in mind.
Intel unveiled the Atom x3 chip ahead of this year’s Mobile World Congress, and revealed a version of the processor designed specifically for IoT devices at its Developer Forum event in Shenzen, China this week alongside a smartphone version that will start shipping later this year.
The Atom x3 IoT processor comes with 3G and LTE connectivity, and an extended temperature range for extreme weather conditions making it suitable for devices such as outdoor weather sensors.
Intel’s Atom x3 IoT chip will be made available to developers in the second half of the year, suggesting that devices are not likely to arrive until 2016, and will arrive with support for Android and Linux.
That isn’t all Intel has planned for IoT, as the firm recently announced plans to bring payment services to connected devices.
The firm has partnered with Ingenico to include mobile payment capabilities in a wide array of connected devices for the IoT, including intelligent vending machines, kiosks and digital signs.
Martin King, head of IT services at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, said that, first of all, the perception that the IoT is all ‘hype’ needs to be overcome.
“I imagine that, while it could be hype, it’s up to the industry to make it happen,” he said.
“There’s a massive market opportunity there, and I believe the industry will be keen to make it happen and we probably won’t really notice it until it’s actually happening.”
“The security argument is always put forward, but there’s a value argument that goes alongside that: maybe you want data in your sensors, but you don’t want the risk of the data on the sensor.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM invests billions to Internet of Things
IBM will invest three billion US dollars to the new Internet of Things unit and build an open cloud-based platform to support its customers and ecosystem partners to create IoT solutions.
IBM estimates that 90 percent of smart devices, the incoming data will remain without analyzing or does not provide the basis required by the situation. Up to 60 percent of this data will begin to lose its value milliseconds to reach its production.
To meet this challenge, IBM offers its partners a wide range of platforms and services. IBM IoT Open Cloud Platform for Industries is a platform that can be used to provide new types of analytics. IBM Bluemix IoT Zone is a development platform that allows developers to integrate the IoT data to the cloud-based development of IoT applications deployment.
IBM wants to establish with its partners IoT ecosystem, where data services can be integrated securely and seamlessly with IBM’s open platform.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2657:ibm-panostaa-miljardeja-esineiden-internetiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon Echo adds Hue and WeMo smart home voice control
http://www.slashgear.com/amazon-echo-adds-hue-and-wemo-smart-home-voice-control-08377954/
Amazon Echo is digging its voice-controlled fingers deeper into the smart home, with Amazon adding Philips Hue and Belkin WeMo support to the always-listening home assistant. The new functionality, pushed out to Echo units from today, allows owners to control their lighting, smart appliances, and switches using simple voice commands rather than reaching for the respective apps, and could well be the most useful additions Echo has seen since it began shipping in limited numbers late last year.
For Hue, that means recognizing instructions like “Alexa, turn on the kitchen light,” though there’s more flexibility on offer than just on/off. For instance, voice control over dimming is supported too: you can say “Alexa, dim the bedroom lights to 40-percent” and have instant mood lighting.
Initially, there’ll be support for the Hue A19 bulb, Hue Lux, the Hue Bloom lamp, and the Hue LightStrip lights.
As for WeMo, the functionality will depend on what you have plugged into the WeMo Switch or Insight Switch, or wired up to one of Belkin’s remote-controlled light switches.
That could include “Alexa, turn on the coffee maker,” if that’s hooked up, or “Alexa, turn off the humidifier.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Which IoT products does Kontron currently offer?
http://iot.kontron.com/why-kontron-is-in-iot/iot-ready-products
Tomi Engdahl says:
IT + OT = IoT
A lot riding on things
http://iot.kontron.com/spanning-it-and-ot/it-ot-iot
On the industrial IoT, the stakes are high. Applications often control expensive equipment, essential to the operation of a business. Safety of both employees and the public is paramount. Decision-making with the best information available in real-time reduces inefficiency and increases profitability.
With everything connected in industrial IoT applications, the boundaries between an information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) network become physically non-existent. Security, availability, and scalability are achieved by integrating IoT capability into IT best practice, virtually managing devices and configurations while maintaining real-time awareness.
At the edge where the digital universe meets physical objects is where OT takes over. Reliability and real-time performance are assumed, but there is more to the IoT. Devices need to be added as the installation grows, or upgraded over their lifetime – either by physical replacement, or by over-the-air (OTA) software updates. Applications should be modular and separable, deployable without adverse effects on the rest of a system under operation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel woos the Internet of Things with firmware factory for Atom, Quark
Auto-generated UEFI images to get gadgets up and running fast
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/09/intel_firmware_engine/
Intel has released a new GUI tool that allows developers to generate custom firmware images for Intel-powered gizmos without touching any source code.
The Intel Firmware Engine, which debuted on Tuesday at the Intel Developer Forum conference in Shenzhen, China, automatically builds firmware binaries for Intel chips based on the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) standard.
The idea is that by making it as easy as possible for developers to get their hardware projects up and running, with a little luck Intel may not be left behind in the Internet of Things race, the way it was with smartphones.
Firmware Engine lets developers start with an Intel-validated reference firmware image and add or subtract components depending on the actual features available on the hardware. Everything is done via a Windows-based GUI and the final firmware image is assembled from a catalog of validated binary components. No programming expertise is necessary.
To be fair, Intel said the tool targets device makers with “minimal firmware requirements.” But according to Intel software and services veep Michael Greene, that describes most hardware developers.
“In reality, most device manufacturers just need firmware to do one basic job … boot their system,”
The images produced by Firmware Engine are also robust enough to support booting multiple operating systems – including Windows, Linux, and Android – something that homebrewed firmware often can’t handle.
Developers who do need something more than the tool can provide will be able to extend its functionality using the Firmware Engine SDK, which is currently in a closed beta-test phase.
Intel® Firmware Engine
http://firmware.intel.com/learn/intel-firmware-engine/intel-firmware-engine
Intel® Firmware Engine simplifies and accelerates the creation of platform firmware images, allowing developers to quickly deploy platforms based on Intel reference designs. Customers can configure firmware features using a catalog of compatible firmware components, without the need to modify source code.
Quickly develop platform firmware without source code
Platform firmware starts from validated reference code
Build from a catalog of compatible firmware components
GUI-based tool for Microsoft* Windows*
Based on industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware codebase
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wärtsilä: Internet of Things came aboard
The world’s oceans passing cargo ship engines, the condition can be monitored in real time, when the ships are connected to the industrial to the Internet.
Finnish international companies are often away from their customers. It will cause practical problems in the service of customers, even if the office network should be broad. Internet of Things will bring a big relief, for example, remote monitoring and combined predictive maintenance through.
“Our experts do not have to fly around the world, but to bring the expertise of one central control room,” Wärtsilä’s service business manager Tomas Hakala says.
For example, power plants and ship engines prepared by Wärtsilä is the world round the clock a number of control rooms. Operates in Vaasa engine specialized in the control room which monitors data shows about a thousand from around the world. The staff consists of Wärtsilä equipment experts. They analyzed the data and help customers.
Based on the analysis to make recommendations to the engine configuration or maintenance. Sometimes the client device to create a new configuration file, which the client can download and install. The growing number of remote controlled devices use the two-way communication and may be also be optimized remotely.
“It will provide a cost-effectiveness, the cargo can be scheduled in accordance with the maintenance and service stop can be scheduled to a specific port. It is also about risk management. The risk is reduced if a fault is detected before the ship leaves the port, “Hakala says.
Systems can be connected up to an external data such as weather data and ocean currents. Then a single ship can get the fuel consumption of the management tips even access the settings and navigation.
Tomas Hakala, Wärtsilä distinguishes a pioneer in serving the remote monitoring service. Pioneer product is already twenty years old. New technology has given rise to an intense change in the avalanche.
“The more information, the better we are able to develop their own processes and products. Customers will be able to better value for money and to increase their own business, ”
Finland as a whole industrial potential of the Internet on the crest, he is optimistic.
Source: http://summa.talentum.fi/article/tv/uutiset/149864
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoRa Gateway with ARM mbed and IBM cloud support
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2015/04/lora-gateway-with-arm-mbed-and-ibm.html
Early review of the new IOT Gateway from Multitech, making IOT implementations yet another step faster and easier.
Due to my deep interest to LoRa RF technology, I just got an early engineering sample with 868 MHz LoRa extension module for evaluation use. This is one of the very first Conduit units in Europe. Multitech also provides mDot modules for end device implementation. Espotel already uses LoRa mDots in a customer pilot project. The reason why Espotel has selected Multitech as it’s LoRa gateway supplier is that both companies are in close co-operation with ARM and IBM, and members of LoRa Alliance.
Conduit runs developer-friendly Linux operating system with support for many different programming languages, including C/C++, Python, Ruby, Pearl, C#, Java, Node.js and Node-RED.
Node-RED is a cool graphical tool to define data paths and integrations. Database, web server and other services on-board makes it possible to implement stand-alone applications without mandatory need for other back-end or cloud at all.
Multitech provides readily available integration with IBM Bluemix via IOT Foundation using MQTT protocol with secure connectivity and safe data storage. Bluemix is handy environment for rapid prototyping and integrations, spanning up to production use as well. Node-RED is one of the programming options in Bluemix as well.
mDot is a new intelligent RF module from Multitech. It is available in two versions; Xbee compatible form factor with pin headers, or surface mount PCB. LoRa variant of mDot contains LoRa RF chip from Semtech and STM32 microcontroller from ST for application software. The controller is freely programmable by user and there is no need for additional MCU.
With free mDot library and LoRaMAC implementation, plug & play connectivity with Conduit is provided.
Conlusions
With readily available mbed and Bluemix integration, developer can set up the full chain from device to cloud in matter of hours, not days or weeks or months. This is definitely a significant productivity improvement over the traditional approach.
From now on, I’d feel it silly to start implementing device side code from scratch, manually installing back-end services a top of virtual server, and so on. When teams can focus on what brings the true value to the customer or user, they are able to fail fast – not after months of development – to get immediate feedback whether the idea works or not. As an investor I’d love this approach.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoRa – the modem killer?
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2014/11/lora-modem-killer.html
Internet of Things is at the top Gartner’s hype curve of the year. But how to get the Things into the Internet? – That is the question.
When designing a IoT system, device connectivity is often among the biggest headaches. In case of consumer products, it is usually possible to rely on existing infrastructure, either Wifi Access point or Bluetooth/Smart connectivity of mobile phone. When considering city-wide installation of wireless sensors network or intending to cover a whole industrial plant, those consumer technologies are simply not feasible.
In practice, individual sensors are Today often having a cellular data modem with them, which is totally overkill. Reading a single sensor value every now and then does not need the bandwidth which is good for streaming video. Modem by itself as a component is usually more expensive than rest of the sensor electronics, and it ruins your power budget. Finally but not least, management of SIM subscriptions in global context is a nightmare.
Why there are so many cellular data modems then? Because there has been no other real options available. Low power 2.4 GHz radios like 802.15.4 can only do about 100 meters in open space. Wifi can be extended to some 500 meters, but then power consumption is over battery budget.
LoRA is a long range sub-GHz spread spectrum radio technology from Semtech. LoRa uses proprietary chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation
BOM cost of Sub-GHz RF subsystem is less than 5€, which fits into the price range of most IoT sensors. However, having the radio in the sensor node only is not good enough. Also infrastructure is needed.
There are some indications that traditional telecom operators may be interested in introducing IoT networks. It may be considered as direct competitor with existing M2M cellular data business, which may hinder operators interest.
FastNet in South Africa is the first public reference of a telecom operator investing in LoRa-infrastructure to provide IoT communication services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoRa in constructed environment
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2014/12/lora-in-constructed-environment.html
Suddenly LoRa has became one of the hottest technologies in the Internet of Things domain. The number of new customer cases we see in our company is increasing on a daily basis. But where’s the beef?
There are two main use cases where LoRa is strong:
- Wide area wireless sensor network (W-WSN)
- Factory (or any facility) area netwok (FAN)
In W-WSN applications, individual diameter of individual LoRa cells may vary from 2 to 20 kilometers. This makes it possible to collect data from many sensors into single gateway for upstream via wired or wireless connections (3G/4G data mode). This is the modem killer scenario
FAN is perhaps more common use case for LoRa. Facility can be anything including factory, refinery, warehouse, seaport, shopping center, or office block, and all other cases where mainstream technologies like WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and other 2.4 GHz RF can’t do the job without unreasonable number of access points or complex multi-hop routing algorithms and routing node.
LoRa modulation has certain characteristics which make it suitable for difficult constructed environments like a factory.
Aa a rule of thumb: the lower the frequence the longer the distance, or better peneration. Reduction from 2.4 GHz to Sub-GHz frequencies alone gives significant improvement. The CSS modulation of LoRa makes it possible to detect signals 20dB below the noise floor, yet giving improvement over traditional narrow-band Sub-GHz radios.
Multipath fading is a common problem in constructed environment.
Different frequencies have different reflection signature. Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) uses frequency sweeps to carry information. During the sweep, some frequency may attenuate, whereas some other frequency may be amplified. All in all, detection of signal in receiver side is very reliable.
Real-life performance of the LoRa radio
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2015/02/real-life-performance-of-lora-radio.html
Numbers put in datasheet is one thing, but experimenting the performance in real environment gives you the confidence. According to our experiments, LoRa really does outperform other competing RF technologies.
Today I performed some RF link length and performance testing in customers premises in production facilities. The purpose was to detect the limits of different frequencies and radio technologies commonly used in Wireless Sensor Networks, which means low power and low cost. Testing was limited to license-free IMS bands with transmit power within legal limits. Protocol issues were not covered in this experiment since the purpose was to set theoretical limits of any radio.
Typical narrowband tranceiver have receiving sensitivity of -110dBm, thus we decided to map the border where typical radio can not detect signal from noise. Test results of 434MHz, 868MHz and 2.4 GHz didn’t surprised much. 2.4 GHz achieved 80m link length with direct line of sights. It couldn’t penetrate through the first concrete wall.
434 and 868 MHz had very similar performance to each other. Almost the whole building complex was covered with recognizable signal. Only at the other end of the building in a completely metal covered hall with tiny windows in doors the signal was completely lost. 434 MHz benefits from open doors, even if they are not within the direct line in between transmitter and receivers.
ARM mbed-enabled SX1276 LoRa development board from Semtech and FRDM-KL25Z MCU development board from Freescale was used instead.
In this experiment, we did not only measured carrier signal strength, but two-way packet communication over LoRaMac was used.
There was no problems with signal when doors were closed.
We event put the radio into a all-metal locker in the bomb shelter and locked the door. Still the signal passed happily, obviously through the small ventilation holes of the locker
Really incredible result!
The conclusion: We did not quite reach the promised 150-160 dB link budget advertised by LoRa datasheets and marketing material. However, we did got 145 dB link budget in a real and challenging environment. It really does outperform any competing technologies, not only in paper but in practice as well, with actual two-way data link established.
The test was performed with two LoRa end-nodes
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Ecosystem Game
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2014/12/iot-ecosystem-game_11.html
Internet of Things is changing the world. Not by what we do, but how we do things. This affects individuals, organizations and business ecosystems.
Until now, we have seen ecosystems dominated by a single companies. Let’s take Apple as an example. In specific consumer product segments, Apple has ruled the whole value chain from hardware via software to markets and distribution channel. With the model Apple has succeeded to collect 80% of profits of smart phone industry, with only 18% market share.
IoT however is way too diverse for any single company to dominate. Applications vary from hen houses to connected cars, from thermostats to medical instruments. Just like technical architectures are changed from M2M verticals to horizontal layers of IoT, are businesses forced to co-operate with partners and competitors.
Connected devices is nothing new, M2M has existed from 10 to 20 years already. However, M2M tends to be like vertical silos, application specific end-to-end solution with limited expandability. IoT as opposite is more like Internet architecture in general, horizontal layers without predefined purpose for any specific function.
Changes in connectivity architectures reflects to ecosystems. A healthy IoT ecosystem has different players for different horizontal players, and preferably many of them. A good example of IoT ecosystem is build around ARM and IBM. ARM provides technology for Things and IBM for Internet, making it Internet of Things.
ARM embed and IBM cloud offering are really a winning combo.
Just recently Intel announced a new IoT platform, partnering with Accenture, Capgemini, HCL, NTT Data, Tata Consultancy and Wipro. Basically, that’s a single silicon vendor with bunch of consultants. Doesn’t sounds like a healthy ecosystem.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Node-RED for Home Automation
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2014/12/node-red-for-home-automation.html
Node-RED is a great tool for creating graphical data stream integration and processing flows. Now Node-RED is even better suitable for home automation, as support for multiple different wireless sensors is added via Tellstick Duo.
Node-RED is built a top of Node.js
The node is available in npm and github with name node-red-contrib-tellstick.
More detailed information is available on my web site: http://ala-paavola.fi/Node-RED
Node-RED was initially created by IBM Emerging Technologies at IBM Hursley lab, Winchester UK. It was released as an open source project and is still actively maintained and supported by IBM. It’s one of the key assets in IBM Bluemix portfolio.
Node-RED is really gaining momentum at the moment. More and more manufacturers are including it in their products, Multitech Conduit IoT Gateway as an example.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet of Testing
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2015/01/internet-of-testing.html
Internet of Testing is all about productivity improvement. Market leading test and measurement technology from NI integrated with leading Cloud technology from IBM makes at all possible.
“LabVIEW – Improving the Productivity of Engineers and Scientists”. is the main value proposition of National Instruments, as stated on their web site.
LabVIEW program can run in a PC (Win, Mac, Linux) or in a measurement instrument (RT-Target) like myRIO, CompactRIO,SingleBoard RIO, System-on-Module RIO, etc. However, so far LabVIEW has provided limited support for remote operations and distributed architecture. But now the situation has changed.
Internet of Things Foundation is a IBM cloud-hosted service for collecting, storing, and integrating data of Things. IoT Foundation provides ready and direct integration to Bluemix, it’s like one of the Bluemix APIs. When talking of Bluemix, we’re yet again talking about productivity improvement, which is the main value proposition of PaaS (Platform as a Service).
LabVIEW recipe for IOT Foundation
Espotel has contributed my work to the open source community. It’s a recipe how to connect any LabVIEW program, running either in a PC or in a measurement instrument, to IOT Foundation cloud fast and easily. It’s a simple LabVIEW library which can be included in any LabVIEW project.
IOT Foundation uses MQTT for data transfer. It’s fast, reliable, lightweight and secure messaging protocol intended for M2M and IoT applications. The LabVIEW library consists of three main elements:
Open MQTT connection to IOT Foundation
Publish (transfer) data over MQTT to IOT Foundation
Close MQTT connection to IOT Foundation
national-instruments-labview
https://developer.ibm.com/iot/recipes/national-instruments-labview/
This recipe has been provided by an IBM Business Partner: Espotel
Use LabView to transfer measurement data from PC or RT-Target to IBM Internet of Things Foundation and visualize the data available.
You can sign up and register devices to an Internet of Things Foundation (IoTF) organization by using IBM Bluemix or the IBM Cloud Marketplace.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s ‘Plans’ for Atom x3 in IoT/Wearables, Bargain Smartphones
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326315&
At its Developer Forum in Shenzhen, China this week, Intel Corp. executives made a big play for Chinese companies and developers as part of a strategy for future efforts in mobile smartphones, wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT).
But other than a few more details about its roadmap for expansion of the Intel Atom x3 (codenamed SoFIA) processors into a wide range of connected devices, much of what the company talked about was future expectations and partnerships and how important Chinese companies and developers were to its long term efforts in this area.
Like the smartphone/tablet-oriented Atom x3 cores introduced at Mobile World Congress, the new purpose-built IoT versions revealed to Chinese developers also have built-in 3G and LTE baseband. But they will be ruggedized for affordable, outdoor, long-range sensor device networks beyond the range of what traditional WiFi-based networking solutions offer.
Reflecting this WiFi focus, the new IoT-ized x3 cores will be offered in extended -40 to +80 degree Celsius temperature versions and will come with seven years of extended product lifecycle support. Unlike the mobile versions, which support both Windows and Android, the IoT versions of the Atom x3 will support Android and embedded Linux. Developer kits will be available sometime this summer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IIoT Ecosystem Beginning to Emerge
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1326317&
Internet of Things (IoT) application deployment in industry is lagging expectations, as engineers deal with the networking and software complexities of serving field data to multiple applications and clients.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has created a buzz with its focus on how networking will transform manufacturing operations and efficiencies. But the current reality is that while the interest level is extremely high, actual deployments seem to be lagging behind.
One possible explanation is that we’re in a process of understanding the complexities of how these systems and field devices such as sensors will operate within the IIoT, along with how to effectively manage these types of projects. Machine-to-machine (M2M) and remote connectivity are really not new concepts, so the real goal may be development of an IIoT ecosystem and technology tools that address integration/security issues and result in a consensus on networking solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emergence of an IIoT Ecosystem
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=277136&dfpPParams=ind_182,kw_42,aid_277136&dfpLayout=blog
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has created a buzz with its focus on how networking will transform manufacturing operations and efficiencies. But the current reality is that while the interest level is extremely high, actual deployments seem to be lagging behind.
“Most engineers are bought into the fact that, from the highest level within the IIoT space, there are solutions that provide the ability to measure and monitor more and more data,” Mike Fahrion, vice president of IoT Technologies at B+B SmartWorx, told Design News in a recent interview. “Technology is available to make better decisions, reduce downtime, and achieve better use of resources.”
“In the industrial space, the IIoT is expected to include billions of devices, but, when you read the fine print, it’s expected that in the industrial world 85% of those connections will involve legacy equipment. That makes complete sense because no one is going to wait until they have all-new machines that use some kind of new communications technology,” Fahrion said.
Hardware manufacturers need to ask what can be done to simplify the connectivity stack from the field devices being measured up to the application level. It needs to be as easy as possible to connect devices and physical things at the edge of networks up through the application stack. Fahrion said that, in the past, system communications have primarily been point-to-point; often applications used a serial-to-Ethernet converter. The solution was more about the physical layer without any solutions to make the data easy to integrate into the application.
“Now we are thinking about the data as well and how to take data around the sensor value, for example, and integrate it with other systems in the plant,” he added. “It was one thing to digitize a thermocouple and interface it to Ethernet, and there are many ways currently to do that.”
Beyond simply digitizing the data, new technology is also focused on packaging it into an understandable descriptive format with the reading for a sensor at a particular geolocation along with calibration and application information, if that is relevant. The packet can include a friendly name for the sensor and the engineering units instead of sending a 16-bit value into a database. The JSON packet might say, for example, that “the temperature in Mike’s office at 11:55 a.m. was 72 degrees Fahrenheit.”
In many IIoT applications not strictly within the industrial automation segment, the goal is not simply interfacing with the PLC in a machine or an HMI. Often there is a need to interface a web-based application, which, in turn, is perhaps to be integrated into an ERP system or something else.
“Like many companies, we see the interest and discussions about the potential of the Internet of Things. It’s obviously the buzzword that has captured attention, and many articles you read mention IoT,”
Tyo said that what he clearly sees from the customer side is a push to connectivity. That push is a focus on efficiencies and visibility into the details of what is happening on the manufacturing floor. The question is how far do customers want to go with connectivity, and what do they want to achieve. Does visibility get down to the sensor level, the machine level, or at the plant level? And where is the real dividing line?
There is a trend in higher-end, more complex sensors for additional communication options to implement remote monitoring or remote modifications. But a majority of the time, the need is centered on a person interacting with the sensor. The result is less a focus on M2M than person-to-machine communications.
“If you look at true IoT applications and how it will be implemented at the sensor level, I think the verdict is still out,”
Although the interest in remote monitoring and visibility is common, a trend in the market with respect to end-user demand in manufacturing plants is a strong push to drive lot sizes down to one. This is creating additional demand to make changeovers faster. Achieving that requires more communications, and whether you classify that as IoT or M2M, the trend with users is focusing on achieving those kinds of efficiencies. As engineers become more knowledgeable about what they can do with networks, connectivity, and M2M, that will also drive more and more need for it.
“I expect that we will see a shift in the protocols used for IoT applications in the future, but it probably won’t be a radical shift,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wearable Sensors to Monitor Environmental Triggers for Asthma and More
http://www.techbriefs.tv/video/Wearable-sensors-to-monitor-tri;RF-Microwave-Electronics
Researchers from the National Science Foundation-supported Nanosystems Engineering Research Center (NERC) for Advanced Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) at North Carolina State University are using nanotechnology to develop small, wearable sensors that monitor a person’s immediate environment, as well as the wearer’s vital signs. These sensors would monitor environmental concerns, such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide levels at the same time that they are monitoring vital signs, such as heart rate and hydration. The sensor’s data would be transmitted wirelessly to the wearer’s cell phone, and even to a doctor.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your IoT | Connected World Contest
http://youriotcontest.com/?utm_source=hackaday&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=300×250&utm_campaign=youriot
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sensor Platform Kit
http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/rohm/sensor-platform-kit/
ROHM’s sensor platform kit. This sensor platform kit showcases ROHM’s various sensors, demonstrating their flexibility and ease of use. We’re going to unbox this so you can see what ROHM has in store for us.
The baseboard actually has an FTDI chip on it, so I can unplug the baseboard from the USB battery and put it in my computer. Using a PuTTY terminal at 9600 baud, we get a nice VT-100 terminal that shows me the actual values of the ambient light.
Along with the analog ambient light sensor and hall sensor, the sensor kit includes a digital ambient light sensor, a UV sensor, an accelerometer and magnetometer combo sensor, as well as a temperature sensor. While these sensors are all fun to play with in this sensor kit, this really is just a way to see their capabilities and how easily they can be integrated into other projects.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The ‘Internet of Things’ will be the world’s most massive device market and save companies billions of dollars
Here are a few of the key findings from the BI Intelligence report:
The Internet of Things will be the largest device market in the world. We estimate that by 2019 it will be more than double the size of the smartphone, PC, tablet, connected car, and the wearable market combined.
The IoT will result in $1.7 trillion in value added to the global economy in 2019. This includes hardware, software, installation costs, management services, and economic value added from realized IoT efficiencies.
Device shipments will reach 6.7 billion in 2019 for a five-year CAGR of 61%. Revenue from hardware sales will be only $50 billion or 8% of the total revenue from IoT-specific efforts, as software makers and infrastructure companies will earn the lion’s share.
The enterprise sector will lead the IoT, accounting for 46% of device shipments this year, but that share will decline as the government and home sectors gain momentum. By 2019, government will be the leading sector for IoT device shipments.
The main benefit of growth in the IoT will be increased efficiency and lower costs. The IoT promises increased efficiency within the home, city, and workplace by giving control to the user. However, many are hesitant to use devices as security problems are still an issue.
The IoT lacks a common set of standards and technologies that would allow for compatibility and ease-of-use. There are currently few standards (or regulations) for what is needed to run an IoT device. Consortia that group together global industrial, tech, and electronics companies are involved in an effort to standardize the IoT and solve the most pressing security concerns.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-internet-of-things-market-growth-and-trends-2015-2#ixzz3XBslePCT
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Granola-eating tree hugger’ takes plunge, becomes IoT upstart
Sweating the small stuff, again and again
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/13/start_up_sweating_the_small_stuff/
We have functional engineering prototypes that we’ve been testing and adjusting for a couple of years in a number of homes.
The more obvious production/cost engineering steps included moving almost all the components to one side of the board and eliminating as many of the Through-The-Hole (TTH) components as possible in favour of SMD (Surface Mount Devices).
With the IoT Launchpad project we’re trying to make deploying a working sensor stack as simple as assembling a stack of plastic bricks and watching the data turn up securely in Bluemix or Xively or Thingful, or possibly the developer’s own servers.
Part of that is not reinventing any wheels that already turn just fine, so at the very least we’ll support JSON with UCUM-style units, along with handcrafted binary data formats to minimise production costs.
We are going to be testing whether our theories of how a cheap-as-chips IoT platform ought to work with industrial research in two possible vertical markets.
The first is in bus shelters and at bus stops
Our other vertical, in partnership with EnergyDeck, is building health and occupant well being
We Help Run Buildings Better
https://www.energydeck.com/home/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rapid prototyping an open source cloud-connected sensor
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/the-workbench/4439168/Rapid-prototyping-an-open-source-cloud-connected-sensor?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150413&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150413&elq=f268a4f8a9f042d1bdef2b587b8c168d&elqCampaignId=22514&elqaid=25312&elqat=1&elqTrackId=6c37e727a4134cd0a91cf717acd3acf0
This session, Rapid prototyping of cloud-connected applications using open source modular hardware is to be presented by Adrian Fernandez, microcontroller customer experience manager at Texas Instruments.
As you can see in this video, during his 45-minute session, Adrian will live-build a complete end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) system using open source hardware and software tools. By the end of the session, he will have created a multi-node sensor network that aggregates data to the cloud and triggers events as required.
In reality, there are a tremendous variety of applications that can benefit from triggering cloud-side activity or events based on things occurring in the real world.
ESC Boston 2015 sneak peek // Rapid prototyping a cloud-connected sensor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g47Ph50kga0
Tomi Engdahl says:
Create a WiFi-connected IoT sensor that calls you when sensor values exceed a threshold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NStq1KB4FS8
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM Launches New Health Unit, Teams With Apple, J&J, Medtronic
http://recode.net/2015/04/13/ibm-launches-new-health-unit-teams-with-apple-jj-medtronic/
IBM, deepening its partnership with Apple to make use of health information gathered by millions of Apple devices, is creating a unit dedicated to providing data analytics to the health care sector.
Its new Watson Health unit plans to aggregate health information from a large number of devices and providers in the cloud and offer insights to health companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic, which can then integrate results into services they sell to health care companies.
IBM said it will create headquarters for the unit in Boston with 2,000 employees, including about 75 medical practitioners.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Energy Harvesters Power Wearables
Researchers target medical devcies
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326334&
Researchers at North Carolina State University are using nanotechnology to create energy harvesting and storage devices for ultra-low power sensors. The federally-funded research aims to create battery-free, body-powered wearable health monitors.
ASSIST is working with two categories of sensors: non-invasive health sensors for bio-electric, biochemical, and acoustic monitoring; and environmental sensors that measure gasses, particulate matter, and temperature. The goals are to gather more accurate data on how the environment causes changes in physiological signals and to develop a multi-modal harvesters.
These wearable sensors must be small, low power, and often transmit data regularly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless indoor network to operate fully powered by solar panels
Industrial Electronics is featured this week at the Hannover Messe. Linear Technology does things at the fair along with Sol-Chip with a wireless network that gets all powered by solar electricity. The network does not even need batteries.
It is a linear Smart Mesh network, which can be connected to different nodes. These can be energy meters, building automation, monitoring devices, or any very low power consumption of nodes.
Linear According to Smart Mesh network are guaranteed “five completely”, ie 99.999 proentin reliability of the data.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2679:langaton-sisatilaverkko-toimii-taysin-aurinkosahkolla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Espotel to join ARM’s IoT community
Finnish Embedded solutions for R & D services provider Espotel is approved for international ARM mbed community member. It is the community that offers businesses complete solutions for industrial, ie the Internet IoT area.
Accession to the Espotel development and integration expertise will be of the ARM embedded systems technology, expertise, and issues the Internet platform. In the future, Espotel can provide customized industrial applications of the Internet by combining ARM mbed software platform and IBM’s cloud service solutions.
IoT cooperation with IBM Espotel started last year.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2676:espotel-mukaan-arm-n-iot-yhteisoon&catid=13&Itemid=101
ARMmbed Ecosystem / Partners
https://mbed.org/ecosystem/partners/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Promira Serial Platform and IoT
http://www.totalphase.com/solutions/video/promira-intro-video/
The Promira Serial Platform is our most advanced serial device ever for I2C and SPI protocols.
http://www.totalphase.com/products/promira-serial/
Integrated level shifting ensures you’ll be able to work at a variety of voltages ranging from 0.9 to 5.0 volts without needing any costly accessory boards.
High-speed USB connectivity to the host system provides high performance and convenience for benchtop programming, testing, and emulation.
Ethernet connectivity is convenient for benchtop work, and it also enables remote control for your automation needs.
I2C and SPI messages can be saved and loaded from binary files
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bringing Intelligence to Manufacturing with the Internet of Things (IoT)
Many manufacturers are eager to tap the power of big data in order to increase competitiveness, improve the bottom line, and anticipate trends. They are exploring the Internet of Things (IoT), which facilitates communications between all types of field devices and enables manufacturers to act upon decisions derived from data analytics. However, a major challenge is gaining access to field data, made more difficult by field devices that use different fieldbus protocols, run independently, or lack connectivity
Hyperconnecting: Enabling the Internet of Things end-to-end
It is safe to say that the Internet of Things (IoT) is an exploding marketplace that brings new opportunities to companies worldwide. However, even though the IoT has been in existence for more than a decade through various implementations of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, to many it still represents a widely fragmented marketplace that lacks an end-to-end implementation solution. It is safe to say that the Internet of Things (IoT) is an exploding marketplace that brings new opportunities to companies worldwide. However, even though the IoT has been in existence for more than a decade through various implementations of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, to many it still represents a widely fragmented marketplace that lacks an end-to-end implementation solution.
Source: http://intelligentsystemssource.com/iss-e-newsletter-april-2015/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ask Hackaday: Is Amazon Echo the Future of Home Automation?
http://hackaday.com/2015/04/14/ask-hackaday-is-amazon-echo-the-future-of-home-automation/
Unless you’ve been living under a case of 1 farad capacitors, you’ve heard of the Amazon Echo. Roughly the size of two cans of beans, the Echo packs quite a punch for such a small package. It’s powered by a Texas Instrument DM3725 processor riding on 256 megs of RAM and 4 gigs of SanDisk iNAND ultra flash memory. Qualcomm Atheros takes care of the WiFi and Bluetooth, and various TI chips take care of the audio codecs and amplifiers.
What’s unique about Echo is its amazing voice recognition. While the “brains” of the Echo exist somewhere on the Internets, the hardware for this circuitry is straight forward. Seven, yes seven microphones are positioned around the top of the device. They feed into four Texas Instrument 92dB SNR low-power stereo ADCs. The hardware and software make for a very capable voice recognition that works from anywhere in the room. For the output sound, two speakers are utilized – a woofer and a tweeter. They’re both powered via a TI 15 watts class D amplifier.
Now that we have a good idea of the hardware, we have to accept the bad news that this is a closed source device
It appears that Amazon sees (or had seen all along) that home automation is the future of the Echo. They now officially support Philips Hue and Belkin WeMo gadgets. The Belkin WeMo, which is no stranger to the hacker’s workbench, has a good handle on home automation already, making the ability to control things in your house with the Echo tantalizingly close.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RTOS simplifies IoT endpoint development
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4439158/RTOS-simplifies-IoT-endpoint-development?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150414&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150414&elq=fd8fec40ff7849a9b297e0e8abe516b7&elqCampaignId=22532&elqaid=25330&elqat=1&elqTrackId=50ab36220fa54454b005bdb5836e2eb8
Texas Instruments has released version 2.12 of its TI-RTOS, incorporating automated power management and connectivity features that simplify IoT endpoint creation. It also provides all the peripheral drivers and protocol stacks needed to implement cloud connectivity as well as automate power management for the MCU. WiFi, Bluetooth, Smart Zigbee, and 6LoWPAN are supported as well as cloud connectivity protocols such as HTTP and MQTT clients. The RTOS also supports over-the-air software updating.
The TI-RTOS is available as open source under the BSD license, which helps prevent users from having to make their application code available to customers as the GPL license used in Linux and some other open source OSes requires. Due to the highly-integrated nature of its power management and software and variations in driver and stack requirements, the RTOS comes in versions configured for a specific TI MCU family. Currently-supported MCUs include the CC3200 WiFi, CC2630 Zigbee, and CC2640 Smart Bluetooth SimpleLink MCUs. Users can also use a version targeting MSP430, MSP432, or TM4Cx MCUs with a SPI-attached CC3100 WiFi network chip.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel Keeps It Simple for IoT Firmware Developers
Firmware Engine boots up precertified code
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1326347&
Based on the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) standard, Firmware Engine is a GUI-based tool, hosted on a Microsoft Windows platform, that allows developers to quickly create binary firmware images based on Intel-certified UEFI code. These binaries can then be used by a developer to create the basic software needed to initialize platform hardware and launch operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Android, and Linux.
The UEFI standard defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware and replaces the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface used on early Intel- and Windows-based systems. As of Version 2.4 released in 2013, it now supports Intel’s Itanium, x86, and x86-64 as well as ARM’s AArch32 and AArch64. The Linux kernel is also able to use EFI at boot time.
In a recent blog post, Michael Greene, vice president of the Intel Software and Services Group, said that the tool was developed because device manufacturers expressed the need for firmware to do one basic job, booting their systems.
Barriers removed – simplified and accelerated firmware development
http://blogs.intel.com/evangelists/2015/04/07/barriers-removed-simplified-and-accelerated-firmware-development/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Acquires Mobile Business Intelligence Service Datazen
http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/14/microsoft-acquires-datazen/#.utwu3c:p27l
Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Datazen, a mobile business intelligence and data visualization service.
Datazen, which launched about three years ago, allows businesses to create mobile dashboards from data in Microsoft Excel, but also from other cloud and enterprise database sources. To run Datazen, enterprises need to run Windows Server, IIS and .NET behind their firewalls, as well as Datazen’s server software.
The company offers apps for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS, Android and the web. According to today’s announcement, all of its products will remain available for the time being and the team will continue to work on Datazen’s server and client products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Developer Studio will speed up integration in IoT devices
Software makes it quicker and easier to create Bluetooth-enabled products
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2403997/bluetooth-developer-studio-will-speed-up-integration-in-iot-devices
THE BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) has announced a beta of Bluetooth Developer Studio, a software development kit which makes it easier and quicker to integrate Bluetooth technology into Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Announced at the Bluetooth World event today, the software is claimed to cut developer learning time for Bluetooth technology and boost product development.
Developer Studio aims to make it simple for novice and experienced developers to build devices for the IoT with Bluetooth wireless capabilities.
“This is a common building block. We have a big list of all these standard profile elements and characteristics, and we can drag and drop them in the designer part of the tool and assemble a technical description of a device profile from those standard building blocks,” Woolley explained.
The tool then auto-generates code from third-party solutions, such as Bluetooth chip and module suppliers, and can be tested with virtual and physical device options.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cypress Semiconductor has introduced a 10 x 10 mm module having embedded devices can be implemented quickly and easily prepared Bluetooth Smart connection. The module base Cypress programmable Proc radio. Cypress, the new EZ-BLE module is the industry’s first fully prepared BLE product. It contains circuit, software, firmware, Bluetooth 4.1 qualification and certification globally in all markets.
The module can be used to develop, for example, remote controls, health and activity equipment, such as bracelets, home entertainment equipment, toys and other low-voltage bluetooth connection in need of equipment.
ARM Cortex-M0 based radio circuit
According to Cypress, the module conserves the design, testing and certification costs up to $ 200 000 per design.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2682:valmis-bluetooth-yhteys-neliosentin-moduulilla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish open development interface cards
Open platform based on the development of small cards popularity has skyrocketed in recent years.
iProtoXi company has developed an open bus standard for couple of years. The bus is called “Aistin Bus24″. It is based on a small printed circuit board mounted connector, which contains the most widely used in the printed circuit board bus technologies, such as I2C, SPI and UART.
Sensory Bus24 is clearly intended to IoT devices common bus.
IprotoX says it is suitable, for example, various sensors, lighting elements and the like for connecting the IoT network.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2685:suomalainen-avoin-liitanta-kehityskorteille&catid=13&Itemid=101
More information: http://www.aistin.cc/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Updating the Orbotix Sphero* in response to tweets using the Intel® Edison board
https://software.intel.com/en-us/updating-orbotix-sphero-in-response-to-tweets-edison?utm_source=Taboola&utm_medium=Syndication&utm_term=Q2-April&utm_campaign=IHI-IoT-Top10Content-Q2-April&&utm_term=bloomberg&utm_content=IoT+-+Updating+the+Orbotix+Sphero*+in+response+to+tweets+using+the+Intel%C2%AE+Edison+board
This guide contains steps to have your Orbotix Sphero* check Twitter and change its colored lights in response to new tweets posted using the hashtag #intelmaker.