The present-day abundance of technologies can be confusing for end-users and business owners who often seek the best for themselves and end up having the most fashionable, pricey and unnecessary device ill-fitted for their use.
In the world of IoT-driven systems, with every device fitted with different sensors and indicators, it becomes even more difficult to choose the kind of sensor that would be perfect for your task.
Wherever the IoT is used for tracking and management of assets, objects, or people, the problem of efficient and cheap location tracking rises. Which location-based service technology should you choose?
The most popular options are Wi-Fi, Li-Fi, RFID / NFC, GPS, Beacon and BLE.
Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide high-speed network and Internet connections based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. When a radio frequency current is supplied to an antenna, it creates an electromagnetic field capable of propagating through space. Devices equipped with wireless network adapters detect the wireless signal broadcasted by access points and tune into it.
Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) refers to a relatively new wireless form of Visible Light Communication technology which utilizes the light emitting diodes as a medium for high-speed communication. Data is transmitted by modulating the intensity of LED light at nanosecond intervals, too quick to be detected by the human eye.
RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is the technology that uses radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object — a small electronic device consisting of a small chip that typically carries 2,000 bytes of data or less, and an antenna. A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked. There are two types of RFID tags: passive and battery powered. A passive RFID tag will use the interrogator’s radio wave energy to relay its stored information back to the interrogator. A battery powered RFID tag is embedded with a small battery that powers the relay of information.
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range, wireless link that has evolved from the RFID technology and can transfer small amounts of data. NFC tags communicate with NFC enabled smartphones only when they are placed within close proximity of each other (optimally under 4cm).
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of at least 24 satellites, owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Air Force. It provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.
BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is a wireless personal area network technology which is designed to reduce power consumption and cost of Classic Bluetooth in the healthcare, fitness, beacons, security, and home entertainment industries. Beacon — one of the most popular IoT devices based on the BLE technology is a small Bluetooth radio transmitter; it repeatedly transmits a single signal that other devices can see. A beacon can broadcast a radio signal that is made up of a combination of letters and numbers transmitted on a regular interval of approximately 1/10th of a second.
To decide which mechanism you should deploy for your IoT –based system, you need to analyze the pros and cons of each solution and choose one — or a combination of them. Unfortunately, each of them has limitations and so far no technology can cover all needs.
As it is evident, each technology has benefits and limitations. Besides, they fall into several groups depending on the range and the transmitters used which determine their use in different types of locations and industries.
For example,GPS might be useful for tracking trucks outdoors, RFID may be one of the best solutions for receiving a shipment in a warehouse, and beacons can aid in building and navigating an indoor map. We need to use a combination of many IoT-based solutions to create a complete solution. A single mechanism is not enough if we aim to build an effective and economical system and want to add meaningful value to the industry.
