Internet of Things Notes

Here are some random notes by Tim Bird about the Internet of Things:

Issues

 * 1) security
 * 2) privacy (prevention of revealing personal data - like when you are home)
 * 3) prevention of malicious tampering
 * 4) addressability/routing
 * 5) bandwidth
 * 6) data storage scalability
 * 7) cost - millions of units need low BOM (e.g, 10 cents)
 * 8) system size (RAM should be internal to avoid separate DRAM price)
 * 9) power requirement - unwired sensors need small power requirements
 * 10) product lifespan (or, upgradability)

network configurations

 * 1) each node directly addressable from full internet
 * 2) nodes are accessible only via a gateway device
 * gateway can provide security?

How to categorize device accessible on PAN, BAN or home area network, where mobile device puts data in cloud.

Stages of IOT deployment
(Based on Rose)

1) personification of dumb objects Objects become a proxy for a user (e.g. smartphone becomes your keys for wireless unlocking and garage-door opening)

2) Partially Autonomous Sensor Networks e.g. smart fridge knows expiration date, and sends alerts or auto-creates a grocery list

3) Autonomous Independent Devices e.g. smart fridge orders food autonomously

Existing IOT systems

 * Solar panels on Tim's house - reports and notifications on internet, read-only
 * has hub in home, with power-line networking from inverter to hub, then using home network from hub to internet
 * there are no privacy issues - power does not fluctuate based on personal info
 * smart meters on Tim's house - reports on internet, read-only, not sure how data is transmitted to PG&E
 * there are privacy issues - power usage reflects home occupancy and activity patterns
 * there may be security issues - not sure if meter can be manipulated (written to) over network

IOT resources

 * Tim Bird gave an overview of some IOT issues, as they relate to network effects and Linux, in a keynote at ELC 2014.
 * Here is a link to Tim's keynote: The Paradox of OpenSource and Embedded

Dedicated conferences

 * http://www.iot-devcon.com/ - Internet of Things Developer Conference
 * http://www.iot-conference.org/iot2014/ - International Conference on the Internet of Things