5/26/2019 Design a system - Further considerations | 5.

1 Design implications | IOT2x Courseware | edX

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Design a system - Further considerations

As we mentioned earlier, o -the-shelf prototyping platforms can speed up your
development process, but it’s unlikely that they will be used in any nal commercial
device, so picking the right one at an early stage is not as critical as you may think.

However, when looking at commercialisation, we need to be much more careful, and

start looking at more detailed requirements. 

 Security requirements

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IoT devices are often installed in their operating area and rarely (if ever) serviced or
updated.

This means that we are placing billions of additional devices onto the Internet, and
each one is a place for hackers to attack. We must design with security in mind.

Steps may include:

Allow su cient processing power for encryption/decryption of data and

communications;

Include authentication methodologies for upstream communications and

management;

Choose devices that are well supported by vendors, and include abilities to
remotely update drivers and rmware;

Implement secure, hardened network technologies;

Physical security/rugged design. Often neglected is the issue of tampering,

damage or theft of devices. This may include robust designs for use in hostile
environments.

Physical design

The physical design is not just what your IoT device will look like, but an integral part of
the commercialisation process. A good rst step is to decide where the IoT device will
placed.

If indoors:

It may be connected to a wired network in a reasonably clean, secure

environment. In this case we may be able to make use of power over ethernet
(PoE), thus saving the cost of battery replacement or mains power supplies. The
housing need not be waterproof or sealed.

If installed outdoors:

We need to consider weatherproo ng and how we will power the device.

Weatherproo ng may not be su cient if, for example, the device is connected to a
conveyor belt where dust and vibration may cause the device to fail.

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5/26/2019 Design a system - Further considerations | 5.1 Design implications | IOT2x Courseware | edX

As we have seen,
there are a plethora of
choices in the
marketplace for micro
prototyping systems,
and no one platform
will t all applications.
One thing that can help
is to always adopt
industry standards, so
that a transition to a
more suitable platform
can be made
if required at a future
date.

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