There exist many different platforms for the Internet of Things (IoT). The most common fall under WiFi, Bluetooth/BLE, RF, and other technologies.
The general goal of these platforms is to allow the design of interconnected devices that push data to a cloud for processing. The strengths and weaknesses of these IoT technologies usually revolve around it’s overall focus.
A common focus of the IoT industry is to create portable, low-power consumption devices that can be used in growing areas such as home automation. The ZigBee and Z-Wave IoT platforms allow for such devices to exist with battery life reaching well over a year or more, allowing these devices to be installed without worrying too much about regular maintenance.
Some Common Platforms:
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[ZigBee]
ZigBee is a wireless technology that was developed to be the global standard for establishing cheap and efficient Mesh2Mesh networks. It operates on the IEEE 802.15.4 physical radio specification and operates in unlicensed bands which include 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz, and 868 MHz. [1a]
Some key aspects of the ZigBee platform include support of multiple network topologies including mesh networks and point-to-point.
ZigBee utilizes 128-bit AES encryption to ensure that data is secure.
[Z-Wave]
Z-Wave is an IoT protocol for communicate between devices, primarily used for home automation. It employs RF technologies for signaling and control of these devices.
It operates at a frequency of 908.42 MHz in the United States and 868.42 MHz in Europe, using a mesh networking topology.
[SigFox]
SigFox is a communication platform that does not require any signaling overhead. It is a compact and optimized protocol that consists of objects which are not connected to the network.
One key aspect of SigFox is that computations are done in the cloud, removing the need for these to be done on the connected devices themselves. This heavily lowers overall system costs and power consumption. [3a]
[LoRa]
‘LoRaWAN’ is a ‘Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) designed for connecting low-power consumption devices that transmit small amounts of data to the internet.
The ‘key’ focuses of the LoRaWAN network are bi-directional communication, mobility, and localization services. [4a]
You can find out more about LoRa at the ‘LoRa Alliance’ website:
https://www.lora-alliance.org/
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… and many more!