Solving the three major IoT challenges: Power Supply, Software Fragmentation, and Deployment
Have you ever wondered what the cities of the future will look like, from public transport systems to the details of daily life?
The short answer is – the Internet of Things (IoT).
IoT not only realizes the interconnection of devices and systems, but also acts as a key driving force for reforming traditional industries and nurturing new business models. However, there are three major obstacles standing in the way of widespread IoT applications. They are: power supply issues, software fragmentation, and system deployment complexities.
Together, these three challenges form a major barrier to large-scale usage and market penetration of IoT technology. Consequently, technology innovators from a wide range of industries are actively joining forces to develop solutions.
Battery Life Challenges for Battery-Powered Devices?
Renewable Energy Comes to the Rescue!
IoT technology is developing at a breathtaking rate, and the number of related devices is growing exponentially. According to IoT Analytics’ estimates, the number of connected IoT devices globally grew by 16% in 2023, reaching 16.7 billion active endpoints. By 2027, this number may increase to more than 29 billion. As the number of IoT devices increases, power supply becomes a challenge that needs to be solved urgently. (Courtesy of: https://iot-analytics.com/number-connected-iot-devices/）
Currently, IoT devices are mainly battery-powered. However, devices that need to run for a long time, such as IoT asset trackers, obviously cannot rely on battery power alone. These trackers need to operate continuously, and frequent battery replacement or recharging can be impractical or even operationally impossible.
One way of overcoming this problem is to use rechargeable power sources, or utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar panels and thermoelectric devices, to provide the tracker with a permanent source of energy. In addition, the combined use of efficient wireless microcontrollers and advanced energy management technology can significantly reduce the tracker’s energy consumption, thereby extending its lifespan. Such innovative solutions not only help to solve power supply issues, but also improve the overall efficiency and reliability of IoT devices.
Windows’ New Initiative Farewells the Fragmentation of IoT Devices
In the world of IoT, Arm-based processors and microcontrollers are often found in connected products due to their remarkably low power consumption. However, the lack of unified standards for the software used in these products has resulted in a highly fragmented embedded software market. This, in turn, increases design complexity and its associated risks.
In the past, the Windows operating system ran mainly on devices based on the x86 architecture. Otherwise, it needed to be emulated to run on different core architectures. Both methods had their limitations. In what amounts to a breakthrough, Microsoft has made a strategic adjustment and adapted Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Edition to the Arm architecture – Windows IoT Enterprise on Arm, thus providing more choices for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This change allows IoT edge devices to use low-power Arm processors, while also enjoying the powerful functions and extensive development framework support offered by Windows. It greatly expands the application scope of Windows in the IoT field.
Semiconductor company NXP has also developed a board support package (BSP) to enable its i.MX 8M System on Chip (SoC) to run Windows IoT Enterprise on Arm. This enables NXP i.MX 8M-based devices to seamlessly run Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, bringing stronger computing power and a wider variety of features to IoT devices.
Cloud Platforms Help IoT Overcome Deployment Difficulties
IoT is distinguished by its ability to connect billions of devices and sensors, to collect and process massive amounts of data. The deployment of so many devices not only requires significant manpower and material resources, but also poses multiple challenges such as data management, device security and network stability. The integration of cloud platforms will undoubtedly become increasingly helpful in solving the problems of IoT deployment. Cloud platforms provide a flexible and scalable environment that can effectively manage IoT devices and data on a large scale. They enable enterprises to control equipment remotely and monitor system status in real time, thereby simplifying management processes and reducing operating costs. Furthermore, the impressive data processing and storage capabilities of cloud platforms provide necessary back-end support for IoT.
Avnet’s Fischer Technik Robotics Sensor Station IoT has successfully integrated NXP’s i.MX SoC with Windows IoT Enterprise. This solution is powered by Avnet’s Solution Acceleration Software, IoTConnect. By providing intermediary software between the network edge and core, it eliminates the hassle of connecting edge devices to cloud platforms.
Clearly, cloud platforms promote connection and integration between different devices and systems. In an industry cloud environment, cloud platforms can serve as intermediaries between a variety of IoT devices and business applications, ensuring the smooth flow of data and seamless integration of different systems.
Conclusion
In summary, solving the three major challenges of power supply, software fragmentation, and deployment is essential for the large-scale development and implementation of IoT. As these problems are gradually solved, IoT will usher in a mind-boggling number of new applications that will completely transform the cities of the future. It is simply a matter of time.
