Internet of Things Technology Review Reference Material for Designers, Engineers & Specifiers
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Internet of Things Technology Review Reference Material for Designers, Engineers & Specifiers. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 3 WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES ................................................................................................ 4 IOT COMPARISON TABLE ................................................................................................... 9 CASE STUDIES .................................................................................................................... 10 WIRELESS TOPOLOGIES ................................................................................................... 12 Network ..................................................................................................................... 12 Frequencies ............................................................................................................... 14 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 11 2 908.233.0101 ciqada.net Introduction: Wireless communication and embedded micro-electromechanical sensing technologies have evolved at a rapid pace. Many of the devices we use every day can now connect to the Internet, and this has made wireless sensor networks possible. The desire to maximize energy efficiency and improve environmental conditions has led to the emergence of new products used to monitor, control, and share information in networked homes and buildings. Enter the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a description for embedded and network cloud technologies that enable remote monitoring and control of sensors and systems. IoT can be used in commercial, industrial, utility and residential applications. You’ll find the IoT’s remote monitoring and control applications in hospitals, parking lots, shipping departments, and even bathrooms. 3 908.233.0101 ciqada.net Wireless Technologies One important task for IoT developers and system architects is determining which wireless technology best suits their applications’ needs. This can be a daunting project. Many competing wireless technologies appear to have overlapping features or be interchangeable. This paper maps out the pros and cons of several wireless protocols and identifies key items to consider when selecting a wireless technology for a given application. ZIGBEE: ZigBee is a short-range, low-power consumption communication link that allows for connections of up to 100 meters. ZigBee end nodes communicate on a local personal area network (PAN) and require an additional device, called a border router, to communicate to cloud services or smart phones. ZigBee operates over the IEEE 802.15.4 media access control network layer typically, in the 2.4GHz spectrum. IEEE 802.15.4 specifies the physical layer and data link layer protocols for LR-WPAN (low-rate wireless personal area networks), making it an ideal option for simple, inexpensive applications. Some ZigBee channels overlap with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channels. Both Wi-Fi and ZigBee use frequency hopping and spread-spectrum techniques to avoid interference. ZigBee transmissions speeds typically top out at 250kbits / second. ZigBee is a low-power wireless technology and may be suitable for battery-powered applications. ZigBee end nodes can act as network repeaters in a network mesh topology to extend their range if needed. For the 2.4 Ghz implementation with 18dBm transmit power, -6dBm antenna insertion loss and the transmitter placed at a height of 6m from ground, the range for ZigBee increases to 300 meters. This may vary depending on multiple factors such as the environmental, but assuming there are no environmental issues and current radios are being used, the range can be pushed up to 300m. The Digi Xbee Pro 1W radio is a 802.15.4 radio using the same family of controllers as Mars’ current ZigBee radio, but implementing a power amplifier to give a line of sight of 1200m. It is worth mentioning that with the right front end, a custom ZigBee radio can go beyond the range of 300m. 4 908.233.0101 ciqada.net Wireless Technologies Continued For 2.4 Ghz implementation with 18dBm transmit power, -6dBm antenna insertion loss and the transmitter placed at a height of 6m from ground, the range for ZigBee increases to 300 meters. This may vary depending on multiple factors such as the environment, but assuming there are no environmental issues and current radios are being used, the range can be pushed up to 300m. The Digi Xbee Pro 1W radio is a 802.15.4 radio that uses the same family of controllers as Mars’ current ZigBee radio, but implements a power amplifier to give a line of sight of 1200m. It is worth mentioning that with the right front end, a custom ZigBee radio can go beyond the range of 300m. ZIGBEE PROS AND CONS LIST PROS CONS Low power, suitable for battery devices. Requires a separate border router device. Incompatibility between some device Utilizes an open specification IEEE 802.15.4 vendors who implement non-standard MAC layer. network stacks. Meshing: there is no single point of failure. Network physical coverage is relatively higher Suitable for many end nodes at one physi- cal location. 5 908.233.0101 ciqada.net Wireless Technologies Continued Z-Wave Z-Wave is a proprietary low-power wireless communication protocol that is comparable to ZigBee. Z-Wave operates over the 900MHz spectrum, so interference issues may arise with some 900MHz cordless phones or wireless video devices. This wireless communication protocol requires an additional device, called a primary controller, to communicate to cloud services or smart phones. Z-Wave has transmission speeds typically in the 10kbits – 40kbits / second range. End nodes can be set up to act as network repeaters in a network mesh topology to extend their range. Z-WAVE PROS AND CONS LIST PROS CONS Suitable for many end nodes at one Proprietary communications limit physical location. customization and flexibility. Ensures compatibility of all Z-Wave Requires a separate primary controller certified devices device. A single Z-Wave network has a limit of 232 900MHz band may have better nodes. Several Z-Wave networks can be performance pass through walls. bridged to increase overall size. Meshing: there is no single point of failure. Low power 6 908.233.0101 ciqada.net Wireless Technologies Continued Wi-Fi: Arguably the most popular form of wireless networking, Wi-Fi is a medium-to-high power technology that uses radio waves in order to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. Wi-Fi IoT devices typically operate over the 2.4GHz spectrum. 5.8GHz Wi-Fi, while common on computers, is uncommon on IoT devices at the time of this writing. Wi-Fi end nodes most often communicate in infrastructure mode where they communicate to cloud services or smart phones through a Wi-Fi router that is likely already present in most homes. Wi-Fi offers the fastest connection speeds, for IoT devices, typically into the 10Mb / second range. WI-FI PROS AND CONS LIST PROS CONS Suitable for tens of end nodes at one Relatively higher power consumption physical location. needed Relatively faster connection speeds 2.4 GHz band may be congested End-user familiarity Separate router not required It is worth noting that things could change later this year if 802.11ah arrives on the market with the promised features. 7 908.233.0101 ciqada.net Wireless Technologies Continued Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE): Bluetooth low energy is a low-power lightweight subcategory of Bluetooth. As the name suggests, the primary difference between Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy is power consumption. BTLE operates over the 2.4GHz spectrum. Some BTLE channels overlap with ZigBee and Wi-Fi channels. BTLE end nodes most often communicate in a point-to- point link, for example from a device to a smart phone. Recent advances in Bluetooth allow BTLE end nodes to work as network repeaters in a small mesh network to extend their range. BTLE devices operate in a network star topology, with BTLE networks requiring an additional router to communicate with cloud services, though they can communicate directly with smart devices such as phones or tablets. If you need to design something that can easily communicate with any modern mobile platform, particularly Apple devices, BTLE will most likely be your best option. In addition, this type of wireless protocol is ideal for devices that run on batteries for extended periods. BTLE has transmission speeds between 250kbits – 1Mbits / second. BTLE PROS AND CONS LIST PROS CONS Low power consumption Network supports few end nodes Easiest hardware design option 2.4 GHz band may be congested 8 908.233.0101 ciqada.net IoT Comparison Table MAXIMUM USE CASE MAXIMUM IOT FREQUENCY TRANSMIT MAXIMUM NETWORK POSSIBILITIES DATA PROTOCOL SPECTRUM POWER RANGE TYPE IN IOT RATE APPLICATIONS Remote monitoring and 2.405 – Mesh or control of battery 2.480MHz Typically 100 ZigBee 250 kbps 10 - 100 m point to powered wireless Up to 16 mW point sensors / controls. Channels Smart remote for TVs. Home automation 908.42 MHz 9.6 / 40 / remote monitoring Typically Up to 3 100 and control. Z-Wave 1 mW 10 - 30 m Mesh Channels kbps Wireless control for power outlets, light switches. 2.4 – 2.485GHz Wi-Fi High data rate Up to 14 or real-time Channels Typically 802.11g 1 Mbps to monitoring 1 W 100 m Star 300 Mbps and control 5.15 – 5.85GHz applications. Voice 12 to 25 802.11n activated products.