Top IoT Connectivity Platforms

1.   SELF INFRASTRUCTURE  refers to connectivity service providers with a public network operating their telecommunication infrastructure.  These providers own the radio frequency spectrum and the physical network infrastructure for wireless connectivity for on-field IoT deployments. They can optimize their network performance according to the use case.

2.  Partner Infrastructure  refers to connectivity service providers that do not entirely own their telecommunication infrastructure but rely on network solutions provided by connectivity partners with self infrastructure.  These providers are also known as MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators). MVNOs offer a unique business model for global IoT connectivity coverage without the hassles of maintaining multiple agreements with carriers and service providers in different locations.

 3.  AVAILABLE NETWORK refers to IoT connectivity platforms that do not provide any connectivity service. However, they offer the critical hardware and software components to enable IoT devices to latch onto suitable network such as LAN. This applies to indoor IoT applications that rely on the available broadband Internet connectivity extended via Wi-Fi.

1.  LPWAN , which stands for Low Power Wide Area Network, is a specialized wireless network suitable for IoT applications requiring low power consumption and bandwidth. This option is well-suited for battery-powered IoT devices deployed in remote locations. Such use cases include asset tracking, agriculture, smart city utilities like energy meters, and monitoring of power lines and oil and gas pipelines, where battery life is critical for remote IoT installations. Several LPWAN based network technologies, such as LoRaWAN and Sigfox, offer various energy consumption and bandwidth optimizations. Additionally, some LPWAN technologies are enabled through cellular-based IoT connectivity, such as LTE-M1 and NB-IoT, to connect via mobile networks for more accessible network coverage in remote locations.

2.  Satellite   offers low to medium data rate connectivity for various applications. This network is particularly suited for very remote or underserved areas where terrestrial infrastructure (like cellular networks) is impractical. It is used for specialized connectivity requirements such as communication for fleet industry, maritime and emergency communication in extremely remote places.

3.  Cellular 4G/5G network offers cellular IoT connectivity and is designed for high-speed, low-latency communication using cellular devices over densely populated areas and urban centers. Cellular technology supports applications like streaming 4K video, augmented reality (AR), autonomous vehicles, and smart city deployments.

4.  PAN   or Personal Area Network, such as Bluetooth Low Energy and Zigbee, are used for indoor IoT connectivity solutions in smart homes, offices, or industrial setups. They provide smart connectivity through short-range, low-power, and high-bandwidth communication between various IoT devices over private networks, which can be extended to the Internet. This option works well for consumer IoT devices.

5.  LAN   or Local Area Network with a broadband modem or router is the most ubiquitous way to connect IoT gateways to the Internet through a Wi-Fi or Ethernet interface. It is the preferred option for high-bandwidth devices with power supply.

Note: Supporting the network coverage for PAN and LAN is not part or any IoT connectivity platforms offering, as these are part of the available network. Any IoT connectivity platform leveraging only these technologies operates at the IoT application software level, while relying on the standardized networking technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. However, there are some exceptions to this scenario, such as using the Cellular 4G/5G router to support a LAN.

The next major selection criteria for IoT connectivity platforms is their integration support for connecting the IoT device endpoints.

1.  Software  integration relies on APIs/SDKs that operate at the firmware or application level within the IoT devices. These integrations provide the bridge between application and network layers for sending and receiving data via the underlying network connection supported by one or more connectivity technologies.

2.  Hardware  integration includes hardware boards, modules, and chipsets that support the specific hardware interface and can be plugged into the IoT device hardware.

3. IoT SIM/eSIM is an add-on hardware that can be a physical SIM card or a digital embedded SIM (eSIM). It contains the network configurations for activating a wireless or cellular connectivity subscription plan from a connectivity service provider. IoT eSIMs are more popular due to their ease of provisioning compared to managing many physical SIM cards.

1. Standardized  protocols, such as MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP, that are well suited for building large heterogeneous IoT applications requiring IoT device interoperability across many vendors and platforms. Apart from these protocols, there are also popular open-source platforms used for IoT message exchange that have their own protocols, such as Apache Kafka.

2. Proprietary protocols designed and developed by IoT connectivity hardware and software platforms. These protocols are based on general communication patterns, such as the Publish/Subscribe pattern, which allows a scalable way to handle multiple IoT devices within the same application stack.

3. Public Cloud Supported  protocols offer ready-to-use integrations, in the form of cloud connectors with major cloud service providers, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.  For example, an IoT connectivity platform can directly integrate with the AWS IoT core service, allowing IoT application developers to stream IoT data to the AWS cloud and access it through another AWS service.

Note: Almost all IoT connectivity platforms offer integrations with cloud service providers. However, most of these integrations rely on webhooks or may require extensive manual configuration steps for provisioning, which is not considered a readymade cloud connector for public cloud supported protocols.

1. Telco-grade reliability indicates a very high level of reliability, performance, and robustness expected from the connectivity network and supporting infrastructure to maintain resilient connectivity with very minimal service disruptions. It is often expressed as five nines, meaning 99.999% uptime for the the network. This translates to only about 5 minutes of downtime annually, ensuring that the connectivity services are available almost always.

2. Global Coverage  applies to the geographical presence of connectivity services and their partner wireless network operators, providing the underlying telecommunication network in most countries across all continents.

3. Connectivity Monitoring refers to the ability to monitor the vital parameters of IoT devices that help in the overall assessment of reliable connectivity. It is usually facilitated via an IoT control center through continuous monitoring of vital data from each device, such as signal strength, round-trip time, and battery usage. This is very useful when troubleshooting connectivity issues for specific devices deployed in the field.