IoT Key Challenges: Network & Power

IOT IS VERY MUCH DRIVEN BY THE HARDWARE DESIGN

But many time people seem not understanding it.

IoT that we build today is not optimized for the “Things” (Read Things as Sensors, Actuators, or an App), and "Users", who owns it and end up being taxed just to be the part of IoT Ecosystem.

This is going all wrong!

As the billions “Things” get connected, the two most important pieces of infrastructure in IoT ecosystem are:

1. The Connectivity: All “Things” need a network to connect and to transmit data.
2. The Power: All Things need a long lasting power source in the field (sensors, mobiles). The more data and CPU is used, the battery/power won’t last long.

NETWORK IS NOT FREE:

Each action draws power. Depends on the context, all the things in IoT ecosystem do is to request a network. It could be WiFi, or a Cellular network (2G, 3G, 4G),

Scenario 1. Most of the Things have GPS. Now how often it should check for the location depends on the context; if it is fixed building or a moving bus. If it is a fixed route or a random one. The more often you check, the more frequent the data is used, and so the network, and hence the power.

As the things are getting as much as Small Form Factor as possible, what they will do is to just gather information and push it forward to more powerful system, again a need for the network.

Scenario 2. In retail mall Imagine 100 (if not 100s) Beacons installed at various location (lets take a beacon for every shop), to track the footprints, or to push some information.  All that Beacon does is keeping polling for someone- which could be you- and push something.  Each one of the beacons is pinging your phone, to submit its GPS location and an URL at a least.

 You may not be on a local free public Wi-Fi (e.g. Mall network, or HotSpot), or you knowingly chose not be (because you don’t trust the public Wi-Fi) so you are on your 3G or 4G network.  Now every 20 foot a beacon polls you.

Now comes a retailer, because his beacons are getting lost in noise of so many beacons around. His solution provider recommended to add an image to distinguish his brand (Could be High Res .ong, 4K- who cares in marketing- because it is part of JSON package) Or forget it, they will add an URL, and your phone goes to download the full res image on 4G from that url.  Now what that URL carries, a video, a High Res image, or an additional 30 sec advert to see an advert?

Who is paying for it?- you! By consuming your network, and as well as battery, and by the 2 hrs of weekend windows shopping your battery runs out and may be check your bill at the end of month.

Scenario 3 Imagine such in entire city in context of SmartCity or Nation- better carry a battery pack? Or what we might do, just switch on AirPlane mode and walk around. The whole purpose of Connected City is lost.

At User’s Level Network Cost, and Battery drive everything about the experience.

WHAT TO DO:

There are 4 key parameters to remember in IoT deployment:

1. Quality of Services (QoS) latency, loss of data, security. Assuring the data transmitted is received as it should be without a compromise.
2. Scalability as the number of users (the sensors, or the users of the app) grows, the network should be scalable without a compromise on service (Point 1)
3. Cost; in IoT network the cost will be calculated by the amount of data transmitted. For the network to be scalable (Point 2), cost may run in every bit of data transmitted.
4. System Design: Power effective hardware, and lean application design (not bloated, Not random) (This will impact all above points)

Few more things to consider in relation to #4:

• In an ideal IoT network, communication is between Machines to Machine (no Human Intervention), so languages like JSON will still be an overload for the applications design.

From JSON.ORG "JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format. It is easy for humans to read and write. It is easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language, Standard ECMA-262 3rd Edition - December 1999."

As the cost will run in per bit of data, think again, why should you design an IoT with JSON. There is no human who would bother to read the code, except the machine/devices!

• We have all the improvements in the CPU, Memory, graphics. But why the networking chip is not improved- the hardware designers, come forward, and should look into it. Every single bit of data will cost to the user.

• May be a separate network? Some companies and  telcos taking such initiatives. I would personally be interested to see their business model for  the end user and things.
• May be BSON would be a better alternative for IoT? Compare at the raw coded data size. It will saves you to transfer your data, and also save the cost for user to get it. Same goes for decoding, when you decode the data, system have to do a LOT of things, that cost you CPU, and POWER.

CONCLUSION:

Right now, we are taxing Users & Things to even to get involved in the IoT. There is a serious need of getting it right at the core level before every user will Press the “AirPlane” mode to avoid the unnecessary noise IoT may create.

Also, as I always say, when you design an IoT, look at the entire chain who is going to pay for it, and why will they. Don’t spoil the user experience in the race of IoT. Think of the value you bring to the end user, and if you can justify and sell the value with the cost involved.

IoT is about millions, billions devices. Every additional cent will change the equation of adoption drastically. 

Treat the Network and Battery carefully, it may change you business completely.

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**AllThingsConnectedAlliance (ATCAlliance)  is Singapore based company that provides Market Insights and Professional Services to help clients successfully navigate the booming IOTSpace.

@ckvishwakarma,

@atcalliance