Episode 13

Although they are often named the same, the media layer of IoT networking consists of two separate parts: the radio to transmit the data and the protocol to exchange the data with the receiver. Important for many reasons including updatability. While the hardware can be in place for long periods of time, you can expect protocols to change every few years as exemplified by the 802.15.4 standard which is currently on version m. This video focuses on the characteristics of the radio that must be considered when choosing between Wi-Fi, 802.15.4, Bluetooth, …

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth operate in the 2.4 GHz band while 802.15.4 (6LoWPAN, Zigbee, Sigfox …) operates in the 868/915 MHz and 2450 MHz bands. According to the physics of wave mechanics, the bandwidth and range of a sensor is dictated by the choices in radio frequency and power output.

Watch this video to hear Brandon Harris explain how to tune power consumption, bandwidth, range and cost to get the right sensor for your IoT application.

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