IoT Evolution - Recap - Smart Communities & Industrial IoT

The IoT Evolution event brought together some great thought leaders, technologists, and visionaries

I had the unique privilege of speaking on:

• Smart Communities
• Industrial IoT

I wanted to capture the key insights and takeaways and share them here with you all.

Smart Communities:

What caught my attention was the challenges associated with the adoption of "Open Networks." The hurdle of selling an open network to customers focused solely on solving their immediate problems...is a complex sale to navigate.

The solution lies in demonstrating a tangible use case that justifies the network build-out and enables a community-owned network to support various other projects without those downstream applications having to bear the cost of a network. This approach not only makes IoT solutions more accessible but also encourages the adoption of IoT in areas previously deemed not viable due to ROI concerns.

The real takeaway here is that not much success is seen in selling the art of the possible or trying to group solutions...Sell the 1 solution that can handle the network build-out cost...then once the network is installed the other applications can be added.

Industrial IoT & LoRaWAN:

The panel discussion on Industrial IoT touched on the evolution from nearly every project requiring highly bespoke IoT solutions to the now readily available off-the-shelf solutions. Making for more manageable solutions with IoT

There is great penetration opportunity in the retrofit space for LoRaWAN and with the growing interest in energy reduction necessitating monitoring and control applications, solutions emerging with battery-less or energy-harvesting designs are going to fuel growth in this sector.

Catherine with Meshed hit me with a new phrase,

"From go to whoa"

Elaborating on the truly impressive speed at which the industry can now solve IoT problems...and solve impactful problems at that. As Catherine rightfully pointed out - This isn't a volume game it's an impact one.

A final key highlight was how LoRaWAN and other technologies like cellular and BLE are being combined to create comprehensive IoT solutions. This synergy allows us to leverage the strengths of each technology.

• LoRaWAN's range
• Cellular's backhaul capabilities.
• BLE inexpensive indoor tracking

Beyond the Basics: Innovations and Trends in IoT

I had several great discussions that went beyond applications and touched on the broader trends in the IoT ecosystem.

The move towards easier integration of third-party solutions by standardizing decoders. The innovation trend towards easy-to-work-with data like JSON will continue to streamline IoT deployments significantly.

One of my favorite topics was how the drive for lower-cost sensors is hitting a pragmatic limit. The REAL trade-offs between cost, range, and battery life are becoming clearer, highlighting the need to consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) in IoT deployments. This understanding seems to be missing but is crucial in balancing the initial savings on cheaper sensors against the long-term operational costs.

• Cheap antenna -> Low Range -> More Gateways
• Cheap Battery -> Shorter Device Lifetime -> More Battery Replacements

Lastly, the IoT ecosystem is witnessing a refreshing focus on specialization, with companies doubling down on their core competencies rather than attempting to capture a larger share of the IoT market. This retreat to specialization, coupled with a community-driven approach to collaboration, is setting the stage for more innovative and cohesive solutions in the IoT space.

Looking Ahead

The future of IoT is not just about connecting things but about creating more integrated, efficient, and sustainable solutions. The journey ahead is ripe with potential and challenges waiting to be addressed.

Please help me keep this ongoing conversation alive by sharing your thoughts.

The path ahead is a collaborative one!

Reach out to me if you're looking for an IoT Pro that can offer immediate insight into the IoT industry, Innovations, development journey from idea to scale, and insanely accurate development timelines and budget with a +90% accuracy guarantee.