This article aims to discuss the design trends of wireless IoT sensors and the main considerations for their connectivity under the latest trends…
The development of distributed sensors and the growing demand for higher fidelity data in industrial, building, facility management, and customer/audience analysis have been steadily growing, changing the landscape of industrial sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The resulting changes in the number of wireless IoT sensors, types of sensors, and methods of data processing and transmission are also transforming the landscape of wireless IoT connectivity. In the past, having dozens to hundreds of IoT sensors in a given floor or area was considered a high-density environment, whereas now there can be hundreds to thousands of sensors, and they are more likely to rely on wireless connectivity.
Therefore, it is not surprising that 5G and new Wi-Fi network features emphasize massive machine-type communication (mMTC), low latency, and determinism, bringing new use cases and functionalities to large and diverse wireless IoT sensor networks. These factors are reshaping the design and deployment of wireless IoT connectivity and wireless connection modules.
This article aims to discuss these design trends and the main considerations for the connectivity of wireless IoT sensors under the latest trends.
1. Choosing Wireless Connectivity Standards
Currently, there are more and more wireless connectivity standards and protocols available for IoT sensors. With the trend of electrification and the ongoing demand for higher fidelity data, this diversification trend in wireless connectivity is likely to continue.
Moreover, standards are also constantly changing for Wi-Fi and 5G, enabling new functionalities and opening up new use cases and applications for these wireless technologies.
Figure 1: Design engineers must choose the most suitable technology for their IoT applications from numerous wireless standards.
The choice of wireless standards or protocols depends on the data throughput, frequency, and data size of the sensors. These factors of IoT sensor data determine the fundamental functionalities of wireless connectivity. Other factors to consider include the capability for over-the-air (OTA) updates and whether there is a need to enhance the module’s throughput, frequency, or packet size using more powerful wireless connectivity solutions to accommodate future needs.
More powerful wireless connectivity solutions also require more power to operate, so the required power efficiency is crucial for wireless connectivity solutions. Of course, other considerations such as licensing and potential interference are also important.
Different types of wireless networks (e.g., star or mesh networks) can lead to dynamic changes in wireless links. This will affect how IoT sensors are placed and the type of connection/antenna modules selected.
2. Choosing IoT Wireless Connectivity/Antenna Modules
Once the wireless connectivity standard or protocol has been selected, the next task is to choose specific wireless and antenna modules or a complete wireless connectivity solution with integrated antennas. This mainly depends on the available space and the requirements for wireless link distance/coverage.
Figure 2: There are various modules available for specific wireless technologies for IoT sensors.
If the enclosure design allows for space to accommodate an external antenna, its performance will typically outperform chip-integrated antennas, PCB antennas, or enclosure-integrated antennas. External antennas or modular PCB antennas used inside the enclosure can be prototyped more easily with various antenna modules and can be modified by adding higher-gain or more directional antenna modules.
3. Certification and Compliance Testing
Wireless connectivity modules or antenna modules must meet regional certification and compliance testing standards. Some modules are pre-certified, making them virtually plug-and-play from a certification perspective. However, the overall wireless IoT sensors still need to meet electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and other compliance testing requirements depending on the application.
Figure 3: Pre-tested and certified wireless modules greatly simplify design engineering tasks.
Source: Laird Connectivity
Various applications in fields such as industrial, government, automotive, maritime, and aerospace have their own set of testing standards that must be executed before a product is brought to market. This often requires testing the entire platform itself, as is the case with vehicular antenna systems.
Future Design Considerations
Future considerations for wireless IoT sensor connectivity will include the concepts discussed here, as well as other unmentioned concepts. As standards like 5G and Wi-Fi continue to introduce new low-latency and deterministic features, consumers of wireless IoT sensor systems may adopt these functionalities in many applications, particularly in industrial and other applications where reliability, low latency, and determinism are increasingly important as the cost of wired connections rises.
To achieve higher levels of perception and meet the demands of data-driven analytics, the density of sensors on buildings and mobile platforms will also continue to increase. Interference-resistant wireless connectivity solutions (such as UWB) will increasingly play a role in these areas.
Additionally, there may be more standards and protocols to consider, and module manufacturers will continue to increase. This diversity will grow with the expansion of the market, potentially making the return on investment or operating costs of new wireless IoT sensor systems difficult to determine, as many of these systems are based on new technologies offered by new companies or product lines.
Given that large organizations may not be as quick to adopt new technologies, there is a risk of continuing to use traditional technologies in the field of wireless IoT sensors. Therefore, risk assessment when selecting new wireless IoT sensor modules becomes increasingly important, and over time, having internal expertise to manage this risk becomes increasingly vital.
Author: JEAN-JACQUES (JJ) DELISLE, Source: EDN sister site Planet Analog
Original reference: 3 steps in implementing wireless connectivity for IoT sensors, translated by Ricardo Xie.
Copyright statement: This article is an original article from Electronic Technology Design, all rights reserved, please do not reprint without authorization.
