Standardization of the IoT sphere should come to us very soon

The Internet of Things (IoT, Internet of Things) is a global network of computers, sensors (sensors) and actuators (actuators) that communicate with each other using the Internet protocol IP (Internet Protocol).
Devices connected to the IoT are used in different areas: from the well-known smart home that controls “things” within the same apartment, to the industrial Internet of things, in which processes are automated on an enterprise scale.

Necessary knowledge to start in IoT
• basic knowledge of OOP;
• Proficiency in one of the programming languages (Python, C, C++ or Go is welcome);
• technical English for reading documentation;
• knowledge of JavaScript at the level of understanding arrow functions, map, filter, reduce functions is highly desirable.

Here are few interesting examples of IoT projects

• integration of the gRPC framework;
• integration of Arnavi, Galileosky, Modbus, KNX, Starline protocols for telematic equipment;
• functional layout of the “smart school”;
• a device for monitoring the presence of employees in the office by monitoring and managing the access control system;
• layout of the device for air control in the office;
• mock-up of a device for monitoring the condition of the pipeline.

When I first came and asked: “What are your projects? ..”, they answered me: “Car sharing and … well, power bank sharing is planned.” Now IoT in our company is not car sharing at all. A variety of projects and proposals come to us literally every day. The sphere is developing absolutely in all directions, as far as people have enough imagination. When a person catches the whole IoT chip, he immediately has some idea from automatically opening the window with a servo, depending on the temperature, to watching a cat with which you play remotely using a robotic arm.

I think that in a few years, IoT will integrate very well into our daily lives and will become a default function at home, in cafes, and in the office. It will be as necessary and familiar as the Internet is now. I am almost sure that everything will come to integral standardization, because now almost every equipment manufacturer writes its own protocol. Most likely, a number of reference protocols will be assembled for different needs, which will be used. This will greatly simplify life for us as developers who build protocols into the platform. Imagine if every person on the planet began to invent their own language, how would we be able to agree on anything at all?

Today IoT is developing actively, but in its own unique way
The development of the IoT sphere in different countries is different. We have many projects and ideas limited by the availability of specific hardware. Therefore, they start from it, and only then everything becomes overgrown with IoT functionality. Abroad, more often there are small, narrowly focused projects that do not come from equipment, but from specific issues. Quite often, such solutions appear on Kickstarter and its analogues. It is easier for startups to solve small problems and confidently occupy their small niche. Such activity is also appearing in our country, but so far we are slightly behind.

It is worth noting that there are more noticeable prejudices about the use of the cloud, both in terms of security and reliability. In Europe and America, people are more accustomed to clouds, so it’s easier to take off with a small project built on a cloud solution.

In general, both we and they still have large enterprises and organizations that are very slowly coming to change and sometimes live on the software of the last century. But if they do, then the changes are dramatic.

The development of IoT in the industry is the faster, the more noticeable the benefit. When both the benefits and the payback period are understood, barriers to implementation disappear. At the moment, IoT is most widely used in the field of transport and logistics. The introduction of IoT technologies is taking place both in large state-owned companies and in production. A large number of solutions and projects using IoT in the field of agriculture.

How to take the first steps in IoT development?
You need to start by gaining basic knowledge of electronics and assembling circuits at the connection level and studying the principles of operation of the simplest sensors (temperature, humidity, motion) and actuators (servos, relays, the same LEDs). It is very convenient to understand this by emulating devices in Tinkercad.

Then it is worth trying out several emulators of complex devices, connecting them to some kind of public broker or IoT platform. I like the MQTT and Wialon IPS protocol emulators (MQTT as the most common and Wialon IPS as the most common in transport). When an understanding is formed both in terms of hardware and in terms of protocols and connection to the platform, it will be possible to combine these areas and bring your device to the Internet.

The way to determine the professionalism of an IoT specialist largely depends on the area of \u200b\u200bit of his work. If a specialist sees his future only in working with end devices, then his value will depend on his ability to quickly adapt to the emergence of new technologies and data transfer protocols, and the ability to write software for these devices. If a specialist will create complex solutions based on ready-made devices, cloud platforms, various frameworks and information systems, then his architectural thinking, knowledge of information systems, clouds and devices available in the field of IoT, as well as ways to “make friends” all this with each other, are already appreciated .

I think that at the moment there are no quoted and rating certificates, to a greater extent because the field of the Internet of Things is still quite young and is in the process of formation. Large companies and IT schools have not yet formed the methods and standards of training in this area. For the portfolio, the most important thing is participation in IoT projects, a link to them in Github, implemented DIY cases and recommendations from colleagues in the IoT field.