UNIT-1

INTRODUCTION TO
INTERNET OF THINGS
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
� First of all we should discuss about the name “IoT – Internet of Things” in detail.

� So we have to discuss about the first word “Internet” and then

everything about the “Things”.
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
� What is Internet?

� In simple word, it’s a

Network of Networks or
Interconnected LANs.
� So here we have to discuss
about the Network, and we
already learned everything
about network in the last
semester, Right?
� What is Network?,
Requirement for networking
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
� Nowadays The term Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerged the popular terms.
� There are multiple ways to define IoT, but the basic of all the definitions remains
the same.
� IoT is network of interconnected computing devices which are embedded in
�everyday
The IoT objects,
is notenabling
just them to send and receive data.
limited to the
connected or
networked devices, but
in a broad way IoT
devices exchange
meaningful information
from one device to
another to get desire
result.
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
� IoT is not a single technology, it’s a combination of technologies and domain
knowledge.
� As a result, engineers from different domains have to work together for building a
complete IoT product.

� Life would be governed entirely by Internet and IoT in the near future.
APPLICATION AREAS OF IOT
� The scope and application areas of IoT is very huge.
� IoT can be used to build applications for…
⮩ Agriculture
⮩ Assets Tracking
⮩ Energy Sector
⮩ Defense
⮩ Embedded Applications
⮩ Education
⮩ Waste Management
⮩ Healthcare Products
⮩ Telemedicine
⮩ Safety And Security Sector
⮩ Smart City Applications
etc.
CHARACTERISTICS OF IOT
� Connectivity:
⮩ Connectivity is an important and first
requirement of IoT infrastructure.
⮩ Every Things in IoT should be
connected to the IoT infrastructure.
⮩ Connectivity should be guaranteed at
anywhere and anytime.

� Identity:
⮩ Each IoT device has a unique identity
(e.g., an IP address).
⮩ This identity is helpful in
communication, tracking and to know
status of the things.
CHARACTERISTICS OF IOT
� Intelligence:
⮩ Just data collection is not enough in IoT,
extraction of knowledge from the generated data
is very important.
⮩ For example, sensors generate data, but that
data will only be useful if it is interpreted
properly.
⮩ So intelligence is one of the key characteristics
in IoT.
� Scalability:
⮩ The number of elements (devices) connected to
IoT zone is increasing day by day.
⮩ Therefore, an IoT setup should be capable of
handling the expansion.
⮩ It can be either expand capability in terms of
processing power, Storage, etc as vertical
scaling or horizontal scaling by multiplying with
easy cloning
CHARACTERISTICS OF IOT
� Dynamic and self-adapting
(complexity):
⮩ IoT devices should dynamically
adapt themselves to the
changing surroundings.
⮩ For example surveillance
camera. It should be flexible to
work in different weather
conditions and different light
situations (morning, afternoon, or
night).
� Architecture:
⮩ IoT architecture is yet not
uniformed and standardized.
⮩ It should be hybrid, supporting
different manufacturer’s
products to function in the IoT
network.
CHARACTERISTICS OF IOT

� Safety:
⮩ Sensitive personal details
of a user might be
compromised when the
devices are connected to
the Internet.
⮩ So data security is a
major challenge.
⮩ This could cause a loss to
the user.
⮩ Equipment in the huge
IoT network may also be
at risk.
⮩ Therefore, equipment
safety is also critical.
THINGS IN IOT
� In the IoT, things refer to a variety of
devices. It can be anything even humans in
it become a thing.
� For something to qualify as a “thing”, it
requires identity of its existence.
� The “thing” in a network can be
monitored/measure. For example, a
temperature sensor could be a thing.
� Things are capable of exchanging data
with other connected devices in the
system.
� The data could be stored in a centralized
server (or cloud), processed there and a
control action could be initiated.
� The devices having all the above
THINGS IN IOT
� Some of the famous “things” are
temperature sensors, pressure
sensors, humidity sensors, etc.
� The data from these sensors are
collected and sent it to the cloud or
stored it in local server for data
analysis.
� Based on the data analysis, the
control action would be taken.
� For example, switching off the
water heater remotely when the
water is heated as per
requirement.
THINGS IN IOT
� Not just sensors, the following can also be called as things:
⮩ Industrial motors
⮩ Wearables (e.g., watch)
⮩ Vehicles
⮩ Shoes
⮩ Heart monitoring implants
(e.g., pacemaker, ECG real-
time tracking)
⮩ Biochip transponders (for
animals in farms)
⮩ Automobiles with built-in
sensors (automobile feature
real-time monitoring)
⮩ Food/perishables quality
measuring
THINGS IN IOT

� In IoT-based home automation, the

“things” could be the following
⮩ Lighting control and automation devices
⮩ Ventilation devices
⮩ Air conditioning [heating, ventilation and
air conditioning (HVAC)] systems
⮩ Appliances such as washer/dryer
⮩ Air purifiers
⮩ Ovens or refrigerators/freezers that use
Wi-Fi for remote monitoring
⮩ Security cameras
⮩ Smart phones
IOT STACK
� Like other digital technology IoT has stack layers.

� Following are the identified seven layers

in IoT stack. Layer Application Layer
7
⮩

IoT Protocol Stack Layers

Layer 1 (Physical or Sensor Layer) Layer User Experience Layer
⮩ Layer 2 (Processing and Control Action layer) 6
⮩ Layer 3 (Hardware Interface Layer) Layer Session/Message Layer
⮩ Layer 4 (RF Layer) 5
Layer RF Layer
⮩ Layer 5 (Session/Message Layer) 4
⮩ Layer 6 (User Experience Layer) Layer Hardware Interface
⮩ Layer 7 (Application Layer) 3 Layer and
Processing
Layer
Control Action Layer
2
Layer Physical or Sensor
1 Layer
IOT STACK - LAYER 1 (PHYSICAL OR SENSOR LAYER)
� This layer is concerned about the physical
components, which mainly includes sensors.
� In this layer, the sensors are the core component.
� Temperature sensor, pressure sensor, humidity
sensor, etc. can all be referred as physical layer
components.
� In industrial automation, PLC, actuator, etc. are
considered as physical layer components.
� This layer is responsible for data collection and
action execution.
� Selection of sensors is important and choosing
an appropriate sensor is the challenge in this
layer.
� Action execution, sensing and data collection
happens here.
IOT STACK - LAYER 2 (PROCESSING AND CONTROL
ACTION LAYER)
� This important layer contains core
components of IoT system.
� The microcontrollers or processors are
found in this layer.
� The data is received by the
microcontrollers from the sensors.
� A variety of development kits are
available in the market; like Arduino,
Raspberry Pi, Node MCU, PIC, ARM
development boards, etc.
� Microcontroller/Processor and
operating system play vital role at this
layer
� Data collected from the sensors is
processed in this layer.
IOT STACK - LAYER 3 (HARDWARE INTERFACE
LAYER)
� The 3rd layer in the stack is the
Hardware Interface Layer.
� Hardware components and
communication standards such as
RS232, CAN, SPI, SCI, I 2C, etc.
occupy this layer.
� All these components ensure
flawless communication
� Handshake happens here.
IOT STACK - LAYER 4 (RF LAYER)
� Whenever one talks about IoT, RF is
discussed and comes in picture.
� It plays a major role in the communication
channel – whether it is short range or long
range.
� Protocols used for communication and
transport of data based on RF are listed in
this layer.
� Some famous and common protocols are Wi-
Fi, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc.
� RF layer does communication of data using
radio frequency based Electromagnetic (EM)
waves
� This layer can also include Li-Fi; which are
effective alternates for RF protocols.
IOT STACK - LAYER 5 (SESSION/MESSAGE LAYER)

� Like computer network session

management is also important in
IoT.
� There are many protocols which
manage how messages or data
are broadcasted to the cloud.
� Layer 5 (session layer) deals with
the various messaging protocols
as MQTT, CoAP, etc. and also
other protocols such as SSH and
FTP.
IOT STACK - LAYER 6 (USER EXPERIENCE LAYER)
� This layer deals with providing best
experience to the end users of IoT
products.
� The 6th layer takes care of rich UI
designs with lots of features, which
provide a pleasing experience while
using the service/system or product.
� Object-oriented programming
languages, scripting languages,
analytics tools, etc. all should be
included in this layer.
� This is also known as User
Experience and Visualization Layer.
IOT STACK - LAYER 7 (APPLICATION LAYER)

� Everything comes to perfection at this

layer.
� This layer utilizes the rest six layers in
order to develop desired application.
� It can range from a simple automation
application to smart city application.
� After learning about the layers, it is
now easier to relate them with an
application, for example, vegetable
quality monitoring during transport
from source to the destination using
IoT.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
� IoT is a collection or group of many
technologies and devices.
� The simplest of sensors, embedded
systems, data analytics, communication
protocols, security aspects and cloud
computing with storage have all become
enabling technologies.
� Enabling technologies/devices fall under
one of the following categories:
⮩ Technologies that help in acquiring/sensing
data.
⮩ Technologies that help in analyzing/processing
data.
⮩ Technologies that help in taking control action.
⮩ Technologies that help in enhancing
security/privacy.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - SENSORS
� Sensors are at the heart of any IoT
application.
� As the name suggests, they sense
the environment and retrieve data.
� Sensors are the starting point of
any IoT application.
� It fetches data for us to operate on.
� Sensors could be analog or digital.
� Temperature sensor in a
thermometer is an example of it. It
is used to build temperature
monitoring application.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - SENSORS
� Some examples of sensors that could
be regarded as enabling technologies
are as follows.
⮩ Weather tracking system uses
temperature/humidity/moisture sensors.
⮩ Vehicle health monitoring sensors keep
track of speed, tyre pressure, etc.
⮩ On Board Diagnostics (OBDs) used for
collecting all critical information from an
automobile to detect error.
⮩ Vibration sensors are used to track the
quality of buildings/structures.
⮩ Water quality is monitored through
sensors that measure PH, chloride level,
etc.
⮩ PIR sensor is used in pedestrian signal
operation with human presence detection.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - CLOUD COMPUTING
� The next technology that is highly significant in IoT
is cloud computing.
� Cloud has grown much more popular because it
serves as an affordable, effective and efficient
medium for data storage.
� Data storage plays a major role in IoT.
� Cloud services are categorized as follows:
⮩ IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service):
▪ In this cloud service, one can choose virtual machines over
physical machines.
▪ It is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized
computing resources over the Internet.
▪ The users manage the machines, select the OS and
underlying applications, and pay per their use.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - CLOUD COMPUTING
⮩ PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service):
▪ This is a cloud computing model in which
the cloud service provider delivers
hardware and software tools needed for
application development to users over the
Internet.
▪ A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and
software on its own infrastructure. Users
have to build, manage and maintain the
applications as per their requirement. ⮩ SaaS (Software-as-a-Service):
▪ In this model, a complete software
application is provided to the user.
▪ It can also be called application as a
service. This service can be availed by
paying a monthly, yearly, etc., subscription.
▪ Some well-known service providers in the
market are Amazon web services, Azure
and Adafruit.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - BIG DATA ANALYTICS
� Data is everywhere, and
from every function or
operation we get more data.
� IoT is all about collecting
data from various sensory
nodes.
� Handling the huge data is
fundamental to make the
application a success.
� The biggest challenge with
big data is 4Vs. Volume,
Variety, Speed (Velocity) at
which it comes and its
Veracity.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - BIG DATA ANALYTICS
� Scale (Volume):
⮩ Huge volume of data is generated every
minute.
⮩ Storage has become inexpensive and
hence, cost-related challenges have
reduced.
⮩ Cloud storage and hardware storage both
have become affordable because of the
tremendous growth in the semiconductor
industry.
� Complexity (Variety):
⮩ Data no longer comes from one single
source.
⮩ It also comes in different formats (e.g.,
audio, video, text and image) and has to
be interpreted systematically.
⮩ Varieties of data becomes a huge
challenge.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - BIG DATA ANALYTICS
� Speed (Velocity):
⮩ The rate at which data is generated very fast.
⮩ Also, data dynamics changes very frequently.
⮩ Nowadays, data comes from anywhere – from fit bit
watches to refrigerators.
⮩ All the data pours in at a very high speed, which
makes it very challenging.

� Data in doubt (Veracity):

⮩ How accurate is all this data anyway?
⮩ Because we are now rely on it
⮩ The data’s nature alters dynamically and
uncertainty is often seen.
⮩ So, it would be challenging to process this
unstable data.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - BIG DATA ANALYTICS
� So the question is: “Who is generating all
this data?” A partial list to answer this is
as follows:
⮩ Sensors from security systems.
⮩ Sensors from weather monitoring systems.
⮩ Sensors from car/navigation systems.
⮩ Sensors from water quality monitoring
systems.
⮩ Data from wearables (e.g., bands).
⮩ Data from industrial equipment (e.g., motor
health).
⮩ Sensors from bridges/roads about traffic
density and other factors.
⮩ Social media (e.g., tweets, photo uploads,
etc.).

� In IoT data is everything. so, data

analytics is one of the enabling
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - EMBEDDED COMPUTING
BOARDS
� An embedded computing board a very
important component to bring IoT design to
reality.
� For making the prototype the computing
boards play vital role.
� The computing boards available in the market
are driven by microcontrollers or processors.
⮩ Some of the boards are as follows:
▪ Raspberry Pi.
▪ Arduino (many variants).
▪ NodeMCU.
▪ Intel Edison.

� All these boards are small, yet smart.

� Also, the cost involved is very minimal and one
can get these boards at cheap rate.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - COMMUNICATION
PROTOCOLS
� Protocols are the pillars for good IoT
infrastructure and hence are very
important in communication.
� Data exchange happens through these
protocols, which take care of the
following:
⮩ Addressing.
⮩ Format of the messages.
⮩ Message security (encryption and
decryption).
⮩ Routing.
⮩ Flow control.
⮩ Error monitoring.
⮩ Sequencing.
⮩ Retransmission guidelines.
⮩ Segmentation of the data packets.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES - USER INTERFACES
� All devices should have an
intuitive user interface.
� IoT devices/services should
be designed in such a way
that accessing and handling
the services are easier and
comfortable for the end user.
� Generally , the end user shall
be provided “mobile
application or web
application”.
� The application should be
stable and elegant.
IOT CHALLENGES
� The following are some of the challenges - technical and non-technical during
building an IoT application .
1. Security/Personnel safety:
⮩ Security is one of the most significant
challenges.
⮩ Number of IoT devices are gradually
increasing, so user data becomes
more vulnerable to theft.
⮩ Poor security features can let
attackers damage the whole network
and the rest of the devices could also
become vulnerable.
⮩ People’s personal safety is also a
concern and challenge.
⮩ The implants and wearable used by
people should be safe even from
physical harm.
IOT CHALLENGES
2. Privacy:
⮩ One could be
tracked/monitored by
anyone, as we are
connected 24 × 7 to
the Internet.
⮩ So, there is a threat on
user data and raises a
question on user
privacy.
⮩ “How do we ensure
that the data that is
sensed and collected
from the user is with
their permission?”
IOT CHALLENGES
3. Data extraction with consistency
from complex environments:
⮩ It is a huge challenge to sense and
extract data from complex
environments.
⮩ For Example, variation in temperature
could also damage the products being
transported.
⮩ Maintained the temperature is very
critical and should be accurately
monitored.
⮩ If the temperature is about to change,
then the corrective action has to be
taken.
⮩ Data extraction and storage in the cloud
could be more challenging if the internet
is not available.
⮩ Extracting data inside a room is
different from extracting data from an
IOT CHALLENGES
4. Connectivity:
⮩ This is a serious challenge that
the IoT world must
acknowledge.
⮩ Since the Internet is itself a
giant collection of networks and
devices and IoT is a part of it.
So requirement of wired and
wireless connectivity is a
necessity.
⮩ The usage of frequency /
spectrum is also to be noted.
⮩ There are spectrum regulations
to be followed based on the
country for which the application
is being developed.
⮩ 2.4 GHz band is the ideal band
everywhere.
IOT CHALLENGES
5. Power requirements:
⮩ All the IoT devices require power and most of
them are battery operated.
⮩ Even though we now have long-lasting batteries
that are economical, demand for power is on
the rise.
⮩ Usage of green power sources such as solar
and wind should be motivated.
⮩ If the power requirements are met appropriately,
IoT can be even more powerful.

6. Complexity involved:
⮩ IoT is not easy. It needs a lot of different
domains to integrate into a cohesive system.
⮩ There is very limited expertise available in the
market, but the growth is very rapid.
⮩ The toolkits, software and hardware are not
abundant and real skill is required to build an
application.
IOT CHALLENGES
7. Storage:
⮩ Cloud is becoming
mandatory for the data
to be stored and
analyzed.
⮩ The challenge with
respect to this aspect is
connected to the
following points:
▪ Which cloud do we use
(private, public, or
hybrid)?
▪ How do we identify the
service provider?
▪ How much does it
cost?
▪ Do we really need
cloud?
IOT LEVELS
� Based on the architectural approach, IoT can be
classified in five levels: Level 1 to Level 5.
Air
� Level 1 Conditioner

⮩ It is of minimal complexity. Temperature

Sensor
⮩ The application has one sensor (temperature sensor,
pressure sensor, etc).
⮩ The data sensed is stored locally and the data analysis Data
Collection
is done locally. and
⮩ Monitoring / control is done through an application. Analysis
Done Locally
⮩ This is used for simple applications.
⮩ Data generated in this level application is not huge.
Controlling
and
⮩ For example, a temperature sensor senses the room Monitoring
Action
temperature and the data is stored and analyzed locally.
⮩ Based on the analysis, the control action can be
triggered through mobile application or it can help in
monitoring the status.
IOT LEVELS
� Level 2
⮩ The second level is slightly more complex than the previous level.
⮩ The data is more voluminous and hence, cloud storage is preferred.
⮩ The frequency of sensing done by the sensor is faster.
⮩ The number of times sensing is done would be much more than Level 1.
⮩ The analysis is carried out locally, while cloud is meant for storage only.
⮩ Based on the data analysis, the control action can be triggered through the web application or
mobile application.
⮩ Some examples are agriculture applications, room freshening solutions based on odor, etc.
⮩ IoT application of an air conditioner. The sensor reads the room temperature at a better pace and
rate than Level 1; the data then goes on to the cloud for storage. Analysis is done locally and the
action is triggered through the mobile application.
Conditioner
Air

Temperature Data Analysis Done Cloud

Sensor Locally Data Stored Here Controlling
(Bigger than Level and
1) Monitoring
Action
IOT LEVELS
� Level 3
⮩ The data is huge, frequency of sensing done by the sensor is faster and the data is stored on
cloud.
⮩ The difference is that the analysis is also carried out on cloud.
⮩ Based on the data analysis, the control action can be triggered through the web application or
mobile application.
⮩ Some examples are agriculture applications, room freshening solutions based on odor, etc.,
where analysis of data occurs in the cloud.
Conditioner
Air

Cloud
Data Stored and Controlling
Temperature Sensor Analysis and
Both Done Here Monitoring Action
IOT LEVELS
� Level 4
⮩ With every passing level, the
volume of data increases and
hence the rate at which it is sensed
also increases. Cloud
Data Collection
⮩ At this level, multiple nodes are Temperature Sensor and
Analysis Done
present which are independent of Here
each other.
⮩ These nodes upload data to the
cloud. Moisture Sensor

⮩ All the sensors upload the read Controlling

sensory inputs on cloud storage. and
Monitoring Action
⮩ Analysis is also carried out on the
PH Sensor
cloud.
⮩ Based on the analysis carried out,
the control action shall be triggered
through a web application or mobile
application.
IOT LEVELS
� Level 5
⮩ At this level, the amount of
data is extensive and is
sensed much faster.
⮩ Multiple nodes are involved in Cloud Data Collection
the applications categorized and
Temperature Sensor Analysis Done Here
under Level 5 and these nodes
are independent of each other.
⮩ The sensing of data and its
storage is the same as in all
Moisture Sensor
the previous levels.
⮩ When an application is Coordinator Node
Controlling
and
completely cloud oriented, it is Monitoring Action
computationally intensive in
PH Sensor
real time.
⮩ Based on the data analysis,
the control action can be
triggered through web
application or mobile
application as in all other
CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEM VERSUS IOT
� An important question is, Is IoT
same as Cyber Physical System
(CPS)?
⮩ There is a misconception that both
the terms are the same.
⮩ We have learned the definition of
IoT. The “thing” can also be
accessed from anywhere, anytime
by an authorized party.
⮩ The information or the sensed data
of the things can be simple.
⮩ So complexity involved in the IoT
applications is minimal.
⮩ For complex levels of operation
and to address larger network of
“things”, a new term called Cyber
Physical System or CPS, has been
introduced.
CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEM VERSUS IOT
⮩ It is important to note that CPS is not IoT.
⮩ CPS is more complex than IoT and is much more
challenging.
⮩ CPS has IoT as one of its components.
⮩ It is a combination of multiple engineering
domains coming together.
⮩ The flight of an aero plane can be seen as a CPS
which involves multiple domains of engineering.
⮩ CPS is much more autonomous than IoT, taking
appropriate decisions as and when needed.
⮩ It is not just about identifying “things”; it is more
about understanding and taking decisions in a
more dynamic way.
⮩ CPS is mainly concerned about the collaborative
activity of sensors or actuators to achieve a
certain goal.
⮩ For that CPS uses an IoT system to achieve the
collaborative work of the distributed systems.
 WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK VERSUS IOT
� WSN is a network of multiple
autonomous sensors/nodes.
� Each node has one or more
sensors.
� All the sensed data are
passed to a centrally located
server.
� The data passing happens in
a coordinated pattern.
� We can say that WSN is all
about coordinated data
collection.
� On the other hand, IoT is
much more than just data
collection and the systems are
SUMMARY
� IoT refers to the interconnection of computing devices embedded in everyday
objects via the Internet, enabling them to send and receive data.
� IoT is not owned by any one engineering branch. It is a reality when multiple
domains join forces and combine efforts.
� IoT is all about providing service to any device, anywhere, anybody, and any
network.
� IoT has certain characteristics which are important: a. Connectivity. b. Intelligence
and identity. c. Scalability. d. Dynamic and self-adapting (complexity). e.
Architecture. f. Safety.
� “Things” refer to variety of devices. At times, even humans in the loop becomes a
thing. For anything to qualify as a “thing”, it requires identity. The “thing” can
monitor, measure, etc.; for example, a temperature sensor could be a “thing”.
� One should understand that “THINGS” = HARDWARE + SOFTWARE + DATA +
SERVICE
� IoT stack has seven layers, starting with sensor layer and ending with application
SUMMARY
� Security/personnel safety, privacy, data extraction with consistency from complex
environments, connectivity, power requirements, complexity involved and storage
are the major challenges we face while building an IoT application.
� IoT application can be classified as Level 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 based on the complexity
and architecture involved.
� IoT is all about sense, connect, store, analyze, control and sharing.