Abstract
This article present a comparison of several IoT platform where most of people use it. First we going to explain the IoT platform itself. Next, we compare the features that implemented in the current IoT software platforms. And finally, we can tell what IoT platform that have the best quality or fulfil our needed.
1. Introduction
IoT platform is a supporting application that connects hardware, access points (AP), and data network to other parts of value chain. IoT platform usually handle management tasks and data visualization, which enable user to automate their environment. Platform acts as middleman between collected data and SaaS or mobile application [1]. With IoT platform, search engine and data storage system could work faster and better. Most of its elements is cloud-based and running on wireless connectivity [2].
Today, almost everything connected to the internet. Soon, all types of device such as cars, houses, and phones could communicate with each other. This thing open up opportunities to organization too offer various IoT based solutions. It is important for the organization to bring an innovative way to manage data that always increasing. Organization need to understand the importance of customer’s data and how to use it so it can make a better decisions. And for all of this, an organization need a good platform to build a good application [3]. Each platform has different features they offer. In this article, we are going to compare 3 IoT platforms.
2. Features on IoT Platform
A good platform can be judged from features that implemented on it. There are several features you can find in different platforms. The essential features on IoT platform are listed below.
a. Device Management
A device continuously need management, reconfiguring, updates, and setting control. Edge devices, which act as translation and data hubs between network can create more problem if it serviced manually. Therefore, we need IoT platform to remote access the devices [2].
Connecting each device manually is not pratical because there are many devices that need to be monitored in platform. IoT management will depend on coding that can connect to microcontroller units (MCU) in system architecture of devices. This method is more efficient compared to manual way [2].
b. Security and Data Privacy
A platform must be able to provide security in all hardware and software components. Gateway and edge devices has to be advanced and flexible in order to adapt with the new security methodology. Because vendors often lose customers when there is a security breach occurs, there is always a motivation to find the best solution to handle security in IoT [2].
c. Data Analytics
Data is a main source of IoT. A platform must be able to provide a complete data analytics facility, such as basic descriptive analytics, visualization, diagnostics, and predictive also perspective analytics. The goal is to expand predictive capacities of network, improve the function and troubleshooting, while enable real-time response to emergency event [2].
d. Data Collection Protocols
Protocol used as data communication between component on IoT platform. There are many devices (nodes) in platform, therefore we need a lightweight communication protocol that enable low energy use and low network bandwidth functionality [8].
Each platform can support one or more application protocols. Web Socket is the best protocol for real-time communication. Other protocols that often used are REST, MQTT, CoAP, and XMPP [4].
3. Comparison on IoT Platform
IoT Platform | Device Management | Data Collection Protocol | Data Analytics | Security and Data Privacy |
Evrythng | No | MQTT,CoAP,
WebSockets |
Real-time | Authentication, Encryption, Access Control and Authorization |
IBM | Yes | MQTT, HTTPS | Real-time | Link Encryption, Authentication (IBM Cloud SSO), Identity management |
AWS | Yes | MQTT, HTTP | Real-time |
Link Encryption, Authentication |
From the table we can tell the difference between these three IoT Platform. First we can look the device management in IBM and AWS is yes, it means the platform can manage many device that connect to the platform and for Evrythng platform it cannot manage many device because it only can be access from the app based on web. After that the most data collection protocol that used by these three platform is MQTT, MQTT is an ISO standard that can carrying the message in TCP/IP when the bandwidth is limited.
After that all these three platform is using real-time analytic, it means the device that connect to the platform always sending the data that the device receive. This sending data is always working even if we not open the platform itself. And like the name “real-time” it also mean when the data is received by the platform, the platform is directly analyse the data itself in the cloud.
Most of the platform using security protocol to secure the message that device send to the platform so no one can hijack or steal the message. The protocol that used mostly by the IoT platform is authentication and encryption. The authentication it usually using some SSO id like in our campus Telkom University if you want to connect to wi-fi you must login first through tune and login with your SSO, it same happen in platform too. After that the encryption part is for the message when it will be sent. It means before sending the message, the device encrypt the message so no one can hijack or steal the message when the sending is on progress.
Conclusion
So after we compare these three platform, we can tell which one is the best for our needed to improve out environment with device we have. Beside the comparison we also can see the opportunity to improve the platform itself and we can improve that if we want and if we need it to improve.
Reference
[1] “IoT platforms : what they are & how to select one,” LinkLabs, 3 August 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.link-labs.com/blog/what-is-an-iot-platform. [Accessed 19 March 2017].
[2] M. J. Perry, Evaluating and Choosing an IoT Platform, California: O’Reilly Media, Inc., 2016.
[3] “Why it is important to have a strong Internet of Things Platform,” [Online]. Available: http://www.iottechworld.com/business/why-it-is-important-to-have-a-strong-internet-of-things-platform.html. [Accessed 19 March 2017].
[4] P. Ganguly, “Selecting the right IoT cloud platform,” International Conference on Internet of Things and Application, pp. 316-320, 2016.
[5] “IoT Smart Products Platform,” EVERYTHNG, [Online]. Available: https://evrythng.com/platform/features/. [Accessed 20 March 2017].
[6] “Watson IoT Platform,” IBM, [Online]. Available: https://www.ibm.com/internet-of-things/platform/watson-iot-platform/. [Accessed 20 March 2017].
[7] “AWS IoT,” amazon web services, [Online]. Available: https://aws.amazon.com/iot-platform/. [Accessed 20 March 2017].
[8] M. Dayarathna, “Comparing 11 IoT Development Platforms,” DZone, 4 February 2016. [Online]. Available: https://dzone.com/articles/iot-software-platform-comparison. [Accessed 20 March 2017].