Gateways in IoT Development: When, Why, and Why

Original author: Joe W.
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This is an amazing feeling: see the first steps of IoT, technology that will change the world. Many discoveries have already been made in this area and an incredible number of amazing developments have been created. But the most interesting is ahead. The Internet of things originated and exists thanks to enthusiastic inventors and manufacturers who produce components from which a variety of devices can be assembled.

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Creating complex hardware designs for the Internet of things, many tried to take advantage of existing server technologies, and, very importantly, cloud services. However, if you look closely, for example, at the procedure for sending the performance of a sensor from a board that is characterized by low power consumption, it becomes obvious the need to include an additional hardware link in the device-server interaction scheme that provides reliable and cost-effective communication of IoT devices with the outside world.

Intel is a pioneer in the use of gateway technology in the Internet of Things. But what is a “gateway”? This term is usually used when talking about some equipment that is involved in the reception, transmission, and often processing of data. On the Internet of things, a gateway is a network equipment that performs many functions, such as combining dozens of sensors or smart devices. In this case, the hardware configuration of the gateway can be selected taking into account the task assigned to the project. In a first approximation, there are Intel gateways for IoT with processors having one to four cores. They are equipped with the corresponding volumes of RAM and permanent memory. In addition, these gateways are adapted for a variety of industrial and commercial applications.

In order to understand when it is worth using a gateway in the development of the Internet of things systems, let's talk about the functions and capabilities of gateways.

Gateway as an aggregator


One of the main advantages of using IoT gateways is the ability to aggregate data from other devices. Let's face it. Small form factor devices can solve many problems on their own, but if they are overloaded, restrictions on the amount of memory and processing power can slow down the entire project, bringing it to an almost inoperative state. Combining many of these devices using a gateway makes it possible to organize effective collection of their data, allowing them to solve exclusively the tasks for which they are designed.

It doesn’t matter which form-factor devices are involved in the project. The gateway, in any case, can significantly improve performance. It makes sense to place low-power devices closer to the sensors. Using the gateway as an aggregator allows you to group many of these devices and send their data to the gateway using a specialized network.

The use of boards, such as Intel Edison, or Intel Galileo, allows you to connect to them something about a dozen sensors. To interact with all the necessary sensors, you may need several of these boards. At the same time, although with their use it is quite possible to organize direct sending of data, say, to the cloud, the features of the placement of parts of the system can significantly complicate this task. If communication with individual boards will be organized using a gateway, it will allow, for example, to transmit data collected from them over long distances, which solves the problems associated with the distance to the sensors and their spatial location. As a result, this allows you to create solutions that are very difficult or impossible to create without using a gateway.

In addition, you can connect sensors to the gateway directly. Most gateways are able to provide work with about a dozen independent sensors. Many gateways support several working Wi-Fi networks at once, this allows them to interact with sensors that can transmit data over such networks.

And finally, you need to pay attention to the data. Although it is quite possible to send, say, sensor readings as they are read to the server, there are other approaches that use can help protect data, ensure high speed of their transmission and eliminate delays. An unprocessed stream of information from the sensor to the server may seem like a simple and convenient solution, but grouping, batch transmission of information, or even assembling disparate indicators into files and sending it to the server in this form allows achieving higher quality data transfer.

In working with this, there is the opportunity to go even further. Using a gateway, you can implement various processing options. Moreover, given the fact that many gateways are equipped with powerful multi-core processors, even fairly complex manipulations will not create a load that slows down the operation of the entire system. As a result, the gateway is an ideal device for preparing data of low-power devices before sending them, for example, to the cloud.

About gateway performance


Intel Gateways for IoT feature Quark, Atom, and Core processors. Intel Quark - single-core processors, their clock frequency is 400 MHz. Intel Quark and Intel Core processors come in single, dual, or quad core options. Gateways are equipped with data storages and RAM that meet the requirements of the processor and the purpose of the devices.

Gateways based on Intel Quark, for example, based on the Intel Galileo board, are quite capable of satisfying the needs of many developers. But the commercial sector places higher demands on productivity. Powerful Intel IoT gateways can fit into almost any industrial solution in this area, given the fact that the demand for such solutions is constantly growing.

In addition, you can use a high level of gateway performance in other ways. While many end devices have low power consumption, which is achieved through the use of processors with low clock speeds, gateways are high-performance devices that can afford to spend more energy on computing. The high computing power of the gateways allows you to build real-time systems on their basis. This is achieved through the use of advanced software, which, of course, is based on the capabilities of the hardware. As a result, IoT systems using gateways can respond as quickly as possible to control actions and to changes in sensor performance. This is another important advantage of using gateways.

Opportunities to adapt to project needs


Intel Gateways for IoT support many operating systems. Most models come with Wind River Linux installed. This is, so to speak, a standard solution. Some companies offer gateways with hardware from Intel, on which Snappy Ubuntu or even Windows 10 is installed. A wide selection of software platforms gives almost limitless possibilities for software adaptation of gateways to the needs of a particular project.

In addition, products for Intel platforms are being developed by many manufacturers. As a result, if your project needs something completely unique, for example, a special interface for connecting equipment to the gateway, this can be implemented. In fact, gateways can be adapted to almost any need, and if you do not find what you need among standard solutions, you can contact one of our OEMs and discuss the creation of a solution specifically for your project.

Networking features


In the field of network capabilities, gateways are unrivaled. At a minimum, they can connect directly to two local wired networks, they are able to work in single-channel or multi-channel Wi-Fi networks. But this is not all: if necessary, based on the gateway, you can organize networks based on Bluetooth, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN and others. It’s easy to understand what opportunities this opens up. You can learn more about all this on the Intel IoT Gateway Technology page .

The variety of supported network interfaces allows Internet of Things solutions using Intel gateways to include virtually any hardware. This allows systems to connect to cloud services, organize various control schemes. The list of supported network interfaces includes mobile networks: GPRS, 2G, 3G. LTE At the same time, for example, the gateway can simultaneously work in several Wi-Fi networks, and, without interrupting communication, interact with specialized devices using other types of networks. In situations where other devices may need to disconnect from one network in order to connect to another, Intel gateways keep in touch on all channels.

The power of the network capabilities of gateways is the reason why the aggregation of cost-effective devices, autonomous sensors, and other IoT equipment is an important feature of almost all commercial IoT projects.

Security


One of the main reasons that favor the choice of Intel gateways for IoT is the use of Wind River Linux. This system is very reliable, but special attention is paid to security. In particular, through collaboration with McAfee, a platform was created on the basis of Wind River Linux that was designed specifically for safe use in the IoT environment.

Moreover, it is not only about data protection. Physical devices are also protected. In particular, Wind River protects devices from internal or external unauthorized access. At the same time, in the field of data protection, encryption and secure exchange of information with external systems are available here.

Control


Entry-level IoT solutions either support limited management capabilities or do not support them at all. The situation can be improved slightly due to the development of third-party manufacturers, but many find the introduction of such systems, given their limited functionality, an unreasonably difficult task. In Intel gateways with Wind River Linux installed, management software is already integrated into the system. In addition, support for the Wind River Helix Device Cloud and Wind River Helix App Cloud platforms provide tremendous opportunities for managing devices, applications, and cloud services.

At the same time, Wind River Linux allows you to manage not only local, but also remote devices. They can be controlled either manually or automatically, based on criteria set by administrators and programmers. In addition, remote devices can be combined into groups and work with them not separately, but based on some common feature, say, on which gateway they are connected to.

conclusions


We examined the many strengths of Intel gateways for IoT. We will now answer the questions about when, why, and why it is worth using them. These questions are, at the same time, both simple and complex. Here's a short list of situations where you can recommend using Intel gateways for IoT:

  • The system under development is highly dependent on performance.
  • Reliable interconnection of components is the key to the success of a project.
  • Inadequate security compromises all work.
  • Need the ability to locally or remotely manage an IoT solution.
  • A reliable operating system is needed, on the basis of which it is planned to implement its own applications.
  • The success of the project depends on the ability to create your own OS assembly.
  • It is necessary to ensure the connection, for example, to the cloud, of a huge number of sensors.
  • Need advanced Wi-Fi networking capabilities.
  • It is necessary to create specialized networks for organizing communications with existing equipment.

In fact, this is only a small part of the reasons that led, first, to the development of Intel gateways for IoT, and now serve as criteria that you can rely on when deciding whether to include a gateway in your project. In countless cases, the creators of IoT systems should use industrial-grade products, not being distracted by developments designed for amateurs. With their help, you can assemble a working prototype, a small home project, but when it comes to commercial use, when security and the ability to scale come to the fore, reliable industrial-grade systems are indispensable. In this situation, Intel IoT Gateway-based solutions are one of the very few alternatives available on the market today. These solutions are ideal for the development and implementation of projects of any complexity.

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