Three essential aspects of IoT device design

Around the world, the IoT serves many businesses, each with their own IoT needs. Some IoT applications span industries, while others are bespoke and meet very prescribed demands. Despite this dizzying diversity, all IoT devices must be designed with three fundamental considerations in mind: connectivity, compliance and security. Keep pace with these essentials, and IoT devices can tackle today’s challenges and meet tomorrow’s demands.

There are around 18 billion IoT devices in the world and this is expected to more than double in the next eight years. Every day, engineers strive to design smarter and more resilient devices.

However, they are up against it, because the world doesn’t stand still. They must navigate the complex and evolving worlds of connectivity, regulation and cyber security.

These are three critical considerations for embedded engineers, system architects and product designers building IoT devices that will last.

Which they must, because many devices remain in the field year after year, sometimes a decade or more. They must be built with resilience, compliance and security in mind for longevity and reliability.

Three IoT device design considerations

Let us consider each of these three essential aspects of IoT device design:

Connectivity is the backbone of IoT success. Many enterprises depend on continuous connectivity to support critical operations. Outages, security lapses and technology misalignments can lead to significant disruption, compliance failures and reputational damage. Yet, many connectivity decisions are still made without fully considering long-term resilience.

Early decisions impact the scalability and adaptability of IoT solutions. Technology sunsets, for example, are one aspect of a changing technology landscape that must be factored into IoT device design.

There are many connectivity options and comparing them is complicated. LTE-M, for example, is a low-power, wide area network (LPWAN) technology optimised for IoT/M2M communication that offers extended battery life for applications such as smart meters, asset tracking and wearables.

NB-IoT, on the other hand, is best suited to stationary devices that send only very small amounts of non-real time data. This technology is the hero when it comes to locations others would struggle to reach, such as underground.

Cat-1 BIS meanwhile, is a 4G technology offering flexible coverage with bandwidth and latency benefits.

Wide-ranging regulations across borders can affect seamless connectivity and IoT scalability, if they are not factored into device and solution design. Permanent roaming and data sovereignty can restrict deployments, data exchange and storage, if they aren’t addressed in the right way.

Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) provides a way to comply with these obligations, so that IoT devices can operate smoothly in different markets. But again, this strategic decisioning must be made early in the design lifecycle to avoid breaks in service and later component swap-outs.

Devices must be secure to meet relevant regulatory standards and to mitigate the many cyber threats that plague all connected devices. To ensure this is so, they must be designed according to robust security measures.

A comprehensive security approach defends against unauthorised device access, monitors devices to spot anything unusual such as increased data exchange and reacts swiftly and precisely in the event of a security breach by, for example, updating software, quarantining a device or taking it out of service.

Embedding security from the outset can reduce outages, minimise the risk of downtime and maximise availability throughout a device’s lifecycle.

Build to last: designing future-ready IoT

Designing resilient IoT devices that can keep up with growing connectivity demands, evolving regulations and increasingly sophisticated security threats is no small feat. There are significant hurdles – from technology sunsets to compliance challenges and cyber resilience.

Early technology choices matter if devices are to withstand future disruptions. Informed engineers, designers and product teams can make smart design choices for effective IoT that is more than just innovative - that is reliable, resilient and secure in today’s dynamic and unpredictable environment.

Find out more about the conference and how to build with Wireless Logic for your device lifecycle. We’d love to discuss designing for a future-proof and scalable IoT with you - get in touch.