Controlling the throat of the Internet of Things, what value can wireless communication technology bring to the application field?

Communication technology has been the most talked-about topic in the IoT industry in the past few years. Whether it is the currently popular LPWAN technology, or 5G, or existing technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, etc., an evolved version can attract the attention of the entire industry. Communication technology is so important for the following reasons:

• On the one hand, it is at the core of the Internet of Things industry and is irreplaceable. It also plays a key role in connecting the upstream and downstream. It can connect to products such as sensors upward and terminal products and industry applications downward. It is a very important breakthrough for enterprises to enter the Internet of Things business.
• On the other hand, communication technology, as a basic technology, is very important for IoT products and solutions. The homogeneity of hardware product functions is a very common phenomenon. For example, the functions of products such as bracelets and watches on the market are similar. However, if improvements can be made in communication technology, these products can be supported to have richer functions.

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The value of communication technology for IoT applications

IoT applications are very fragmented, and communication technology as a basic technology also needs to be optimized for the needs of IoT. Below we analyze the value of communication technology in the current important IoT applications.

Meter reading

Remote meter reading is a popular IoT application. Especially in today's society, energy and resources are increasingly valued. Therefore, it is more meaningful to intelligently manage water meters, electricity meters, gas meters and other meters to achieve energy saving and efficient use of resources.

The traditional meter reading method faces several problems: first, the residential users are very scattered, and a large amount of manpower is required for on-site meter reading; second, door-to-door meter reading disturbs residents and brings inconvenience to their lives. Therefore, remote intelligent management of meters through the Internet of Things technology has high economic and social benefits.

At present, low-power wide-area network technologies represented by NB-IoT and LoRa are very suitable for meter reading. If the operator base station covers a dense area, NB-IoT can be used to make a good connection. For areas where the operator's network coverage signal is not very good, the LoRa+NB-IoT solution can better meet the application needs. In addition, there are also some companies on the market that use Zigbee+NB-IoT and wired+wireless solutions for corresponding applications based on the actual needs of the project party.

At present, most of the domestic communication module manufacturers are involved in meter reading related businesses. Among them, NB-IoT module manufacturers such as Quectel, SIMCom, and Neoway Technology all regard meter reading as an important business direction. In addition, companies such as D-Link, Huaotong, AMT, and Hangzhou Luowan are also deeply engaged in the application of LoRa in the field of meter reading.

Security

Security is a major application market for the Internet of Things, because safety is always a basic need of people. In the Internet of Things market, the more important security fields are video surveillance and smoke alarm monitoring.

Video security requires large amounts of data to be collected with low latency, so most video surveillance in cities currently uses wired connections, while remote areas and mobile object monitoring require wireless technologies such as 4G. In the fire alarm application market, the application requirements are very different. In this field, communication technology needs to meet requirements such as long transmission distance, low power consumption, and stable connection, so technologies such as NB-IoT and LoRa are very suitable.

In the field of security, companies such as Longshang Technology, Xinxuntong, Shanghai Quectel, Broad Optical Communication, Shengzhe Technology, and Haoxiang Intelligence have relatively rich products and complete solutions. In addition, the three major domestic operators are also actively expanding this application market. Driven by operators, applications in the security field are being rapidly implemented.

Smart City

Smart cities are a major infrastructure construction that the country has invested heavily in in recent years. Its construction requires the use of various Internet of Things products and technologies. Therefore, smart cities are currently the most important application market for the Internet of Things.

Smart cities cover a wide variety of projects, and the requirements of each application are different, so the environments faced by various smart city networking nodes are also quite different. For example, the physical environment of application scenarios such as street lights, trash cans, and shared bicycles is relatively ideal, so the more important network requirements are focused on indicators such as lower power consumption and larger connections. The networks of operators such as NB-IoT and eMTC are very suitable for these application scenarios; while parking lots, basements, manhole covers and other scenarios have higher requirements for the penetration of communication networks. LoRa or a combination of LoRa+NB-IoT can be used according to the actual needs of the project. Of course, if some positioning and management functions need to be added, RFID, Bluetooth and other technologies need to be combined with LPWAN transmission technology.

In the field of smart cities, many communications companies such as Huawei, ZTE, MeiG Smart, Xiamen Qijun, Shanghai Quectel, and Lingling Intelligence have relatively rich application cases.

Internet of Vehicles

Automobiles have always been a very important application field for electronic information products due to their high added value, high user acceptance, and high market penetration. The role of IoT communication functions in automobiles is reflected in three aspects: first, remote asset management, second, video surveillance inside public transportation vehicles, and third, increasing the functions of the in-vehicle entertainment system.

The different levels of demand for the Internet of Vehicles require quite different communication technology solutions. If it is just vehicle asset management, GPS+GSM or GPS+NB-IoT solutions are more appropriate. If video surveillance is required, LTE network is needed, and the in-vehicle entertainment system requires LTE network and future 5G communication technology.

The field of Internet of Vehicles is also a battleground for almost all communication technology companies. Among them, communication companies such as GosuncnWelink, SIMCom, U-blox, Telit, and Shenzhen Hongdian have all made it their main business direction.

Industrial field

The industrial sector has a huge market size and is also a very important application area of ​​the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things in the industrial sector is mainly reflected in three aspects: one is to monitor the mechanical equipment in the factory, the second is to manage the factory operators, and the third is to monitor the factory environment.

The more mature solution for monitoring industrial equipment is the fieldbus + wireless transmission method, and wireless methods will also be used separately according to the specific needs of the project; personnel management will be managed by GPS, RFID, video monitoring and other methods; the factory environment mainly collects information such as temperature, humidity, and smoke, so it is more appropriate to use LPWAN technology for transmission.

In general, the application scenarios of factories are relatively complex, basically covering all application scenarios of IoT communication technologies. Communication companies such as Human Internet of Things, Robustel, Shanghai Quectel, and Neoway Technology have relatively rich products and experience in this field.