Full stack thinking: enabling massive IoT

A quick look at the internet will throw up a list of definitions of the “massive Internet of Things (IoT).” Some points of disagreement about the massive IoT include the level of bandwidth required, power needed by the devices in question, and expected throughput. But these are notional differences, argued Sam Colley, Digital Connectivity Portfolio Strategist at G+D. He held up his hand, raising one finger at a time to illustrate his point, as he laid out his vision. 

1. “The massive IoT is about connecting pretty much anything that can be connected in order to serve a purpose.
2. “It should be connected with as little human interaction as possible in order to achieve its purpose.
3. “It must offer a value.”

Colley pointed out that the IoT as it exists today isn’t delivering on all these counts. But if certain things line up, if stakeholders can agree to adopt a less siloed vision of development and come together to cooperate, then the massive IoT could become a reality – one that plays a significant yet non-intrusive part in all our lives. “Take deliveries as an example,” said Colley. “A delivery person needs a signature to leave a particular package behind. If the addressee isn’t home, the trip is wasted. Two minutes at one door isn’t a lot, but total that up over the course of a day, across a hundred staff: how many hours and how much fuel is being wasted every single day on unsuccessful deliveries?

“Now, imagine if there was a smart lock or similar device. The addressee leaves their home, the information is available to the delivery company, they don’t waste their time trying to make the delivery. Think of the savings in terms of cost, hours, and even carbon emissions. The addressee didn’t have to do anything – the smart lock took care of it for them. In this scenario, the IoT is creating economic and environmental efficiencies in the world.”

This transition to more consumer-focused applications working away in the background will transform the way the IoT impacts all our lives. Before that becomes a reality, however, there are certain obstacles that must be surmounted.

Challenges to the growth of massive IoT

Among other issues, stakeholders must contend with questions around:

• Cost Adoption hinges upon affordability. A smart device should include the cost of its hardware, longevity, and connectivity in one amount, at a price point that isn’t ruinous.
• Connectivity Lack of standardization across protocols is a real issue. While 5G is a great enabler, it hasn’t been rolled out around the world yet. When devices move between places, for example in the logistics or travel industries, having to negotiate different connectivity protocols can be hard. 
• Hardware and platforms A lack of standards is an issue here as well. As different standards get adopted, older devices need to be phased out, which adds layers of complexity to the experience. Different manufacturers also take varied approaches to their tech stacks, including rolling out new platforms. This adds testing and recertification costs, which are passed on to customers. This siloed approach has an adverse impact upon enthusiasm for the IoT.
• Security As connected devices proliferate, points of entry for bad actors multiply. While certain countries have sought to protect the device itself through regulation, this approach effectively bypasses thinking about the other areas of weakness – for example the network itself, or even the cloud. 

“The way forward is to think in terms of the full stack,” said Colley. “The siloed approach is fundamentally unworkable.”

Toward a full stack

The idea of a full stack approach is to consider the IoT as a whole, and not to solve one problem at a time. Think of it as one unit, with all these devices connecting to each other. “Crucially, they are generating data across the system that can be trusted, so it can be shared. And once it’s shared, all those devices can learn from it, and from each other,” said Colley.

Take the example of a smart smoke alarm. The ones on the market now require Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (or something similar) to function optimally, which requires set-up and some sort of human interaction, most commonly managed through a phone or other device. But imagine if such a device was connected to cellular service, at a one-time price point that you didn’t even notice, which guaranteed service across the lifetime of the device. It wouldn’t require management, merely alerting you if it needed a new battery, for example, or if there was a smoke event.

Now, imagine if it is connected to the sprinkler system. It doesn’t wait for you to intervene – it has learned from other devices on the IoT that crossing a certain threshold of smoke means fire. It triggers the fire protection system. 

The sprinkler and the smoke alarm could be from different manufacturers, pointed out Colley. It wouldn’t matter. What matters is that the data be trusted, secure, and shareable. For that to happen, manufacturers everywhere need to take a full stack approach to their development, to unlock what the massive IoT could truly be.

Benefits of massive IoT

The current differences being drawn between various parts of the IoT reflect how those data sets are being kept separate. Once standards become universally adopted and the technology follows suit, these separations should disappear. “The massive IoT is the breakdown of this segregation of data,” said Colley emphatically. A desegregation of data enables the creation of efficiencies elsewhere that stem from all the data being available everywhere. 

One such efficiency is through the expansion of use cases. “Consumer behavior in the home can impact manufacturing, almost in real time. Spotting decreased consumption in the home means a drop in demand further down the line, which means production can be lowered at the factory itself,” said Colley. This isn’t just a benefit to manufacturers – carrying inventory also has environmental implications. 

While the benefits to enterprise are clear, there are societal benefits as well. Unwanted food wouldn’t need to be thrown out, to take just one example: it could be redirected to those who are hungry. Sharing data where it is relevant can help make such a scenario a reality.

Standards are fundamental

Standards across hardware, software, and connectivity are intertwined. Provisioning standards such as SGP.32 and SGP.41, advances in eSIM and iSIM, and faster connectivity through 5G are vital to the success of the IoT. These all simplify the IoT and make it cheaper, which makes it more accessible and, ultimately, scalable. 

It must be stressed that industry players need to look beyond their own markets and product line to see the big picture. The full stack approach requires vision and experience across the whole chain of the IoT, including manufacturing the device, providing and securing its connectivity, and developing its management system. 

With its expertise and background across all these segments, G+D takes its responsibility seriously. It plays a leading role in urging the industry toward the adoption of standards across the full stack, so interoperability and security are achieved at a cost and ease of use that make adoption feasible.