Connectivity: The Missing Piece in IoT Device Design

Why 84% of companies struggle with IoT design

There is a reason hardware is called hardware. It is hard!

Eseye and Kaleido Intelligence surveyed more than 750 enterprises across international markets – hardware design emerged as the most significant issue with 84% of respondents saying it was their number one challenge with their initial IoT deployment.

Why is this the case?

Designing an IoT device or product can be overwhelming. Firstly, there are a lot of different factors to consider besides which sensors it will have, the data it will collect, and how you plan to extract and make sense of it.

If you are in this position, you are not alone. Typically newcomers designing IoT hardware for the very first time come across similar hurdles. The good news is that these stumbling blocks can be overcome with specialist engineering knowledge and experience. Kaleido Intelligence found that when examining the same theme from the viewpoint of IoT adopters, hardware design complexity was no longer a major challenge – dropping from 84% for IoT newcomers to a mere 4% for IoT adopters.

What’s the process of designing an IoT device?

Why is connectivity an important factor?

Right at the beginning of the design stage, during the proof of concept, connectivity must be factored in.

Energy use

Poor configuration management and design can have a serious impact on the way a device works and the amount of energy it requires. Understanding the device connectivity requirements and how these affect power consumption is crucial. Device design should optimise both efficient use of the battery and successful operation with the connectivity management provider.

The hardware, software, and firmware can all have an impact on power efficiency. We recommend working with experts and using tools to analyse power consumption in different subsystems in different conditions. This can help identify ways to optimise IoT battery management, prevent battery drain and extend lifetime.

Cellular connectivity standards

Cellular networks provide wide coverage and high-quality service making them attractive to enterprises looking to rollout global IoT deployments. However, cellular power requirements are often too high for low-power IoT devices.

The newest LTE standards, NB-IoT and LTE-M (also called LTE CAT M1), are primarily designed for Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) use cases. If high latency and low bandwidth are acceptable, cellular connectivity using these networks is a viable option for IoT deployments.

If cellular connectivity is selected, the next task is to choose a modem that supports the required Radio Access Technology (RAT). Modems often support more than one RAT to provide fallback options, such as LTE-M and 2G. Designing how the network and modem work with the device and the connectivity management provider is critical. It’s important to understand how your chosen modem behaves so that you can design your application software and communications firmware to manage it efficiently.

Beware of permanent roaming

When it comes to coverage, the closer you can get to 100% global connectivity, the better. Your IoT estate should have access to the highest quality of service and connect to the best network available. If connectivity cannot be assured in the country the device will operate in, then the project is in trouble, and will struggle to scale.

IoT roaming enables connectivity in many countries around the world. Most roaming agreements are short-term compared to the lifecycle of an IoT device, which could be well over a decade. If your devices exceed the roaming limit, you risk something called permanent roaming. This spells bad news for multi-regional IoT deployments and can result in steep charges and even devices being blocked or disconnected from networks.

Negative rules and attitudes to permanent roaming are rising. In Kaleido Intelligence’s survey, nearly half of respondents (46%) were concerned about growing permanent roaming restrictions. And it comes as no surprise as permanent roaming is effectively prohibited in China, Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the UAE. While Brazil, Turkey, and Nigeria have banned permanent roaming altogether. Any deployments at scale will be prevented through regulatory and/or operator action.

If the device is the driver of IoT project success, connectivity is the backbone; everything will depend on it."

Designing devices to connect everywhere, every time

Eseye’s CCO and Co-Founder, Paul Marshall explains how eSIM works when combined with localisation

Localisation combined with advanced eSIM network switching is the way to overcome permanent roaming issues. With a single eSIM in your product or device–like the AnyNet+ SIM– you can connect directly and automatically to the best available local network, even in the most challenging of environments.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Before you deploy IoT into the field, the device, modem, module and SIM need to be extensively road-tested. Network behaviour can be one of the biggest challenges to predict, as this is out of your control. Network connectivity is hugely complicated, and things do go wrong.

Usually, this means losing the connection briefly, for example when a device moves, or different connection algorithms run on the device.

In a lab, you can simulate different conditions to see how the device performs in both challenging and normal environments e.g. monitor how it connects, recovers and reconnects in the event of a network issue. By conducting a series of thorough tests, your device will be robust and resilient enough to handle anything that comes its way.

By conducting a series of thorough tests, your device will be robust and resilient enough to handle anything that comes its way."

Eseye’s device design consultancy service.

Designing and deploying IoT devices is a journey, requiring a cycle of analysis, decisions, and compromises. There are tough choices and complex calculations to make to ensure that the use cases and business model will meet their goals.

Leverage the experience of our hardware and software expertise. Our team is on hand to consult and design you an optimal IoT device. From initial design through to prototyping and development, all the way to testing, certification and production, our specialist team can help you to deploy an IoT device that’s designed with connectivity in mind.

Why work with Eseye?

• Eseye provide services across the entire spectrum of IoT device and project development.
• We have delivered more than 500 successful IoT device projects globally.
• We provide IoT cellular connectivity – near 100% availability – to more than 2,000 customers globally through deployments actively delivering data, commercial growth, and end user satisfaction.
• The devices that Eseye designs reach maturity – 1000 connections – in half the time achieved by most customers who design their own hardware.
• We offer both COTS IoT hardware (HERA range), device design consultancy and connectivity expertise – accelerating project progress across its entire trajectory, from conception to deployment – a combination rarely available from IoT solutions providers.
• In-lab and remote testing capabilities to check devices already deployed in the field.
• Creation of a concept idea through to field-deployable working prototype in just 90 days.

There are many different phases of the project where we can come in and offer value to you, even if you’ve already started some of the work yourself."

Jon Darley, Director of Things, Eseye.