The Internet of Things

As with any complicated system, the reliability of IoT-enabled objects is not guaranteed. However the critical components can be designed to factor in possible outages or network problems (for example, the ability to operate in offline mode, or cache data to transmit once back online); power failure (autonomous backup power source, non-damaging shutdown, persistence of operating state and rapid boot-up); or device failure (a manual shutoff/override and ability of the device to provide some basic operation without IoT).

Malicious access to IoT-enabled devices could have devastating consequences, which means strong security protocols need to be considered at the design stage. A hacked IoT network could disrupt more than the operations of a business and go beyond breaches of privacy; it could threaten life if the devices are designed to interact with people. This makes software security one of the most important considerations of IoT development.

If you’re embarking on developing an IoT solution for your business, make sure you work with a software development company that understands all of its implications. For example:

• Proactive, security-minded development: in-depth understanding of the functionality on the developer’s side, choice of reliable solutions.
• Secure OS/app start-up: verification of a device’s software authenticity and integrity using cryptographic digital signatures.
• Role-based Access control: a different level of authentication and wherever feasible, mandatory physical access for modifying a component’s functionality as compared to everyday operation.
• Device authentication on joining networks, with credentials securely hashed in locked-down memory.
• Separation of traffic between IoT networks and general purpose computers.
• Use of strong encryption protocols for transmitted and stored data.
• Stable, trusted repository and communications channel maintained by the manufacturing company or consortium that serves as the source of functionality software, updates and patches for IoT components.
• Use of open-source solutions, competitive development and hacking events.

As with any emerging technology, current software solutions may not always address future needs. A fundamental problem with existing SQL databases is handling time-sequence data (data which includes time as a key parameter). Therefore, to perform measurements across a distributed network of sensors will require databases and related products to support the network in terms of time-series data collection, storage, exchange and analysis. Examples include InfluxDB database and Grafana visualization suite.

Wireless connectivity is at the heart of what drives IoT, and there are several communication protocols – such as GSM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – which can be used in tandem with options like Zigbee, Z-Wave, 6LoWPAN, Thread, Sigfox, Neul or LoRaWAN, to provide the desired combination of data rate, range, carrier frequency, power needs and so on.

With the arrival of 5G, much will change. 5G will significantly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. 5G is 100 times faster than 4G, with10x less latency than the current 4G infrastructure.

For developers like Blueberry, who need to consider network requirements and devices features, 5G will dramatically improve security, especially for network slicing, trusted computing or alternative ways of handling user identities.

5G will affect both web apps and mobile apps, since it offers the ability to send and receive data almost instantly. Low latency is an important feature of 5G, as it makes practical many real-time applications – such as driverless vehicles.

For the overwhelming majority of IoT applications, the Intel x86 CPU, which is commonly used in PC architecture, is too powerful, power-hungry and expensive. Instead, single-board hardware computers, primarily based on the ARM architecture – such as Arduino and Raspberry PI – are generally used during project development for the actual working solutions. Later, if the cost is justified, a cheaper and more specialised solution can be created by the development company.

A downside to using these single-board computers is that they’re primarily for the hobbyist/education market and have the disadvantage of requiring physical access for software modifications. A more specialised single-board system from particle.io has been designed from the bottom up with the idea of being remotely programmed; its firmware can be written and debugged in a web-based IDE and deployed over the air, with a centralised data storage and exchange infrastructure provided by the manufacturer for building true IoT networks.

If in-house development is not an option, then ensure you outsource to a software development company that possess hands-on experience in a number of key areas:

• Embedded / Specialised Hardware – the software will probably not run on Wintel PCs, but rather on more compact, low-power and cheaper hardware with specialised components not found in PCs – such as sensors, controllers, relays etc. Knowledge of programming for these systems is a prime IoT developer requisite.
• Business Intelligence / Data processing – knowledge of database creation and management, and time-sequence data.
• Information Security – expertise and knowledge of the complex threat environment that exists in cybersecurity.
• Mobile Development – many technologies associated with current mobile devices will be used by IoT – hardware and software architectures, programming languages and frameworks, communication, geo-positioning protocols etc. – and in many cases the user’s smartphone or tablet will serve as the universal remote control and management hub for the IoT system. Skills in mobile development will therefore directly translate into IoT.
• User interface / User experience – a clear and functional user interface will be vital for an IoT system that is to be used by the general public across a spectrum of technical abilities. The UI/UX therefore needs to extend beyond visual images on graphic screens – sound and touch can be of prime importance.
• Networking – successful development for IoT will mean providing the device with communication capabilities, with ad hoc network creation, authentication, and reliable data transfer using the most appropriate wireless protocols.