An IoT system requires many different components to work seamlessly together and deliver the functionalities for which it was designed. Here’s a list of the most important IoT components:
End devices and sensors – sensors capture electric pulse or analog signals that are passed through IoT ecosystems. Examples include an accelerometer or a Gyroscope sensor.
Network or connectivity layer – in an IoT ecosystem, sensors are typically connected with computation and intelligent layers via network or connectivity layers. IoT components can be connected to different networks, from telephony and wireless (LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) to light-based technologies (Li-Fi). An IoT network consists of various components such as routers, gateways, switches, and network protocols.
Security layers – data is at the core of any industry-grade IoT ecosystem, requiring proper security systems and methodologies to avoid issues that might arise at any point, from data acquisition to business insights derivation. Strong encryption in various communications is recommended, with the help of firmware, anti-malware systems, and other tools.
Compute engines – IoT systems often use multiple technology stacks inside one umbrella that require using a cloud-based platform or developing proprietary infrastructure.
Governance standards – to deal with the information flow over the various components of an IoT ecosystem, businesses need to use standards such as: technical (WAN, Wi-Fi), network protocols (HTTP, UDP), data management standards (ETL, CAP), and the regulations issued by the local authorities.