An Overview of IoT Architecture
The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a term that refers to a network of connected devices. It’s something we’ve all heard of. But what exactly is it, and why does it seem to promise such a massive shift in the world? IoT will transform smart vehicles, smart houses, and everything else around us into smart devices.
What is IoT?
“The Internet of Things (IoT) is an interactive network of computational machines, mechanical or digital machines, organisms, animals, or entities with unique identifiers and therefore the ability to transfer data without the need for human-to-human or human-to-computer contact.”
It’s kind of messed up isn’t it? In simple language it’s a network of devices which may sense, accumulate, and transfer data over the web with none human interaction.
Evolution of IoT
- The Pre-Internet era
In Pre-Internet era there was human-to-human communication or through telephone.
- The Beginning of the Internet
With the invention of the Internet, the whole world shifted. At the press of a key, we can exchange details with people who lived thousands of miles away.
- Internet of People
The use of social media began to grow. Many websites, such as LinkedIn, have become well-known. As YouTube was launched in 2005, it became such a common way to engage with others that people began to showcase their talents as well.
- Internet of Things
Today, all of the data that we have generated is available on the internet. People have little resources, energy, and precision, so we aren’t very good at collecting data about problems in the real world. If we had computers that knew what there was to know about stuff and could collect data without our assistance and keep track of everything, the “Internet of Things” would have been born.
IoT Architecture
In general, IoT architecture is divided into four stages:
Stage 1 Sensors and actuators —
In the sense of the “Internet of Things,” a thing should have sensors and actuators that allow it to produce, receive, and process signals.
Stage 2 Data acquisition system —
The data obtained by sensors is analog, and it must be converted into digital streams before it can be processed further.
Stage 3 Edge analytics —
Once the data is digitized, it has to be processed more before it can be sent to the data center, that’s where edge analytics comes in.
Stage 4 Cloud analytics —
Data that requires extensive processing is sent to physical data centers or cloud-based networks.
Applications
- Natural disaster management with IoT.
- Smart farming with IoT.
- Pollution control with IoT.
References
[1] https://www.javatpoint.com/iot-internet-of-things
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things
[3] Figure 1-
https://www.edureka.co/blog/what-is-iot/
[4] Figure 2-
https://tridenstechnology.com/all-about-the-internet-of-things-iot/
