Chapter Four

Internet of Things (IoT)

24/05/2025 Prepared by Abinet A. (MSc) 1

4.1 Overview of IoT
 The most important features of IoT include artificial
intelligence, connectivity, sensors, active engagement, and
small device use.
 AI − IoT essentially makes virtually anything smart
 Connectivity − New enabling technologies for networking and
specifically IoT networking, mean networks are no longer exclusively
tied to major providers.
 Sensors − IoT loses its distinction without sensors.
 Active Engagement − Much of today's interaction with
connected technology happens through passive engagement. IoT
introduces a new paradigm for active content, product, or service
engagement.
24/05/2025 Prepared by Abinet A. (MSc) 2
4.1 Overview of IoT…
 Small Devices − Devices, as predicted, have become smaller,
cheaper, and more powerful over time. IoT exploits purpose-built
small devices to deliver its precision, scalability, and versatility
 According to the Internet Architecture Board’s (IAB) definition:
 IoT is the networking of smart objects, or a huge number of
devices intelligently communicating in the presence of internet
protocol that cannot be directly operated by human beings
 According to the Oxford dictionary’s definition:
 IoT is the interaction of everyday object’s computing devices
through the Internet that enables the sending and receiving of useful
data.
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Overview of IoT…
 Generally, IoT is the network of physical objects or "things"
embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network
connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data.
 It is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and
digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with
unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network
without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
 Is a network of devices that can sense, accumulate and transfer
data over the internet without any human intervention.

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Overview of IoT…
 IoT has found its application in several areas such as connected
industry, smart-city, smart-home, smart-energy, connected car, smart
agriculture, connected building and campus, health care, logistics,
among other domains
 It utilizes emerging technology for sensing, networking, and robotics.
 Exploits recent advances in software, falling hardware prices,
and modern attitudes towards technology.

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History of IoT
 There have been visions of machines communicating with one
another since the early 1800s.
 Machines have been providing direct communications since the
telegraph (the first landline) was developed in the 1830s and 1840s.
 The first radio voice transmission took place on June 3, 1900,
providing another necessary component for developing the Internet of
Things.
 The development of computers began in the 1950s.
 Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) became a reality in early 1993.

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History of IoT…
 One additional and important component in developing a
functional IoT was IPV6’s remarkably intelligent decision to
increase address space.
 The first examples of IoT is from the early 1980s and was a
Coca Cola machine, located at the Carnegie Melon University.
 Local programmers would connect by the Internet to the refrigerated
appliance, and check to see if there was a drink available and if it was
cold, before making the trip.

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History of IoT…
 The traditional fields of automation (including the automation
of buildings and homes), wireless sensor networks, GPS, control
systems, and others, all support the IoT.
 Kevin Ashton was the first to describe IoT. He stated that Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) was a prerequisite for the Internet of
Things and concluded if all devices were “tagged,” computers could
manage, track, and inventory them.
 To some extent, the tagging of things has been achieved through
technologies such as digital watermarking, barcodes, and QR codes.
 Inventory control is one of the more obvious advantages of
the Internet of Things.

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Advantages of IoT
Advantages of IoT are:
 Improved Customer Engagement − Current analytics suffer from
blind-spots and significant flaws inaccuracy; and as noted,
engagement remains passive. IoT completely transforms this to
achieve richer and more effective engagement with audiences.
 Technology Optimization − The same technologies and data which
improve the customer experience also improve device use, and aid in
more potent improvements to technology. IoT unlocks a world of
critical functional and field data.

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Advantages of IoT…
 Reduced Waste − IoT makes areas of improvement clear. Current
analytics give us superficial insight, but IoT provides real-world
information leading to the more effective management of resources.
 Enhanced Data Collection − Modern data collection suffers from its
limitations and its design for passive use. IoT breaks it out of those
spaces and places it exactly where humans really want to go to analyze
our world. It allows an accurate picture of everything
IoT – Disadvantages
 If more information is shared between devices, the potential that
a hacker could steal confidential information also increases.

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Disadvantages of IoT
 If there’s a bug in the system, it’s likely that every connected
device will become corrupted.
 It’s difficult for devices from different manufacturers to
communicate with each other.
Challenges of IoT
 Security − IoT creates an ecosystem of constantly connected devices
communicating over networks. The system offers little control despite
any security measures. This leaves users exposed to various kinds of
attackers.
 Privacy − The sophistication of IoT provides substantial personal
data in extreme detail without the user's active participation.

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Challenges of IoT
 Complexity − Some find IoT systems complicated in terms of design,
deployment, and maintenance given their use of multiple technologies
and a large set of new enabling technologies.
 Flexibility − Many are concerned about the flexibility of an IoT
system to integrate easily with another. They worry about finding
themselves with several conflicting or locking systems.

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How does IoT work?
 An IoT ecosystem consists of web-enabled smart devices that use
embedded processors, sensors and communication hardware to
collect, send and act on data they acquire from their environments.
 The collected data is analyzed locally or sent to the cloud to
be analyzed.
 The devices do this task without human intervention.
 The connectivity, networking and communication protocols used
with these web-enabled devices largely depend on the specific IoT
applications deployed.

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Architecture of IoT
 Architecture of IoT devices comprises four major
components: sensing, network, data processing, and
application layers
A) Sensing Layer - The main purpose of the sensing layer is to identify
any phenomena in the devices’ peripheral and obtain data from the real
world.
 multiple sensors in IoT devices are usually integrated through
sensor hubs.
 A sensor hub is a common connection point for multiple sensors that
accumulate and forward sensor data to the processing unit of a device.

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Architecture of IoT…
 Actuators can also intervene to change the physical conditions
that generate the data.
 For example, actuator shut off a power supply, adjust an airflow
valve, or move a robotic gripper in an assembly process
 Sensors in IoT devices can be classified into three broad categories:
1. Motion Sensors: Motion sensors measure the change in motion as
well as the orientation of the devices.
Two types of Motions are linear motion (linear displacement of an IoT
device) and angular motion (rotational displacement of the device).

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Architecture of IoT…
2. Environmental Sensors: Sensors such as Light sensors, Pressure
sensors, etc. are embedded in IoT devices to sense the change in
environmental parameters in the device’s peripheral.
 Its purpose is to help the devices to take autonomous
decisions according to the changes of a device’s peripheral.
3. Position sensors: deal with the physical position and location of the
device.
 Magnetic sensors and Global Positioning System (GPS) sensors
are common position sensors.

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Architecture of IoT…
B) Network Layer - The network layer acts as a communication
channel to transfer data, collected in the sensing layer, to other
connected devices.
 It is implemented by using diverse communication technologies
(e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z- Wave, LoRa, cellular network,
etc.) to allow data flow between other devices within the same
network.
C) Data Processing Layer – Consists of the main data processing unit
of IoT devices. It takes data collected in the sensing layer and analyses
the data to make decisions based on the result.

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Architecture of IoT…
D) Application Layer - The application layer implements and presents
the results of the data processing layer to accomplish disparate
applications of IoT devices.
 This layers is a user-centric layer that executes various tasks for
the users.
 There exist diverse IoT applications, which include
smart transportation, smart home, personal care,
healthcare, etc.

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Example

Figure 4.1 sensor to actuator flow

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Architecture of IoT…

Figure 4.2 Architecture of IoT

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Devices and Networks
 Connected devices are part of a scenario in which every device
talks to other related devices in an environment to automate home
and industrial tasks
 The devices can be categorized into three main groups:
 Consumer
 Enterprise and
 Industrial.
 Consumer connected devices include smart TVs, smart
speakers, toys, wearables, and smart appliances.

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 Devices and Networks…
 Smart meters, commercial security systems and smart city technologies
such as those used to monitor traffic and weather conditions are
examples of industrial and enterprise IoT devices.
 Other technologies, including smart air conditioning, smart thermostats,
smart lighting, and smart security, span home, enterprise, and
industrial uses.
 In the enterprise, smart sensors located in a conference room can help an
employee locate and schedule an available room for a meeting, ensuring
the proper room type, size and features are available.

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Devices and Networks…
 When meeting attendees enter the room, the temperature will adjust
according to the occupancy, and the lights will dim as the appropriate
PowerPoint loads on the screen and the speaker begins his
presentation.
 IoT defines a management structure in two scopes: local
management, where the platform runs in the same environment as the
devices, and remote management, where the platform controls the
devices in different networks.

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Devices and Networks…
 The structure of the platform is expandable, allowing the addition
of new types of network devices or applications.
 In addition, the platform provides standard web services, such as
device discovery, data storage, and user authorities, which are basic
requirements for creating IoT applications.

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Applications of IoT
 Agriculture - For indoor planting, IoT makes monitoring and
management of micro- climate conditions, which in turn increases
production.
 For outside planting, devices using IoT technology can sense soil
moisture and nutrients, in conjunction with weather data, better
control smart irrigation and fertilizer systems.
 If the sprinkler systems dispense water only when needed,
for example, this prevents wasting a precious resource.
 Consumer Use - For private citizens, IoT devices in the form of
wearables and smart homes make life easier.

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Applications of IoT…

Figure 4.3 Applications of IoT in Agriculture

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Applications of IoT…
 Wearables cover accessories such as Fitbit, smartphones,
Apple watches, health monitors, to name a few.
 These devices improve entertainment, network connectivity,
health, and fitness.
 Healthcare - First and foremost, wearable IoT devices let hospitals
monitor their patients’ health at home, thereby reducing hospital stays
while still providing up to the minute real- time information that could
save lives.
In hospitals, smart beds keep the staff informed as to the availability,
thereby cutting wait time for free space.

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Applications of IoT…

Figure 4.3 Applications of IoT in Health Care

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Applications of IoT…
 Manufacturing - The world of manufacturing and industrial
automation is another big winner in the IoT sweepstakes.
 RFID and GPS technology can help a manufacturer track a
product from its start on the factory floor to its placement in the
destination store, the whole supply chain from start to finish.
 These sensors can gather information on travel time, product
condition, and environmental conditions that the product was
subjected to.
 Transportation - By this time, most people have heard about
the progress being made with self-driving cars.

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Applications of IoT…
 In transportation, city planners uses the data to help determining
traffic patterns, parking space demand, and road construction and
maintenance.
 IoT Based Smart Home
 Smart Home initiative allows subscribers to remotely manage and
monitor different home devices from anywhere via smartphones or
over the web with no physical distance limitations.
 With the ongoing development of mass-deployed broadband
internet connectivity and wireless technology, the concept of a
Smart Home has become a reality where all devices are integrated
and interconnected via the wireless network.

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Applications of IoT…
 These “smart” devices have the potential to share information with each
other given the permanent availability to access the broadband internet
connection.
 Remote Control Appliances: Switching on and off remotely appliances
to avoid accidents and save energy.
 Weather: Displays outdoor weather conditions such as humidity,
temperature, pressure, wind speed and rain levels with the ability to transmit
data over long distances.
 Intrusion Detection Systems: Detection of window and door openings and
violations to prevent intruders.
 Energy and Water Use: Energy and water supply consumption
monitoring to obtain advice on how to save cost and resources, & many
more.

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Applications of IoT…
 IoT Based Smart City
 In cities, the development of smart grids, data analytics, and
autonomous vehicles will provide an intelligent platform to deliver
innovations in energy management, traffic management, and security,
sharing the benefits of this technology throughout society.
 Structural Health: Monitoring of vibrations and material
conditions in buildings, bridges and historical monuments.
 Lightning: intelligent and weather adaptive lighting in street lights.
 Safety: Digital video monitoring, fire control management,
public announcement systems.

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Applications of IoT…
IoT Based Smart Farming
 Green Houses: Control micro-climate conditions to maximize
the production of fruits and vegetables and its quality.
 Compost: Control of humidity and temperature levels in alfalfa,
hay, straw, etc. to prevent fungus and other microbial contaminants.
 Animal Farming/Tracking: Location and identification of animals
grazing in open pastures or location in big stables, Study of ventilation
and air quality in farms and detection of harmful gases from
excrements.

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