The Club for Internet of Things Enthusiasts
We are Private - We are Enthusiasts - We are Explorers - We are Architects
The IoT Club is an privat association with an interest to explore, collect, research, compile and share information about the various areas within the Internet of Things and also Industry 4.0 world.
Here you can find several blocks of information like IoT/I4.0 definitions, terminologies, standards, segmentations, platform categories/elements, sample architectures and IT infrastructure solutions.
The Internet of Things is the concept of networking things such as objects and people. The idea is that real-life objects will be able to independently share and process information - without humans having anything to do with the data input stage. With the Internet of Things, information procurement will be automated to make our everyday lives easier.
The goal of condition monitoring is to catch hardware failures or operational anomalies before they reach the existing control system alarm limits. Early detection of these types of events or conditions can potentially prevent engine trips, forced outages, additional impacts and therefore minimize devoted production downtime and maintenance expenses. The alarm limits are customized to each unit by analyzing the specific characteristics of the individual components (electrical/mechanical) by the engineers themselves and in an evaluation period. Continuously monitoring machinery is fundamental to plant asset management. Understanding the mechanical behavior of any kind of machinery brings many benefits.
The transmission of the data starts at the sensor (end-point device) and is often bundled via IoT gateways and preaggregated into a higher-level transmission method. IoT gateways close the gap between devices in the field and the IoT platform (on- or off-premises), where data is collected, stored and analyzed by IoT based applications. In general IoT gateways, provide a bidirectional communication between the field and the IoT platform. Advanced IoT gateways could offer additional functionalities like local processing and storage capabilities to provide offline services and almost real time control over the devices in the field (Analytics at the edge). Key functionalities include a wide array of secure connectivity solutions through cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRaWAN, SigFox and other IoT network protocols. Sensors themself could have built-in network intelligence like routing features, and meshed capabilities to find the right communiation path. Even if the sensors connected by wired or wireless networks the used protocol is one main topic you have to plan for your IoT sensor network.
With Industry 4.0, production interlinks with the very latest information and communication technology. This means, IT meets OT (Information Technology meets Operational Technology. Datacenter manager meet manufacturing manager). The driving force behind this development is the rapidly progressing digitalization of the economy and society. It is changing the way we produce and work in Germany and across the entire world, forever: After the steam engine, the conveyor belt, electronics, and IT, it is now smart factories that are leading the fourth industrial revolution.
Within each IoT/IIoT/I4.0 solution and platform several segments exists with dedicated functions, specific usage and acts as an important element in the IoT value chain. An IoT/IIoT/I4.0 platform is a suite of components and services (on-premis and/or off-premis) that enables the required elements to interact with eachother. This contains for example the deployment of applications that monitor, manage, and control connected devices (device/sensor management). Enables the secure transmission of data from end-point devices or collects additional data from external ressources (social, weather, cctv, etc.). A further important function is the analysis and evaluation of the data in order to generate corresponding actions and reports.
Within the entire IoT value chain an end to end security is nowadays mandatory and must be taken into account when selecting each individual component. Safety starts with the sensor and the data end-point device. Means that it must be ensured that the end-point device does not transmit manipulated data, nor can it be taken from outside for other purposes (hijacking). An all-encompassing encrypted communication and processing is almost self-evident!
If you have chosen within your company to offer IoT/IIoT services to your customers or implement Industry 4.0 elements/functions to your manufacturing site, you are very often faced with many new challenges. In order to develop an IoT/I4.0-based service, you may find a lack of know-how in your own company. In some areas, you need to refer to the know-how or an existing solution through partners or IoT/I4.0 providers.
How to select IoT/I4.0 components, solutions, partner or an platform provider?
If you need to create a decision matrix for an tactical, an strategic and an technical scoring the following sample set of observable categories for an IoT/I4.0 platform can help during your evaluation phase.
Table of categories available within "IoT Market Overview" IOTPP1617.
Scoring table also available within "IoT Decision Matrix" IOTCATX617.
Gateways are emerging as a key element of bringing legacy and next-gen devices to the Internet of Things (IoT). They integrate protocols for networking, help manage storage and edge analytics on the data, and facilitate data flow securely between edge devices and the cloud. This document will give you a first look of selected vendors and products. Please use the dedicated vendor web-links to dig into more technical details, product specifications and solution offerings. Click here for the document: IOT2C717
If your decision-making requires a cloud-based IoT/I4.0 share, you can get an overview of the IoT/I4.0 platform providers using the following list of providers. The following list of 47 selected vendors gives you an first look of cloud based IoT/I4.0 service offerings, spezialized technologies and custom specific solutions. These companies are providing solutions in various characteristics and scope (depending on the company's origin, strategy and size). Click here for the document: IOTPP1617
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce various aspects of the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 and the associated challenges in implementing new digital services. We also refer to IoT / Industry 4.0 terminology, market developments, sample use cases, factors and drivers, IoT platform components, but also to the differentiation and similarities of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. Using various application examples, we will outline the range of DELL Technologies offerings. Here, however, we remain at an overview level for the first time without paying attention to the details of the deployable DELL-EMC products and solutions. NEW VERSION DECEMBER 2017. Click here for the document: IOTVALP