Communication protocol that engineers need to understand when choosing IoT management software

The failure of IoT communication

Engineers can design the perfect product and connect it to the Internet of Things. However, if the product does not interact well with other products, it is difficult to gain a foothold in the market.

According to PlumChoice, two-thirds of potential users of IoT devices are always blocked by various reasons. One out of every seven IoT device purchasers returns - more than half of them say they will never buy the brand's products.

“Despite the tremendous opportunities for innovative connected home and IoT devices, companies have not helped users integrate these products into existing complex technology environments,” said Steve Thompson, vice president of IoT product development at PlumChoice. Speaking of it.

The Internet of Things brings objects together. However, Paul Didier, chairman of the AVnu Alliance Board of Directors and Cisco IoT Solution Architect, explained that many IoT devices are still fragmented in unconnected networks due to network protocol compatibility and permissions restrictions. "After the Internet of Things, a large number of core system device applications are no longer so isolated, such as big data analytics," he said. "The key is the aggregation of the network."

In order to connect these fragmented IoT networks, engineers often need some kind of overall management software to harness this. However, the convenience of IoT aggregation is not as easy as it sounds.

“Without pre-purchasing products and ongoing support, 'item' manufacturers are exploring a long road involving a large number of unmet customers and many non-quality issues,” Thompson said. “We need to help people out of these investments. Get real value – the reward comes from the brand's success.”

Network network

"The Internet of Things management software contains a lot of complex features," said Bryan Kester, director of Internet of Things at Autodesk. "Most features are ideal, but not all."

When it comes to realizing the Internet of Things, engineers face a mess of concepts, tools and techniques. Including but not limited to the following:

Remote firmware and firmware management software for collecting data

IoT device monitoring software

Data storage on the cloud or server

Big data analysis for evaluating and optimizing systems

Version control for IoT devices used to drive updates

“Internet of Things control is a very broad concept,” added Tod Walter, chairman of the AVnu Alliance and senior manager of national instruments. “There are some commonalities between management software and management software, their management of terminal nodes, and their support. A huge community. But there is no independent management agreement right now - there is no way to do everything. I think it will depend on the market to see if there is demand."

As mentioned earlier, many IoT products will have their own dedicated software to connect devices to the Internet, manage data and control products. Didier explained that if it is compatible, IoT management software adds another layer of communication to these separate networks.

The network of this layer of network still allows each software to control its own items. The main difference is that the network of this network will allow communication protocols for big data, optimization and system control to be used.

Microsoft Azure IoT architecture (picture from Microsoft)

Amazon, Microsoft and PTC configuration

For example, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) look forward to connecting and managing through the cloud platform. Communication with the hub is done via the HTTPS and MQTT protocols, and a custom gateway is used if necessary. Microsoft Azure can also use the AMQP protocol. However, if your device is not compatible with these protocols, they will also be incompatible with Azure and AWS.

Internet of Things in the eyes of AWS

"You deployed an event hub, added equipment, and connected a variety of identification hubs," said Ken Patterson, a technology expert at Microsoft Azure. “There are also some third-party tools for you to use, such as the Raspberry Pi. Then you can connect to the Arduino with the development environment. This way, your Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices are integrated to control or As a sensor."

Another leading IoT management software is PTC's ThingWorx. ThingWorx is the choice of an unrelated protocol that positions itself as an IoT management software. "The core of the ThingWorx platform is a comprehensive modeling environment that generates REST APIs for 'articles' in the model," said Joe Biron, vice president of IoT technology at ThingWorx. "The REST API not only allows for the management of IoT devices, but also Allows communication between different cloud systems to extend IoT applications to other areas such as CRM (Salesforce), cellular (Jasper), and more.

However, ThingWorx will not be as simple as you wish. Engineers or professionals still need to implement the IoT system connection and create a dashboard to ensure the normal operation of the system.

How to choose IoT management software

Many of the top players who try to integrate the Internet of Things are familiar with the names. This is because they are likely to be major players in another vertical technology field.

Engineers who want their products to be compatible with IoT management software options will determine the protocol choices for IoT devices. In making this decision, engineers should pay attention to the usage scenarios of their management software and the end users who may be themselves. The table below lists some of the most common IoT management software options for engineers.

For example, a product development team might want to track how their products interact with customers. This data can be used to improve future product design. Therefore, they may want to choose an IoT management software that integrates design software, such as PTC or Autodesk.

So, how do you determine which IoT management software to use, or who can you use to create one yourself? Didier thinks a good starting point is the past IT partners.

PTC and Autodesk IoT Development

Engineers may want to see the Internet of Things options that their design software vendors may offer. For example, PTC has invested more than $750 million in the Internet of Things. PTC has therefore accumulated a large amount of IoT technology. Autodesk recently introduced the SeeControl product. Obviously, the two design companies will definitely release a lot of news, and their competitors will certainly follow up.

However, since there is no Internet of Things management software that is all-encompassing, "sometimes there are two systems," Kester pointed out. "Some of these products offer developed, cloud-available interfaces, or similar features. However, there are currently no complete IoT software vendors, and some systems are only doing more in terms of data sharing."

How does the standardization of IoT protocols affect my management software?

One of the main reasons why IoT management software is important is the lack of standardization of the Internet of Things. Many product designers tend to produce software that is controlled autonomously, so the problem is getting worse.

"In the cloud, it takes a lot of effort to integrate the data, but the development of the Internet of Things has not kept up," Didier said. "We haven't figured out how to use different systems and applications between vendors."

However, there is hope for standardization in the IoT community and it is advancing in several ways. Keeping pace with the standardization of the Internet of Things can ensure that your equipment achieves overtaking and leads the market.

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