The Essence of Electronic devices Prototyping

Should your next product or design be an Internet-of-Things product? That is, should every embedded design always feature Internet connectivity, or machine-to-machine communications, where the possibility exists? There are plenty of different perspectives on this question, several positive aspects and disadvantages and positives and negatives that need to be weighed up. Electronics Design

Although Internet-of-Things connectivity is incredibly popular and hyped right now, it isn’t going to be a worthwhile fit providing you with valuable benefits of all devices to all situations.

Internet connectivity provides advantages - data collection and logging with the data trapped in the cloud, accessible online from any device from any location, or the potential for convenient remote access and charge of devices over the internet, for example, nevertheless type of Internet connectivity brings by using it concerns over security, safety and privacy.

You will find a very slight potential that devices linked to the Internet could be accessed by unauthorised persons, if and only if exploitable security vulnerabilities exist. That is a serious concern for Internet services that control real, physical hardware that is potentially dangerous if misused, and hardware that controls security-critical systems including building access-control systems for example.

Control of security-critical real-world hardware, and also the secure and confidential treatments for personal information (data collected from health and medical data-logging instruments including RF heart rate sensors, as an example, or information at a home automation system that indicates the normal hours men and women are at home and are not at home) ought to be taken into account when choosing to have embedded automation systems in contact with the Internet.

Manufacturers need to consider whether the benefits of Internet connectivity count the risks. Consumers expect that such data is going to be collected and handled with a few degree of security and privacy, and the comfort of Internet-based data collation and access to data are only accepted through the market when it doesn’t also come with unacceptable privacy concerns.

When your design incorporates Internet connectivity, can doing all this connectivity give rise to a positive, easy consumer experience or does it potentially result in the user experience more challenging? If your product or design necessitates consumer to have existing Wi-Fi or Ethernet network to provide Internet connectivity, for example, is this inconvenient for some consumers?

Even though most consumers already have Wi-Fi networks, would be the product still worthwhile for those who don’t? What about if the Internet connection for the LAN, or a mobile or cellular Connection to the web if that’s what you’re using, fails? Can your design still function usefully inside an environment without Internet connectivity, or perhaps is it completely useless?

Can the device work in a transparent, convenient way for the end user inside an environment the location where the Internet connectivity is unreliable and will be off-line sometimes? As an example, can data be temporarily buffered in local memory even though the device is off-line, and then transmitted online service later, reconnecting transparently without user intervention?

Adding Internet-of-Things connectivity to some design can introduce hardware complexity, and extra cost for ones device. It may mean other increased costs including server and hosting costs, the costs of wireless LAN or other network infrastructure, the money necessary for cellular network access if cellular modems are being used, and potentially the running costs associated with RF regulatory compliance, testing and approval for consumer items which are intentional RF radiators. Such regulatory requirements can be simplified or eliminated when the RF connectivity portion of your design is eliminated.

Are these costs worthwhile for the benefits? Or do you think you're simply over-engineering, and adding “Internet of Things” connectivity because it’s in vogue and it’s a hot buzzword? Do these features provide value for money in the context of your product, or could they be simply features for features’ sake?

Overcomplicated, over-engineered systems that try to pack lots of features right into a single design could very well suffer from disadvantages like increased hardware cost and size, decreased market uptake on account of relatively expensive cost, relatively high power consumption, more difficult and complicated user interfaces, and greater challenges in attempting to assure the reliability, security, low maintenance and support costs of your respective design.

Furthermore a greater, more complicated system inevitably has more points of potential hardware (or software) failure, more make an effort to be done in debugging and quality assurance, and much more potential points of security vulnerability.

This may sound just like the Internet-of-things is a negative reason for difference for existing and potential products - however, this couldn’t be more mistaken. You already know that connected machines are the way of the future. The key to success in manufacturing, information security and customer support lies in the proper design and dealing with a team who comprehend the IoT and how it may be put to work to save you time.