Connectivity to networks is a crucial element of IoT devices. There are different types of connectivity to consider. It may be wired or wireless, depending on its use case. Wired communication is usually used for stationary devices and connected via the Ethernet, such as with smart buildings or home automation. On the other hand, wireless communication includes technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WAN technologies (such as LoRa), NB-IoT, and cellular networks. Don’t worry if you don’t know these terms; we’ll talk more about them in the upcoming chapters and ensure that you have a thorough understanding of them and how to make the best use of them depending on your individual use case!
In connecting such devices together over a network, there are two main methods of communication: serial and parallel. With serial communication, data is transmitted one bit at a time over a singular communication line. Serial communication is usually used when the distance that the communication must be based on is relatively long or when the data rate is relatively low. Furthermore, it is used when there are a limited number of available communication lines or when the complexity of the system needs to be minimized. It uses protocols such as the RS-232 or the RS-422 protocols. Some examples of when serial communication would be used are as follows:
Communication between a microcontroller and a sensor
When two computers are located at a long distance from one another
In parallel communication, multiple bits are transmitted at the same time through multiple communication lines. It is normally used when the communication distance is short and the data rate is high. Furthermore, it is often seen in systems where the number of bits that are transmitted simultaneously is huge. It includes protocols such as IEEE, 1284, and PCI. Some examples of parallel communication’s uses are as follows:
Communication between two computers that need to exchange large amounts of data quickly
Communication between a computer and a printer
We will cover connectivity in more detail in Chapter 4, Examining Communication and Connectivity Technologies, when we talk about connectivity and communication solutions.