Nerospec IoT Glossary

The Internet of Things refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems.

IoT devices can be used to monitor and control the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems used in various types of buildings (e.g., public and private, industrial, institutions, or residential) in home automation and building automation systems. 

Sigfox is a French global network operator founded in 2009 that builds wireless networks to connect low-power objects such as electricity meters and smartwatches, which need to be continuously on and emitting small amounts of data. Learn more about Sigfox here.

LoRaWAN stands for Long Range Wide Area Network. It’s a standard for wireless communication that allows IoT devices to communicate over a large distance with minimal battery usage. 

LoRaWAN is a wireless communication standard. You could put it in the same category as Bluetooth, GSM, 3G, and LTE,… but it’s still different. It has the range of your mobile phone with the flexibility of Bluetooth or WiFi and the battery life of your watch for an affordable price. Learn more about LoRaWAN here.

GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, is a radio navigation system that allows land, sea, and airborne users to determine their exact location, velocity, and time 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions, anywhere in the world.

A device that detects or measures a physical property and records, indicates or otherwise responds to it.

Coined by Nerospec IoT, the phrase Device to Dashboard or D2D refers to the development process and service delivery process that Nerospec IoT follows. Nerospec IoT creates everything from the hardware, bespoke in-house as well as all of the other channels needed for a successful IoT product, saving the buyer time and making it easier for the client to use the IoT device. Learn more about D2D here.

Electronic data encryption specification, established in 2001, operates on a public/private key system. Planning for key management is important when implementing AES.

Why it’s important: To date, there are no known successful practical attacks having allowed illicit access to correctly implemented AES encrypted data. This is the standard for transport layer security in IoT devices.

A way for computers to talk to hardware or software platforms in a less complicated way.

Why it’s important: Third parties use other companies’ API platforms as a point of integration. Designing applications to leverage APIs allows for faster development and easier paths to improve over time.

A very large set of data can be analyzed for patterns and trends. Big data provides valuable (and very profitable) insights that can be used to identify service or product opportunities and customer behaviors.

Why it’s important: Analyzing big data move enterprises away from making decisions by gut instinct into data-driven strategic choices. IoT devices have the potential to generate entirely new streams of data for big data processing.

Also known as Bluetooth 4.0, this is a wireless, personal-area network with short-range and low-power consumption that allows objects to transmit data.

Why it’s important: This technology offers low-cost, safe, wireless connectivity and solves many of the earlier Bluetooth pairing and performance headaches. This is the least expensive way to add short-range wireless connectivity to devices.

“In the cloud” refers to a network of remote servers hosted online that store, manage, and process data.

Why it’s important: Cloud computing is vital for large sets of data. It’s great for those who need disaster recovery, collaboration controls, security, and an environmentally friendly way to store data.

Instruction code that runs on hardware microcontrollers. Usually, it is performing specific low-level functions, often without using an operating system.

Why it’s important: Specialized for the particular hardware it runs on, embedded software often has time and memory constraints that must be addressed in IoT innovation. Most IoT devices leverage embedded software which can take longer to write than more abstracted server-side code.

A mobile technology enabling manufacturers to wirelessly repair bugs or remotely install new software, features, and services on a mobile device after product distribution.

Why it’s important: FOTA is an efficient way to upgrade and update a mobile device wirelessly. Manufacturers can save resources on efficient and timely upgrades without having physical access to the device.

A device that receives information from many other points on the network and transmits information to another network.

Why it’s important: When multiple wireless protocols are mixed, a gateway is almost always required. The gateway is the stopping point for online communications, the hub through which data is sent back and forth.

A wireless communications standard on 2G and 3G cellular networks supporting a number of bandwidths and providing data rates of 56-114 kbps.

Why it’s important: As cellular companies move to more advanced networks, GPRS networks may be more cost-effective for IoT networks. NB-IoT and LTE-M1 networks are being touted as replacements for these older cellular standards.

M2M communication for machinery and other industrial applications.

Why it’s important: The IIoT enables machinery and equipment to transmit real-time information to an application. This allows operators to better understand equipment efficiency and identify preventative maintenance needs.

An unlicensed part of the RF spectrum is used for general-purpose data communications. In the US, the ISM bands are 915MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.5 GHz, whereas 2.4 GHz is the global unlicensed frequency, and has increasing amounts of interference.

Why it’s important: This part of the radio spectrum can be used without a license in most countries.

An accounting of all of the losses (e.g. from antennas, structural attenuation, propagation loss) in a wireless communication system.

Why it’s important: In order to “close the link,” enough RF energy has to make it from the transmitter to the receiver.

LPWA networks are built specifically for M2M communications and offer long-range, low-power consumption.

Why it’s important: LPWANs solve cost and battery life issues that cellular technology cannot, and solve range issues that technologies like Bluetooth or BLE struggle with.

A group of spatially distributed, independent devices that collect data by measuring physical or environmental conditions with minimal power consumption.

Why it’s important: Minimizing power consumption is key to achieving a longer lifetime for devices on wireless sensor networks.

An abbreviation for LTE-MTC (or machine-type communications), LTE-M is a more energy-efficient part of the LTE system. Because of its extended discontinuous repetition cycle (eDRX), an endpoint can communicate with the tower or network on how often it will wake up to listen for the downlink.

Why it’s important: LTE-M is one of three new standards, along with NB-IoT, from the cellular industry allowing devices that operate on carrier networks to be less expensive and more power efficient.

Connected devices exchange information with other connected devices, without human assistance.

Why it’s important: Machines monitoring other machines, without the need for human intervention, are transforming many industries. For example, a machine can alert when a new part is needed or broken down, eliminating manual monitoring, which eats up valuable time and resources.

One of two sublayers in a network, the MAC address is a unique identifier allowing the physical medium (radio waves or wire signals) to be organized to pass data back and forth.

Why it’s important: Upper-layer protocols rely on the MAC layer to produce complex, functioning networks.

Even simpler than NB-LTE-M, this is a proposed narrowband (NB) technology not based on LTE. Instead, it will likely be deployed on a side band or in a deprecated GSM spectrum.

Why it’s important: Although not available yet, with chipsets (if they exist) in the prototype stage, this may be an inexpensive option when rolled out.

Low-power, low-speed, short-range radio communication standard that allows two-way communication between endpoints within very close proximity.

Why it’s important: Popular as a contactless communication between mobile devices, NFC is used to send information without a physical device connection.

Radio waves. This term generally means “wireless communication” when referred to in IoT discussions.

Why it’s important: RF is fundamental to IoT connectivity. Many IoT devices have RF transceiver chipsets to transmit data long distances using minimal power.

Radio waves. This term generally means “wireless communication” when referred to in IoT discussions.

Why it’s important: RF is fundamental to IoT connectivity. Many IoT devices have RF transceiver chipsets to transmit data long distances using minimal power.

A general term that applies to “finding” a radio transceiver with another — GPS is a good example.

Why it’s important: Location is a critical part of many IoT solutions. For systems that have GPS, location is easy. When GPS doesn’t work for cost or because the node is indoors, WiFi fingerprinting or BLE proximity can be used.

An electronic device that collects data about the consumption of energy (gas, electric) and communicates it back to the energy company and/or consumer.

Why it’s important: Enabling two-way communication, smart meters gather and transmit IoT device information to the central network.

An approach to networking that decouples control of information flow from the hardware and gives it to a software controller.

Why it’s important: This allows for less data to travel wirelessly, making it a potential strategy for IoT networks.

The core standard protocol for internet-based communications. Some wireless systems “break” TCP/IP in order to lower the overhead of the on-air signals.

Why it’s important: This protocol manages data packets at the TCP layer and handles the addressing of those packets at the IP layer. With this protocol, gateways can recognize and route data.

A “spark gap” transmitter that emits a very weak, very wide (in frequency) pulse of RF energy. This signal is used mostly for localizing signals. Wide signal bandwidths are good for measuring distance.

Why it’s important: UWB operates by generating short, narrow pulses and can be an attractive option for asset tracking and fleet/inventory management.

Short-range, low-power wireless standards are used for sensing and control, typically used for personal or home area networks, or in a wireless mesh for longer-range networks. Like 6LoWPAN, designed for low data rate and battery-powered applications, Zigbee and Z-Wave technology can require more nodes to function successfully — which can increase costs.

Why it’s important: Information from one sensor node continues to hop from node to node until it gets to the gateway. Often seen in security systems, home automation, and lighting control applications.

Data aggregation is any process in which information is gathered and expressed in a summary form, for purposes such as statistical analysis.

Over-the-Air Activation (OTAA) is the preferred and most secure way to connect with The Things Network. Devices perform a join-procedure with the network, during which a dynamic DevAddr is assigned and security keys are negotiated with the device.

ABP stands for Authentication By Personalization. It basically means that the encryption keys are configured manually on the device and this can start sending frames to the Gateway without needing a “handshake” procedure to exchange the keys (like the one performed during an OTAA join procedure).