Learning Internet of Things

For the last few years, consumers have been queuing and clamoring for the next big thing.  Companies, on the other hand, have been competing to tap the best developers with the right skill set. With the ever-changing coding ecosystem, future developers are expected to be more than just coders—they should be intuitive problem solver capable of seeing the big picture, be alive to the fact that the landscape will keep on changing, and make it their responsibility to stay on top of things.

It’s a great headstart especially for those greenhorn coders contemplating on pursuing a career in IoT application development or any other career along this line.

What is IOT?

Commonly referred to as the Internet of Things, it’s a network of physical devices located around the world that collect and share data about how they are used and the environment surrounding them.

There is a common misconception that physical devices are limited to computers only. However, this is not the case. IOT is made up of objects of all shapes and sizes including smart microwaves, self-driving cars, fitness devices, connected footballs, and many others.

How Does IoT Work?

IOT operates under a very basic principle. The physical devices are fitted with sensors that are then connected to the Internet of Things platform. The data from these multiple devices is then collated and integrated and analytics applied to come up with valuable information which applications can be built to solve a specific need.

These IoT platforms can pin down exactly what information to use and what to ignore. Such information can be utilized to detect recurring patterns, come up with recommendations, and diagnose potential problems way before they occur.

As a result, the advanced analytics bring about deep insights with the end product being efficiency in processes. This means smart objects can be used in automating certain tasks, especially repetitive, time-consuming and mundane tasks.

Popular IOT Projects

Over the past few years, IOT has made inroads in many areas like health, consumer, industrial, entertainment, transportation, security, and many others. The list is endless in terms of possible applications of the Internet of Things.

Although at infant stages, it’s a commendable emerging field that’s has given efficiency, reliability, and automation a new meaning.

Given the vastness of IoT technology, it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly it has been employed. Nevertheless, here are some of the popular areas that the long hand of IOT has touched:

Home Automation

A few years back, nobody would have believed it’s possible to automate your home. However, IOT has made it possible not only made home automation possible, but you can also remotely control your devices.

There are multiple home automation projects displaying how you can control your appliances. A good example is the Amazon Alexa Bluetooth device. Once installed at home, on top of acting as a security camera, it can also be used to control the house lighting remotely.

Monitoring in the Connected Industry

Connected industry requires a lot of resources to thrive. This is because there are multiple interconnected activities that depend on each other to operate. One such ecosystem is the Oil & Gas industry. It requires constant monitoring and heavy assets optimizations to reduce losses. IOT has made a huge impact on this industry thanks to the remote monitoring capability. For example, RasGas´ LNG equipment in Qatar uses IOT to conduct maintenance on its assets using a predictive series. Another good example is the Seeberger in Germany that utilizes industrial IoT to trace products in their respective stage of production.

Smart Cities Traffic and Utilities Management

Out of the many IoT projects, about 20% of them are smart city related. With that said, there is a growing trend of IoT solutions being incorporated into smart cities initiatives globally which will see the number increase in the future. One of the most prominent smart traffic initiatives is CityPulse in Eindhoven. Here the noise levels information is married with social media messages to adjust the street lighting.

Smart Energy

In South and North America, IoT projects have taken the region by storm. There are multiple Smart Grid initiatives like the Fort Collins Utilities´ initiative. Miles away on Jeju Island in South Korea, another renewable energy, and modern metering infrastructure is taking root. While some of these projects typically focus on bringing efficiency, IoT technology has also be used to curtail energy theft in Tucumán, Argentina.

Connected Cars

Connected cars are a miniature representation of the mature IoT segment whereby M2M/Cellular IoT technology has been utilized for a considerable period. A majority of IoT projects in the connected cars are mainly on the diagnostics and monitoring front. A good example is the ISS Telefonica´s fleet management solution.

 Video Conferencing

When someone mentions IoT conference, the first thing that comes to mind is executives having a virtual meeting over large screens in their boardrooms. However, wearable technologies are emerging as the next big thing in shopping. This technology is spearheaded by MIT’s SixthSense and allows customers to interact with products right on the shelves allowing them to instantly access info about a certain product.

IOT Developer  Salary, Responsibilities, and Skills?

To get a better understanding of what this career or position takes, check out the IoT developer that any developer in this ecosystem requires.

As consumption of IoT devices become more mainstream, the demand for IoT developers will keep rising to ensure continued smooth operation of the devices and their security.

So who exactly is an IoT developer?

The term “IoT developer” is a broad phrase. This is because there are multiple discipline areas including networking, security, cloud programming, systems engineering, and hardware device programming.

So a developer is someone who is not only knowledgeable in IoT programming but equally multilingual in coding terms to perform almost all these roles.

IoT Developer Salary

Irrespective of the industry, salary is a major concern for potential employees and employers. So if you are looking to hire an IoT developer, you should be able to have a reference point to determine and compare their compensation for smooth fiscal transactions.

The question then becomes, what is average salary for an IoT engineer? Well, this is pegged on a number of different factors including but not limited to skills, experience, and location.

According to PayScale, these are the average salaries for IoT developers in various countries in no particular order.

• US – $80,825 annually;
• Ukraine – $24,115 annually;
• UK – £34,142 or $48,666 annually;
• Netherlands – €41,692 or $51,629 annually;
• Germany – €50,013 or $61,921 annually.

Skills and Responsibilities of an IoT Developer

Creating a great team of IoT developers requires members to work as a team. Generally, a team will include a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, industrial designer, back-end developer, embedded systems designer, a front-end developer and a product manager.

The more knowledgeable they are the easier it is to come up with new concepts and execute internet of things projects.

On a personal level, an IoT developer should possess some of the following skills:

• Business Intelligence – this sounds like a no-brainer suggestion. Why on earth would a developer keep learn Business Intelligence? Sounds farfetched. Right? However, if you take a good look at the IoT space, it builds on collecting, storing and analyzing streams of data from multiple devices. If you don’t have the remotest idea on the value of data you are dealing with, how will know its benefit?  On top of BI skills, an IoT developer should familiarize with sensor data analysis, predictive analytics, data center management, and programming in NoSQL and Hadoop.
• UI/UX Design – If the consumer can’t use your product, they won’t buy it. This makes interfaces an important aspect of any project. In respect to this, an IoT developer should be able to create responsive web design with user-friendly interfaces, and an excellent service design with the user in mind.
• Information Security – Internet of Things has been facing major setbacks due to multiple DDOS attacks and botnet. With that in mind, security of information cannot be an educated stab in the dark for IoT devices. Developers who know how to secure IoT devices coupled with PKI, vulnerability assessment, and ethical hacking skills will and are becoming key players.
• Mobile Development – Apple and Android command approximately 90% of the smartphone market. In respect to that, we are beginning to see a shift in IoT management majorly focusing on smartphones. An Internet of Things developer who can effectively develop apps capable of communicating with external sensors and hardware are slowly emerging as the in-thing.

Machine Learning and AI

Data gathering and analysis can only prove useful when you are able to decode the regular patterns and predict the possible outcome. With IoT becoming more ubiquitous, developers will be called upon to deploy their AI skills.

Impacts of IoT in the Future

Obviously, IoT is a booming industry—according to a report by Gartner report, there were more than 8.4 billion users of connected devices in 2017. This is more than the total global population. By 2020, the number of connected devices is expected to reach at least 20.8 billion. The future of IoT is undoubtedly bright. With continued nosedive of communication and sensors price, it will become cost-effective to expand the IoT devices catalog. As the number of IoT devices increase, our environment both working and living will be flooded with smart products.

With such a wide and futuristic scope, IoT will be an effective platform for developers to engage their imaginations and come up with great products for the world.

Conclusion

Today, there are more sensors in the world than human beings and more than ever, they are small and cheap.  Since they are the main building blocks of the Internet of Things, they are set to springboard and revolutionize the way we interact with devices. IoT is an effective platform cutting across every aspect of life and set to completely change the world. With that said, it also comes with a fair share of drawbacks and hazards. Industry players and IoT solution providers should engage the public and disclose what information they are share and with whom they share it with. Well on a personal level, it’s about time you start looking at how to learn IoT or even how to use IoT as that’s where the future lies.