Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

by

Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Currently, there are several types of IoT development platforms, most of which focus on providing solutions for specific vertical fields; while some IoT platforms (like Particle.io) are multifunctional platforms that provide end-to-end solutions for IoT development. Some popular IoT development hardware platforms can be summarized as follows:

Particle.io Development Board

Particle.io is one of the most comprehensive IoT platforms and is a multifunctional I/O platform. Particle provides a large number of IoT hardware development products for rapid prototyping and manufacturing. To build IoT products, devices first need to be connected to the internet, so all Particle microcontroller boards can communicate via Wi-Fi, cellular (2G/3G/LTE), or mesh. Some of their boards come with multiple communication options, allowing developers to easily integrate devices with Particle’s cloud and applications. Additionally, their devices and communication modules are CE and FCC certified and open-source, providing friendly support for secondary development.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Espressif Development Board

Since the release of the ESP8266-01 WiFi chip a few years ago, development boards based on the ESP8266 chip have become one of the preferred options for WiFi-based IoT devices. The Espressif ESP8266 development board is favored by hardware designers due to its low cost, low power consumption, and ease of use. The ESP chip also has great flexibility and can be used as a WiFi module, connected to other microcontrollers, or used in standalone mode without other microcontrollers.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
The ESP8266 development board has a compact form factor and is easy to implement IoT features such as OTA firmware updates. Like the Particle board, the ESP8266 board is also FCC and CE certified, reducing the overall costs of certified devices after manufacturing. Moreover, ESP provides the industry’s most powerful, dedicated WiFi interface with multiple IoT protocols: for example, the ESP Touch protocol, which allows devices to securely and seamlessly access the internet via WiFi networks. As a development board, the ESP8266 is easy to learn and can be used with any microcontroller to build IoT projects based on the ESP8266 chip.

Intel IoT Development Board

Undoubtedly, Intel is a leading player in the semiconductor industry, and they have also released several motherboards that support IoT capabilities. One of the most popular Intel motherboards is the Intel Edison compute module. One of the main features of this board is its powerful processing capability.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
According to Intel, this compute module is designed for experts, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and industrial IoT applications. When performance is critical, the module provides good performance for prototyping and various commercial and enterprise applications. The module uses a 22 nm Intel SoC, which includes a 500MHz dual-core, dual-thread Intel Atom CPU and a 100 MHz 32-bit Intel® Quark microcontroller.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Adafruit Series Development Board

Adafruit is one of the largest online electronic component stores. Adafruit also joined the IoT product race early on, launching products like the Adafruit board. This product has unique features that can be used to develop scalable IoT prototypes. Like the Particle board, Adafruit provides a powerful API for all major IoT hardware development platforms. The main difference between Adafruit and Particle lies in the design of their products. Adafruit.io is designed with a special focus on the developer ecosystem. On the other hand, Particle has more commercial product design considerations.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Arduino IoT Products

For professionals in the IoT field, Arduino should not be a strange name. Long before becoming mainstream in the IoT field, many Arduino boards were already used for developing prototypes of connected devices. With easy programming and the plug-and-play nature of the Arduino system, it quickly gained favor among many users in the hardware field. Early Arduino development boards were mainly general-purpose microcontrollers that used GSM and WiFi modules to connect to the internet; however, with the development of IoT, Arduino has developed boards that support IoT capabilities, such as Arduino 101 (developed by Intel), MKR1000, Arduino WiFi Rev 2, and MKR Vidor 4000.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
Each of these boards is designed with IoT applications in mind, and they all have different features that make them more suitable for specific IoT solutions: for example, the Arduino WiFi Rev 2 comes with an IMU, making it suitable for drone-based applications.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
Like Adafruit and Particle, Arduino also has cloud services dedicated to certain Arduino boards, including: MKR1000, Arduino Yun/Yun Shield, and Arduino 101/WiFi Shield 101. The Arduino device cloud provides manufacturers with simple tools to connect devices to the internet, and the installation process is very short. A regular Arduino Uno can be used with the Espressif ESP8266 module to build IoT projects.

Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi is usually more complex and not suitable for developing simple connected sensors or actuators. The latest Raspberry Pi board, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, features a 1.4GHz Broadcom BCM2837B0, Cortex-A53 (ARMv8) 64-bit SoC, 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, and Gigabit Ethernet USB 2.0 ports (maximum throughput of 300 Mbps), and includes 4 USB ports and audio output.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
To attract the industrial IoT crowd and those who wish to use Raspberry Pi in their products, Raspberry Pi launched the Raspberry Pi Compute Module project. The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 (CM3) is the latest version, containing the Raspberry Pi 3 (BCM2837 processor and 1GB RAM) and a 4GB eMMC flash device. The device runs at 1.2GHz and is integrated into a small board measuring 67.6mm x 31mm. The board can be equipped with a standard DDR2 SODIMM connector (the same type of connector used for laptop memory). These features make Raspberry Pi particularly suitable for projects that require high processing speeds.
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
The advantage of the hardware mentioned above is their open-source nature, which means that regardless of which platform is chosen, there will be plenty of development support. Of course, there are also other IoT hardware development platforms available, such as Beaglebone, Banana Pi, and SparkFun IoT boards, which can also serve as alternatives for development.
IoT has gradually transformed from concept to reality, and many companies at home and abroad have begun to leverage related technologies to promote business growth. When companies utilize IoT to provide business solutions, they inevitably need to use hardware platforms for implementation, making IoT platforms a key part of IoT solution development. Therefore, choosing the right development board will help with project time management, efficiency improvement, and product positioning.
Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Recommended Reading

1

 After Xinyi Technology, Guangdian Yuntong also invested in acquiring AI visual company Pixel Data

2

 With a market size of 25 trillion, the competition for urban AI high ground is at its peak

3

Over 189 million acquisition of 51% equity of ETC company Aites, what is Gaoxin’s intention?
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Long press to identify the QR code to follow us

Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms
Click “Read the original text” to learn more information
Click one to see, the editor adds chicken legs
Comparison of Mainstream IoT Hardware Platforms

Leave a Comment

×