Industrial IoT (IIoT) is gaining traction quickly as the world has had to rapidly adapt to COVID-19 and all of the challenges that come along with it: reduced consumer spending, stagnating economies, and higher logistical and shipping demands. Global consumer habits may have changed for good, and these new realities necessitate a bigger push to roll out IIoT across industrial and manufacturing companies. According to research by London-based PwC, 91% of industrial companies are investing in digital factory transformations with ROI plans and outlined goals for the next 5 years.

It’s crucial now, more than ever, to implement IIoT tools for short- and long-term business health and longevity. Getting started with IIoT now is better than later and many competitors have taken the lead by investing time and effort into upgrading their technology. If you’re on the cusp of implementing IIoT technology, we’ve outlined how to address 5 of the biggest challenges when adopting IIoT. With these tips, you may be able to catch up to your competitors in no time.

#1: Outdated Data Systems

It would be ideal to find an IIoT tool that seamlessly integrates into existing data systems to save money and effort. But the reality of the situation is that most advanced manufacturers use a variety of data systems like Excel, MES systems, ERP systems, and more, to manage their data and data analysis workflows. Of course, adding IIoT into the mix can complicate the current operational processes by creating gaps between systems and requiring constant coordination of tools in the system.

But it turns out that companies don’t need to replace all of their data systems and infrastructure to implement IIoT. Many manufacturers have layered new technology on top of existing systems to enable them to continue working, effectively simplifying IIoT implementation. Often, there is no need to worry about the details of the integration as IIoT tools have become more flexible, adjustable, and innovative than ever before. They also add extra value by including intelligence, automation, and sensors on top of the existing data systems.

With added layers of technology, companies can consolidate all legacy layers, data, and functionality into a single framework. They can also add AI into their IIoT systems, allowing the implementation of state-of-the-art tools like recommendations, alerts, and predictions. Additionally, new technology layers empower companies to automate previously manual processes.

#2: The Reality of ROI of IIoT

Estimating ROI for IIoT solutions implementation can be tricky and unpredictable, which can easily shake out companies who don’t have the credit or budget for new technology. Although it would be best to know the costs and ROI of the technology, it can depend heavily on the business’s unique needs, IIoT’s future developments, and the emergence of new technologies like 5G and AI.

Calculating ROI depends on translating terms like automation and AI into numerical values like productivity and efficiency. IIoT firms are still in the process of shifting from proof of concept to proof of value, and companies should also take the lead in creating ROI estimates.

#3: Picking the Biggest Areas for Change

For large and advanced manufacturers, there is a multitude of areas and ideas for change within the company, business operations, and workflows. But in order to control the efficacy of new solutions, companies should prioritize changes by asking the following questions: What should executives be appointed for the project? What budget should be allocated? Should new solutions replace existing systems or be added on top of them? How should we measure success? And which areas should we focus on first: material management and savings, tool and inventory management, quality control and process optimization, or something else entirely?

Although it sounds like a lot of questions, the answers to these heavy-hitting queries will elucidate and uncover a lot of important information about the company’s priorities, teams to manage the changes, technology infrastructure needed, and more. Without these questions, the possibilities are endless and overwhelming. But we have to start somewhere.

Begin with the questions above and take down every single answer from your team, even if they are similar or unrealistic. Then define the main business problem you want to solve. Take your time during this initial exploration stage, and don’t be afraid to change your mind halfway through if you believe more strongly in something else. After that, seek out the best technology vendors to guide you through a successful IIoT implementation.

#4: Effectively Using Data

IoT development and IIoT technology generate more data by nature, allowing companies to optimize their processes like never before. But the amount of data can be much more than expected, so much so that companies become paralyzed when considering how exactly to start using all of the data. It’s imperative to identify which parts of your company can be improved with data analysis, and pursue the data generation while looking for a suitable IIoT systems vendor.

Whether it’s reducing errors, improving maintenance of machinery, optimizing worker schedules, or syncing with inventory to know when to slow down manufacturing processes, it’s important to take stock of the available data and predefine what you want to measure next.

#5: Knowing When to Stop

Like we mentioned above, when the possibilities for your IIoT system are endless, they are also extremely handicapping and overwhelming. Limitless possibilities also exist when choosing which vendor to collaborate with, which experts to consult with, and how to find the best use for the new IIoT system. It’s important to take recommendations from colleagues and competitors, but remember that your business is unique and may require a different team to be assembled. Know what you’re looking for first, and when you find it, make sure you completely stop looking.

Evolving Your Plan Over Time

Manufacturers have reached a significant inflection point for business, and how they successfully implement IIoT technology may be the difference between staying afloat or filing for bankruptcy in the next 5 years. Although the above 5 challenges don’t cover every single challenge that comes with implementing IIoT, it should start turning gears and generating ideas across the company. IIoT technology will continue to grow and evolve, and companies must have a plan for how to evolve with it.

Young brunette woman traveling in Thailand on train during pandemic Coronavirus. 20s Hispanic in a protective mask wear summer sleeveless clothes and backpack in Asia.

Companies in the travel industry have a responsibility to care for and protect their customers during trips. They should do their best to keep clients out of harm’s way and help them get where they need to go safely, especially if dangerous situations arise.

Despite this duty, varying guidelines and constraints have only served to stoke more fear among travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this unprecedented level of uncertainty, what could help restore the public’s trust in traveling?

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies has yielded capabilities that many of us could never have imagined just a few decades ago. We can now monitor our health on the fly, attend medical appointments over our mobile phones, and order groceries through our smart assistants. Perhaps these technologies could also help us tackle some of the biggest issues facing travel today?

Troubling Times for Travel

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the travel industry upside down. Airlines have drastically reduced flights and limited the number of passengers that can board each plane. Hotels have had to implement meticulous measures to ensure proper sanitation and ensure that staff knows what to do in the event that a guest falls ill during their stay. But while these efforts have certainly helped during the coronavirus crisis, more long-term solutions must be instilled.

“Without guidance to promote the health and safety of travelers, there will be no travel, no sustainable reopening of our businesses and no revival of our economy,” according to the U.S. Travel Association’s May 2020 “Travel in the New Normal” industry report.

John F. Rizzo is the CEO of travel booking software company Deem. He believes the solution lies in data-fueled technology: “The only way to quell fear is to create transparency and have data that’s science-based be available to a traveler in real-time and have it curated correctly so that you can make an informed, data-based decision on where you’re traveling.”

According to Rizzo, this would allow us to not only build trust in travel again but also make the industry capable of automatically addressing problems as they occur.

4 Ways Tech Can Rescue Travel

It seems the travel industry already knows their future depends on tech. For instance, one company is already offering automated flight ticket exchange to quickly adapt to their customers’ ever-changing needs. Another has established a communication protocol that allows companies to quickly locate, communicate with, or reroute their traveling employees. They can even dispatch a response team if required.

But these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Other technologies can evolve how we travel in novel ways.

1. Leveraging Real-Time Data

By collecting and analyzing real-time data from hotels, airlines, and other transit hubs, travelers can make better-informed, healthier decisions. For example, a traveler could easily see if his or her flight to New York City is booking middle seats or not. They could also gain insight into what safety precautions the airline is taking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Real-time data could even be leveraged to produce a safety scorecard for regions that shine a light on viral outbreaks, political or social unrest, and even crime rates. This information could also be used to recommend specific transportation means and ensure that the traveler’s lodging of choice is in a safe area.

Obviously, personal privacy should play a paramount role in how we examine and act upon data in the travel industry. For example, companies like Google and Apple are hard at work to find ways to notify people that they may be in the vicinity of someone who was potentially exposed to the coronavirus. While this allows people to avoid this person, that person’s privacy must also be protected. Whether we get this right or wrong will establish a precedent for how we handle other health crises in the future.

2. Artificial Intelligence

AI and its subsets such as machine learning now allow us to seamlessly employ predictive analytics to understand likely outcomes of various situations. By combining historical information with real-time data, they can help us recognize and comprehend subtle but vital patterns.

Essentially, these technologies can empower real-time data analysis so that we can alert travelers faster about unusual activities. And they can even help in providing a useful solution to any trouble a commuter encounters.

3. Automation

Besides unparalleled insights, harnessing real-time data analysis and AI enables us to automate more things. And people are definitely ready to accept things that are more automated. A prime example of this is automatically switching planned trips without human intervention if any issue or obstacle arises.

As automation technology continues advancing, travel companies will soon be able to push a button to take care of travelers when unsafe situations occur. On the flip side, travelers will also be able to simply push a button to be directed towards safety if they feel that their well-being could be compromised.

4. Touch-Free Interfaces

The coronavirus pandemic has made it readily apparent that we must make travel as contactless as possible. Technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) is perfect for this. With IoT, cars can be opened with a smartphone — no key or touching door handles required. Why can’t we apply this to other methods of transit?

Soon, we’ll be able to open our hotel room door without touching the knob thanks to our smartphones and near-field communication (NFC) technology. Perhaps we’ll also be able to skip stopping by the concierge too. It’s not too outrageous to imagine a near future where we just walk into a hotel, get detected and recognized by geolocation, and have our credit card information filed away in a split second. The technology then guides us to our designated suite, which then opens its doors as we approach it.

This may sound farfetched, but similar concepts will be implemented in flight check-ins, ticketing, identification verification, and even ordering food while waiting in the airport.

Getting Where You Need To Go With Less Friction

Technology has shown us that it’s possible to have streamlined, efficient experiences in our everyday lives. So why can’t we have the same advantages when it comes to travel?

COVID-19 has undoubtedly wreaked havoc on the global travel industry. But it’s also forcing us to think of new ways to make our transits safer. We’re now considering what the most optimal approaches would be with regards to flights, train trips, and bus rides. And it’s becoming clear that technology will play an integral role in making these new ideas a reality.

How do you think technology can make travel safer? What would make you feel at ease while boarding a plane in the post-pandemic word? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in a variety of advantages for businesses both big and small to leverage. These myriad benefits help to drastically reduce the gaps between users and the digital world. IoT development has consequently become an integral technology for successful digital transformation. In fact, the technology has played a role in bringing digital transformation to almost every sector.

As devices become more intrinsically connected and learn how to push, pull, and act upon data more efficiently and effectively, they are increasingly able to generate new revenue funnels. Thus, IoT technology actually makes it possible to create viable business models.

It must be noted that IoT is constantly evolving. For companies to use it properly, they must stay up-to-date on the various changes and improvements occurring in this field. This is the key to identifying the correct IoT usage for your business endeavors. With that said, here are some of the most popular IoT applications currently being used for accelerating growth and increasing revenue.

1. Platform-Based Business Model

While not the newest type of IoT-based business model, platforms are one of the most useful entries on this list. Platform-based models connect producers and consumers of a niche to streamline symbiotic marketplaces. Product creators can generate revenue directly from transactions, and consumers get access to a multitude of leading options.

Interoperability and interconnection are essential to platform-based business models. Since many tech titans are comprised of several systems both inside and outside their companies, the platform business model is a popular choice to unite endeavors and insights. This is illustrated best by examining Seattle-based developer and e-commerce giant Amazon.

Thanks to IoT, Amazon’s Alexa voice recognition allows the company to collect both third-party data and partners. As a premier voice recognition platform, Alexa enables Amazon to charge companies for application development. This, in turn, increases Amazon’s revenue and reach. While voice recognition has now been present for a few years, it’s only expected to grow and mature in the near future.

2. Outcome-Based Business Model

Paying for the end result is the main thought behind outcome models. This is a popular choice for transportation services. In these cases, an outcome-based business model enables a consumer to obtain a vehicle without having to purchase it completely on their own.

If you’re not planning to utilize a vehicle for its entire life, why spend a significant amount of money for the short time you’ll have it? For example, instead of buying an electric scooter, you can rent it for a specified duration of time.

Here are the main benefits that an outcome-based business model brings to the electric scooter rental industry:

• Versatility in application
• Lower communication costs
• Reduced battery cost
• Secure payments
• Green policy promotion
• Asset distribution

3. Asset Tracking

Asset tracking is the primary reason why IoT technology has been heavily adopted by supply chains. Why, you ask? Because it allows both shipping and logistics businesses to cost-effectively optimize their supply chain visibility.

IoT-connected devices are able to identify, monitor, and track practically any type of asset in real-time. As a result, it essentially eradicates any chance of item loss or theft. And because IoT allows the supply chain to be constantly updated, asset tracking also helps to drastically reduce inefficiencies. After only a few weeks, many supply chains can analyze their operations to elucidate where bottlenecks or obstacles are occurring.

4. Preventive Maintenace

Besides giving supply chains insight into their operations, IoT can also help protect assets in terms of maintenance. Equipment is one of the biggest expenses for numerous industries. Before, maintenance needs for these costly assets had to be identified through on-site inspections. But this process isn’t perfect, and it can often lead to decreased efficiency and financial loss.

Thanks to IoT, businesses can check on equipment maintenance needs virtually any time they want to. IoT-connected devices can be deployed to constantly monitor equipment remotely and track maintenance schedules. This can radically reduce downtime by preventing any potential malfunctions.

Perhaps best of all, this IoT niche is improving with each iteration. Current offerings in this space are much more sophisticated than their counterparts from only a few years ago. Building a foundation for this now can set you up to become an expert in a type of business that will flourish with more time.

5. Compliance Monitoring

Each year, manufacturers spend millions of dollars on compliance. Quality assurance checks to comply with safety, economic, and environmental regulations can quickly multiply expected costs. Fortunately, IoT is helping businesses mitigate these expenditures to a great extent.

As with asset tracking and preventive maintenance, IoT allows companies to check in on and monitor compliance metrics. With IoT in the picture, the process of compliance not only becomes much more responsive but also reduces costs. A constant flow of real-time information means that safety, economic, and environmental measures can be rapidly refined to prevent any penalties and preserve the well-being of workers.

How Will You Use the Internet of Things?

We hope this short guide has given you some insight into how you can apply IoT to your business endeavors. Remember, IoT is a versatile, adaptable technology — this list really only scratches the surface of what it’s capable of.

Which IoT use case are you interested in applying? If you need help deciding, take a good, hard look at your business holistically. Consider your operations, market, and long-term goals. Doing this should help clarify which IoT application can benefit you the most.

Embracing change and adapting to newer paradigms is essential to surviving and thriving in the tech industry. When Dogtown Media first opened for business in 2011, we knew that the Internet of Things (IoT) was something special. Since then, we’ve striven every day to establish ourselves as a leading IoT app development organization.

Well, it turns out that hard work and perseverance pays off — TopDevelopers.co has named Dogtown Media as a leading IoT app developer!

IoT is evolving fast. It’s imperative that developers in this space keep up with the latest trends and rapidly become efficient at implementing them. We understand the importance and urgency that often come with business augmentation. Whether you’re a fast-growing startup or a large enterprise organization looking to add new capabilities to your fold, consider working with us.

Of course, you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out our portfolio! We’ve worked on everything from cardiac arrest emergency protocols and mobile education technology to apps for better road trips and sleep. Our varied array of work experience, dedication, and proven track record of happy clients are why leading organizations such as Google, YouTube, The United Nations, Lexus, and RedBull have chosen to work with us.

Landing on TopDevelopers.co’s list of top IoT app developers is no easy feat. They meticulously evaluate numerous organizations in this field across the world, not just in our hometown of Los Angeles or even the United States. After narrowing down their list, they trim it even further by examining the experience of every candidate and their history of consistent client satisfaction. With all that said, it’s an amazing honor to make the cut!

Besides being dubbed a top wearable app developer, Dogtown Media was also recently named a top U.S. mobile app developer by TopDevelopers.co. We were also fortunate to be lauded as one of California’s leading app developers by Clutch!

Thanks so much to TopDevelopers.co for recognizing our work. And thanks to our clients, team, and community as well. We often say, “If you can dream it, we can build it!” But you’re really the ones who make this mantra possible.

Who is TopDevelopers.co?

TopDevelopers.co is a widely respected directory and review platform for B2B IT service providers. They take a neutral approach to analyzing companies. The team of analysts at TopDevelopers.co vets organizations through stringent parameters which ensure that only the most competitive firms, businesses, enterprises, and entrepreneurs are filtered through their process. This helps service seekers find the most appropriate solutions for their needs.

Over the past few years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly grown in numerous industries due to the immense benefits it offers. But many organizations still don’t know where to begin when it comes to their own IoT development endeavors. To clear up any confusion around this topic, we’ve decided to write about it!

Welcome to the second chapter of our two-part series on the essential components of a successful IoT ecosystem. In our previous post, we delved into what an IoT ecosystem actually is and the crucial role that embedded elements like sensors and actuators play in them. In case you missed it, you can catch up here.

In this article, we’ll cover connectivity, the cloud, data analytics, and end-user devices. Ready to begin? Let’s jump right in!

Connectivity

Numerous components comprise an IoT ecosystem. With interconnectivity, these elements are able to work with each other to decipher data and implement meaningful actions. Essentially, connectivity enables an IoT ecosystem to become greater than the sum of its parts. We can break connectivity down into two puzzle pieces: protocols and gateways.

IoT Protocols

As we discussed in our previous post for this series, sensors collect data. But after that, this information needs a medium to get where it needs to go. Put another way, IoT ecosystems require a communication channel between its sensors and the cloud. This is where IoT protocols come in.

Using an “invisible” language, IoT protocols transfer data online between two connected devices. They basically allow physical objects to “speak” to one another.

Power consumption, range, bandwidth, and data transmission should all factor into your choice of network protocol. Popular options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DDS, cellular, ZigBee, and MQTT. These channels make information exchange in your IoT ecosystem seamless and secure.

IoT Gateways

To reach the cloud, the incoming raw data collected by the sensors must pass through a gateway. Remember that “invisible” language we mentioned earlier? Gateways translate network protocols so that all devices within the network can communicate efficiently. They’re an integral communication point and make data traffic management much easier.

Gateways also provide a much-needed layer of security by protecting the IoT ecosystem from unauthorized access. All of the information that flows through a gateway is protected by the latest encryption standards.

As if these capabilities weren’t enough, gateways also preprocess sensor data before transferring it to the cloud. New IoT gateways even have the ability to analyze and minimize sensor information so that the cloud only receives what’s relevant.

The Cloud

Think of the cloud as the place that ties all of your IoT ecosystem components together. A large chunk of your information processing, including data handling, storing, and even decision-making, take place in the cloud. This is even more amazing when you consider that the cloud does all of this for gargantuan amounts of information in a few milliseconds.

Time is a critical factor for IoT, especially for real-time systems being used in healthcare and safety. This means latency cannot be compromised. Thanks to enormous computing power, vast storage capabilities, and myriad networking options, cloud systems are able to cater to an IoT system’s time-sensitive needs while handling a ton of data. In essence, they form the brain of an IoT ecosystem.

It’s worth noting that the cloud isn’t always necessary for IoT; edge computing is a viable option as well. But the cloud is usually preferred due to its high performance, simple scalability, and cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, edge computing may be favored if your IoT initiative requires large amounts of data processing and storage on-premises.

IoT Data Management

Data is the lifeblood of your IoT system. But without proper management and analytics, you can’t make sense of the large amounts of information you’re collecting. Whether you want to hone in on key performance indicators of your system or identify errors in real-time, data management and analytics are a must.

Analytics revolves around converting the raw data of your IoT system into intelligent insights that can be leveraged to make better decisions. Unsurprisingly, this capability is useful in multiple situations; measuring a facility’s temperature or an equipment failure rate are both common scenarios.

Data management and analytics need robust computing power and storage to make sense of an IoT system’s information. But it’s well worth the investment since they help determine vital business insights, predict trends, and drive better efficiency. Many of the tasks involved in analytics can possibly be hosted on the cloud. This will ultimately depend on your IoT architecture.

End-User Devices

End-user devices provide an easily accessible interface that people can use to control various components of the IoT ecosystem. Basically, this is where users can set their preferences for the system. And the more user-friendly the interface is, the easier it is to interact with.

When it comes to the actual interaction, users usually have a couple of options: either interact with the device itself or do so remotely via other devices such as smartphones or tablets. An example of this would be the smart home devices developed by Seattle-based Amazon; these allow users to seamlessly communicate with a variety of “things.”

Design is key here. IoT devices can easily set themselves apart from competitors with better user interfaces. Colors, font, voice, and menus all play important factors here. Just remember that the goal is to remove as much friction as possible.

Time to Get Your IoT Ecosystem off the Ground!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the essential components of an IoT ecosystem. These systems, as well as their use cases, are constantly evolving. And mechanisms can differ depending on industry use cases and budget. But each of the components we discussed usually remains the same.

Are you working on building out an IoT ecosystem or initiative right now? Let us know about it in the comments below!

By now, everyone has heard of the Internet of Things (IoT). Since its rapid rise in the tech industry a few years ago, IoT development has become an essential part of nearly every vertical and niche. In fact, we’re on track to having 21.5 billion IoT devices connected by 2025. This isn’t so surprising when you consider that IoT can be integrated into everything from home appliances to children’s toys to automated industrial equipment.

Consumer demands are only shifting more towards smart, connected products. Look no further than smartwatches, electronic door locks, robot vacuums, and GPS-enabled pet collars to see evidence of this. It’s really no wonder why; connecting these assets to the Internet offers them more capabilities and opportunities for better efficiency.

But we must remember that IoT operates on a vast network comprised of various components that work together to form a cohesive data ecosystem. Understanding the factors at play here, such as how data is collected, devices are connected, and autonomous actions are implemented, is vital to comprehending how IoT works.

In the first chapter of this special two-part series, we’ll delve into the basic definition of an IoT ecosystem and the first component you need to make your own IoT system succeed.

Wait, What’s an IoT Ecosystem?

Regardless of the objective, you can always break down an IoT system into two elements: the object you intend to make intelligent and the embedded system that provides the connectivity to do so. It may sound simple, but things become drastically more complex when we examine the second part.

Sensors, actuators, data management, and more all play an integral role in making your embedded system function. They are what actually enable your object to be programmable and capable of interaction with assets or humans. To understand this better, let’s take the connected doorbell for example.

Connected doorbells can detect a visitor at your door, even if he or she hasn’t rung your bell. It then displays this data in video or voice format. This elegant solution needs multiple components. Once the visitor is detected, information must be interpreted, sent, and communicated to the user. Keep in mind that this doesn’t even consider the ability to open the lock remotely.

As different use cases are constructed, the definition of what constitutes an IoT ecosystem is greatly expanding. Any ingredient that’s involved in connected organizations or users to their devices would fall into this category. And besides the visible elements like hardware or user interfaces, “invisible” components such as software or storage must also be accounted for.

Embedded Components

Whether you’re running a manufacturing facility outside of Dallas, Texas, or launching a new tech toy across the United States, sensors and actuators form the backbone of your IoT ecosystem. Data is the oil of every IoT machine, and these two tools allow you to attain accurate, credible information.

Sensors

Sometimes called “detectors,” sensors capture the slightest changes in your environment. As a result, sensors shine a light on relevant aspects needed to improve your system in real-time or later down the line in post-processing.

Sensors may be small pieces of hardware, but don’t underestimate their benefits. They can gather information on factors like temperature, pressure, moisture, motion, and more. It’s not unusual for an IoT device to employ various types of sensors to collect a wide range of data. This usually allows the device to perform multiple functions.

For instance, our smartphones are capable of motion detection, GPS location, fingerprint recognition, and camera features. And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Another prime example is smart ACs or thermostat controls; these can sense both temperature and humidity simultaneously. Since different applications strive to accomplish different objectives, each one will use a different group of sensors.

To achieve automation based on specific triggers, sensors are essential. Let’s revisit our smart AC example to see why. Let’s say a user sets their automated room temperature to stay between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. When the room’s temperature goes over 75 degrees, the sensor will pick this up and trigger the AC system to cool it down. If the room drops below 70 degrees, the sensor will “tell” the AC via a transmitter to heat up the room so it falls back in the appropriate range.

Perhaps the best part of sensors is that they are now extremely affordable and smaller than ever before thanks to vast advancements in technology.

Actuators

Think of actuators as the opposite of sensors. Just as the word “sensors” implies that they sense, “actuators” act! When they receive a signal, they cause an action. Basically, once a sensor detects an environmental change, it’s up to the actuator to make the appropriate response occur.

For smart ACs, actuators are the components actually controlling the heating and cooling. If a person exits this smart-controlled environment or it reaches a satisfactory temperature, the sensor will then trigger the actuator to stop the airflow.

Just as with sensors, there are various types of actuators to use, depending on your unique situation. Besides turning something on or off, they can also control valves or implement actions such as gripping or turning — both of which are crucial actions for numerous industrial applications.

Stay Tuned for the Next 4 Components

Did you enjoy the first chapter in our “Essential IoT Components” series? If so, then stay tuned! In a blog post next week, we’ll round out this series with the final four components you need to make your IoT system a success.

In the meantime, let us know in the comments how you utilize IoT in your day-to-day or business operations!

Thousands of people around the world have taken a more proactive approach to their health thanks to wearables. Through a combination of the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and health app development, these devices allow users to monitor their steps taken, calories burned, heart rates, and more. But just how accurate are they?

In a recent post, we examined how wearables actually “count” your steps and why this metric can be way off the mark. If you missed this article, you can read it here. For this entry, we’ll explore how wearables track heart and calorie burn rates. We’ll also delve into some of the factors that can make these readings inaccurate.

Why Your Heart Rate Readings May Be Haywire

Ever heard of photoplethysmography (PPG)? Don’t fret if you haven’t — it’s an obscure term outside of medicine (and a mouthful to pronounce). PPG refers to the technique that most wearable devices use to measure heart rate.

By beaming a green LED into your wrist, PPG enables wearables to measure your blood volume. Every time your heart beats, more blood flows into your blood vessels. A proportional amount of the green LED’s light is absorbed by this blood. In between heart beats, your blood recedes away from your vessels, causing less light to be absorbed. Wearable devices use this difference in light absorption to calculate your heart rate.

This is certainly one of the most elegant uses of IoT development and sensors in healthcare. But it’s not without its faults. In fact, green LED sensors can be quite unreliable. To measure blood volume properly, the green light must penetrate the skin. But several studies have found that melanated skin is actually more likely to absorb it.

It’s important to note that this is still a hotly-debated topic. For instance, one study didn’t identify any correlation between skin color and accuracy. But it did report an activity error rate 30% higher than when at rest. And other research found that the Apple Watch performed quite well, regardless of skin tone.

Honing in on Your Heart Beat

To address this potential issue, Fitbit works hard on calibrating its device sensors to work accurately for everybody; the company says that the green light its wearables emit are sufficiently strong enough to penetrate through darker skin, and its sensor is receptive enough to accurately detect heart rate signals. But many users with melanated skin have complained that wearables from the San Francisco developer either gave wrong readings or didn’t work at all.

Mikael Mattsson is a Senior Research at Swedish university Karolinska Institutet. He explains that, in research settings, scientists typically calibrate and use seven different light wavelengths to capture accurate results. But fitting all of these capabilities in a small wearable is impossible.

To circumvent this, the Apple Watch doesn’t only rely on green LEDs to measure your resting heart rate; it also employs infrared sensors. While more reliable and accurate than green light, Mattsson says that movement can still cause this to measure vitals incorrectly. Apple seems to be well-aware of this issue; the Apple Watch Series 4 measures your heart’s electrical current directly via electrodes instead of relying on proxy blood level measurements.

But even with more bells and whistles, the accuracy of wrist-worn wearables can vary depending on the type of actions you’re doing. Stable, repetitive activities such as stationary biking are usually fine. But even other relatively controlled exercises like using an elliptical machine with arm levers can throw your wearables a curveball.

For this reason, Mattsson hasn’t even begun to test wearables outdoors yet. Why? “If they’re not good enough indoors, they won’t be good enough outdoors,” he explains. The lesson here is this: Wearables’ heart rate monitor can adequately function under specific conditions and are completely fine for casual use. Just know that they’re still not perfect.

These Same Inaccuracies Make Calorie Burn Rate Unreliable

If you were holding out hope that wearables track your calorie burn rate accurately, we’ve got some bad news from you. Many of these devices utilize proprietary algorithms to calculate your energy expenditure — and these algorithms factor in movement and heart rate measurements (which we all know by now can be quite erroneous).

To make calorie burn estimations more precise, numerous wearables take physical aspects such as height, weight, sex, and age into account. This enables the devices to calculate your basal metabolic rate, the usual number of calories you’d normally burn each day. But throw in the calories expended from physical exertion, and the whole equation goes awry. That’s because this is the most unreliable metric that wearables calculate.

In a study of a diverse set of people of different skin tones, fitness levels, weights, heights, and ages, Mattsson and his colleagues found that all wearables had a 20% or higher error rate for calorie burn calculations. Other studies have reported similar inaccuracies.

Mattsson believes the main problem lies in the proxy measurements and algorithms. The former gives the latter bad measurements to use in its calculations. But algorithms are already doomed from the start. “The biggest problem is that they’ve done the algorithms for a subset of people,” Mattsson says. “In most studies, you talk about white males in their 30s at an average fitness level. The farther away you get, the bigger the risk of a problem.”

The Catch-22 Facing Wearables

These problems of inaccurate readings put wearables in a perplexing conundrum. To improve their offerings, wearable developers need a diverse group of people purchasing and using their products. This, in turn, would give the developer more diverse data to train the algorithms with. But here’s the catch: People would have to use these devices, even if they’re not perfect.

Like before, the main takeaway from all of this is that wearable data must be taken in context. They can certainly inform and provide a person with a better picture of his or her health. Numerous people around the world have turned their lives around thanks to wearables. But, as with any new technology, fallibility is still present.

Wearables are one of the greatest technological marvels of our time. Emerging from a combination of the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and health app development, these devices were originally employed to track steps. But those days are long gone — wearable technology has transcended this single use case to become something much more.

Now, people around the world are using them to take a more proactive approach to their health by measuring their heart rates, sleep patterns, and calories burned. These devices are even playing integral roles in research experiments, clinical trials, and corporate wellness programs.

But just how accurate are commercial wearables, really? It turns out that a number of seemingly insignificant factors such as darker skin, pushing a shopping cart or stroller, or just shuffling while you walk can skew your data.

Wearables Don’t Count — They Approximate

In 2019, researchers conducted an accuracy study of consumer- and research-grade wearables when used by older adults. 18 senior citizens took part. After being strapped with trackers on their wrists, ankles, belts, and chests, they were tasked with strolling on a treadmill. But none of the gadgets displayed an accurate step count.

It turns out that the participants’ movements were too slow to trigger the sensors in all of the devices. Fast forward to today, and it’s now becoming clear that various factors can make your wearable’s tracking capabilities go awry. To get the most accurate results, you have to fit into quite a narrow demographic: Have a light skin tone, be in your 20s or 30s, possess an average fitness level, and walk with a “purposeful” gait.

If you can check all those boxes, then odds are good that your wearable tracking will work better. With that said, it’s worth noting that wearables don’t exactly count every step; they actually approximate them using an accelerometer. Commonly used in IoT development, these electromagnetic sensors can pick up on motion.

When the accelerometer detects motion, the wearable then interprets the information using an algorithm that has been trained to recognize what constitutes a step. With personalized data such as a user’s height, weight, and age, these calculations can be customized to be more precise.

Your Data Is a Reflection of How You Move

But personal information about the user can only get us so far. To see why wearables can oftentimes be inaccurate, we must investigate how the algorithms they utilize are trained.

Lynne Feehan is an Associate Professor of the University of British Columbia’s Physical Therapy Department and the co-author of a Fitbit accuracy study. She says that the algorithms employed by wearables are usually based on data obtained from studies on college-aged men.

“They [wearables] do detect steps well if it’s normal paced steps, normal cadence,” Feehan explains. “They were designed to measure purposeful walking.” But if you’re prone to shuffling or taking small steps, or if you find yourself pushing a walker or shopping cart, the accelerometer probably won’t be as accurate. “There’s a definite bias in there. How a child moves and how someone who’s 90 moves is very different,” says Feehan.

Shelten Yuen, the Vice President of Research at San Francisco-based Fitbit, says that the company continuously strives to enhance its algorithms: “Fitbit uses AI and machine learning, coupled with insights from its large database of biometric information to develop and continually improve its offerings.”

Walk with intent while thrusting your arm forward with each step, and your wearable will most likely sense and record the movement correctly. But if you don’t move your arms much while in motion, have a limp, or just like to stroll leisurely, it’s safe to assume that your data is thrown off a bit. More specifically, Feehan and her colleagues found that Fitbits under-recorded steps by older adults by as much as 25%.

Accounting for Inaccuracy

In their study, Feehan and her co-authors also discovered some other startling results. For instance, the wearables tended to only have acceptable accuracy one-third to one-half of the time! While walking normally or jogging in the lab environment, they would undercount steps 50% of the time. Outside of lab conditions, they’d overcount steps by as much as 35%. Fitbit has declined to comment on this and other individual studies.

And in case you were looking for unethical ways to increase your step count (say, for a workplace-sponsored fitness program), wearables also tend to be fairly easy to fool. Attaching them to metronomes or spinning them around with drills or bicycle wheels can all do the trick.

None of this is to say that wearables don’t provide value. On the contrary, they’ve helped thousands of people lead healthier lives. If you want to compare your activity levels day by day, these devices are indispensable. However, if you’re specifically aiming for a goal like 10,000 steps a day, you may want to take your results with a grain of salt.

Stay Tuned and Stay Healthy

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief overview of how well wearables count steps. Stay tuned! Next week, we’ll delve into how capable these devices are of tracking heart rate and caloric burn.

Do you use a wearable? Have you found it to be accurate? How would you improve your device? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The coronavirus pandemic has brought times of uncertainty to every industry. Consequently, several companies are choosing to eschew long-term investments in favor of short-term gains. In technology, this has manifested in numerous organizations halting their 5G plans.

But businesses looking to secure themselves a place in the future shouldn’t just stand idly by. A myriad of operational efficiencies and new opportunities await early 5G innovators. The next generation of cellular technology will bring about numerous benefits for the Internet of Things (IoT): better maintenance, reduced downtime, and more robust data analysis name just a few advantages.

Want to kick your IoT development endeavors into high-gear? Then 5G is a necessity. Here’s how to get your IoT initiatives ready for 5G.

Design for Low-Power Wide-Area Networks

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a group of standards organizations that develop protocols for mobile telecommunications. To 3GPP, the future of mobile IoT lies in Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) networks. As their name implies, LPWA networks are intended to support applications and devices that are low cost, require low data rates, need long battery life, and can operate in remote locations.

LPWA networks play an integral role in connecting billions of devices to mobile IoT. Without them, only major metropolises with built-up infrastructures (e.g., Los Angeles, New York City, Beijing) could support the widespread use of this emerging technology. Besides this, LPWA networks also support a diverse array of operations across various sectors.

NB-IoT and LTE-M are the two most commonly deployed formats of mobile IoT networks. Their vast coverage range and low power consumption make both options impressive avenues to deploy your IoT product. Devices connected over either format can easily have a battery life of over 10 years.

Both NB-IoT and LTE-M have been accepted as 5G standards. The eventual objective is to have both supported by the 5G core network so they can facilitate the usage of new radio frequency bands.

Pick Which Tech Suits Your IoT Application Best

If you’re having trouble deciding between NB-IoT and LTE-M, don’t fret. Learning more about each one can elucidate the correct solution for your needs.

NB-IoT

NB-IoT stands for Narrowband-IoT. This technology minimizes connected device power consumption while optimizing system capacity and cell range. As the name implies, NB-IoT leverages only a narrow sliver of the total bandwidth projected from cell towers. It’s perfect for regions that don’t have great LTE coverage or applications that only need to transfer small amounts of data.

To extend coverage to regions with poor coverage while enabling low device complexity, NB-IoT employs much simpler technology than GSM/GPRS modules. It is also supported by all major mobile equipment manufacturers and already co-exists with 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks. The cost of comparable NB-IoT modules is actually expected to decrease as demand increases.

LTE-M

LTE-M stands for Long Term Evolution for Machines. Like NB-IoT, LTE-M can support IoT deployment with lower device complexity, less power consumption, and extended coverage range. It is also supported by all major mobile equipment manufacturers and co-exists with 2G, 3G, and 4G.

So, what’s the difference between LTE-M and NB-IoT? To answer that, we must examine your targeted application. Because it excels in applications that require only small amounts of data transfer, NB-IoT is great for static smart meter and sensor deployments.

On the other hand, if your deployment is literally mobile (e.g., you’re tracking moving vehicles), then LTE-M may be the way to go. It has far greater available bandwidth than NB-IoT. This means it can support more data-intensive applications, such as transferring large files. LTE-M also supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE).

Just in the first quarter of 2020, 107 NB-IoT and 45 LTE-M networks have been deployed commercially.

Don’t Forget to Account for Edge Computing

The choice of network technology is obviously an important factor for your IoT deployment. But it certainly isn’t the only aspect that determines the long-term viability of your project. It’s imperative that you also consider the types of devices you decide to deploy with.

In the future, everything regarding IoT technology will start at the edge. In edge computing, the devices themselves carry out the computation and analysis. By planning to utilize this paradigm now, you can get ahead of the competition. Unfortunately, many IoT platform providers undervalue the potential of edge computing.

But, in truth, edge computing brings as many benefits to the table as your network selection does. With optimized speed and performance and the ability to automate operations, it can dramatically simplify your design, deployment, and management of IoT initiatives. And this can make the difference between cost-effective scaling of massive deployments and endeavors that fall to the wayside.

Innovate IoT’s Future Today

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief overview of how to simplify your IoT deployment on 5G. By making the right decisions for your IoT initiatives, you can minimize your investment risk, simplify the deployment, and set yourself up for seamless scaling.

It can be difficult to plan your IoT strategy during these uncertain times. But organizations that do will quickly reap the rewards and outpace the competition. So don’t wait. Plan for a brighter future today!

The Internet of Things (IoT) is amazing at making our day-to-day lives more efficient. Thanks to IoT development, we can now control our lights, thermostats, and even the locks on our doors with the push of a button on our mobile phones. We can even monitor our homes from afar with connected security cameras.

But let’s get real — the current state of IoT security leaves much to be desired. While the integration of smart devices into our lives has brought unparalleled convenience, it also leaves us more vulnerable to cybercrime.

The unfortunate fact is that numerous IoT devices contain little to no built-in security. That makes them easy targets for hackers. And to make matters worse, IoT’s interconnectivity means your whole suite of devices is on the line if just one gadget gets hacked.

In this post, we’ll cover 5 easy ways to ensure your IoT devices are secure. Put these tips into practice so you can have peace of mind knowing your technology is properly protected.

1. Change Your Router’s Factory-Default Settings

The very first thing you should do is change your router’s default name and password. Factory-given names can clue hackers in to your router’s make and model. In turn, their job of infiltrating your network will become much easier.

For your new name and password, avoid words and phrases that can be linked back to you or reveal any personal information. That means street addresses, family names, and pet names are all a no-go.

It’s obviously okay if you’re proud of the fact that you live on Broadway in New York City or Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles but come on — nobody trying to log onto your network needs to know that or be reminded of it. In fact, the more unusual and unrelated your router name and password are to you, the better!

2. Employ Strong Passwords

This tip may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people still use ‘1234’ as a password. Using a strong password improves your security exponentially. So, while it may be annoying to type in, always try to use a long, elaborate, and complex password.

Here are some tips to help you create a great strong password:

1. Use a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
2. Do not use anything that’s personally tied to you.
3. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
4. Make your password long. We can’t emphasize this one enough!
5. Avoid keeping notes (physical or electronic) of your passwords.

If you have trouble remembering all of your passwords, try using a verified password manager like LastPass. And for super-sensitive accounts that are vulnerable to hacking (like your bank account or work credentials), always make your password as complicated as can be.

We know how annoying it can be to type out long passwords that resemble an alien language. But trust us, it’s way better than being hacked.

3. Activate Two-Factor Authentication

Double down on your cybersecurity by enabling two-factor authentication. Adding this extra layer of protection can make a big difference in buffing up your security.

If two-factor authentication sounds like an unnecessary inconvenience, think of it this way: You already use it in your everyday life. Whenever you swipe a debit card, you usually have to provide your pin. That’s a type of two-factor authentication.

Protect all your assets like you protect your money. That debit pin can save you a lot of headaches and trouble if your card gets stolen. And just like this example, adding another line of defense like two-factor authentication allows you to keep tighter control over your accounts.

If one of your accounts gets hacked, you’ll get notified about it thanks to two-factor authentication. In fact, the hacker won’t be able to get in because you’ll be required to grant them access. It’s an easy way to stop hackers dead in their tracks.

The best part? You can activate two-factor authentication for almost any IoT device. And it’s pretty easy to do so. Follow this short guide from CNET to find out how to enable two-factor authentication on everything from email to Facebook.

4. Disable Your IoT Device’s UPnP Features

Many IoT devices have Universal Plugin and Play (UPnP) features. This lets multiple devices connect. For example, you can pair your smart voice assistant with your smart lights or thermostat to control them. This is undeniably convenient. But it’s also risky from a security standpoint.

When your UPnP feature is on, all a cybercriminal needs to do is discover one device. From there, they can find other connected devices. This leads to a domino effect that makes it simple for a hacker to wreak havoc on your entire system or network.

So take a moment to go into your IoT device settings. You should be able to find an option to disable UPnP.

5. Update Your IoT Devices Regularly

It’s easy to brush updates off. But you really shouldn’t be postponing them, especially for IoT devices. As we’ve discussed, numerous IoT devices come with little to no built-in security. For many manufacturers, software updates are their way of amending this issue.

Update your IoT device software routinely. This ensures any antivirus or anti-malware measures your device employs are the strongest they can be. They also often help address any security flaws that may have been included in older versions of the software.

Think of it this way: Hackers are always improving their game, so why shouldn’t you?

Secure Your IoT Devices as Soon as You Can

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief guide to beefing up your IoT security! Each of these tips shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to implement. So take some time to protect yourself properly right now.

What security measures do you employ to boost your IoT security? As always, let us know in the comments below!