The breakthrough technology of Internet of Things brings itself with promises of making our future brighter as well as more convenient than ever before. However, there is no denying in the fact that pros as well as cons are two sides of the same coin and with this next generation technology of the Internet of Things, there are also several challenges that will be posed simultaneously with the advent as well as progress of this technology. Besides this, there are also several challenges which will be posed at each and every step of the IoT technology execution process.
For instance, when the devices and its peripherals inspired by the IoT technology will be designed and developed in labs, one of the most common issues faced will be in regard with the network connectivity. However, these network connectivity issues can be tackled and resolved at the lower level very conveniently when there are only a few devices included as well as when the server is running on the back end but when it comes to deploying the Internet of Things technology on a global scale across millions and millions of people, there are going to be more connectivity as well as network challenges which are meant to be resolved side by side.
However, one of the major disadvantages is that the internet is not just a single network; rather it is a collection of several different heterogeneous networks which includes several important considerations such as cell towers, proxy servers, fast connectivity, slow connectivity as well as firewalls. It is to be noted that all these considerations are very crucial and these can easily disrupt connectivity.
Connectivity challenges in Internet of Things
• Signalling
One of the crucial requirements for the success of the Internet of Things technology is the availability of uninterrupted, reliable as well as bi-directional signalling which should be enough for collecting as well as routing all data between two or more devices. This is the first and foremost requirement for the IoT technology to be implemented perfectly! This is exactly where the concept of Internet of Things data streams comes into action. All devices connected over a network are going to be in contact with the server for collecting data while the server will also be talking to the devices and the devices will be in contact with one another simultaneously. In either of these cases, data has to travel from point A to point B as quickly and reliably as possible. You need to make sure that the streaming of data or signalling is taking place as desired every time.
• Security
“Security” is an umbrella term but when talking in the context of the challenges faced in the Internet of Things technology, it is one of the most prominent ones. For instance, what is the use of installing smart home appliances and technologies across your home if the intruder is still easily able to break in!! Below are the few main aspects of security challenges faced in the Internet of Things technology.
a.) Encryption: There will be the need for reliable end to end encryption for all the devices as well as their respective servers.
b.) Authorization: As a user, you need to make sure that the device or server which is streaming any data at any given point of time has the authorization to do so or not. This is due to the reason that streaming of data between servers and devices is the most crucial execution mantra of the IoT technology.
c.) Open ports: Open ports can be of much trouble for all devices if they are left unused and vulnerable in contact with the internet. This is where the need for bi-directional communication arises since you will certainly not want to expose any open ports to the internet.
• Power consumption
This Internet of Things connectivity challenge certainly does not come across as a big surprise!! With millions of different IoT devices sending as well as receiving data among one another, it certainly takes a toll on the CPU consumption and power. With all this complex communication taking place 24×7, what you will need is a network that does not drain the battery of your device and must consume less power as well. Another important factor is that we cannot end up using 100 percent of an IoT device’s CPU power and battery.
• Detection of presence
One of the main concerns of being connected over a common network is to be aware of when the IoT device will be dropping off the network and go offline without any prior notice!! Also, there is no way to know when the device will get connected back to the network and go online. It is your sole duty to keep an eye on the presence of the network. Presence detection is a prominent feature of IoT which will tell you about the exact present state of all the connected devices. This will provide you with the power to monitor all the Internet of Things devices and is of great help in fixing all problems that may creep up in your network of connected IoT devices.
• Bandwidth
Apart from the common challenges of CPU and power consumption, bandwidth consumption is also a great concern which all IoT devices will have to face in the coming times. We know that the bandwidth used in cellular networks are expensive, more prominently in cases where there are thousands of IoT devices connected over the network and sending & receiving data across different devices simultaneously through the same server; hence creating a tightly- jammed network of ongoing communications. Large scale server farm handling is one of the feasible solutions to this issue and you also need to make sure that the networks you are using are seamless in transferring data while also being lightweight.
It is being estimated that in a decade’s time from now, millions of devices across the globe will be connected through the IoT technology, which makes it important for these challenges to be tackled beforehand.
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