IoT trends 2019

IoT is already completely entrenched in our society across end-market segments, but there are still enormous challenges around the design, development, and deployment of devices and services for the IoT, with security at the top of the list in 2019.

Here are some IoT trends for year 2019 to watch:

More device: There are four times as many devices connected to the Internet as there are people in the world, and the number of devices is increasing rapidly. There are computers, smart phones and many different kind of connected devices. Gartner forecasts that 14.2 billion connected things will be in use in 2019, and that the total will reach 25 billion by 2021,

Voice: The integration of voice into IoT devices creates an user experience that many consumers seem to enjoy. The next few years will see voice automation take over many aspects of our lives. The current major players in the IoT voice world are Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri,  and Google Assistant. Microsoft’s Cortana seems to have already lost in the game as Satya Nadella says Cortana won’t challenge Alexa and Google Assistant directly; Microsoft will focus on making it a skill on other voice platforms instead. Voice won’t change everything but it will be one part of a movement that heralds a new way to think about our relationship with devices and data. Consider voice as a type of user interface to be added to the existing list of UI technologies. Voice will not kill brands, it won’t hurt keyboard sales or touchscreen devices — it will become an additional way to do stuff; it is incremental. We need to learn to design around it.Deloitte expects the sales of 164 million smart speakers at an average price of $43 in 2019. The smart speaker market will be worth more than $7 billion next year, increasing 63% from 2018’s $4.3 billion.

Automobiles: Automobiles are leading the way in IoT adoption. Gartner predicts that one in five cars will be connected by 2020. Both Google and Apple have tools that allow drivers to control calls, listen to messages and control apps using voice.

IoT clouds: Developing for the Internet of Things is a complex endeavor, and nobody wants to do it from scratch. IoT data platforms offer a jumping-off point by combining many of the tools needed to manage a deployment from device management to data prediction and insights into one service. There are many IoT cloud platforms to choose from.  All cloud platforms have their own distinctive areas of pros and cons. Ultimately the project needs and cost-effectiveness determine whom to choose. Utilizing cloud services also brings new potential risks that are good to understand already at the beginning of the project. I wrote on article to Uusiteknologia.fi magazine issue 2/2018 on IoT cloud platforms.

Digital Twins: Digital twin tech, or a virtual representation of a product, is a critical concept in IoT that’s still being sorted out. Digital twin refers to a digital replica of physical assets (physical twin), processes, people, places, systems and devices that can be used for various purposes. Definitions of digital twin technology emphasize two important characteristics: connection from the physical model to the corresponding virtual model and this connection is established by generating real time data using sensors. Physical objects and twin models interact. Digital twins applications typically integrate internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and software analytics with spatial network graphs to create living digital simulation models that update and change as their physical counterparts change. In various industrial sectors, twins are being used to optimize the operation and maintenance of physical assets, systems and manufacturing processes.

Edge computing: The shift from centralized and cloud to edge architectures is well under way in the IoT space. In the future, computing the edge of the network will become an increasingly important way of processing data from networked devices and sensor networksCompared to traditional centralized cloud computing, the new edge computing brings computing servers closer to the edge of the communications network. Compared to cloud centered IoT solutions, edge computing allow for lower delays and more reliable operation with respect to cloud services. At the same time, it promises improved security as not all potentially sensitive information needs to be transferred from the site to cloud. However, this is not the end point because the neat set of layers associated with edge architecture will evolve to a more unstructured architecture comprising of a wide range of “things” and services connected in a dynamic mesh. In thins kind of system data processing can be done on almost all network devices from IoT modules to gateways and in the future to 5G base stations.  Relevant standardizing organizations on this field are Edge Computing Consortium Europe, OpenFog Consortium and Industrial Internet Consortium.

5G: 5G networks start to arrive. The standards for 5G will be defined in large part by the direct integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices into global networks and devices. 5G networks are expected to be 10 to 100 times faster than current LTE technology. If you are in need for very high speed, your application resides inside the small 5G test networks coverage areas and your IoT device is allowed to consume considerable amount of power (more than 4G solutions), then you might be able to consider 5G. For all other cases I don’t see 5G would offer much for IoT applications in 2019. There is not yet ready 5G standards specifically designed for IoT applications. So for 2019 IoT and IIoT will need to be pretty much stick to 4G technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M. For 5G to shape industrial computing application in larger scale than just some small tests we will have to wait till 2020. Addressing the issues behind Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices and 5G is important in next few years. Qualcomm, the largest supplier of modem chips used in smartphones, has introduced the X50 modem to give IIoT devices the ability to communicate over 5G networks. Beware of “fake 5G” marketing in 2019. The promise is that 5G will enable the future enterprise technologies everyone is predicting and waiting for: fleets of self-driving delivery trucks, virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and a world of enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) deployments — systems that will define an era that the World Economic Forum termed the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.”  Those promises will take years to realize, you will not see most of them in real use in 2019.

AI: Number one in Gartner’s predictions, no surprise, is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be talked a lot with bold claims that AI goes from expert-only to everywhere. I would not expect it to be everywhere in 2019. Gartner, said in a statement, “AI will be applied to a wide range of IoT information, including video, still images, speech, network traffic activity, and sensor data.” At the moment many neural network systems are power hungry when implemented with traditional computer hardware. “For example, the performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) is often limited by memory bandwidth, rather than processing power.” By 2023, it’s expected that new special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN, enabling new edge architectures and embedded DNN functions in low-power IoT endpoints.

IIoT: The concept of a Smart Factory is composed of many different physical and informational subsystems, such as actuators and sensors, control systems, product management systems and manufacturing systems that all work together.  This is a very complex system. It is critical to understand differing operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) priorities to achieve collaboration and integration. Without this, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control projects will fail. Also finding the right Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) vendor partner is crucial to success. OPC Foundation has on initiative to extend OPC UA out to field devices to provide vendor-neutral, end-to-end interoperability beyond the plant. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) network works well for OPC UA applications.

Value chain: IoT as an umbrella term will diminish. There are strong views that “Internet of things is not valuable in and of itself” so the conversation is going to shift away from an ambiguous buzzword to the actual use of technology. For product designers this means that when we design our connected world, we need to pull ourselves away from the cool technology that we are building and look at the system through our customers’ eyes. The sales pitch will be more like “It’s about the use cases, it’s about the solutions, it’s about the applications, managing and monitoring assets, performance management solutions, different kinds of solutions coming together to solve a problem—that’s really what the value proposition is.”

IoT platforms: IoT vendors will compete to be the destination for IoT platforms. The IoT supply chain has been moving toward more collaboration to provide development and design kits designed for specific use cases and industries. IoT development kits are sold more and more with bundled IoT could service offer. IoT cloud service providers offer and recommend hardware that is tested to work well with their platforms. IoT platform vendors will be narrowing their scope in 2019, honing in on specific use cases. Business professionals aren’t looking for one industrial IoT platform to manage every process going on at their company, they are instead looking for platforms that specialize in specific tasks.

New development kits: A new breed of development kits is incorporating the three tenets of IoT design — ease of use, security, and business value. The promise is that the design engineers don’t need to have specialized expertise in several areas like networking protocols or security-related tasks, enabling a much faster development time. One way to simplifying design work is by intelligently reusing the fundamental building blocks.

Security: Wireless IoT devices are considered a major threat to the security of industrial networks. A growing number of embedded systems are open to security threats as a result of increasing connectivity and IoT device adoption. And it’s costing OEMs a lot in terms of money and reputation. A 2018 Gartner Inc. survey found that nearly 20% of organizations surveyed experienced at least one IoT-based attack in the past three years. IoT security is already a 1.5 billion dollar market. The market research firm Garnet expects that global spending on IoT security will rise to $3.1 billion in 2021, up from $1.5 billion in 2018. It is not about the spending on IoT security products. Already “a significant portion of OEMs’ existing in-house labor cost is already dedicated to addressing security” and is rising faster than development costs. VDC pegs the worldwide embedded engineering labor spend related to security at $11.6 billion in 2017, representing nearly 8% of the overall cost of embedded engineering labor. There will be different kind of certification marks for IoT product cyber security – some mandated with laws on some countries and some voluntary. 5G is going to increase security risks. Do we understand the 5G security threats to come? Most probably not because we don’t seem to understand well even that 5G really is.

eSIM: The embedded SIM card has been spoken for a long time, and even the first smartphones in which the SIM card has been implemented with an integrated circuit have already been introduced to the market. Infineon has presented the world’s first industrially qualified eSIM. Of course, eSIM shares opinions. Many operators do not like it.

Infonomics and Data Broking: Last year’s Gartner survey of IoT projects showed 35 percent of respondents were selling or planning to sell data collected by their products and services.“Data is the fuel that powers the IoT and the organization’s ability to derive meaning from it will define their long term success,” This brings us to Social, Legal and Ethical IoT because“ Successful deployment of an IoT solution demands that it’s not just technically effective but also socially acceptable,” It is possible tha tIoT Firms Face a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Lawsuits.

IoT Governance: As the IoT continues to expand, the need for a governance framework that ensures appropriate behavior in the creation, storage, use and deletion of information related to IoT projects will become increasingly important. We also need to manage IoT devices to keep them secure and make sure that they do what they are supposed to do. A market for IoT managed services will develop to help manage and operate fragmented IoT assets. “The idea of managing the ongoing end-to-end life cycle of a connected product is becoming more important, and ultimately this managed service opportunity is going to need momentum in the coming year,”

New Wireless Technologies: IoT networking involves balancing a set of competing requirements, such as endpoint cost, power consumption, bandwidth, latency, connection density, operating cost, quality of service, and range. No single networking technology optimizes all of these.

Trusted Hardware and Operating System: Gartner surveys invariably show that security is the most significant area of technical concern for organizations deploying IoT systems. Today organizations often don’t have control over the source and nature of the software and hardware being utilised in IoT initiatives. “However, by 2023, we expect to see the deployment of hardware and software combinations that together create more trustworthy and secure IoT systems.

Home automation: Arm predicts that the intelligent home goes mainstream. In survey results they published two-thirds of respondents said technology became “more a part of my life” during 2018. Cisco Systems is saying connected homes will be a big driver for the Internet of Things. “Connected home applications, such as home automation, home security and video surveillance, connected white goods, and tracking applications, will represent 48%, or nearly half, of the total M2M connections by 2022, showing the pervasiveness of M2M in our lives,” Cisco states in its new white paper, Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Trends, 2017-2022. The market is starting slowly. Bundled IoT services will try to motivate a slow consumer market.

Smart cities: Cities are becoming smarter and smarter in an effort to improve efficiency in operations. Smart cities bring in both benefits and risks. Between smart lighting, traffic controls, and public transportation, smart cities are bringing in a whole new family of threat vectors. Cybercriminals will target smart cities with ransomware attacks. Smart cities need to take precautions.

Silicon Chip Innovation: “Currently, most IoT endpoint devices use conventional processor chips, with low-power ARM architectures being particularly popular. However, traditional instruction sets and memory architectures aren’t well-suited to all the tasks that endpoints need to perform,” New special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN. Very low power circuit designs are important in many applications. Battery-powered designs require complex optimizations for power in the context of area, performance and functionality. Devices that work without battery and gather operating power from environment are maybe even more challenging. Clearly, sensors are a big part of any connected device, and there is a lot of innovation occurring in this market that delivers new features — think AI — all housed in smaller packaging.

Open source: 2019 Will Be the Year of Open Source in IoT and embedded systems applications. From software and even hardware, we saw more activity in open source than ever before in 2018. And the momentum isn’t likely to slow down in 2019. Arduino is pushing strongly to IoT markets with MKR1000 series of IoT boards. Raspberry Pi is very widely used in IoT systems, especially on prototyping and small scale deployments

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Links to other articles for IoT trends for 2019:

Internet of Things in 2019: Five predictions

Kymmenen tulevaisuuden kuluttajatrendiä ja ilmiötä

Deloitte’s 9 tech predictions for 2019

New Chip Architectures, Sensors and Trust in Top 10 IoT Trends (Gartner presented its top 10 strategic IoT technology trends)

Week In Review: IoT, Security, Auto (predictions from Arm, Deloitte and Juniper Research)

Predictions 2019: The Internet Of Things

Gartner Identifies Top 10 Strategic IoT Technologies and Trends

 

1,309 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Mihin IoT on menossa? Lataa e-kirja ilmaiseksi
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12498-mihin-iot-on-menossa-lataa-e-kirja-ilmaiseksi

    Farnell on julkaissut uuden raportin, jossa analysoidaan esineiden internetin (IoT) suuntauksia kolmen vuoden datankeruun ja tutkimuksen perusteella. The Future is IoT – Analyzing Industry Trends -raportti on saatavana ilmaisena e -kirjana ja äänikirjana, joka tarjoaa suunnittelijoille insinööreille arvokasta tietoa ja analyysiä IoT:n tulevaisuudesta.

    Raportin mukaan tietoturva on IoT-ratkaisuja suunnittelevien insinöörien suurin huolenaihe ja erittäin tärkeä prioriteetti. Nopeimmin IoT kasvaa teollisuuden automaatiossa, erityisesti koneiden välisinä yhteyksinä ja etävalvontana.

    Suosituin alusta toteuttaa IoT on korttitietokone. Yhä useammin ne liitetään verkkoon langattomasti, mikä on ohittanut langallisten liitäntöjen määrän.

    Raportin pääsee lataamaan täältä.
    https://uk.farnell.com/the-future-is-iot-ebook

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Nb-iot-verkko osoittautui raakileeksi – ”antureiden piti olla halpoja ja verkon yltää joka kolkkaan”
    TIVI26.8.202109:39DIGITALOUSIOT
    Kapeakaistainen älykäs radiolinkkiverkkotekniikka melkein katosi markkinoilta, mutta sen voi vielä löytää tutkimuslaboratorioista.
    https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/nb-iot-verkko-osoittautui-raakileeksi-antureiden-piti-olla-halpoja-ja-verkon-yltaa-joka-kolkkaan/80d65a48-445c-4e18-a102-f0cabb58e56c

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Feature-packed i.MX 8M Plus SBC offers dual GbE, PCIe, RS485, CAN Bus, 4G & 5G modems, and more
    https://www.cnx-software.com/2021/08/27/i-mx8m-plus-sbc-dual-gbe-pcie-rs485-can-bus-4g-5g-modems/

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Speden salattu elämä
    https://www.veikkaus.fi/fi/x/speden-salattu-elama

    Spede Pasanen loi Uuno Turhapuron, Kymppitonnin ja Speden Spelit, mutta kansanviihdyttäminen oli pelkkä leipätyö. Todellinen elämäntehtävä oli keksintöjen kehittely tuntemattoman tosiystävän Raimo Kaukisen kanssa. Vierailu kaksikon keksintöpajalla todistaa, että vaikka Spede kuoli, hänen ideansa ja tuhannet tarinat elävät.

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    200 Years Ago, Faraday Invented the Electric Motor After Faraday published his results, his mentor accused him of plagiarism
    https://spectrum.ieee.org/200-years-ago-faraday-invented-the-electric-motor

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    OpenRemote fully open-source IoT platform targets OEMs and DIY projects
    https://www.cnx-software.com/2021/09/03/openremote-fully-open-source-iot-platform-targets-oems-and-diy-projects/

    OpenRemote claims to be a 100% open-source IoT platform suitable for DIYs as well as OEMs. The asset management platform can help with the tracking of vehicle fleets, energy systems, or crowds, help to build smart cities, smart buildings, smart airports, and more.

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Why Blockchain-Based Cloud Computing Could Be the Future of IoT
    https://dzone.com/articles/why-blockchain-based-cloud-computing-could-be-the

    With the fast internet and extremely smart devices, the web of data possesses the current world. This data is crucial to control devices, communicate with them, and execute tasks. Currently, due to the invention of high-speed networks such as 5G, the IoT is expanding its coverage in the market and using this data. As per the report shared by Gartner, IoT is expected to establish a network of more than 25 billion devices globally by 2021.

    Now, with the adoption of IoT in more devices, it is also possible that data security threats such as hacking and data breaching increase significantly. So, to protect the IoT trending technology against such issues, blockchain technology comes into the picture. Blockchain networks are known to be more secure, cryptic, and reliable in terms of securing and keeping data safe. Thus, blockchain technology is also expanding along with the IoT to keep it safe.

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Suunnittele IoT-laitteesi verkossa
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12530-suunnittele-iot-laitteesi-verkossa

    Renesas on laajentanut suosittua pilvipohjaista Lab on the Cloud -ympäristöään yksinkertaistaakseen IoT-laitteiden määritys- ja testausprosessia sekä nopeuttaakseen tuotteiden markkinoille tuomista. ”Labrassa” on paranneltu käyttöliittymää ja lisätty uusia suunnitteluparametreja.

    Lab on the Cloud -palvelun avulla asiakkaat voivat etäkäyttää, konfiguroida, testata, valvoa ja mitata Renesas-ratkaisuja 24/7-periaatteella toimivassa, pilveen yhdistetyssä laboratoriossa. Se sisältää suosittujen laitteiden arviointikortteja, Renesasin todistettuja konsepteja (proof of concepts) ja muita Renesasin kumppaneiden ratkaisuja. Käyttäjät voivat käyttää laboratoriota kätevän PC-pohjaisen graafisen käyttöliittymän kautta, jonka avulla he voivat heti aloittaa mallien konfiguroinnin ja testaamisen ilman fyysistä korttia.

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Review: Hands On With The Swarm Satellite Network Eval Kit
    https://hackaday.com/2021/09/07/review-hands-on-with-the-swarm-satellite-network-eval-kit/

    If you have devices out in the field, you probably want to connect with them. There was a time when that was hard to do, requiring telephone wires or specialized radio gear. Now cellular data is prevalent, but even cellular isn’t everywhere. If you have the cash, you can pay a number of satellite companies to carry your data, but that’s generally pricey and has its own challenges.

    The age of satellite constellations is changing that. Of course everyone by now has heard of Starlink which is offering satellite internet via numerous satellites that are much smaller than traditional telecom satellites. But they’re not the only came in town.

    A company called Swarm has put up a constellation of 1/4U cube satellites in low orbits. They offer a ground station that uses an omni antenna and a subscription access program for small amounts of data. They sent us a unit to review, and while I haven’t used the system in a real project yet, the kit was pretty impressive.

    https://swarm.space/our-technology/

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://hackaday.com/2021/09/07/review-hands-on-with-the-swarm-satellite-network-eval-kit/

    There are a few other companies trying to be the satellite provider of choice for IoT applications. There is OqTec, Orbcomm, Kepler Communications, and Fleet along with doubtless other contenders. StarLink will probably be a player in this space too, but so far its been making a splash in providing internet connections. There are also a lot of traditional names like Hughes, GlobalStar, and Iridium that have some IoT product in the market or, at least, announced. However, Swarm seems pretty hacker-friendly compared to some of the other choices.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wave-Power System Aims to Create “Smart Oceans”
    Sept. 9, 2021
    Can energy harvested from ocean waves power a smarter, cleaner “blue economy?” An autonomous offshore power system built by C-Power with the help of Vicor could finally be the solution.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/power-management/whitepaper/21174913/electronic-design-wavepower-system-aims-to-create-smart-oceans?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Analog%20%26%20Power%20Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS210901065&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    “Works With” Conference: How is the Medical IoT Changing Healthcare?
    Sept. 14, 2021
    The seminar will feature a panel discussion of the impact of IoT in the healthcare industry and approaches that tech companies can take to best meet the needs of healthcare professionals.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/iot/article/21175321/electronic-design-works-with-conference-how-is-the-medical-iot-changing-healthcare?utm_source=EG%20ED%20IoT%20for%20Engineers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS210901102&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    Silicon Labs is hosting a panel of IoT and healthcare experts to discuss the rapidly evolving role that the Internet of Things is playing in healthcare delivery at its Works With online seminar, held September 14-15. Titled “IoT is Changing Healthcare – Now Adoption is Critical,” the panel will kick off Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 1:45 PM CDT and be moderated by Stacey Higginbotham, founder of Stacey on IoT. Higginbotham and her panelists will explore the benefits and challenges involved with adopting IoT in the healthcare industry and how tech companies must adapt to the needs of healthcare professionals.

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ethernet kiihdyttää siirtymistä Teollisuus 4.0:een
    https://etn.fi/index.php/tekniset-artikkelit/12575-ethernet-kiihdyttaeae-siirtymistae-teollisuus-4-0-een

    Neljäs teollinen vallankumous muuttaa tapaamme luoda tuotteita tuotanto- ja prosessitilojemme digitalisoinnin ansiosta. Vallankumouksen keskiössä on aikasensitiivinen, teollinen Ethernet.

    Miksi teollinen Ethernet?

    Liitettävyys on keskeinen osa Teollisuus 4.0 -visiota. Kolmen asian täytyy toteutua, jotta voimme tarjota aidosti verkotetun ympäristön. Ensinnäkin korkeamman tason tietotekniikan (IT) tai yritysinfrastruktuurin on lähennyttävä tehtaan ohjausverkkoa (OT). Toiseksi tehtaiden olemassa olevien verkkojen tai tuotantosolujen on toimittava yhdessä. Kolmanneksi tarvitsemme saumattomasti toimivia ja suojattuja yhteyksiä prosessiympäristöissämme aina prosessitasolta yrityksen pilveen.

    Näihin haasteisiin vastaamiseksi meidän on otettava käyttöön verkkoteknologiaa, joka tukee yhteentoimivuutta, laajennettavuutta ja tavoittavuutta. Ethernet nousee ihanteelliseksi ratkaisuksi, koska se on hyvin ymmärretty tekniikka ja laajasti käytössä. Se tarjoaa suuren kaistanleveyden, mahdollistaa nopean käyttöönoton ja sitä käytetään myös laajasti kaikkien tuotantoympäristöjen IT-infrastruktuurissa.

    Standardi-Ethernet ei ole toteuttamiskelpoinen ratkaisu teolliselle ohjausverkolle, kun otetaan huomioon reaaliaikaisuuden tarve. OT-verkon on varmistettava, että viesti toimitetaan ajoissa sinne, missä sitä tarvitaan. Tämä varmistaa meneillään olevan tehtävän tai prosessin oikean toiminnan. Liikenteen reititys TCP/IP-protokollalla ei luonnostaan takaa tätä deterministisen suorituskyvyn tasoa. Samalla tavalla kuin standardi-Ethernet mahdollistaa tiedostojen jakamisen tai pääsyn verkkolaitteisiin, kuten tulostimiin, teollinen Ethernet antaa ohjaimille pääsyn dataan ja sallii komentojen lähettämisen PLC-logiikkaohjaimista antureille, toimilaitteille ja roboteille, jotka on hajautettu eri puolille tehdasta. Keskeinen ero löytyy viivästyneiden tai toimittamattomien viestien vaikutuksesta. Jos ei-reaaliaikaisissa sovelluksissa verkkosivu päivittyy hitaasti, vaikutus on vähäinen, kun taas tuotantoympäristössä vaikutus voi olla suuri hukkaan menevistä materiaaleista aina työntekijöiden onnettomuuksiin asti. Jotta ohjausjärjestelmät toimisivat, viestin täytyy päästä päämääräänsä luotettavasti, ajallaan ja joka kerta.

    Tämän seurauksena teollinen Ethernet on noussut OT-ohjauksen ykköstekniikaksi. Tavoitteena on mahdollistaa saumaton liitettävyys paitsi IT- ja korkean tason OT-verkkojen välillä, myös suoraan tehtaan OT-verkon eri kerrosten läpi aina anturitasolle, kuten kuviossa 3 esitetään. Nykyisin yhtenäistä IT/OT-verkkoa vaativissa tilanteissa tarvitaan monimutkaisia, tehosyöppöjä yhdyskäytäviä, jotka mahdollistavat yhteyden OT-verkon alemmilta tasoilta Ethernetiin korkeammille tasoille. Koko tehtaan kattavan, Ethernet-pohjaisen automaatioverkon käyttö poistaisi näiden yhdyskäytävien tarpeen ja yksinkertaistaisi itse verkkoa. Itse asiassa protokollayhdyskäytävät, joita nyt käytetään kääntämään ja mahdollistamaan yhteys OT-verkon ylempään kerrokseen, eivät ole suoraan osoitettavissa. Tämä on johtanut verkon eristykseen. Tämä datan eristyminen rajoittaa mahdollisuutta jakaa informaatiota koko tehtaan tasolla. Tämä on vastoin aiemmin kuvattua Teollisuus 4.0:n visiota, jossa valmistajat haluavat kerätä telemetriadataa OT-puolelta palvelemaan analytiikkaa ja liiketoimintaprosessien ohjaamista IT-puolella.

    Koska deterministinen ja oikein ajoitettu datapakettien toimitus on ohjaussovellusten kannalta pakollinen vaatimus, monet toimittajat ryhtyivät tarjoamaan OT-verkkoihin sopivia reaaliaikaisia protokollia.

    Vastaus löytyy aikasensitiivisestä verkosta (TSN, time sensitive networking). Tällainen on valmistajariippumaton, IEEE 802.1 -määritykseen perustuva, reaaliaikainen Ethernet-standardi. Kuten nimestä voi päätellä, TSN keskittyy aikaan. Tämä standardi muuttaa tavanomaista Ethernet-tiedonsiirtoa niin, että kriittisille sovelluksille annetaan ajoitustakuut. Se on suunniteltu varmistamaan, että tiedot saadaan siirrettyä pisteestä toiseen kiinteässä ja ennalta määrätyssä ajassa. Tällä tavalla TSN antaa takuun viestien oikea-aikaisesta välityksestä. Jotta viestintä olisi ennustettavissa, verkon laitteilla on oltava yhteinen aikakäsitys. Standardi määrittelee keinon lähettää tiettyjä TSN-Ethernet-kehyksiä aikataulutetusti ja mahdollistaa muiden kuin TSN-kehysten lähettämisen parhaalla mahdollisella hetkellä (best effort, ks. kuva 4). Tällä tavalla TSN mahdollistaa reaaliaikaisen ja ei-reaaliaikaisen liikenteen rinnakkaiselon samassa verkossa. Koska kaikki laitteet jakavat saman ajan, tärkeitä tietoja voidaan lähettää pienellä ja vähän muuttuvalla viiveellä jopa gigabitin nopeudella.

    Tavoitteena on yhdistetty verkko, jossa protokollat voivat jakaa yhteyden deterministisellä ja luotettavalla menetelmällä. TSN on standardien työkalupakki, joka tarjoaa vaaditun determinismin. Se edustaa siirtymistä luotettavaan ja standardoituun yhteysarkkitehtuuriin poistamalla omien kenttäväylien käytöstä aiheutuvan datan eristämisen. Tämä verkkojen lähentyminen tukee kasvavaa datamäärää verkon lisääntyneen skaalautuvuuden ansiosta kaistanleveyksillä 10 Mbps – 1 Gbps ja senkin yli.

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Revolutionize Remote Wireless Monitoring with AI and High-Energy Lithium Batteries
    Sept. 10, 2021
    With our nation’s hard infrastructure, there’s a growing need for battery-powered, AI-enabled remote wireless devices that communicate bidirectionally, helping decision makers apply resources more strategically to repair and maintain these assets.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/article/21174995/ayyeka-technologies-revolutionize-remote-wireless-monitoring-with-ai-and-highenergy-lithium-batteries?utm_source=EG%20ED%20IoT%20for%20Engineers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS210908124&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    What you’ll learn:

    Our nation’s aging infrastructure requires the implementation of Infrastructure 4.0 to better manage and maintain these valuable assets.
    Remote wireless devices are being used to improve management and maintenance of hard infrastructure to provide greater insight enhanced by AI.
    Ideally, low-power wireless devices deployed throughout hard infrastructure need highly energetic batteries capable of supporting bidirectional communications necessary to provide actionable real-time data to better manage and maintain these assets.
    Bobbin-type LiSOCl2 batteries deliver high capacity, high energy density, an extended temperature range, and very low annual self-discharge rate, suiting them for long-term deployments in harsh environments.

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Researchers Are Bending Memory for IoT Products
    By Francisco Pires 15 days ago
    A flexible storage solution based on phase-change materials.
    https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/news/researchers-achieve-breakthrough-in-bendable-memory

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Winged Microchips, the Smallest of Their Kind, Could Fly Themselves Into a Wide-Area Sensor Network
    https://www.hackster.io/news/winged-microchips-the-smallest-of-their-kind-could-fly-themselves-into-a-wide-area-sensor-network-d0523a98695e

    Claimed by their creators to be the smallest man-made flying structures around, these microfliers could one day power broad sensor networks.

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Cheap Sensors for Smarter Farmers Two IoT sensors from this year’s ARPA-E Summit can help farmers make better decisions
    https://spectrum.ieee.org/precision-agriculture

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Maailman ensimmäinen lentävä mikropiiri
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12617-maailman-ensimmaeinen-lentaevae-mikropiiri

    Mitä jos ihmisjoukkoja voisi valvoa pienillä lentävillä mikropiireillä? Hiekanjyvän kokoisilla, joita ihmissilmän on vaikea erottaa? Tämä kuulostaa scifi-dystopialta, mutta Northwestern universityn tutkijat ovat rakentaneet tällaisen lentävän mikropiirin.

    Noin hiekanjyvän kokoisella lentävällä mikrosirulla ei ole moottoria. Sen sijaan pienet laitteet sieppaavat tuulen ja lentävät (tai kelluvat) samalla tavalla kuin vaahteran siemenpalot.

    Rakenne tarkoittaa samalla siltä, että suoran putoamisen sijaan nämä mikrodronet (microfliers) putoavat hitaammin ja hallitusti. Tämän laskeutumisen aikana niitä voidaan käyttää ilmakehän eri olosuhteiden mittaamiseen.

    Mikroskooppiset droonit koostuvat kahdesta osasta, elektronisten komponenttien ja antureiden alustasta ja siivistä laskeutumisen hallitsemiseksi.

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
    Amazon’s head of hardware Dave Limp underscores how Amazon’s new devices aid its push toward a future with “ambient intelligence”

    Amazon’s race to create the disappearing computer
    Ambient computing is here; now what?
    https://www.theverge.com/22696187/amazon-alexa-ambient-disappearing-computer-limp-interview?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Qualcomm rolls out IoT-as-a-service for 30 different verticals
    Smart airports, smart retail, warehouse management, traffic management and more — Qualcomm dives deep into the needs of different verticals to offer specialized, comprehensive IoT services.
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/qualcomm-rolls-out-iot-as-a-service-for-30-different-verticals/

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Global supply chains are struggling. The IoT could help
    Businesses are stepping up their use of Internet of Things technologies to help them make supply chains more effective.
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/global-supply-chains-are-struggling-the-iot-could-help/

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wi-SUN: A Targeted Wireless Option for IoT
    Oct. 4, 2021
    Sponsored by Texas Instruments: Ideal for applications aimed at smart cities or the smart grid, the self-forming, self-healing Wi-SUN mesh network is scalable to several thousand nodes.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/iot/article/21175580/texas-instruments-wisun-a-targeted-wireless-option-for-iot?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Analog%20%26%20Power%20Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS211004054&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    Wi-SUN Overview

    Wi-SUN stands for “Wireless Smart Ubiquitous Network.” It’s also sometimes referred to as the Wireless Smart Utility Network. For large Wi-SUN nets, the term field area network (FAN) is used. In general, it’s a self-forming, self-healing mesh network scalable to several thousand nodes.

    The standard is developed and maintained by the Wi-SUN Alliance, an organization of users, vendors, and service providers more than 200 strong. It also serves as a certification authority that does testing of products to ensure interoperability amongst products from all vendors.

    Wi-SUN technology is based on the IEEE 802-15.4g standard. As you may recall, the 802.15.4 standard is the basis for many other wireless standards, most notably Zigbee. Others include ISA100a, WirelessHART, Thread, MiWi, and 6LoWPAN. The original standard employs direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) and binary phase-shift-keying (BPSK) modulation and operates in several frequency bands at different data rates.

    The most used spectrum is the 2.4-GHz license-free band, and the data rate is 250 kb/s. Alternately, the 868-MHz band (Europe) or 902- to 928-MHz band with 20 kb/s or 40 kb/s can be utilized. Typical range is about 10 meters.

    Wi-SUN 802.15.4g makes further improvements. A 100-kb/s rate option was added, and four special physical-layer modulation options are available. Three of them employ DSSS using quadrature phase-shift-keying (QPSK) or offset QPSK. Multi-rate FSK, such as 2-FSK or 4-FSK, also is commonly used. Amplitude shift keying (ASK) is available as well.

    Wi-SUN adds a frequency-hopping feature that helps reduce interference from other nearby sources and improve overall network reliability. Access methods include carrier-sense multiple access/collision detection (CSMA/CA) and time-division multiple access (TDMA). A power increase to +30 dBm helps extend the useful range up to 4 km or more depending on the terrain.

    A key aspect of the Wi-SUN standard is the availability of 6LoWPAN. This is the header compression standard that allows for the use of 128-bit IPv6 internet addresses to accommodate very large networks. Another feature is the standard’s security capability. It offers a public key infrastructure (PKI), full data encryption, and certificate-based authentication.

    Implementing Wi-SUN

    Texas Instruments is one vendor that can supply Wi-SUN-capable transceivers and processors. For instance, the CC1200 is a low-power <1-GHz radio that can operate in the 169, 433, 868, 915, and 920 bands. It can handle data rates to 1.25 Mb/s. Output power can be up to +16 dBm and receiver sensitivity is −109 dBm at 50 kb/s. In power-down mode, the current is 0.12 µA.

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Snails, Sensors, And Smart Dust: The Michigan Micro Mote
    https://hackaday.com/2021/10/04/snails-sensors-and-smart-dust-the-michigan-micro-mote/

    If you want to track a snail, you need a tiny instrumentation package. How do you create an entire data acquisition system, including sensors, memory, data processing and a power supply, small enough to fit onto a snail’s shell?

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Zyter, Qualcomm, and Everguard Bring IoT to Bear On Construction Safety
    Sept. 29, 2021
    In yet another example of IoT’s burgeoning ubiquity, a quintet of companies is putting the technology to the test in the interest of improving safety on construction job sites.
    https://www.mwrf.com/technologies/systems/article/21176885/microwaves-rf-zyter-qualcomm-and-everguard-bring-iot-to-bear-on-construction-safety

    Zyter’s SmartSpaces platform, analytics, and front-end dashboard is being integrated with Everguard.ai’s Sentri360 AI platform, which is made possible through Qualcomm’s Smart Cities Accelerator and IoT Services Suite, in a beta test of the combined solution’s ability to enhance construction job-site safety using AI-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology.
    Who Needs It and Why?

    Construction sites are inherently dangerous places to work. Job-site incidents and accidents can result in serious injuries and costly property damage, which in turn cause ballooning job-site insurance rates. Rudolph Libbe Group (RLG), a provider of construction and facility services, is currently beta-testing the collaborative solution at one of its job sites. RLG’s insurance provider, Zurich North America, is monitoring the impact and evaluating the solution for use by other construction firms.

    The five companies are bringing together advanced technologies and risk knowledge to provide construction managers with a 360° view of construction sites and real-time alerts regarding workers’ adherence to safety regulations. The collaboration represents the next step forward in propelling construction safety from a reactive to a proactive approach.

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Optimizing Networks to Resolve IoT and Edge Challenges
    Oct. 1, 2021
    What are the latest IoT and edge-computing trends, and how can enterprises optimize their network and maintain optimized connectivity? Wyebot CEO Roger Sands weighs in on the edge-computing landscape.
    https://www.mwrf.com/technologies/systems/article/21177118/wyebot-optimizing-networks-to-resolve-iot-and-edge-challenges?utm_source=RF%20MWRF%20Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS211001069&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Reimagining the End-to-End Retail Experience with IoT Technology
    Sept. 29, 2021
    The combination of intelligent hardware and software systems connected via an IoT network is one way to improve the key areas in which retail giants continue to invest: operational readiness and the shopping experience.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/iot/article/21173483/semtech-reimagining-the-endtoend-retail-experience-with-iot-technology?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Connected%20Solutions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS211006024&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Vähävirtainen tagi yltää 2 kilometrin päähän
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12666-vaehaevirtainen-tagi-yltaeae-2-kilometrin-paeaehaen

    Tavaralogistiikassa halutaan kehittää aina vain parempia ja energiatehokkaampia tapoja seurata lähetyksiä. Japanilaisen Toppanin kehittämät tagit tulevat toimeen äärimmäisen pienellä virralla. Niiden signaali kantaa lisäksi jopa kahden kilometrin päähän.

    Toppan on esitellyt kokonaisen seurantatagien perheen. ZETag-tunnisteet perustuvat ZifiSensen kehittämään Zeta-verkkoprotokollaan. Se on ultrakapeakaistainen, kaksisuuntainen radiotekniikka.

    Radion lähetysteho on asetettu 10 milliwattiin. Tämä tarkoittaa, että 620 milliampeeritunnin nappiparistolla tagi voi lähettää tietonsa tukiasemaan jopa 30 000 kertaa. ZETagien antenni mahdollistaa olosuhteista riippuen 500-2000 metrin kantaman, joten metallisten konttienkin tieto siirtyy vähintään puolen kilometrin päähän.

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Langaton linkki korvaa teollisuusliittimet
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12664-langaton-linkki-korvaa-teollisuusliittimet

    STMicroelectronics ja impedanssiohjattujen ja optisten liitäntäratkaisujen valmistaja Rosenberger kertovat kehittävänsä yhdessä kontaktitonta liitintä luotettaviin kaksisuuntaisiin lyhyen kantaman linkkeihin teollisuudessa ja lääketieteen laitteissa.

    Rosenbergerin langaton liitin on nimeltään RoProxCon. Se hyödyntää ST:n 60 gigahertsin RF-lähetin-vastaanotinta (ST60A2) nopeaan tiedonsiirtoon. Samalla se suojaa datansiirtoa liikkeiltä, tärinältä, pyörimiseltä ja epäpuhtauksilta, kuten kosteudelta ja pölyltä, jotka voivat häiritä tavanomaisia nastaliittimiä.

    ST60A2 yhdistää suuren tiedonsiirtonopeuden Bluetoothin kaltaiseen virrankulutukseen. Tekniikka avaa tietä myös aivan uudenlaisille lääketieteen ja teollisuuden sovelluksille, joita fyysiset yhteydet eivät enää rajoita.

    RoProxCon-liitännän yli voidaan siirtää dataa kuuden gigabitin sekuntinopeudella molempiin suuntiin eli kyseessä on fulld duplex -liitäntä. – Ratkaisu on merkittävästi halvempi kuin vaihtoehtoiset optiset liittimet ja kuluttaa paljon vähemmän virtaa kuin muut RF -tekniikat

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Rekisteröimätön RFID-piiri on hyödytön lemmikkieläimen löytämisessä
    https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/10/04/rekisteroimaton-rfid-mikrosiru-on-hyodyton-lemmikkielaimen-loytamisessa/

    Suomen löytöeläintaloissa ja eläinsuojeluyhdistyksissä kohdataan usein mikrosirotettuja eläimiä, joiden sirutietoja ei löydy Suomen eläintietokannoista. Eläimelle on voitu laittaa RFID-tunnistepiiri, mutta sirutietoja ei ole joko ymmärretty, osattu tai viitsitty viedä mihinkään eläintietokantaan. Mukana myös tietoa lemmikkieläinten tunnistuspiirien tekniikoista.

    Helsingin eläinsuojeluyhdistys HESY haluaa muistuttaa tänään vietettävän (4.10.2021) maailman eläinten päivänä lemmikkieläimien mikrosirutietojen rekisteröimisen ja ajan tasalla pitämisen tärkeydestä. ’’Jokaisessa mikrosirussa on uniikki numerosarja, joka saadaan selville mikrosirulukijalle. Itse sirussa ei ole muuta tietoa’’, sanoo HESY:n puheenjohtaja Nina Immonen.

    Tunnistusmerkinnän yhteydessä olisikin Immosen mukaan aina painotettava, että omistajan on syytä rekisteröidä lemmikkinsä tiedot johonkin tunnettuun eläintietokantaan Valitettavan usein tunnistusmerkityn eläimen rekisteritietojen päivittäminen jää tekemättä maahantulotilanteessa.

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Käytännän tietoa IoT-ratkaisuista uusilla tavoilla – e-kirjasta mobiilipeliin
    https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/09/30/kaytannan-tietoa-iot-ratkaisuista-hieman-eri-tavalla-ekirjasta-mobiilipeliin/

    Päijät-Hämeen LAB-ammattikorkeakoulun IoT- osaamisprojektissa on koottu IoT-tietoa uusin keinoin. Tarjolla on verkon kautta IoT-aiheinen e-kirja, Youtube-animaatioita ja uusimpana IoT-pohjainen mobiilipeli.

    Reply
  31. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wi-SUN: A Targeted Wireless Option for IoT
    Oct. 4, 2021
    Sponsored by Texas Instruments: Ideal for applications aimed at smart cities or the smart grid, the self-forming, self-healing Wi-SUN mesh network is scalable to several thousand nodes.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/iot/article/21175580/texas-instruments-wisun-a-targeted-wireless-option-for-iot?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Connected%20Solutions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS211004016&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    f you’re a designer of IoT networks—whether experienced or just starting out—you know that there are dozens of wireless standards and technologies to choose from. It’s a tough choice. However, if you can select a standard that’s been optimized for a specific application, your decision may be a fast and easy one.

    A good example of the above is Wi-SUN, a technology developed by the Wi-SUN Alliance for implementing smart cities and smart utilities and other large, dispersed IoT networks. This standard can help speed up and simplify your design.

    Reply
  32. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Robotti hinnoittelee tavarat langattomasti
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12694-robotti-hinnoittelee-tavarat-langattomasti

    Kun Suomessakin ovat automaattikassat yleistyneet, monia harmittanee se, etteivät kassat ymmärrä esimerkiksi alennuksia. Tämä ongelma poistuisi, jos tuotteet voisi automaattisesti hinnoitella aina uudelleen tarpeen mukaan. RFID-tapahtumassa Phoenixissa esiteltiin tähän elegantti ratkaisu.

    Asialla olivat RFID-energiansiirtoon erikoistunut Powercast ja RFID-robotteja valmistava Badger Technologies. RFID Journal LIVE! Show´n demossa käytettiin robotteja päivittämään RFID-tageissa näkyvä hintatieto.

    Tageissa ei ole paristoja, vaan tarvittava energia otetaan RFID-linkin RF-säteilyenergiasta. Kaupassa voi liikkua robotti, joka automaattisesti päivittää tagien tiedon ajan tasalle. Tämän jälkeen automaattikassa osaa lukea informaation tarjoustietoineen päivineen.

    Powercastin ESL-tagit (electronic shelf labels) eivät tarvitse paristoja, koska yrityksen kehittämä RF-tasavirran (DC) virrankeräystekniikka voi kerätä tarpeeksi virtaa standardin mukaisista RFID-lukijoista. Tässä järjestelmässä robotteihin asennetut RFID-lukijat lähettävät radiotaajuusvirtaa ilmateitse, kun ne kulkevat tagien kautta Powercastin sulautetuille vastaanottimille. Nämä sirut muuttavat RF:n käyttökelpoiseksi tasavirraksi tagin ePaper-näyttöjen langattomaan päivittämiseen uusilla hinnoilla sekunneissa.

    Reply
  33. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Suomi ei kuulu älykaupunkikehityksen terävimpään kärkeen
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12701-suomi-ei-kuulu-aelykaupunkikehityksen-teraevimpaeaen-kaerkeen

    Meillä hehkutetaan usein kaupunkien edelläkävijyyttä erilaisissa älykaupunkihankkeissa. Pysäköintiyritys Easypark on nyt tutkinut kaupunkien ”älykkyyttä” ja vaikka Espoo ja Helsinki sijoittuvat monessa vertailussa hyvin, emme millään edusta kehityksen terävintä kärkeä.

    Easyparkin laaja tutkimus paljastaa, mitkä kaupungit ovat tehokkaimmin ottaneet käyttöön uudenlaisia teknologisia ratkaisuja kestävän kehityksen ja asuinmukavuuden kehittämiseksi. Tutkimus aloitettiin arvioimalla useita tuhansia kaupunkeja ympäri maailmaa ja tarkastelemalla sitten niitä kaupunkeja, jotka ovat teknologiassa edelläkävijöitä.

    Kaupunkien innovatiivisuus arvioitiin neljällä kriteerillä. Ensinnäkin arvioinnissa huomioitiin se, miten laajalti väestö, hallinto ja terveydenhuoltosektori on omaksunut teknologiaa. Myös kaupungin alueella mahdollisesti olevien teknologian oppilaitosten maine ja menestys arvioitiin. Toiseksi tarkasteltiin liikkumisen innovaatioita, esimerkiksi kaupunkien älypysäköinnin ratkaisuja, liikennesuunnittelua, julkista liikennettä ja liikenneratkaisujen ympäristöystävällisyyttä.

    Business Tech -mittarilla arvioitiin yritysten innovatiivisuustasoa, sähköisen maksamisen yleisyyttä ja internet-yhteyksien laatua kaupungeissa. Neljänneksi arvioitiin kaupunkien kestävän kehityksen tasoa analysoimalla vihreän energian käyttöä, ympäristöystävällisesti suunniteltujen rakennusten lukumäärää, jätehuoltosysteemiä ja yleisesti ilmanmuutoksen asettamiin haasteisiin vastaamista ja suunnittelua.

    Parhaiten suomalaiskaupungeista pärjäsi Espoo, joka on maailman kolmanneksi älykkäin ja tulevaisuuteen valmistautunein keskikokoinen kaupunki. Älykkäin alle 300 000 asukkaan sarjassa on Ruotsin Lund ja toiseksi tuli Norjan Stavanger. Samassa sarjassa ympäristystävällisen energian käytössä Espoo oli vasta sijalla 18. Erityisesti muissa Pohjoismaisssa ollaan tässä selvästi edellä.

    The Cities of
    the Future Index
    Study uses data to reveal which global cities are using technology to create a more sustainable and liveable present and future for their citizens.
    https://easypark.com/studies/cities-of-the-future/en/

    Reply
  34. Tomi Engdahl says:

    11 Myths About Smart Utilities IoT and Antenna Strategies
    Oct. 20, 2021
    Laird Connectivity’s Paul Fadlovich discusses this fast-growing category of IoT and provides practical advice about antenna strategies for these design
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/iot/article/21178993/laird-connectivity-11-myths-about-smart-utilities-iot-and-antenna-strategies

    What you’ll learn:

    How smart utilities are expanding beyond residential use cases and into the industrial IoT sector.
    The importance of developing antenna design strategies, from selection to device certifications.
    Be wary of antenna specifications when it comes to dealing with tough environments.

    The utilities sector is one of the fastest-growing adopters of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, with hundreds of millions of wireless devices being deployed to support multiple areas of operations for electrical utilities, municipal water entities, and natural gas providers. These smart utilities applications have tremendous diversity, which presents many complex decisions to engineering teams, including significant challenges for connectivity that require a sophisticated antenna strategy.

    1. Utilities are old-guard industries that will be slow to adopt new technologies like IoT.

    Utilities have moved way ahead of the curve on IoT compared to other industries. In the most recent comprehensive report by Gartner, their research team predicted that utilities would have a total of 1.37 billion IoT endpoints (aka communication devices) by the end of last year, with aggressive growth predicted for the coming years.

    2. Smart utilities IoT is largely focused on smart meters and smart thermostats.

    Residential use cases tend to capture most of the attention when it comes to utilities IoT, but there’s actually a long list of other use cases that go well beyond automated meter reading and smart thermostats in people’s homes. That includes industrial IoT (IIoT) deployments in electrical generation plants and water treatment facilities. It includes IoT networks for transmission lines and pipes. And it includes vehicular IoT for fleets, and other kinds of IoT deployments in numerous other complex areas of operations such as underground.

    3. IoT design projects for utilities tend to be concentrated on those residential devices, which are relatively straightforward Wi-Fi/Bluetooth design projects.

    Those kinds of devices are definitely an important category of projects that engineering teams will work on, but smart utilities applications go far beyond that. Your team will need to be proficient in industrial IoT projects for challenging RF environments like water treatment plants and generation plants. You also will need to successfully navigate the connectivity and RF challenges of outdoor implementations on towers and poles. And much more.

    Smart utilities projects encompass every kind of IoT design project, which is a big part of what makes it challenging and fascinating.

    4. The biggest antenna challenge will be all of the certifications required for the residential devices.

    Certification is definitely important. Engineering teams should think hard about certification early in their design projects to avoid delays and unnecessary costs later in the design process. Pre-certified modules and antennas can dramatically simplify that process and ensure success, but there are far more vexing antenna decisions in smart utilities. For example, environmental factors that distort RF dynamics in some use cases, like antennas in the presence of large metal structures in distribution networks, can present complex decisions about antenna selection and placement.

    5. Smart utilities projects may have a higher volume of endpoints because of the geographic scale of utilities deployments, but the antenna process is similar to other projects our team has worked on.

    It’s true that what you have learned on other projects will prove very useful for utilities-related IoT. Still, the variety and RF complexity of smart utilities applications will be the equivalent of a senior thesis that draws on everything you’ve done previously while also challenging you in ways that may be new.

    Antenna selection is a perfect example. You may have a project that utilizes familiar elements like a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but the RF dynamics of the utilities implementation site may require an antenna that can perform adjacent to thick concrete walls or nearby metal machinery.

    6. My antenna strategy will be very similar to other IIoT projects my team has done.

    Your IIoT experience will be very valuable for smart utilities projects, but this vertical industry will throw you unexpected curveballs. IoT for utilities’ large vehicular fleets is a great example of that. Electrical, gas, and water utilities have large fleets of specialized vehicles that must operate as mobile communications hubs for crews. They also must be equipped with all of the wireless technologies that are embedded into the IoT deployments being rolled out, so that workers can access and utilize real-time data relevant to their field work.

    7. Water ingress from rain is the biggest threat to IoT deployments located outdoors for these projects.

    That’s a major concern, but it’s important to broaden the list of threats so that enough of a failsafe is designed into those devices, including the ruggedness of the antenna and quality of the antenna assembly. Water ingress from rain is a big one, but other forms of ice may create even bigger threats.

    Sleet or snow that potentially builds up into a shell around the casing should be accounted for when picking antennas to ensure performance even during winter weather. Ice build-up on antennas may not only affect performance, but also damage the physical bonds between the antenna’s radome and connectors from increased weight and wind loading.

    Toughness of the outer casing/radome also is important for protecting the device from pecking birds or curious squirrels. All of this may mean you need an antenna that not only has strong RF performance but also strong mechanical build qualities.

    8. The antennas on my short list are all labeled as “rugged,” so we’ll be in good shape against those conditions.

    Unfortunately, the term “rugged” is overused in the antenna industry without consistent standards for how well a solution will stand up to tough environmental conditions.

    9. The antennas I’m looking at have exactly the performance I’m looking for. The datasheet said so.

    It would be incredibly helpful if the performance metrics in the real world matched what’s listed in datasheets, but that’s often not the case. The gap between what’s on the page and what you see in the field can often be very wide, which is why you need to be skeptical about those numbers, particularly for key metrics like gain. Those specs for gain can be quoted as max gain, which may be deceptively high but not pointing in a useful direction for the given applications.

    The reason for the gap is simple: Those datasheets are based on testing in lab environments that are often so idealized that they no longer reflect an actual implementation site, where other RF signals, concrete walls, plastic device casings and many other factors impact performance. To ensure the antenna you implement performs as needed, your team should take the datasheets with a grain of salt, conduct extensive testing in conditions similar to the real-world implementation, and make final selection and installation decisions based on that information.

    10. I have always used off-the-shelf antennas. Those will definitely meet my needs.

    There are thousands of off-the-shelf antenna options, so chances are good that you can find one meeting your needs—particularly if you work with an antenna partner who can help you look deeper than the datasheets. But some utilities IoT projects have such unique needs—often because of the RF environment and combination of technologies required—that a custom antenna might be the best, or even the only, solution because it avoids the compromises of off-the-shelf options.

    11. Will all of these IoT projects for utilities lower my electricity bill? My teenagers are driving my power bill through the roof with all of their devices.

    I can’t promise that, but these IoT projects are increasing safety for utilities workers, helping utilities manage spikes in demand that enable the rollout of more renewable energy assets. So, you may not see a lower bill, but this is building a foundation for next-generation utilities operations that hopefully helps us consume energy and water in more sustainable ways.

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  35. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.home-assistant.io/

    Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server.

    https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/ping/

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  36. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Arm transforms the economics of IoT with Virtual Hardware and a new solutions-led offering
    October 18, 2021
    https://www.arm.com/company/news/2021/10/arm-transforms-the-economics-of-iot-with-virtual-hardware-and-new-solutions-led-offering

    News Highlights:

    Arm Total Solutions for IoT delivers a full stack solution to significantly accelerate IoT product development and improve product ROI
    Arm Virtual Hardware removes the need to develop on physical silicon, enabling software and hardware co-design and accelerating product design by up to two years
    A new Arm ecosystem initiative called Project Centauri will drive the standards and frameworks needed to grow serviceable markets and scale IoT software innovation

    Reply
  37. Tomi Engdahl says:

    11 Myths About Smart Utilities IoT and Antenna Strategies
    Oct. 22, 2021
    Laird Connectivity’s Paul Fadlovich discusses this fast-growing category of IoT and provides practical advice about antenna strategies for these design projects.
    https://www.mwrf.com/technologies/systems/article/21179187/laird-connectivity-11-myths-about-smart-utilities-iot-and-antenna-strategies?utm_source=RF%20MWRF%20Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS211022045&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

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