Wired IoT in a wireless world
Author : Akshay Nachappa
Today, we’re living in a world where there are more IoT connected devices than humans. These IoT connected devices and machines range from wearables like smartwatches to RFID inventory tracking chips. IoT connected devices communicate via networks or cloud-based platforms connected to the Internet of Things. For IoT devices to work, they need IP and Ethernet connections and, of course, power. About half of IoT devices are connected to wireless networks, and the other half are still wired. Wireless IoT is known to all, let's look into the other side of the coin.
Challenges of wired IoT network
IoT technology is deployed in many ways so no single network solution is right. It depends on the situation and where the devices are located. Some of the factors affecting the selection of the type of network are network range, network bandwidth, power usage, inter-operability, intermittent connectivity and security.
The wired communication is divided into two categories:
Internal Communication: I2C, SPI
External Communication: Ethernet,RS-232,RS-485,UART,USART,USB
There are advantages and disadvantages for each communication protocol, it depends on the user to choose the most befitting one based on the application.
Wired devices present two unique challenges: adding Power over Ethernet (PoE) and extending the Ethernet connections beyond the 330-foot cable limitations.
IoT devices face problems like security,bugs,privacy issues, to mitigate this encryption techniques,edge computations are performed which again require more power, putting this situation into a loop of power and device intelligence.
Some LAN switches also don’t support PoE on all ports. Additionally, LAN switches might not have enough ports for IoT device.Cisco has a Long Range Ethernet (LRE) solution, which leverages Very High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) technology and extends Ethernet speeds from five to 15 Mbps.
The use of Long Range PoE (LRPoE) is a solution to the cable distance problem. With LRPoE, you can use existing UTP telephone wiring for network devices operating the standard ethernet protocol, similar to DSL technologies.
On a brief note, the advantages and disadvantages of wired IoT are:
Advantages
Reliability - lesser dropped connections and lower latency
Speed - Factors like physical obstruction and electronic interference are mitigated
Security - Being housed on LAN,it gives complete control of communication system and highly reduced chances of hacking.
2. Disadvantages
Cost - wiring,labor,repair and maintenance costs are incurred
Mobility - Cars,mobiles,wearables would be difficult to be connected to ethernet cables
Scalability - Planning, hardware purchase and scaling up the network with time is a drawback.
Wired or Wireless have their own set of goods and bads and it's just what ,where, and how you want to use it.










