Article | REF: H8050 V1

Introduction to Internet of Things

Authors: Khaldoun AL AGHA, Daniel ETIEMBLE

Publication date: August 10, 2018, Review date: March 10, 2021

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ABSTRACT

The Internet of Things (IoT) offers the ability for things to become smart by communicating between each other or with the cloud. This article introduces its main characteristics. The general architecture of the smart applications it allows is presented. The various components are detailed: sensors / actuators / displays, information processing devices, different types of network, cloud. The specific features of these IoT components are described, given the broad variety of applications from very simple to very complex. The features of the development platforms and the security constraints, both technical and legal, are shown.

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AUTHORS

  • Khaldoun AL AGHA: Supélec engineer - Professor at Université Paris Sud – Paris Saclay

  • Daniel ETIEMBLE: Engineer from INSA Lyon - Professor Emeritus, Université Paris Sud – Paris Saclay

 INTRODUCTION

Since the late 1980s, the Internet has evolved dramatically. The latest stage is the use of this global network for communication with objects or between objects, a development known as the Internet of Things (IoT). The evolution of the IoT is rapid: since 2014, the number of connected objects has exceeded the number of connected humans, and it is predicted that 50 billion objects will be connected by 2020.

This article presents the essential characteristics of the Internet of Things.

It begins with an overview of the many types of application in which the IoT introduces intelligence: networks, healthcare, home, city, industry, TV, automotive, and so on. Then, the general architecture is detailed with its different levels: detection and identification of information, network construction, information processing and actions required for the application, to which corresponds the layered diagram: component level, network level, support level (service and application) and application level.

The range of fields involved is broad enough to innovate and create value. This article provides an overview of all the elements in the value chain: multi-technology gateways between objects and networks to connect as many objects as possible, telecoms infrastructures dedicated to the IoT, specific platforms, technology integration for customized solutions, connected object service operators.

Hardware components and their development environment are illustrated. They include :

  • object-level identifiers, sensors, displays, actuators ;

  • microcontrollers or low-cost processors and boards with or without light OS for simple objects, processors with OS such as Linux, Android, IOS and cloud resources for complex objects;

  • networks, which can be "short-distance", "long-distance" or "cellular". The various network technologies that can be used are described in detail, according to constraints such as range, throughput, cost and security.

Managing an application comprising hundreds, thousands or even more objects requires a high-performance development medium (platform). Both proprietary and open-source platforms are available. They must satisfy a number of requirements:

  • manage components and integration support ;

  • information security ;

  • define the data collection protocol;

  • enable data analysis to obtain relevant information (Big Data)

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