With the generational change of Internet of Things, new ways and needs of intercommunicating devices have appeared. Until recently, wireless technologies were designed to transmit through a big bandwidth and without taking account of power consumption. The new paradigm of IoT devices, that require low bandwidth and power consumption, has facilitated the emergence of new wireless technologies that completely fit the needs of these devices.
Below, we detail the main advantages and disadvantages of the best technologies of connectivity of Internet of Things:
Technology | Advantages | Disavantages |
---|---|---|
NB-IoT | Very low power Low cost of modules and chipsets Excellent indoor penetration Encrypted |
Dedicated bandwidth Not interoperable with any existing infrastructure |
LTE-M (CAT-M1) | Interoperable with existing 4G devices and networks Prepared for roaming devices Encrypted |
Optimized for bigger bandwidth Moderately expensive |
LoRa | Allows private networks with radius of 15 km Bidirectional communications Encrypted |
Very low data rates for some applications Not ideal for moving applications |
Sigfox | Lowest bandwidth costs Lowest power requirements |
Limited to Sigfox networks (mostly Europe) Not bidirectional Not suitable for mobility apps No encryption |
BLE | Low power consumption Lower cost of modules and chipsets Complete integration with smartphones Bidirectional communications Encrypted |
Range limitation similar to Wi-Fi Not suitable for mobility apps |
These technologies have been designed to led to a large number of business and innovation opportunities and each one has their strengths and weakness, so the best IoT technology will depend on the application and key features needed on the field.
Pay attention when choosing your IoT technology; and if you're thinking about developing your own IoT device and you have doubts about the best technology then first contact us! We will be very glad to help you.
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