Here is a list f IoT predictions for year 2018. With the number of connected devices set to top 11 billion – and that’s not including computers and phones – in 2018, Internet of Things will clearly continue to be a hot topic. Here is my prediction list:
1. Artifical Intelligence – it will be talked a lot
2. Blockchain – blockchain will be hyped to be a solution for many IoT problems, and it will turn out that it is not the best solution for most of problems it is hyped for – and maybe it will find few sensible uses for it in IoT. Blockchain can add immutability and integrity to some IoT transactions.
3. 4G mobile for IoT: NB-IoT and LTE-M are ready to be tested or used in many markets
4. 5G will be hyped a lot for IoT applications but it is nowhere near for any real big IoT use cases
6. Security issues will be talked a lot. IoT security is far from solved issue.
7. Privacy issues of IoT will be talked a lot when our homes and pockets are starting to be filled with ever listening digital assistants.
8. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will be massive
9. More CPU power will be added or used in the edge. Pushing processing power to the “edge” brings a number of benefits and opportunities.
10. Hardware based security: Hardware based security on microprocessors will be talked a lot after “Meltdown” and “Spectre” disaster
Links to more predictions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2017/12/19/the-top-8-iot-trends-for-2018/#17a9943267f7
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/top-5-iot-trends-in-2018/
https://www.inc.com/james-paine/3-internet-of-things-trends-to-watch-in-2018.html
https://www.i-scoop.eu/iot-2018-1/
https://dzone.com/articles/iot-trends-for-2018
1,393 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT’s Next Revolutionary Shift Through Analytics
https://www.electronicdesign.com/embedded-revolution/iot-s-next-revolutionary-shift-through-analytics?NL=ED-005&Issue=ED-005_20180912_ED-005_566&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19868&utm_medium=email&elq2=ebadbebd71f2466c830a02c0f0274004
A closer look at the top IoT use cases today in the business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors can help determine the growth potential for the analytics of things.
Regardless of all the technological advances, end-users and businesses haven’t yet completely tapped into the vast possibilities of the IoT. One of the reasons for this is that today’s users lack the knowledge on how to collect and utilize data from the connected devices. Though it’s theoretically possible to collect and analyze more data than ever before, the actual implementation still lags behind.
As per the estimations made by Grand View Research, the global IoT analytics/analytics of things market size is expected to reach USD 57.3 billion by 2025, following a CAGR of over 29% from 2017 to 2025.
Manufacturing, power generation, oil & gas, and logistics & transport are becoming a perfect breeding place for IoT advancement. Most of these industries have become extensively automated, which offers boundless potential for data collection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Design Like an IoT Wireless Expert
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/how-design-iot-wireless-expert?NL=ED-005&Issue=ED-005_20180912_ED-005_566&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19868&utm_medium=email&elq2=ebadbebd71f2466c830a02c0f0274004
The powerful secret to simplified IoT design starts and ends with pre-built modules for wireless communication.
Most electronic engineers are not wireless experts. They’re typically not taught radio and RF in most BSEE degree programs. Wireless may be an elective, but most students seem to opt for more digital, micros, and programming.
Multiple technologies are available, and choosing the best option requires evaluating the application based on three key characteristics:
Power consumption: Low power is usually the most important, as it will maximize the interval between battery changes in the remote nodes.
Range: Short range (SR) 100 meters to 10 km.
Speed: Low speed is 100 bits/s to 10 kbits/s. High speed is 100 kbits/s to 10 Mbits/s.
The most popular technologies are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Thread. These are primarily short-range standards. For long range, you can select LoRa, Sigfox , Weightless, and the cellular-based LTE-M and NB-IoT.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dramatic Increase of DDoS Attack Sizes Attributed to IoT Devices
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/dramatic-increase-of-ddos-attack-sizes-attributed-to-iot-devices/
A new report released today shows that distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have increased dramatically in the first two quarters of 2018 compared to 2017. The increase in attacks is being attributed to large scale botnets being created by attackers using insecure IoT devices.
According to a report released by DDoS mitigation company NexusGuard, denial-of-service attacks have increased by 29% since Q2 2017, with the average attack size increased by 543% to 26.37 Gbps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Securing the smart and connected home
http://electronics-know-how.com/article/2721/securing-the-smart-and-connected-home
With the Internet of Things and Smart Home technologies, more and more devices are becoming connected and therefore can potentially become entry points for attackers to break into the system to steal, manipulate confidential information or even to inject malware.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Ways AR Will Change the Reality of Manufacturing
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/5-ways-ar-will-change-reality-manufacturing/107642252259428?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=5606&elq_cid=876648
Augmented reality technology will play a significant role in improving productivity, efficiency, and safety in manufacturing. Here’s your basic guide to understanding how.
Tomi Engdahl says:
California bill regulates IoT for first time in US
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/09/13/california-bill-regulates-iot-for-first-time-in-us/
California looks set to regulate IoT devices, becoming the first US state to do so and beating the Federal Government to the post.
The State legislature approved ‘SB-327 Information privacy: connected devices’ last Thursday and handed it over to the Governor to sign. The legislation introduces security requirements for connected devices sold in the US. It defines them as any device that connects directly or indirectly to the internet and has an IP or Bluetooth address. That covers an awful lot of devices.
“This bill, beginning on January 1, 2020, would require a manufacturer of a connected device, as those terms are defined, to equip the device with a reasonable security feature or features that are appropriate to the nature and function of the device, appropriate to the information it may collect, contain, or transmit, and designed to protect the device and any information contained therein from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure, as specified.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Design solutions: Latest MEMS and sensor signal conditioning architectures
https://www.edn.com/design/sensors/4461027/Design-solutions–Latest-MEMS-and-Sensor-signal-conditioning-architectures?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup Trying to Turn Electronic Devices into Better Listeners
https://www.electronicdesign.com/embedded-revolution/startup-trying-turn-electronic-devices-better-listeners?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20180913_ED-003_183&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19931&utm_medium=email&elq2=38e04c4564d54cf281142964328e6ef0
Unless the voice assistant boom driven by Google and Amazon tapers off, microphones could be embedded in everything from thermostats and refrigerators to wearables and headphones over the next few years. Tapping into the push to control almost anything with simple spoken commands, a number of companies are trying to train battery-powered devices to be better listeners.
Syntiant, a semiconductor startup founded last year by former engineering executives from Broadcom, is trying to slash the power required for always-on listening applications such as keyword spotting or speaker identification. The company is building chips based on 40-nanometer NOR flash memory that store machine learning models and perform operations in the same place. It plans to enter volume production in the first half next year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Measure Current, Power for Improved System Monitoring
https://www.electronicdesign.com/power/how-measure-current-power-improved-system-monitoring?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20180913_ED-003_183&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19931&utm_medium=email&elq2=38e04c4564d54cf281142964328e6ef0
Sponsored by Texas Instruments: Often used for overcurrent protection, current-sense amplifiers are now finding homes in a wide array of applications, including automotive electronic fuses and three-phase motor control.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Enabling Cheaper Design
https://semiengineering.com/enabling-cheaper-design/
At what point does cheaper design enable a significant growth in custom semiconductor content? Not everyone is onboard with the idea.
While the EDA industry tends to focus on cutting edge designs, where design costs are a minor portion of the total cost of product, the electronics industry has a very long tail. The further along the tail you go, the more significant design costs become as a percent of total cost.
Many of those designs are traditionally built using standard parts, such as microcontrollers, but as additional sophistication is creeping into edge devices for the IoT, demand is increasing for more computational ability beyond what simple microcontrollers provide.
Abstraction
There is little disagreement that abstraction is at the heart of any improvement. “It makes sense to move up the levels of abstraction both in the hardware side and the software side,” says Pursley. “When you do that, you are writing fewer lines of code, which means there is less to verify, and you also have code that is more reusable across generations.”
But the adoption of abstraction has stalled for a large fraction of the industry. “While the level of automation and abstraction is significantly higher than 20 years ago, the complexity has grown significantly offsetting some of the advances,” admits Whitfield. “In terms of inexpensive design and the direction the industry is headed, there seems to be a greater focus on high-level abstraction for design, but if we can close the gap between the design description and something that is functionally verified and implementable in silicon, there is potential for wider adoption.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/09/14/alykiekko-tipahtaa-tanaan-jaahan-bluetooth-kayttoon/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/09/14/mwc2018-americas-tamperelaisyritys-paasi-qualcommin-osastolle/
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8434-liiga-alkaa-alykiekko-tuo-uutta-dataa-katsojille
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leveraging Segmentation to Secure IoT
https://www.securityweek.com/leveraging-segmentation-secure-iot
IoT is accelerating at an unprecedented rate
Most IT security architectures are unprepared
Leveraging segmentation to secure IoT
The answer is to work smarter. A critical strategy for achieving this objective is to implement a comprehensive segmentation strategy. Implementing such an effective IoT security strategy requires three fundamental steps:
1. Establishing Broad Visibility – The biggest challenge facing most organizations is simply identifying and tracking all IoT devices connected to the network. Network Access Control allows organizations to authenticate and classify IoT devices securely. Real-time discovery and classification of devices at the point of access allows IT teams to build risk profiles and automatically assign IoT devices to appropriate device groups, along with associated policies.
2. Segment IoT from Production Networks – Once the network has identified IoT devices, IT teams then need to establish IoT attack surface controls. Segmenting IoT devices and related communications into policy-based groups and secured network zones allow the network to automatically grant and enforce baseline privileges for specific IoT device profiles. While inventory management tools can track these devices, and behavioral analytics can monitor their behavior, Internal Segmentation Firewalls (ISFW) need to be applied to enable organizations to not only quickly and dynamically establish and control network segments but also inspect applications and other traffic that need to cross segmentation boundaries.
3. Protect the Network – Establishing policy-driven IoT groups and then combining them with internal network segmentation enables multi-layered monitoring, inspection, and enforcement of device policies based on activity, regardless of where across the distributed enterprise infrastructure they have been deployed. An integrated and automated security framework then enables traditionally isolated security devices to correlate threat intelligence as IoT traffic traverses the network—even between devices deployed across different network ecosystems. These integrated tools can then automatically apply advanced security functions to any IoT devices or traffic that begins to misbehave, anywhere across the network, including at access points, cross-segment network traffic locations, and across multi-cloud deployments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8423-uusin-bluetooth-nanoluokan-tehonkulutuksella
Tomi Engdahl says:
SEMICON Taiwan Opens With AI, IoT, Automotive in the Spotlight
http://www.semi.org/en/semicon-taiwan-opens-ai-iot-automotive-spotlight
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silicon Labs – IoT solution alleviates urban traffic
https://www.electropages.com/2018/09/silicon-labs-iot-solution-alleviates-urban-traffic/?utm_campaign=2018-09-11-Electropages&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Silicon+Labs+-+IoT+solution+alleviates+urban+traffic
Q-Free and Silicon Labs announce a collaboration on a new outdoor parking IoT sensor solution that makes it quicker and easier for automotive drivers in urban areas to find open parking spots. The companies have worked together to create Q-Free’s ParQSense Smart Parking Sensor, which employs the Silicon Labs’ Wonder Gecko wireless MCU for control and Sub-GHz connectivity. The solution was deployed as a pilot this year in the EU and North America.
“The Q-Free ParQSense Smart Parking Sensor is a great example of how IoT ingenuity can improve our lives and the overall urban experience,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Smart factory’ – the key to Industrial Revolution 4.0
https://www.electropages.com/2018/07/smart-factory-key-industrial-revolution-4-0/?utm_campaign=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=%E2%80%98Smart+factory%E2%80%99+-+the+key+to+Industrial+Revolution+4.0
The fourth industrial revolution is fast becoming a reality in many parts of the developed world. And as this revolution comes into being, manufacturing is being transformed with a move to fully ‘smart’ or intelligent factories and the evolution of smarter products. Definitions of what constitute both the fourth industrial revolution and the ‘smart factory’ differ slightly.
But there is general agreement that the fourth industrial revolution is one that will connect the virtual online world with the physical one within the industrial world and connect the Internet of Things (IoT) to the production line. And as part of that development, smart factories will increasingly need to ‘self-optimise’ their performance, learn from new conditions and autonomously run entire production processes.
According to Deloitte Consulting, “Simply put, a smart factory is one equipped with technology that enables machine-to-machine (M2M) and machine-to-human (M2H) communication in tandem with analytical and cognitive technologies so that decisions are made correctly and on time.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Standards Update: FDT IIoT Server Arrives at Final Member Review
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/standards-update-fdt-iiot-server-arrives-final-member-review/168162608459387?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=5591&elq_cid=876648
Key components include FDT 2.5 specification, offering HTML 5 and JavaScript graphical user interface features, as well as new FITS web services and OPC UA server mapping.
The long, slow grind of standards development, especially in the world of automation and control, always seems to be an exercise of life in slow motion. It just takes a long time to make it from ideas, discussions, and standards documents to broad industry acceptance and actual application implementations.
FDT technology (IEC 62453) is now in the final stages of member review for its emerging FDT IIoT Server (FITS) specification. The FITS architecture has an overall goal to empower the intelligent enterprise with native integration of the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA), as well as comprehensive control and web services for secure mobile, cloud, fog, and enterprise-wide applications in the process, hybrid, and discrete automation sectors.
Given the strategic positioning of FDT Group technology and the influence of its member companies, gaining acceptance can be viewed as a major step forward in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology standards development.
One of the most interesting features of FITS is the integration of OPC UA Server. It is a key piece of how the system can deploy a single server, located either locally or in the cloud, and provide access to the complete project structure and all devices with a web browser. The ability to access configuration, health, and diagnostics information from a tablet or smartphone is seen as a compelling addition for business process improvement.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Tags Add Touch Controls to Ordinary Object
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/smart-tags-add-touch-controls-to-ordinary-objects
Despite the modern world’s fixation with touchscreen smartphones and tablets, most homes and businesses remain cluttered with objects that lack any digital interfaces. Now, those ordinary objects could get an upgrade thanks to new smart tags that harness reflected Wi-Fi signals to add touch-based controls to any surface.
The idea of an inexpensive tag capable of transforming any object into a smart device is not necessarily new. But most cheap smart tags that lack batteries or complicated electronics can only perform simple functions, such as passively storing and sharing identifying information about an object.
By comparison, new LiveTag technology allows for interactive controls or keypads that can stick onto objects, walls, or even clothing, and let people remotely operate music players or receive hydration reminders based on the amount of liquid remaining in a water bottle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Selecting the right industrial communications standard for sensors
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/selecting-right-industrial-communications-standard-sensors?utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19929&utm_medium=email&elq2=a5b597e26ef74c629702ab90bfb75a13
http://www.ti.com/lit/wp/slly022/slly022.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
mmWave Radar: Enabling greater intelligent autonomy at the edge
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/mmwave-radar-enabling-greater-intelligent-autonomy-edge?utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19929&utm_medium=email&elq2=a5b597e26ef74c629702ab90bfb75a13
In its many applications, mmWave radar sensing is enabling intelligent autonomy for decision-making at the edge.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Makes the IIoT So Vulnerable to Cyberattacks?
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333693
— We are seeing a number of attacks both on industrial control systems (ICS) and on the operational technology (OT) side of the industrial IoT (IIoT) with increasing frequency.
The consensus was a list of several elements that have combined to create a perfect storm over the last few years:
a big increase in the number of sensors and devices being connected to each organization’s IIoT, forming a huge potential attack surface
decades-old OT equipment and control systems never designed for exposure to the internet and, therefore, not designed for security
a patchwork of OT and control systems from multiple vendors running proprietary and non-updatable software, including human-machine-interface (HMI) computers with access to remote terminal units (RTUs), SCADAmaster (supervisory control computers), and programmable logic controllers (PLCs)
poor or absent cybersecurity practices and technology, including a lack of either designed for the very different ICS/OT environment, not the IT environment
lack of budgets, or insufficient budgets, for implementing cybersecurity awareness, monitoring, and prevention technology
a steep escalation in the numbers and types of attackers
“First, most devices and networks used in our industrial control systems were designed 15 or more years ago, when connectivity to the internet was not standard practice and when it was assumed that if you had connectivity to the device, you had permission to configure the device. As a result, most have either no authentication or weak authentication, like passwords that can be easily sniffed from the wire.
“Second, connectivity between corporate IT networks and OT networks has increased significantly because of the need to get real-time intelligence from production. Whether it’s a gas pipeline, a factory floor, or a well site, companies want to optimize their operations and collect real-time intelligence. This means that the attack surface has increased: There are many more ways for attackers to get into industrial networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-iot-security-auto-10/
NXP Semiconductors provided its A71CH trust anchor to Google IoT Cloud, enabling authentication for Google IoT Cloud Core. The technology helps to secure edge devices for Internet of Things deployments.
AT&T is in negotiations with the City of Los Angeles to provide IoT technologies and small cells throughout LA, supporting smart city infrastructure. Installing small cells will help with the future launch of a 5G cellular
Both chambers of the California Legislature have approved an IoT cybersecurity bill, which now awaits the signature of Governor Jerry Brown to become a state law. The Golden State would be the first state to regulate IoT devices; similar legislation in the U.S. Congress was introduced last year, and has yet to come up for a vote. The California bill mandates that “a manufacturer of a connected device shall equip a device with a reasonable security feature or features.” It would take effect on January 1, 2020, if it becomes law.
Cisco Systems reported cybersecurity revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter was $627 million, a 12% increase from a year earlier. Those figures are larger than most of those reported by cybersecurity specialty vendors
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/09/14/alykiekko-tipahtaa-jaahan-bluetooth-kayttoon/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/09/18/delete-testaa-kaytannon-iot-nb-yhteyksia/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT in Action: Developing intelligent solutions that change the world
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/09/05/iot-in-action-developing-intelligent-solutions-that-change-the-world/?acctid=5846
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly changing the world around us and transforming business for the better. Here at Microsoft we’re all in, committing $5 billion to IoT over the next four years. Windows is an essential part of this movement having powered both connected and non-connected devices for years – and it will be part of the new generation of intelligent devices that leverage the power of the cloud and comprise IoT.
As we will discuss throughout this year’s IoT in Action event series, companies need secure devices that can be quickly provisioned, easily managed and seamlessly connected to the cloud to support their overall business strategies. Let’s talk about some essential aspects to consider when developing and deploying your IoT solution.
https://iotinactionevents.com/?ocid=MSFT_WW_EN_IOTALE_OTH_NA_EA_BL_Win_NA_NA
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT in Action: Building secure, sophisticated solutions
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/iot-in-action-building-secure-sophisticated-solutions/?acctid=5845
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reality vs. the Hype: How to Point Out the Real IIoT
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/reality-vs-hype-how-point-out-real-iiot?NL=ED-005&Issue=ED-005_20180919_ED-005_581&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=20021&utm_medium=email&elq2=4268e55e03b54fd6801351281df1d499
The Industrial Internet of Things may not reach broad deployment tomorrow, but it’s coming soon enough—and savvy companies are already making the transition.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is inescapable, in more ways than one. Headline after headline trumpets that the IIoT is transforming industry, which plays well in the investor and consumer communities. But in the engineering world, we’re a little more conservative.
Yes, the connected industrial environment clearly has potential to profoundly impact the way industrial businesses work. That holds for everything from engineering to strategic planning to day-to-day manufacturing operations. Will the industrywide transformation happen next month or next year? Probably not. Should you be crafting your IIoT strategy as though it were? Absolutely, and here’s why.
At its heart, the IIoT is about the power of connectivity. Manually reading out temperature or vibration data from a single motor is of limited value. Being able to access health data on all the motors in the entire plant is enormously powerful. Instead of careening from fault to fault, the engineering staff can move into a predictive maintenance regime.
Multi-location connectivity supports integrated operations management. Here, too, the value is in the volume of the data and its accessibility.
In these times of lean manufacturing, every manufacturer is looking for new ways to save. The interconnected factory of the IIoT makes it possible to monitor the status and power consumption of all devices, creating the fully visible factory.
Are these examples hypothetical? No, they are real, executed with currently available technology that costs less than you would think.
there are a few key techniques for success:
Do your homework.
Have a plan.
Start small.
Play the long game.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Could Interference be a Smart Home Wrecker?
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/could-interference-be-smart-home-wrecker?NL=ED-005&Issue=ED-005_20180919_ED-005_581&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=20021&utm_medium=email&elq2=4268e55e03b54fd6801351281df1d499
Self-interference cancellation technology could very well be the solution to the EMI problem plaguing the 2.4-GHz band.
Interference caused by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and other occupants of the unlicensed 2.4-GHz band is worsening as more wireless users enter the fray. Yet there are ways to mitigate such interference.
Approximately $30 billion worth of smart-home products will ship in 2018, and industry analysts predict global sales will exceed $100 billion by the early 2020s. Wireless security systems, smart appliances (particularly smart TVs), and whole-home Wi-Fi networks are all on the rise.
Unfortunately, interference is a ticking time bomb for smart homes. The typical smart home consists of diverse applications served by different wireless standards. Wi-Fi delivers the high speeds needed to stream video and access the Internet. Zigbee is a good choice for connecting small battery-powered sensors and switches scattered throughout the home. Smart appliances can often be configured via smartphone apps using Bluetooth.
All of these devices compete for access to the same spectrum—the 2.4-GHz ISM band.
Smart homes rely on unlicensed wireless services
Can anything be done to alleviate interference in smart homes? Yes, because it turns out that interference is most problematic in smart-home hubs and “tri-band” Wi-Fi routers—devices that contain two radios. Fortunately, it’s possible to reduce and even eliminate interference in these devices by using self-interference cancellation (SIC) technology.
Key to centralized management and control are smart-home hubs. These units typically contain two or more radios to ensure they can communicate with devices regardless of which wireless standard they use.
However, the Zigbee radio in a smart-home hub can’t hear Zigbee devices while the Wi-Fi radio in the hub is transmitting. Nor do the closest Zigbee nodes have any way of knowing when the hubs’ Wi-Fi radio is going to transmit. As a result, Zigbee messages may be retransmitted over and over.
Zigbee devices are designed to run on the same battery for up to seven years, but that assumes only occasional retransmissions are necessary.
Using SIC, the Wi-Fi radio’s transmit signal can be cancelled out at the input of the Zigbee radio’s receiver, and the Zigbee radio’s transmit signal can be cancelled out at the input of the Wi-Fi radio’s receiver.
The SIC solution consists of a mixed-signal design built around an RFIC.
SIC neutralizes the interfering signal by generating a cancellation signal and applying it at the input of the receiver. The cancellation signal is produced by directly sampling the output of the transmitter and continuously monitoring the environment for reflections. The canceller uses a series of “taps” consisting of attenuators, phase shifters, and delay lines to generate a precision cancellation signal.
Better performance is provided by Wi-Fi mesh nodes equipped with two 5-GHz radios—so-called “tri-band routers.” These routers have three radios: one 5-GHz radio for communicating with 5-GHz client devices, one 5-GHz radio for relaying traffic between nodes, and a 2.4-GHz radio for communicating with older clients that don’t support 5-GHz operation.
SIC technology can be used in combination with filters to enable tri-band routers to use any pair of the six 80-MHz channels allocated in the 5-GHz band.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/09/19/esineiden-internetin-pajatoiminta-suosiossa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
California bill regulates IoT for first time in US
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/09/13/california-bill-regulates-iot-for-first-time-in-us/
California looks set to regulate IoT devices, becoming the first US state to do so and beating the Federal Government to the post.
The State legislature approved ‘SB-327 Information privacy: connected devices’ last Thursday and handed it over to the Governor to sign. The legislation introduces security requirements for connected devices sold in the US. It defines them as any device that connects directly or indirectly to the internet and has an IP or Bluetooth address. That covers an awful lot of devices.
The legislation says:
This bill, beginning on January 1, 2020, would require a manufacturer of a connected device, as those terms are defined, to equip the device with a reasonable security feature or features that are appropriate to the nature and function of the device, appropriate to the information it may collect, contain, or transmit, and designed to protect the device and any information contained therein from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure, as specified.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microcontroller Fortunes Rise with IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333736
The market for microcontrollers is forecast to rise steadily over the next five years, due mostly to the the increasing prevalence of sensors and the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), according to market research firm IC Insights.
MCU shipments are projected to rise by 18% this this year, reaching 30.6 billion units, IC Insights said. The firm forecasts that MCU sales will increase 11% to reach a new all-time high of $18.6 billion this year, with further growth of 9% to $20.4 billion expected in 2019.
Over the next five years, IC Insights predicts that MCU sales will increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2%, reaching nearly $23.9 billion in 2022. Unit shipments are forecast to increase by an 11.1% CAGR over the same period, reaching roughly 43.8 billion units in 2022.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Day When the Industrial IoT Gets Hacked
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333710
The more devices that get connected to the industrial internet of things (IIoT) networks, the more that those networks get hacked and attacked. Cyberattacks of all kinds used to be directed mostly at IT networks but not anymore. Many of today’s attackers are going after the industrial control system (ICS) and operational technology (OT) side of the IIoT.
Here, the threats are potentially larger and much more damaging, from ransomware demands to industrial espionage to altering production process code that can change industrial robot safety levels, affect product contents and manufacturing yields, or even cause massive damage.
From the design engineer’s point of view, effective cybersecurity for ICS and everything else in a firm’s IIoT comprises two different but related efforts:
On one hand, designing security into an embedded device that forms all, or part of, an IIoT endpoint
On the other hand, acquiring and managing cybersecurity technology that protects those devices as they are manufactured in the engineer’s company and as they, and other IIoT devices, are deployed on the company’s factory floor and throughout the plant
Tomi Engdahl says:
Touch Anything And Everything
https://hackaday.com/2018/09/19/touch-anything-and-everything/
Powering IoT devices is often a question of batteries or mains power, but in rare exceptions to this rule there is no power supply (PDF Warning). At the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, San Diego, researchers have gone the extra mile to make advanced backscatter devices, and these new tags don’t need the discrete components we have seen in previous versions. They are calling it LiveTag, and it doesn’t need anything aside from a layer of foil printed or etched on a flexible ceramic-PTEF laminate. PTEF is mostly seen in the RF sector as a substrate for circuit boards.
LiveTag: Sensing Human-Object Interaction Through Passive Chipless WiFi Tags
https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~chuhan/wp-content/uploads/LiveTag_NSDI.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fragmentation, Security Remain Concerns for IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333751
Research for the recent industrial internet of things (IIoT) security Special Report revealed a fundamental lack of awareness among the wider ecosystem about the importance of and need for implementing security in connected devices. Now a new survey confirms that the big issues in IoT continue to be related to fragmentation and security.
The, survey, commissioned by mobile R&D firm InterDigital and carried out by the GSMA, revealed that despite the IoT’s potential, there are significant challenges. Half the respondents identified the development of sustainable business models as the first or second biggest challenges, while the availability of connectivity (42%), security fears (30%), and technical incompatibility (30%) were also highlighted as significant challenges.
Technical incompatibility or interoperability is a clear concern for the mobile industry – 92% of respondents identified fragmentation as a major or moderate issue. Respondents identified connectivity technologies and connectivity management as the areas in greatest need for standardization.
Additional findings from the report include:
North America will lead IoT adoption with 73% of respondents identifying the region as the most likely early adopter of large-scale IoT.
59% of respondents believe IoT growth will be driven by demand for data to develop machine learning and artificial intelligence.
42% of operator respondents expect mobile operators to drive the adoption of the IoT, compared to only 29% of non-operator respondents. Non-operator respondents also view system integrators (SIs) and application developers as key players in IoT adoption.
The future of IoT could be in the hands of new companies, with 64% of respondents believing that new players (39%) and yet-to-emerge companies (25%) will have the most influence over the development of IoT in the next 10 years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microcontroller Fortunes Rise with IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333736
The market for microcontrollers is forecast to rise steadily over the next five years, due mostly to the the increasing prevalence of sensors and the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), according to market research firm IC Insights.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Graphene Research Targets Wireless Sensors for IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332828
Researchers at The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom have embedded graphene sensors into radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices to enable a battery-free, wireless, smart humidity monitor. The work targets Internet of Things (IoT) applications in manufacturing, food safety, health care, and sensitive operating environments such as nuclear waste handling.
The researchers describe their work in a paper just published in Scientific Reports. By layering graphene oxide (GO, a derivative of graphene) over graphene to create a flexible heterostructure, the team developed humidity sensors for remote monitoring with the ability to connect to any wireless network. The experimental device requires no battery source, as it harvests power from the receiver. According to the researchers, the sensors can be printed layer by layer to enable scalable mass production at very low cost.
Graphene Oxide Dielectric Permittivity at GHz and Its Applications for Wireless Humidity Sensing
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16886-1
Tomi Engdahl says:
GeekWire:
A roundup of all the major announcements from Amazon on Thursday, from a new microwave to a subwoofer to new Alexa skills and developer tools — Microwave. Subwoofer. Smart plug. In-car device. — Those are just a handful of the new devices Amazon debuted on Thursday …
Here’s everything Amazon announced Thursday, from microwave to subwoofer to Alexa capabilities
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/heres-everything-amazon-announced-today-microwave-subwoofer-new-alexa-capabilities/
Microwave. Subwoofer. Smart plug. In-car device.
Those are just a handful of the new devices Amazon debuted on Thursday as the tech giant continues to push its voice platform, Alexa, into the home and compete with others building similar technology, including Google and Microsoft.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ashlee Clark Thompson / CNET:
Amazon launches a $59.99 AmazonBasics-branded microwave that works with Alexa-enabled speakers, has built-in WiFi, and an Amazon Dash Replenishment — Amazon will begin to sell its own brand of Wi-Fi-connected microwaves that will respond to voice commands, the company announced Thursday at its headquarters in Seattle.
Amazon’s microwave works with Alexa, automatically reorders popcorn
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-to-make-alexa-powered-microwave/
“Alexa, heat up my Hot Pocket.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon introduces APL, a design language for building Alexa skills for devices with screens, says APL-powered skills coming to Alexa device owners next month — Along with the launch of the all-new Echo Show, the Alexa-powered device with a screen, Amazon also introduced a new design language …
Amazon introduces APL, a new design language for building Alexa skills for devices with screens
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/20/amazon-introduces-apl-a-new-design-language-for-building-alexa-skills-for-devices-with-screens/
Along with the launch of the all-new Echo Show, the Alexa-powered device with a screen, Amazon also introduced a new design language for developers who want to build voice skills that include multimedia experiences.
Called Alexa Presentation Language, or APL, developers will be able to build voice-based apps that also include things like images, graphics, slideshows and video, and easily customize them for different device types – including not only the Echo Show, but other Alexa-enabled devices like Fire TV, Fire Tablet, and the small screen of the Alexa alarm clock, the Echo Spot.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 14 biggest announcements from Amazon’s surprise hardware event
https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/20/17883242/amazon-alexa-event-2018-news-recap-echo-auto-dot-sub-link-auto-microwave
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial IoT — Using Telematics to Improve Predictive Maintenance
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/youmeandtechnology18/articles/industrial-iot-using-telematics-to-improve-predictive-maintenance
Predictive maintenance tools can be used to identify problems before they occur, thereby allowing fleet managers to avoid costly and risky breakdowns
The term “fleet management” refers to the optimization of certain aspects of fleet operations — namely, costs, risks, and efficiency. This applies to all commercial fleets, including motor vehicles like cars, vans, and trucks; aircraft such as planes and helicopters; ships; and even railroad cars. Fleet management is a crucial part of ensuring that shipping and delivery businesses run smoothly.
Fleet companies can gain a lot from predictive maintenance. The most obvious benefit is that this technology can help fleet owners reduce costs by lowering the frequency of repairs and risks of accidents. A report in Automotive Fleet Magazine reveals that the annual accident rate for commercial truck fleets is at 20%. Fleet drivers generally drive more miles than do normal drivers, which is why they post higher crash rates and repair needs. Truck accidents not only result in higher insurance premiums, but there is also a loss in productivity and revenue to factor into the equation, not to mention the very real risks with which drivers have to contend
Predictive maintenance can also improve fuel efficiency. Data from connected vehicles can reveal factors that waste fuel, such as keeping the engine running, poor route planning, and speeding.
This technology is constantly evolving and will continue to impact the trucking sector. For instance, AI may have other purposes besides predictive maintenance. Currently, it is being developed for driverless technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industry 4.0: The Smart Industrial Revolution
https://semiengineering.com/industry-4-0-the-smart-industrial-revolution/
Thanks to an abundance of connected sensors and analytics, a new generation of manufacturing is arriving.
As consumers, we see evidence of the Internet of Things (IoT) all around us. A growing number of everyday objects in our homes and cars are now digitally connected in a way that allows us to interact with them. Even mundane items such as keychains and wallets can be made smart with trackers and mobile device apps. A similar revolution is occurring in some workplaces, with the growing ability to track factory operations and use the data to improve those operations. This trend toward connectivity, and the greater level of automation it enables, is sometimes referred to as Industry 4.0.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How much control goes to the cloud?
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/how-much-control-goes-to-the-cloud/41585c7f36c6369fc21e84cbbe7123b6.html?OCVALIDATE=
Cloud computing is gaining ground as industrial plants become more efficient, but it’s important to recognize where computing is needed and where it should be taking place.
Many process engineers would be happy to apply the mantra “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” principle to their systems, meaning, “What happens in operations stays in operations.” To process engineers, all automation, control, and instrumentation applications should stay in the plant. It’s more reliable and secure that way. And that’s the way it was―until a few years ago. A shift is taking place.
In a drive for efficiency and having a competitive advantage, companies are turning to cloud computing as a way to gather production data, crunch the numbers, and feed selected results to management, to analysts, to suppliers, to vendors, and in some cases, back to the plant. Call it the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industrie 4.0, or enhanced supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), but the digital transformation of industrial production is well underway.
Because this radically departs from the way things have been for decades, many questions arise like: What about security? Are the connections reliable? Isn’t this just what we’ve always been doing, with a new name?
As companies move beyond the pilot stage and begin to implement full-scale IIoT and Industrie 4.0 systems, another question often coming up is: How much control goes to the cloud? Or, how much data processing should be done in the cloud?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrie 4.0′s potential to change manufacturing
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/industrie-40-s-potential-to-change-manufacturing/14bbc4f110bd32f97241fadaa336fe6a.html?OCVALIDATE=
Industrie 4.0 has great potential for manufacturing, but it is only successful if it provides value and deliver real and tangible benefits to a company’s operations.
The Industrie 4.0 Roadmap from MESA International provides manufacturing companies with a guide for their Industrie 4.0 journey and a framework for building detailed plans to achieve their Industrie 4.0 goals, which include:
Business strategy
Empowered teams
Streamlined processes
Connective technologies
Connected things through the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
There’s many different reasons why an Industrie 4.0 project can fail. It can go overbudget, get behind on schedule, not be accepted by the end users, be too complicated, or not work as advertised.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8463-iot-n-tulevaisuuden-maaraa-softa
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8457-arduino-rakentelijoiden-kortista-ammattilaisten-alustaksi
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/09/19/selvitys-bigdata-ja-iot-avuksi-kiertotalouteen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why the IIoT is So Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333693
We are seeing a number of attacks both on industrial control systems (ICS) and on the operational technology (OT) side of the industrial IoT (IIoT) with increasing frequency.
Why is the IIoT so vulnerable to cyberattacks?
We talked to ICS and OT specialists at major cybersecurity solutions providers, as well as key industry analysts, to suss out the answers.
everal elements that have combined to create a perfect storm over the last few years:
a big increase in the number of sensors and devices being connected to each organization’s IIoT, forming a huge potential attack surface
decades-old OT equipment and control systems never designed for exposure to the internet and, therefore, not designed for security
a patchwork of OT and control systems from multiple vendors running proprietary and non-updatable software, including human-machine-interface (HMI) computers with access to remote terminal units (RTUs), SCADAmaster (supervisory control computers), and programmable logic controllers (PLCs)
poor or absent cybersecurity practices and technology, including a lack of either designed for the very different ICS/OT environment, not the IT environment
lack of budgets, or insufficient budgets, for implementing cybersecurity awareness, monitoring, and prevention technology
a steep escalation in the numbers and types of attackers