device

IoT Epoch Time Disaster? Only Time Will Tell

by Roman Staszewski
July 3, 2016July 27, 2016

Ever heard of the “epoch time”? I’m not talking here about history periods or geology. Epoch time is simply a standardized time and date reference used in UNIX and many other computers. It defines time, measured in seconds, starting from January 1, 1970 epoch. This is based on an arbitrary, somewhat historical epoch, but, what matters is that it is a commonly followed standard.Read More »IoT Epoch Time Disaster? Only Time Will Tell

What is the anatomy of IoT sensor devices?

by Roman Staszewski
May 23, 2016December 11, 2020

Executive Summary:

IoT Sensors include three fundamental functions: sensing, communication, and power supply, as well as additional functions: processing/system management and user interface
IoT application is determined by the types of sensors, cloud connectivity, power sources, and (optionally) user interface used in an IoT sensor device
It is possible to realize a variety of IoT applications with a single IoT sensor hardware platform by employing appropriate functional modularity and interface abstractions
An application processor and well defined interfaces help abstract functions for versatility and ease of use

Key considerations for IoT sensor devices: 6 – Cost effectiveness

by Roman Staszewski
May 19, 2016December 11, 2020

Executive Summary:

Cost-effectiveness is very important for sensor devices
In IoT, cost effectiveness is a system-level, not a component-level, optimization
Full-custom versus semi-custom versus off-the-shelf hardware is an complex application-specific tradeoff to be made

Key considerations for IoT sensor devices: 5 – Industrial deployment readiness

by Roman Staszewski
May 16, 2016December 11, 2020

Executive Summary:

Hardware prototypes are far from deployment-ready
IoT sensor productization is an often overlooked, complex, specialized task that drastically impacts time-to-market and cost
“Hardware is hard” is not a cliché, especially for highly reliable industrial applications

Key considerations for IoT sensor devices: 4 – Security

by Roman Staszewski
May 12, 2016December 11, 2020

Executive Summary:

Security is critical for IoT
End application defines security policy requirements
Security is weak if device crypto key are not well protected in IoT devices
Best-in-class security policies for IoT sensors are achieved with tamper-proof hardware crypto key management

Key considerations for IoT sensor devices: 3 – Ease of use

by Roman Staszewski
May 11, 2016December 11, 2020

Executive Summary:

Easy to use or die
Using off-the-shelf components/boards is mighty hard
Ease of use needs to be matched to a user’s desire for flexibility
Ease of use can be provided for by a system based on best proven, popular software frameworks

Key considerations for IoT sensor devices: 2 – Power consumption efficiency

by Roman Staszewski
May 9, 2016December 11, 2020

Executive Summary:

Battery replacement impacts the bottom line
Power efficiency reduces operating expenses
Energy harvesting eliminates battery replacement
Power efficiency enables new energy sources, miniaturizes size, and slashes cost
Power optimizations is an expert domain