What IoT is, and what it takes to run it.

The Internet of Things is the network of physical devices — sensors, meters, vehicles and equipment — fitted with electronics and connectivity so they can measure the world around them and exchange that data with software and people.

In four stages: sensors and devices collect readings; a network such as LoRaWAN or cellular carries them; software decodes, stores and analyzes the data; and dashboards, alerts or automated actions put it to use.

Both connect devices to the internet. IoT usually means consumer and commercial uses — buildings, offices, retail and public spaces — with moderate data and standard reliability. Industrial IoT (IIoT) serves plants, pipelines and utilities, where data is mission-critical, often high-volume and real-time, security is stricter and readings must reach SCADA and control systems.

It depends on the use case. LoRaWAN suits battery sensors that must last years, hard-to-reach spots and wide sites covered from a few gateways. LTE-M, NB-IoT, 4G and 5G on IoT SIMs suit devices that move, send more data or need real-time control, and sites with strong coverage. Most deployments combine both on one platform.

With EdgeKinect, readings are decoded by EdgeKinect Core on the gateway on site, and EdgeKinect Vision — the dashboards, rules and notifications — runs in our cloud or self-hosted on your own servers. Access is set per user, so each team sees only its own devices.

Start with one problem worth solving — a flood point, a tank, a building. An IoT specialist scopes the sensors, the network and the dashboards with you, we install and commission them, and the same platform grows to the next use case.