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IoT (Internet of Things) and M2M (Machine to Machine)

Almost everyone has heard of the Internet of Things (IoT). But, what is that? It refers to the fact that virtually everything can be connected to the Internet. From refrigerators to freezers, from stoves to microwave ovens, from cell phones to cordless phones, from watches to scales. With technologies such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi, cellular, GPRS, and others, almost anything can be connected to the Internet. This new interconnectedness allows users to measure, track, publish, and optimize virtually anything that they can imagine.

But, if you want your new product design to join the IoT, you need to understand wireless communications, as well as RFand microwave design. If you or your company does not have the proper software and test equipment, not to mention engineering experience, trying to get your product onto the Internet of Things will be a very frustrating, costly, and time consuming experience.

The various companies that manufacture the necessary semiconductors that allow your product to be connected to the Internet make it sound extremely simple. But, it is not. Dozens of years of experience has taught us that many, if not most, of the companies that try to connect their products to the Internet will fail until they gain the necessary experience.

Our experience goes back to the years when companies thought it would be a great idea to attach electrical power meters to the Internet; or at least make them available to wireless readers. In this way, "meter readers" would not have to come to your meter and copy down the number that represented the monthly usage of electricity, gas, or water. This process was both time consuming and  prone to inaccuracies.

But, what we found was that the early wireless meter reader systems did not work - at all. They were poorly designed, in spite of the fact that the manufacturers, like RF Micro Devices, published "reference designs."

There are many technologies out there for IoT designs, ranging from cellular to GPRS to Bluetooth to Zigbee to WiFi, including 802.11 and other 2.4 and 5.8 GHz variants. Aerospace Consulting has worked with most IoT technologies, and already has development platforms for many of them. If you want your design to become a part of the Internet of Things, call Aerospace Consulting. We can help your design become a reality, quickly and cost effectively.