pick your connectivity solution [web2day 2015]
TRANSCRIPT
And do it wisely
• Choosing your connectivity is more than deciding between two commodities
• It will impact overall cost, autonomy, ease of configuration, user adoption
Independance
• Is the device linked to a hub ?
• Or does it communicate independently with the outside world ?
Range
• How close must my device to its hub or receiving station ?
• A few meters or a few kilometers ?
Operated network ?
• Do you need your own network ?
• Are you ready to handle deployment/operations/maintenance ?
Basics• LAN : Local Area Network
• ~100m
• Operates mostly on 2.4GHz (or 5GHz)
• High bandwidth
• Rely on a hub connected to the Internet
Benefits
• Rely on the user’s Internet connection, no additional subscription
• Lot of data can be sent from & to the device
• Can support several devices on one hub
Constraints
• WiFi is not everywhere !
• Configuration can be a nightmare
• WiFi Hub can be off or offline
Constraints
• Cost a lot of energy. Not suitable for really autonomous devices
• Not so easy on the developer side.
• Not scalable : a single WiFi hotspot can only handle a finite number of objects
Where to use
• Connected solutions in the home or the office
• Target population is already connected
• Device needs to talk a lot
• Battery life is not an issue
Basics
• « Classic » Bluetooth is becoming more & more rare
• Bluetooth 4 introduced Bluetooth Low Energy
BLE Basics
• Bluetooth Low Energy
• Short range communication : ~20m
• Lingua Franca of today’s connected objects
• Operates on 2.4GHz
Constraints • Rely on a nearby hub (a.k.a The Almighty
Smartphone)
• Real world speed vs advertised 1Mbps
• Not so easy on the developer side
• Hub cannot handle a great number of active connections.
Where to use
• Companion solutions
• No need for independent communication
• Moderate data transfers (avoid video …)
• Target autonomy in days/weeks
Where not to use
• Device need to send data even when there is no smartphone/hub around
• Heavy data transmissions
Basics
• Solutions designed for building mesh networks
• Z-Wave : Sub-GHz, proprietary solution, Local Area Network
• Zigbee : 5GHz, Private Area Network
Benefits
• Mesh networks : devices communicate with each other
• Development modules widely available
Constraints
• Need to set up, configure, and maintain your own local radio network
• Still need a hub connected to the internet
• Fragmentation
Where to use
• Home automation
• Monitoring installations you own & control
• Used to handle radio stuff
Where not to use
• Need for direct connection to Internet
• No interested/skilled in maintaining your own network
• Looking for plug&play solutions
Constraints
• Costs
• Interoperability / roaming
• Battery life is shorter than a butterfly’s
• Evolution : new standards are pushing older ones out
Where to use
• Mobile solutions
• Need to transfer a lot of data
• Energy not an issue, not battery-supported
Where not use
• Battery-supported devices
• Looking for optimized costs
• Devices are not talking that much
Basics
• Because why not ?
• You can build your own protocol on free-to-use frequency bands
• Be prepared for trouble !
Basics
• Operated network (LPWA), dedicated to the IoT
• Main focus : energy efficiency
• Small messages every now and then
Basics
• Operates in ISM bands : 868MHz in EU, 915 in US
• Ultra Narrow Band : ~100Hz
• 12 bytes messages, up to 140 times per day
• Indoor & outdoor use
Energy efficiency
• ~25mA in emission, during a few seconds
• No registration on the network, no negotiation : power on, send, power off is the default behaviour
• 99% of the time, connected objects are not connected !
Two-way communication
• Communication is always initiated by the device
• Explicitly ask for response, then stays awake for ~30 secs.
Coverage
• As of May 2015
• Nationwide in France, Netherlands & Spain
• UK : 10 largest cities
• San Francisco
• Citywide coverage : Dublin, Prague, Seoul, Bogota, Santiago, Milan, …
Hardware
• SIGFOX is not a hardware vendor
• No technology licensing model
• RF transceivers & modules available from a variety of silicon vendors: Texas Instruments, Atmel, Silicon Labs, Axsem, ..
Benefits• No hub needed
• Very low energy cost : up to years of autonomy
• Indoor / Outdoor
• Operated network
• Cheap subscription : a few euros per year
Constraints
• Short messages : up to 12 bytes
• Up to 140 messages per day from the device
• Up to 4 messages per day to the device