O que você precisa saber sobre o desenvolvimento para a Internet das Coisas

What you need to know about developing for the Internet of Things

May 23, 2024 Roberto Magalhães

IoT is still an important trend that all companies should consider for the future.

The Internet of Things (IoT) addresses the billions of devices deployed around the world and connected to the Internet that collect and share data. These devices are everywhere and serve a multitude of purposes. IoT devices are smartwatches, medical sensors, smart locks, smart refrigerators, fitness trackers, thermostats, security systems, mobile robots, light switches and sockets, smoke alarms, doorbells, remote controls and smart assistants.

IoT is practically everywhere: in homes, businesses, automobiles, retail stores and warehouses. At this point, you would be hard-pressed to find a home or business that doesn't have one or more of these devices.

As a company, what do you need to know about developing for the Internet of Things? These devices are not your typical projects, but given their prevalence, your company may need to consider adding IoT to your offerings.

Let's find out what it takes to develop IoT.

The Hardware

The first thing you must understand is that IoT hardware is not exactly what you are used to. Instead of standard servers and desktops, these devices are limited in storage and CPU power. So instead of having limited resources, you're dealing with very limited hardware. This is a SoC (System on a Chip), which has less power and finite storage. These devices often include sensors such as power management modules, RF modules, power and sensors, as well as microcontrollers.

Because the hardware involved is so limited, you need to go to great lengths to keep your applications as small as possible. Remember that these devices must also house an operating system (albeit in a simplified version) and be capable of storing data.

The operating system

Almost all IoT devices run a minimal operating system, almost always Linux-based. This means your developers will need to understand the open source operating system.

There are several options for IoT operating systems such as Contiki (best for memory-constrained systems), FreeRTOS (best for devices with very limited memory), Mbed OS (best for portable code), MicroPython (best for rapid deployment), Embedded Linux ( best for most use cases), RIOT (able to run as a macOS process), TinyOS (best for portability between devices), Windows 10 IoT Core (best for heavy industrial deployments), and OpenWrt (used for routers).

IoT Principles

When starting with IoT, you must keep development best practices in mind, otherwise the security and reliability of your devices may be compromised. There are 5 principles to consider when starting your IoT journey:

Analog data is often something you have to deal with. This data can be radio signals, temperature, sounds and speed.
These devices will always be connected to the network and even to other devices.
IoT acquires and acts on data in real time.
IoT data goes through 5 phases – real-time, in motion, early life, at rest, and archive.
Data must have visibility so that it can be accessed even from remote locations.

IoT best practices

As with any technology sector, there are best practices to consider for IoT.

Protect all collected data

IoT devices collect data. This could be anything from temperature readings to user information. Because these devices are connected 24/7 and constantly send and collect packets of data, it is absolutely critical that your IoT application is able to keep this data secure. Data security must be considered at every stage of the application development lifecycle.

Data streaming

After data security, the next most important best practice is that you should design with high-performance data streaming in mind. For an IoT device to function properly, it must be able to collect, process and send data very quickly. If you develop an application that disrupts data streaming, your project will have failed from the start.

It's a platform, not an app

If you think of what you're developing as an app for an IoT device, you're in trouble. Keep in mind that these devices tend to be very interconnected with a network, other devices, and data. If you think in terms of isolation, your device will struggle. Instead, think of the project as part of the IoT ecosystem. It's a platform, not an app.

Think cloud native

Since a lot of things are moving to the cloud, it's best to develop your IoT platform for the cloud. If you do this, your device won't be stranded when a service or API you depend on is migrated to the cloud. Think cloud and your IoT device will have a much longer lifespan.

Provide data management

Data is fundamental to IoT and if your device doesn't have effective data management built into the system, it will struggle. You need effective in-memory data analytics and systems and services that are highly capable of processing incoming data in real time.

Consider energy consumption

Finally, you must keep in mind that IoT devices must operate at very low levels of power consumption. To this end, you must design your IoT platforms so that they can function as expected when power is at a minimum. If you develop a platform that includes many background services (or a single service that requires a lot of power), your IoT platform may struggle to succeed.

IoT Programming Languages to Consider

The most popular languages used for IoT development include the following:

Java – the most prevalent language used for IoT.
Python – can be easily integrated with other languages.
JavaScript – thanks to its event-driven nature, it makes IoT environments more functional and efficient.
LUA – has the Node.LUA framework, which allows the development of specific applications for IoT.
Go – is highly concurrent and can route massive data streams with ease.
Rust – takes advantage of all the benefits of C and C++, but is fast enough to work with IoT.

Conclusion

Adding an IoT device to your business can really help take your company to the next level. These devices will continue to spread exponentially across the world, so the sooner you get on board, the less likely your business will be left behind.

Remember that developing for IoT is not the same as developing applications conventionally. Keep this advice in mind as you move forward in this new venture.

If you liked this, be sure to check out our other IoT articles.